Please tell me I'm doing it right?!?

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Congratulations! :goodjob: You're done shocking :whoot:

You can test pH anytime FC is <10.

My once back to normal, my plan is to test pm/am for a week to monitor for overnight FC drops.
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Do you mean doing the OCLT? Then there is no acceptable loss other than the 1(one)FC loss allowed for the test.

Sure, re-run the tests. Post them up for us if you want comments :)

The average daytime loss is somewhere between 2 & 4. For your CYA level, you should maintain between 4 and 8, and never below 4.

With daily testing FC/CC for a week or so, you will soon learn your pool's personality.

Enjoy your pool! Now, where is our pic? :lol: :lol:
 
Thanks, Dave!

That's what I thought, but I needed confirmation to give me that warm and fuzzy feeling!

Since your signature says you're the site owner, I want to let you know how much I appreciate the site. I have learned so much from the articles and posts. I have learned that the pool has stayed clean up to now because I've been lucky, not smart. The SWAG method of pool chemistry isn't a good one!

Having recently retired from the IT field, I know how much time and effort go into maintaining a site/forum like this one. Sometimes, we forget to say "thank you" to those who develop and maintain them, those who moderate the forums and those who participate in them.

So, THANK YOU!
:-D
 
Greetings, and happy Saturday!

The FC last night was 11.5, down from 16.5 that morning. Given the 5ppm drop over the day (it was bright sunshine and mid 80's yesterday), I expect to be down another 4 to 5ppm by this evening. So, I'll do a complete test this evening since the FC should be a few ppm below 10. The CC has remained below 0.5 since the refill.

My plan is to keep the FC level at 6 for normal conditions. (And keep the other items in range, of course.)

I can't say it enough...thank you all for your advice and patience!
 
Greetings and Happy Sunday!

Last night's tests looked really good and the water is crystal clear.

FC=8
CC=0.5
PH=7.5
TA=70
CYA=40

So, unless there's anything you all think I've overlooked, I think the algae has been defeated and it's safe to return to normal testing and maintenance.

Thank you all for your help!

As promised, butterfly, here are a couple of photos.
 

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Knock Knock!

Who's there?

Woo.

WooHoo :mrgreen: :whoot:

:cheers:

btw, your #'s look great :goodjob:
My plan is to keep the FC level at 6 for normal conditions.
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You can prob test/raise FC once a day (each eve) to 8FC and see where it drifts down to the next eve. I think aiming for 6 is cutting it too close, with your dead min at 4.
 
You're right, of course. I need to plan for the END of the day FC reading to never fall below 4 ppm. If I were to aim for 6, a 4 ppm drop would take it below the minimum of 4 ppm. So, I'll plan to adjust at night to keep the FC at 8 ppm (and adjust PH, etc, if necessary).

We're supposed to get some thunderstorms this afternoon and this evening. Now that I have an accurate test kit, I'll be interested to see how they really affect the balance. In the past, with the five way kit, thunderstorms dropped the PH a small amount, depending on how much rain there was. Since I was using an auto-chlorinator, I don't really know what they did to the FC/CC because the old kit was just testing total chlorine.

I've set up an Excel worksheet to track daily readings, including changes from the previous readings. I've got a cell for comments, too, so I can note how much the pool was used, weather (cloudy, rain, storms, full sun, etc.) After a while I'll be able to see how the pool reacts to certain conditions.

Thanks!
 

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Sorry, if I'm being a pest with so many questions, but...

Say it's a beautiful, sunny day and the whole family (we have 4 kids with spouses, and 6 grandkids, plus a few "adopted" family members) will be here for swimmin' and eatin'. Assume that, based on the history of the pool, I can anticipate that it will use 5 ppm of FC under those conditions. Also assume that I maintain the FC at 8 ppm for normal, daily use.

A drop of 5 ppm would drop the FC below 4, which is the minimum acceptable level for my pool.

Would it be acceptable to increase the FC a couple of ppm, say to 10 or 11, the night before in anticipation of the use? Would This be a stupid idea? If it is a good idea to anticipate (but not over anticipate), what would be the maximum FC level you could use and still have the pool safe and comfortable for swimmers? I didn't find anything about this in Pool School (or else I've overlooked it).

Sorry. Being a novice at this, I keep coming up with thoughts/ideas, hence questions.

Thanks!
 
You can bump it up just before they arrive so no one sees the jug. It's safe to swim up to shock level, so a couple ppm extra won't matter. Plus that chlorine smell is not the bleach, it's the combined chloramines. So no one should complain about too much chlorine - they won't smell it if your pool is balanced.
 
^^^ what Richard said

Would it be acceptable to increase the FC a couple of ppm, say to 10 or 11, the night before in anticipation of the use? Would This be a stupid idea? If it is a good idea to anticipate (but not over anticipate), what would be the maximum FC level you could use and still have the pool safe and comfortable for swimmers? I didn't find anything about this in Pool School (or else I've overlooked it).
Click to expand...

You get a gold star for thinking, anticipating, and understanding what your pool needs. :goodjob:

Yes, you can add extra FC shortly before the event, or the night before, since that is when you test and add FC. As Richard said, it is safe to swim up to shock level for your CYA. I think it is always a good idea for folks to rinse/shower before and after swimming.
 
Greetings!

Well, I have another question. Is it normal for the PH to drop daily? I'm trying to maintain it at 7.5. I've had to add about a pound of borax each night to keep it there. For the last three days, when I test in the mornings it's right at 7.5, but when I test in the evening it's 7.3. Is that normal?

Just in case you need them, here are the readings from this morning:

FC-8 (which is my target level)
CC-0.5
PH-7.5
TA-80
CYA-40

And this evening:

FC-6
CC-0.5
PH-7.3
TA-80
CYA-40

As always, thank you.
 
Nope. The puck feeder has been off since I started the shock process and BBB, and hasn't been on since. I have not emptied the pucks from it, though. Even though it's dialed down to 0, if a small trickle were still getting through, could that be the culprit? If there is a trickle, it doesn't seem to be effecting the FC. The FC is dropping 2 to 4 ppm a day, which is what I would expect given weather, etc. I've been adding the prescribed amount of bleach to bring it to 8, and that's exactly where the FC is when I test in the morning.

Also, the PH is right on target in the mornings after I've added the borax the night before.

Thanks.
 

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