My first set of levels!!,

Jump to latest Follow Reply
eap2313

eap2313

0
Apr 3, 2013
37
Lewisville, TX
FC = 2
CC = 1.5
CYA = <20 (~19)
TA = 160
CH = 220
OTO = 0.5/7.8

This is my first set of levels on my first pool. What can I make of this? I feel like I may have done something wrong since FC + CC doesn't equal OTO level. Also, my CYA seems really low. HELP!!!

Thanks
 
Take a breath ;)

First, it is rare that the OTO and the FAS-DPD match. The OTO is good about detecting the presence of chlorine, but the FAS-DPD is much better at telling how much.

Was the OTO very light yellow? How many drops did you use in the FAS-DPD test?

Just want to verify you were doing it correctly. Before offering more advice.

You are correct that you CYA is a little low so that should be raised to at least 30ppm. Bigger concern is whether you really have a CC of 1.5 which would indicate a need to go through the shock process.

How does the water look?
 
I used a large scoop of the powder and it got to 5 drops when no color change. I subtracted by 1 and got 4 making my FC equal 2. I actually thought my CC was 0 at first but after it sat for like 4-5 minutes I noticed it had a light pink hue. The chlorine in OTO test was very faint yellow which looked like the bottom color of the OTO test. Water looks very clear just like in my avatar.
 
The FAS-DPD test will always tend to drift to pink if you let it sit. Only look for immediate changes. So, sounds like your CC was likely 0 :goodjob:

Given that and the clear water. You are in pretty good shape.

Get some CYA in the water to add about 10-15ppm to start and then test again in a week to verify the level.
Keep you FC above 2ppm at all times. As you add CYA, your minimum FC requirement will also rise.

Also, given your high TA, the pH will likely drift up. At 7.8 you are at the top of the recommend range. Lower that down to the lower 7s. If you want to start lowering the TA see: Lowering Total Alkalinity in Pool School.
 
I just cleaned my DE grids and backwashed. When I starting running my filter like normal looked like some residue fom the backwash was still in there and came back in my pool via returns. I ran the pump and filter all night and it seems like the dirt just settles to the bottom. When I try to vacuum it seems like the vac just pushes the dirt around and then settles back at the bottom of the pool. My vac works fine and so is there any reasoning for this?

Also, I added some muriatic acid and CYA to my pool. Can they stain the plastering my pool? I've notice a very white looking spot by the main drain and then some tear drop like tannish brown stains on my plaster since adding.

Thanks
 
If you added the chemicals as described in Pool School then they would not stain.

If you dumped the MA in with the pump off, or through the CYA granules into the pool, then that could cause issues.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short ;)
 
I will be getting my second set of levels today for my pool and wanted to know if there are any differences for my spa. They are connected and there is a little splash over slot from the spa to the pool. Do I need to test both my pool and spa? I have my suction come from the pool, but my returns are set to the pool and spa. Are there any care differences for the two in regards to chemicals?
 
There should not be any difference between the pool and spa ... that is the point of the spillover.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short ;)
 
Thanks. I didn't think so, but just wanted to make sure. Also, not sure if you're familiar with DE filters, but I recently cleaned mine and when starting the pump again I got a little bit debris back in my pool through the returns. I read in another post that it make be an air leak. I may have to take the top off and reassemble, but doesn't this sound about right to you in regards to the leak? Are there other poosible causes for this? Thanks.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Does the debris only enter the pool the first time you turn the pump back on "filter" after backwashing?

I have read other people see this (I do not) and it seems kind of normal.

You should really not get DE back to the pool unless a grid is ripped, there is something else cracked in the skimmer, or the backwash valve is leaking ... nothing to do with a air leak (well unless the filter fills with air and when the pump turns off some dirt is forced backward through the suction side).
 
It only happened once, but it seems like it all just fell to the bottom. When I try to vacuum the pool's floor it seems as if it's just pushing it all around making the pool look cloudy and not really getting it all up. After a few hours you can see the debris as settled again. I know it's from the backwash because I saw it happen immediately afte I did it. But now new debris has come out of my returns since.
 
The debris is definitely a brownish dirt color unlike the white color of DE. My FC was 2 on Friday and I add 2 lbs of cal hypo to try and bring the level up to 4 (I still had 2 pucks of trichlor in there in the autochlorinator at the time) and I added 3 lbs of CYA since my level was ~19. I will definitely see how much bleach it will take to shock it, but since I just added CYA on Saturday and it's recommended that I wait a week to check it again, is it okay to still shock without knowing how much CYA I may need to add (if any)?
 
eap2313 said:
I think I'll just shock it today and perform the OCLT to see for sure if it's algae. Does dead algae work with this test on solely live growing algae?
Click to expand...
See if this helps....

Chlorine is lost from a pool by two methods. It is either "used up" in doing its work to eliminate bather waste or other organic material, or it is broken down in the presence of UV rays/sunlight. By doing the OCLT at night, you are eliminating sunlight as a possibility. If you lose FC overnight, there must be something living in your pool, and you have to start/continue shocking.
 
Shocked my pool with 240 ounces of 8.25% bleach twice tonight with an hour in between each one. My final FC reading was 27 somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour after the second shock. (Note: my chlorinator has a valve on it in which I think I turned it off, but I'm not competely sure) My pH was 7.8 so I added 36 ounces of muriaric acid to bring it down to 7.2 in which I will increase with Borax once the pH is lowered. I will measure the FC and pH in the morning before direct sunlight on the pool. My pump will have ran for 3-4 hours prior to cutting off for the night. Until the AM...
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply