Interpreting first few weeks of testing for newbie

[srfdmatty]

Hi all,
So I let the pool cleaning company go after the first year of owning our new house which has a pool. I like doing things on my own so I've been reading your site for the past 4 months trying to learn as much as I can and have really enjoyed it and finally decided to start doing all of the testing and maintenance on my own. Last month we had the pool company install a new pump, easy touch control panel, salt cell and solar panels so I'm just getting used to using the new system. So here I am ready to post my first question. I tested my water and here are my results using the TF100:
FC 1.5
CC 0
ph 8.2
TA 100
CH 375
CYA 55
Br 1
Salt 3600
The water is clear.

My question is what should I tackle first regarding adjusting the chemistry? Should I tackle the ph level using acid and bring it down to 7.2 and then aerate to bring down my TA at the same time while the ph slowly rises back to 7.6-7.8?
Or tackle FC first to bring it up to at least 3 first then wait a few days and retest and then tackle the ph and TA.
Your reading said not to adjust ph using acid and FC using bleach at the same time and to give the pool a break for a day or so to ensure the acid and bleach don't react.
Thanks for all your help in advance. Let me know if I can provide any other helpful info.

 

[Abigail K]

I assume the water is clear?

If yes,
1) Tackle pH first. 8.2 is the upper limit of the test, and pH may be much higher. pH will also keep increasing due to SWG. Re-test after adding muriatic acid to ensure pH is within range and leave pump running at least 30mins after addition.
1.5) Aeration does nothing to TA.
2) Tackle FC. With SWG, recommended FC is 3 for CYA 60.

Bleach can be added half hour after acid has been added to the pool, no need to wait a day as long as the pump is running.

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi,
Welcome to TFP. Congratulations on getting your own test kit and taking control of your pool.
You PH needs to come down.
Your FC needs to go up
If I were you, I wouldnt do anything to the TA yet. Get your Ph good and test it daily for several days. If you have to add acid daily, then perhaps bring your TA down 10 by aerating. TA is a trial and error thing. Every pool environment is different so it depends on how much your Ph swings around will ultimately determine the TA.

hope this helps,

 

[Donldson]

You will want to get your FC up with bleach to get it in to range right away. It will probably take you some time to dial your SWG in so have bleach on hand in case you underestimate it.

Next your pH needs lowered.

You should then raise up your CYA to 70-80. This helps the SWG maintain a 3-5 FC level without too much burnoff from the sun.

Your TA is high but it will come down gradually as you add acid to keep your pH in check. No need to do anything extra for that. All recommended levels can be found here. Make sure you target the plaster with SWG levels.