Temp pool 4 day shock and HTH 6-way test kit

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M

MisterD

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Apr 27, 2011
7
Hi,
I recently bought my first pool - a 10' easy set (~1000gal). I had found this forum last year and decided this was the way I wanted to maintain my pool.

Upon setting up my pool, I followed the temporary pool guide. However, the first bag of "shock" I purchased was Calcium Hypo (I didn't realize there were different types of shock). I ran that for 2 or 3 nights (2oz each night) before discovering it was the wrong product. Testing each night during that phase (with the HTH 6-way test) my TC was around 5 and pH was steady at 7.2 (after adding some pH Down initially).

I got my hands on some Dichlor and added that for 4 nights. I have my pH level at 7.2 still, but now the TC test reads way out of scale (the test kit only goes to 5). Further research, I see that I'm actually measuring FC and CC combined, which may explain why it's off the chart.

Following the advise of the guide, I should be shooting for a FC level of 2. I'm wondering how I can actually track this with the HTH 6-way kit. I purchased that kit because it was available locally and listed as an 'intermediate' kit on this site (ok... AND because it was 1/2 the price of the t100 and k2006). Is there any way I can keep/monitor my FC at 2 without having to go out and purchase a different test kit?

We have a heat-wave coming this weekend and I have a 3 year-old who I've had to keep out of the pool for a week and a half since opening (to his objection of course). I just want to make sure the levels are safe before we take our first dip.

Thanks,
-Casey
 
Thanks!
Guess I should've seen that question coming. :) I just ran down and tested with the 6-way kit, I completely filled the little tube and was still able to see the black dot at the bottom (indicating a < 30 CYA level). The Dichlor I was using was PoolTime Shock Plus (58.2% Sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione).
 
You are probably just fine to swim in your pool. The dichlor added some CYA to your pool even though you cannot measure it and that takes the aggressive "edge" off of the chlorine so it is fine to swim in it. The TC continues to come down with time, too.

I think that HTH kit is a comparator block (where you put in about 3-5 drops for the chlorine and it turns a shade of yellow, is that right?). If that's the case and your test is yellow and not distinctly orange, then you are fine.

If you post a pic of that test, we can likely reassure you even more.

Take that cover off if you need the TC to reduce a lot faster.
 
With CYA that low a lot of your chlorine is going to burn off with sunlight during the day. You can continue to use the pucks and keep track of how many you use until you get to a good target CYA and then use bleach. Or get some stabilizer/conditioner to bring CYA up and use liquid bleach/chlorine. You can use the pool calculator in pool school to figure out what amounts to put in. For FC you usually have a minimum level you want to maintain, so you go above that level so that the next time you test you are still above your minimum. The levels will change depending on how much CYA you have in the pool. The HTH 6way only has enough chems for 2 CYA tests, I'm not sure if the refill from duraleigh is compatible or not but might be worth checking on.
 
Should I continue adding the dichlor for a few nights to try and get the CYA to 30? (I have 1 CYA test left)

Yes, it uses the comparator block. It looks "orange-ish" to me, but I'm pretty new to this whole thing. I have been trying to take the cover off when the pool gets direct sun, but the drop in TC levels has been slow (probably to the limited hours of direct sunlight). Here's a pic of the TC test I just took.
 

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maybe another dumb question, but I just finished the 4-night Dichlor shock on Sunday. Reading that stabilizer takes a week to register, is it possible that my CYA test I did this morning could be providing inaccurate results?
Does the 1-week waiting period only apply to "stabilizer" or Dichlor as well?
 
How does your water look? If it's crystal clear, I'd hold off adding any more dichlor and just use bleach when the chlorine level lowers.
 
If you know how much of what chemicals you've added then you can use the pool calculator near the bottom to see what "effects of adding chemicals" to figure how much CYA you should have. Casey has a direct link to the pool calculator in his signature.
 

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The water looks ok. We had a few days of substantial rain which washed all the dirt off the redwoods the pool sits under. I've kept up on cleaning the bigger items with a net, but there's some visible dirt that settles near the creases on the bottom of the pool. I've been trying to stir it up a few times throughout the day with the pump/filter running, but it doesn't seem to be helping much. Might need to pick up a vacuum of some sort.

I've punched in the numbers in the pool calculator, looks like the Dichlor I've added (8oz) should put FC around 33 and CYA around 30. I'll monitor the TC and pH levels for a while and see how it does.

Think I should hold off letting people use pool until the test turns a little more yellow?

Thanks again for your guys' help!
 
Your FC is pretty high ... likely a little higher than it should be based on that orange color ... do not add any more chlorine for a day or 2 and let it drop down to more of a yellow and then maintain it in the yellows.

BTW, the CYA from the dichlor should show up on the test almost immediately.
 
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