Saltwater woes!!! Newbie trying to figure this out. Please advise.

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Thanks. I tested my CYA level today just for kicks to see how the levels change...am learning. I did add granular, but added it through a clean white sock and massaged sock until it dissolved. Actually my CYA level dropped from yesterday...so we'll see how it changes over the week. My FC level was 17 for today with a CYA level of 42, so my shock level looks good. Still can't upload photos...sorry.

And yes...realize now that I shouldn't have worried about the CYA level until I was done SLAMming...just made my target FC level higher which I didn't need...oh well...live and learn. Won't add anymore until the process is done. Haven't passed an OCLT yet, but my CC is under .5 and my shock level is where it is supposed to be. Now looking for clear water. Hoping for that soon and to pass the OCLT. My kids are itching to get in...cause it is blue and not green. :)

Hopefully soon. Still vacuuming everyday and covering it so it will lose less chlorine to the sun. Can't wait! Thanks guys!
 
If you are at shock level or below and you can see to the bottom of the pool in case someone got in trouble you don't have to wait till it's sparkly clear. It's safe to swim in now.
 
YAY!!!!! We passed an OCLT! And our CC is still under 0.5, and the water is much clearer. However, I feel like this is like the CYA test in that it is rather subjective. How clear is clear? If I drop a quarter in the pool, I can see it about two feet from the side of the pool all the way to the bottom. But it isn't perfectly clear. How clear does it have to be before we can use it?

Also...I need to adjust the alkalinity levels and the CYA to proper levels. I am going to test my salt levels tonight, but I may need to adjust those as well. Is there a particular order that I have to do this in so that I don't mess anything up? Also, will my salt test be inaccurate due to the high concentration of chlorine or anything? Just don't want to lose ground here. Here are my test results for tonight:

CYA: 44 TA: 110 CH: 200 FC: 13 CC: 0 TC: 13 pH: 7.7

Lastly, I am worried about letting the littles swim in the water with so high a concentration of chlorine. Won't that really irritate their skin and eyes? I know you said it was safe to swim, but are you sure? They are 1.5, 6, 7, 9, and 16 years old. I am not worried too much about the 16 year old, but the others are still small and chemicals might affect them a little differently than a full grown adult. What do you think? Should I let them swim, or should I wait until the chlorine level is where it is suppose to be? And speaking of that, how long will it take for the chlorine to get to the proper levels? I believe it is supposed to be at 4 or something.

Thanks again!
 
Yay!

Clear is subjective, and you will get a much better feel for it the longer you keep your water in balance and see what it's supposed to look like. You can use the pool even while the water is cloudy as long as you can see swimmers all the way to the bottom. Cloudiness is not a health issue (low FC is, but cloudiness alone is not). It can be a safety issue if it hides swimmers and objects on the pool floor.

FC is below shock level, so yes, it is safe to swim. The CYA binds chlorine, so it's not as harsh. Skin and eye irritation can be caused by pH being out of whack, and you won't get an accurate pH reading with an FC over 10. If you want to be careful and cautious with the toddler and young children, you could wait for the FC to drop below 10 and make sure the pH is in range before the little ones get in the water.

Speaking of the pH reading, you can stop testing pH until FC drops below 10 since you won't get a reliable reading until then. You can adjust CYA and salt at the same time. I wouldn't touch TA until your CYA additions register on the CYA test, FC drops below 10, and you have any pH adjustments made. Then, test TA and see if you need to do anything about it.

What CYA are you targeting? This will affect what your FC should be. With CYA of 44, a target of 4 for FC is fine. For higher CYA, it might not be.
 
Time to bring up your CYA. If you go to 60 then you would want a daily level of 4ppm FC and if 70 / 5ppm FC.
But a minimum of no less than 3 for either level. http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock

No way to tell on the FC dropping as sunlight in your location, swimmers, covered or not .... just too many variables. But to get under 10, likely a day or two.
 
Yes...we are targeting 70 due to where we live...I have been diligent about testing chlorine and the water is SOOOO CRYSTAL CLEAR!!!!! It hasn't been this way all season. I am so psyched! We are now at a level of 4 for the chlorine. I will test CYA and pH this weekend. Depending on what I see we will adjust accordingly....my only question now is if the SWG is keeping the chlorine level where it should be. If I have a CYA of 70, but the SWG won't keep the level above 4, what do I do? Just add chlorine here and there? Thanks. :D
 
To increase FC you can run the pump longer per day and or turn the SWG % up. The SWG's tend to produce a little more FC if you keep the salt level closer to the it's maximum limit. You'd likely want to be above 3000 but no higher than 3500ppm.

From the CS20110 owners manual : • Optimum Salt Levels
The ideal salt level in the pool water is between 2500-3500 ppm (parts per million). The optimal level is 3000 ppm.
 
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