Quick Update and Reassurance to test results

[Natesroom]

Hey guys just wanted to post my results from the TF 100:

FC 7
CC .5
TC 7.5
PH 7.8
TA 190
CYA 50

The only thing i noticed is on the small Chlorine and Ph tester it says 1-2 which doesn't coincide with the other results.

Anyways how does everything look?

 

[JasonLion]

Overall that looks good. Your TA is a bit high. I recommend lowering PH to 7.2 each time it gets to 7.8 until the TA comes down some.

 

[Natesroom]

thanks Jason.. i was wondering if anyone could explain the difference between the two tests?

 

[JasonLion]

The OTO chlorine test (drops turn the sample some shade of yellow) is quick and easy but only measures TC up to 5 and it is very difficult to distinguish levels between 3 and 5. This test excels at a quick chlorine or no chlorine check.

The FAS-DPD chlorine test (powder turns the sample pink, drops turn it back clear) is slower but measures both FC and CC from 0 to 50 in steps of 0.5. This test is the one to use for knowing exactly what your levels are. However it can very rarely report no chlorine when chlorine is actually very very high.

 

[Natesroom]

thanks for your answer!

 

[Natesroom]

So i tested again today and my CYA is 49 but my FC is 0
TA is 150
PH is between 7.6 and 7.8

Is that fast? I hadn't put anything in since Sunday should it lose that much FC in 3 days?

 

[pwrstrk]

Your pool probably loses between 2-3 ppm per day. So that's not fast. You have to add chlorine everyday. I would add some bleach ASAP or your heading towards algae. ?

 

[Richard320]

You have to feed it everyday...

 

[Natesroom]

ahh ok! if i have a 2.5 gallon jug how much you think i should add each day?

 

[pwrstrk]

For your CYA level of 50 you need to maintain your FC level between 4-8 and never below 4. Target 8.
Use Pool Math to figure how much bleach to add to reach your target of 8.
How much you have to add each day depends on how much FC you lose each day. Testing FC will tell you how much you lose each day.?

 

[Richard320]

ahh ok! if i have a 2.5 gallon jug how much you think i should add each day?

That's what testing will tell you. In a couple weeks, you'll have a good idea how thirsty the pool is, but in the meantime, test, plug it into poolmath, and dose.

Good instructions for using poolmath and setting up the suggested levels and the bleach strength are in this article: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/114-poolmath-pool-calculator

If you're at zero now, and you target 8 and your pool is 20,000 gallons and the bleach is 10%, you'll need 1.5 gallons. If the bleach is weaker or stronger, that quantity will be different.