Okay, as of this morning, my free chlorine has finally dropped below the target value. (I haven't added bleach in like 8 days now - it took that long for it to dissipate.)
I'm not sure if this is the thread to post my followup questions or not, as they don't specifically pertain to algae.
Post them here.
I decided to do another full set of readings now that I don't have shock level chlorine anymore, and came up with this:
Code:
reading target, according to TFP
-- --------- ------------------------
FC 6.5 5 to 7
CC 0.5 - 1.0
CYA 60 30 to 50
PH 7.0 - 7.1 7.5 to 7.8
CH 100 50 to 300
TA 60 70 to 90+
borates 40 50?
Also, the water does look crystal clear.
On the free chlorine, the chart says 5 is the minimum, and 7 is the target. I'm guessing the correct strategy is that in the morning, I should boost it to 7 to allow for up to 2 parts fall off during the day. Is that correct? So, since I was at 6.5, I added less than a cup of bleach this morning, to boost it to 7.0
You need to monitor you daily chlorine consumption and boost to whatever FC that ensures you do not drop below 5 at the end of the day.
My PH seems to have fallen over the last 8 days, even though I hear PH tends to migrate upwards. In fact, in my last pool I was constantly adding muriatic acid, but that was a plaster pool, and this one's vinyl.
This may be interference from your FC levels. So, am I correct to assume this won't self correct, and that I should add something to boost the PH?
With that TA level, you probably would not see much swing in your pH level. You can afford to continue monitoring it, but you can also afford to increase the pH slightly. I assume my other readings are okay. By the way, I still have some proteam supreme onhand, and since my borates still aren't quite up to 50, I could add a little, and that would boost my PH, but I'm not sure if it will boost it enough though, so maybe I should add something different. What can I add that won't boost the borates too high, as I read on this forum that I shouldn't go above 50 ppm?
You can add washing soda (sodium carbonate / soda ash) to increase pH. It will increase TA slightly, but in any case your TA is slightly below the recommendations.
For the PH, should I aim for the middle of the range, which would be 7.65?
Aim for 7.5 and monitor.
Also, in my TF-100 kit, there is a daily chlorine and PH test, but the top of the scale for chlorine is 5.0, yet TFP says that with my CYA of 60, I should aim for 5 to 7 on my chlorine, which depending on the answer to my first question above, means anything below 7 means I should add bleach. Does this mean my daily TF-100 test is unusable? That would be a raw deal.
At higher levels, the daily test (OTO) turns various shades of yellow and orange. It does not differentiate FC and CC, but you can compare the colours on the OTO with the readings you get using FAS-DPD to get a general idea. I would recommend you use both tests the first few days to get an idea of your pool's appetite, then you can afford to test on alternate days using FAS-DPD. If it sounds too confusing, please forget that I ever made that suggestion.
I need to add this new information: As of a day or two ago, I just ordered an intex SWG, so hopefully within the next week or so, I can get that thing installed. I bring that up, because maybe it affects people's opinions on what adjustments I should make to the pool levels I just posted.
pH tends to rise with an SWG. You may not have to actively raise your pH.
I also assume that means I need to get a salt test so that I know if I have the correct amount of salt in the pool. Does anybody have a recommendation on which salt test kit to get? And when I buy salt, can I use the same salt I've been getting for my water conditioner? I've been getting 40 pound bags of salt from the grocery store for that.
Yes, recommended pool chemicals states you can use water softener salt. Also, if you have kids, you can hold diamond day (post #5).
