Got my kit today, some clarification needed.

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crewchief47

crewchief47

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LifeTime Supporter
May 9, 2008
60
Windsor, ON
First of all, thanks for a great product! This will bring alot of "easy button" to this rookie's life.

I'm pretty sure I know what's going on, just wanted to make sure my assumptions were correct.

The pool is still closed with the cover on it, we'll probably open it this week-end. I was waiting to get the kit so I didn't go and top it off(still a couple inches below the skimmer) and have to drain it some later. These were done pretty close to the surface(I can only reach so far down through the skimmer :wink: ) Here's the goods:

FC: 0
CC: 0
TC: 0
pH: 6.8 (looked even lower than that)
T/A: 10
CH: 90
CYA: 40
salt: 500
Temp: 76ish(checked day before)

Now, I did the OTO first and it didn't register anything. When I did the FAS-DPD, I didn't get any pink at all when I added the powder. I assume this is because there is no Cl in the pool at all?!? I did that twice just to make sure I didn't mess it up and stopped when it didn't turn pink.

Would it be fairly safe to assume that bringing the water up to the proper level will be equal to about an 1/8 of capacity(assuming 48" deep) and result in a dillution of around 12% of existing levels??? ie: 500 salt will end up at 440ish

I was really happy to see the the CYA as low as it is considering the stack of pucks in the shed from the previous owners.

This week-end will see me adding some 12% to shock levels, deploying some salt and adding some baking soda. The CYA will come after the clean up, when I can leave the filter for a week.
 
Chief,

Put some 20 Mule Team Borax in the pool to raise your pH as your first priority. Using Jason's calculator, shoot for 7.2.

Once pH is at 7.2, retest Alk (it'll be higher) and then add baking soda to bring your Alk up.

All the rest of your test interpretations and plans look good.
 
frustratedpoolmom said:
I personally think it's always a good idea to get some fresh water in there, run the filter through at least one circulation cicle, and then test, getting your water from 1 foot below the surface.
Click to expand...

jasonlion said:
Keep in mind that many of the numbers can be way off if you haven't had the pump running recently. Get the pump running for at least an hour before testing to be sure you have valid results.
Click to expand...

Ya, that's likely what will happen next season when we open, but I really didn't want to top the pool off only to discover I had a CYA of 100 and needed to drain some of my freshly added "expensive" water, if you know what I mean. Being the second owners, I didn't know what to expect from the first. I'll get the water up and run the pump for a while, re-test before doing anything.

duraleigh said:
Put some 20 Mule Team Borax in the pool to raise your pH as your first priority. Using Jason's calculator, shoot for 7.2.

Once pH is at 7.2, retest Alk (it'll be higher) and then add baking soda to bring your Alk up.
Click to expand...

When I read that, I realized I had forgoten to 'deal' with the pH in my origional post. I had thought about it, but not long enough to calculate the fix and I got too focused on the TA. Thanks for the catch and confirmations.

PS. For any Canadians that live in a border town, get in touch with a UPS store or some similar facility in the US city near your crossing. You can have items shipped to the store to be held for you to pick up for a nominal fee($5 for me). I figure I saved around $80 after tolls, parking and "hold for" fee. They didn't pull me in for taxes this time either. Plus a fill up the car for $4.19US. This works great for companies that aren't allowed/won't ship to Canada!
 
Expensive water....boy do I. We have the highest water rates in the state. My monthly bill for 5,000 gallons is about $100 dollars a month. In the summer my usage goes up, and so does my bill.

three summers ago we started "closing" our pool with an "AquaDoor" - it's like a tupperware lid for the skimmer. It allows you to close your pool without draining it. We put a plug in the return. We were sooo excited about not having to drain and being able to "save" money....heheheh. Three seasons of not adding "fresh" water to the pool and our CYA built up to over 120ppm.

I had three seperate partial drains/refills of 1/3 each time to bring it down to 40-50 range.

Three.

See the Irony?

Did I MENTION HOW MUCH I SPENT AT THE POOL STORE because of my high CYA?

Never mind...Rant over. :oops:
 
Hi peeps!

Well, I filled the pool on Saturday, which almost led to wasting some water. Lucky for me I tried the pump before the water had crested the skimmer cause it needed some help. Had to take the end cap off the motor and lube the bushing. I'm a little concerned as it was chirping a little this evening, but we'll see. It also led to a plumbing job for the fall as it would appear the ball valve is on the wrong side of the union for removal of the pump without losing water.

Any way, got it clean up and boy, the last homeowner is not a pool installer, that's for sure. Asked the neighboor and sure enough, he did it anyway. Sides are wrinkled all the way around. One side is leaning out, the other is leaning out AGAINST the deck and is as striaght as a snake, the pool is un-level by at least 1.5" over 12'. That about sums that up. Don't think it's going to fall down any time soon and the water is clear, so that's a good thing.

Added 1/2 Lb Borax Sat and 3 Qts 12% Cl

Readings at 9pm Sat
FC: 12
CC: 0
TC: 12
PH: 6.8 Still looked lower by shade of yellow
TA: Not checked
CH: Not checked
CYA: Not Checked
Temp: 70

Readings at 9am Sunday
FC: 12
CC: 0
TC: 12
PH: Solid 6.8

Added another 1/2 Lb of Borax and 150ish Lbs of salt (75 Kg)

Readings at 9pm Sunday
FC: 8
CC: 0
TC: 8
PH: between 6.8 and 7.2 but I'll have to re-check with better light
TA: 30 ???
CH: 80
CYA: 30-40 (getting dark out and mosquitos were on the warpath)
Temp: 72

Full day of sun today, no cover, pool gets full south exposure with no substantial trees east or west.
I haven't turned the SWG on yet cause I want things to settle a little bit.

How long does it take for the borax to move the pH?

I gained about 3psi both times I added(skimmer) and it didn't drop the first time till I backwashed, haven't BW this time around yet. The calculator said to add more but it's really dependant on the TA level so I been hesitant in order not to overshoot.

The TA change may be testing error but it certainly isn't higher than 40. Edit: just read a post by chem-geek that would suggest my fill water probably has a TA reading and thats likely what is different. Will check the fill water soon.

Does 4ppm FC use seem about par with my current chemistry?

Thanks! This is sooooooo much more enjoyable when you have some understanding of whats going on.
 

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Well, a little over two months later and it's still all smiles here. Can't believe how well it's been going. The Intex SWG is set to run 2 hours per day. When the solar cover is off, the FC seems to stay at 7, a little high but I'm ok with that. If I leave the cover on, the FC steadily climbs without backing the SWG off to 1 hour. We'll need a new solar cover for next season and we're thinking about adding solar heating panels as well. The pool maxed out at 86F this summer but was 80 or lower more often than not.

I get some(about a square foot worth) of algae in the pool at the far end that I attribute to poor circulation due to the steps(steps are about 4' downstream from the return) and the pump running mostly on low. I've also been trying to flip it on to high every couple days to help that out. May try running on low for more hours, but will probably wait till next season to get more in tune with this. It brushes away easily when I vacuum.

The 2 year old loves the pool, even after the black eyes face plant on the cake steps. :roll:

The Ph has held at 7.2 without any outside input from me, which was a happy surprise.

Today's numbers:

FC 7.5
CC 0
TC 7.5
Ph 7.2
TA 70
CH 60
CYA 50
Temp 75

Happy swimming!
 
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