CYA, TA and CH questions...

[Angnjam]

So I tested my water last night with my TFTestKit100 and here are the results:

CYA 30-40
TA 120
CH 180

A pool guy told me not to raise my CH because we get plenty hard water here and they are often draining pools in the area because pool water is too hard. Should I raise my CH or is it okay? If I do need to use it, CH increaser is NOT cheap. Can I get something at Home Depot, Walmart or something that will raise it but is much cheaper?

I put 4 lbs in a month or two ago and raised it from 25 to 50. Should I really put 7 more lbs in a sock in my skimmer to get it to 70? That seems like so much! Conditioner too, is so expensive!

I have tried lowering my PH to 7.0 but I can't ever get my TA lower than 100, it seems.

I am using an ozonator. Would this effect any of these things? I read on another post that using an ozonator will eat chlorine up faster. Anything else that it will do?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. I am in southern CA, 92592. It's about 50 miles north is San Diego and 30 miles or so inland (as the crow flies). My pool is Stonescapes and I'm thinking it's about 24k gallons. Thanks.

 

[Richard320]

Just to be sure.... how big was the sample you used to test CH? 10 ml or 25 ml? Did you use the right multiplier? 180 CH sounds like tap water. I'd expect a pool more than a month old in SoCal to be well over 200 CH.

Have you tested your refill water? That may be why the TA won't go down -you're constantly adding more via the hose.

If you are using the SWG, you should raise the CYA level to 70 or so.

 

[Angnjam]

I used 25ml and multiplied it by 10. Isn't that the correct way to test the CH? I tested my refill water and it is the same alkalinity as the pool water.

 

[Donldson]

Ozone is generally discouraged here primarily because it is entirely unnecessary in a residential pool. Chem Geek has a good writeup about the typical claims manufacturers make here: Ozone Claims

 

[257WbyMag]

Your ozone system isn't going to cause any problems, but the effects of an ozone system in an outdoor pool are negligible at best, simply because the sun is doing the same thing for you that the ozone system will do, albeit, much more quickly.

 

[Richard320]

Yes, you did it right. Just checking.

I wouldn't add CH just to add it. With evaporation and refill it will rise fast enough. The pool guy is right.

Enough stabilizer to reach 70 CYA is about forty bucks. That's a lot less than the bleach you'd need to buy to SLAM the pool if you develop an algae bloom because the SWG can't keep up with the chlorine demand due to sunlight losses.

 

[Angnjam]

I put in 4 lbs of CYA in a nylon stocking in front of my return and the pump speed is set to quick clean at 2450 right now and I'd say 2.5-3 lbs of it is gone already. Is this bad for the pool or the equipment? Is it releasing too fast. It's only been about an 1-1/2 to 2 hours. I thought it would take a week to dissolve???

 

[Richard320]

Nope, that's great!

There is even a liquid CYA (liquid gold, judging by the price) that mixes in minutes.

The stuff may not be fully dissolved, just broken down into small enough particles to escape the sock and disperse. So don't bother testing the CYA level for a few days.

 

[Angnjam]

Great, thanks so much for all your help everyone!

 

[svenpup]

The pool guy is right.

Have you ever said that before?

 

[Richard320]

Have you ever said that before?

I don't know.... but a stopped clock is right twice a day, so anything's possible.