Going to Test for the First Time

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PoolStudent

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May 15, 2014
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Central Florida
I had pool service up until two weeks ago, and they pretty much came once a week and were shocking my pool. I am getting more situated and can start testing my pool on the regular now. This was also the last time my pool was vaccummed and mine is coming in Tuesday.

My pool has stayed really clear for the two weeks and I have been pouring 10.5% chlorine to keep it clean, and the pump is running for 8 hours each day.

I am trying to get to go in the pool tomorrow, and I'm hoping the FC levels should be above the minimum safe levels.

Pool
16K gallon - Chlorine
Screen Enclosure (no leaves or any large debris)
Plaster
Clear water and easy to see the floor
Temp - upper 80s

Weather
Been raining a lot, but the past few days it's be a bit lighter. I did have to drain the pool at one point due to the rain.

Kit
TF-100 XL

Chemicals on hand
4 gallons of 10.5% chlorine
.5 gallons of Muriatic Acid

What tests do I need to run?
Do I just pop my results into the Pool Math Calculator?
Should I go ahead and buy some stabilizer just in case?
 
Hi There,
You should run all of the test and make sure you perform them according exactly to the instructions included in the test kit.
Yes, just pop your results into the pool calculator. It is that easy. Dont forget to print, or copy or refer to the recommended levels for your type of pool. SWG or Non, etc.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/134-recommended-levels

Wait until you test for CYA before you go buy any. Having it on vs running to the store will make no difference and may only be sitting there, money spent for no reason of you dont need it.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes!
 
Did the tests for the first time.

FC = 12 (24 drops)
CC = .5 to 1 (1 to 2 drops)
ph = 7.8 to 8.2 (inbetween two colors)
TA = 180 (18 drops)
CH = 200 (8 drops)

CYA approx 30 (hard to be really precise and not the brightest of conditions)

Is this pool safe to swim in the tomorrow and do I need to add some muriatic acid?
 
Yes the pool is safe to swim in. Your FC is above normal levels for your CYA level. It's at shock level. You can swim in FC levels up to shock level. Just let it drift down. The FC range for a CYA level of 30 is 2-6 and don't let it drop below 2.
FC/CYA Chart. Use 6 as your target as that will give you wiggle room for FC burn off so you don't fall below your min.
If your unsure about the PH level use the the color you think is closest. Drop it down to 7.5 just to be on the safe side. Pool Math.
Take that CC test again tomorrow and see what you come up with. Do the CC test as soon as your FC test goes clear. Don't wait.
Being in the sunny state of FLA. you may want to raise your CYA level up some to 40-50. How much sun does your pool receive during the day ? ?
 
pwrstrk said:
Yes the pool is safe to swim in. Your FC is above normal levels for your CYA level. It's at shock level. You can swim in FC levels up to shock level. Just let it drift down. The FC range for a CYA level of 30 is 2-6 and don't let it drop below 2.
FC/CYA Chart. Use 6 as your target as that will give you wiggle room for FC burn off so you don't fall below your min.
If your unsure about the PH level use the the color you think is closest. Drop it down to 7.5 just to be on the safe side. Pool Math.
Take that CC test again tomorrow and see what you come up with. Do the CC test as soon as your FC test goes clear. Don't wait.
Being in the sunny state of FLA. you may want to raise your CYA level up some to 40-50. How much sun does your pool receive during the day ? ?
Click to expand...

The pool is on the north side of the house. It likely starts getting some light sun from about 8 am now until about 6 pm since the light gets blocked when it is on the west side.

I will do the CC test in the morning. That's a great suggestion on testing the CC and soon as the FC.

I may run and get some stabilizer tomorrow to help the cya.

I will add some acid to help lower the pH and help lower TA some.

There is a bit of a learning curve on doing the tests, but I'm hoping this will be faster in the future. Thanks for the help form this forum.
 
Ok, I did the FC and CC test today. After doing this today in the morning, and being more comfortable with the test, my first test probably wasn't perfect. The water continues to look great!

FC - 14.5
CC - between 0 and 0.5

So I added about 20 oz of muriatic acid, and I'm likely to pick up some glass beaker to make the measurement real easy for this.

Next weekend, I may work on getting my CYA to 40-50. Also, I will double check my CH numbers and address that as well next weekend.

This week I will continue to monitor FC, CC and pH.

We had a great time in the pool tonight though! Thanks for all the help on the forum
 
Ok, I will see what the FC/CC and pH tests are in the morning. In theory I should be below 10 FC by then. We did get some descent rain on Sunday and T-storms are in the forecast for today too.

The only question I have on the tests for the FC/CC is how clear does the sample have to be for me to declare anything?
 

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adrob2 said:
There shouldn't be any pink color in the sample. Make sure you're adding drops relatively quickly, about 1 per sec. Immediately add the R-0003 reagent to test for CC, if you let it sit before adding the R-0003 it will turn pink again. Read this post as it has some very good, detailed directions.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/24188-Extended-Test-Kit-Directions
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I already had it printed it out didn't pay too much attention to the notes.

All I added was .5 gallons of chlorine this week.

I tested this morning and my FC was 7.5 and CC was 0. pH was still high even after adding 20 oz during the week. I went ahead and added 30 oz of muriatic acid today, and I will test in the morning again. I'm hoping to at least get something under 8.2 on the test.

I do have some CYA on hand to get it up to 50 and another 2.5 gallon of chlorine to get my FC higher to go with the higher CYA. I hope to be doing things right. The water still looks very clear.
 
Sounds like you're on the right track. I would add CYA somewhat slowly, maybe try taking it up from 30-40 initially. Don't forget that if you're adding solid CYA it may take a week for all of it to register on the test and if you add too much the only way to remove any is partial drain/refill. If you're holding chlorine well at 40 then you won't need to take it any higher.
 
PoolStudent said:
I tested this morning and my FC was 7.5 and CC was 0. pH was still high even after adding 20 oz during the week. I went ahead and added 30 oz of muriatic acid today, and I will test in the morning again. I'm hoping to at least get something under 8.2 on the test.
Click to expand...

pH 8.2 is the maximum reading on the test, very likely your pH is much higher. You would need to add muriatic acid, let it mix, re-test the water, and add acid again.
For large pH changes, the recommendation is to add half the recommended amount of acid and re-test.
Check that you entered the correct TA & strength of muriatic acid.
Also, how new is the plaster in your pool?
 
The plaster in my pool is old, but I don't know the exact age of my pool.

I added CYA and about 30 oz this weekend. When I measured today I got 7.8! So I added about 20 oz of muriatic acid into the pool this morning and I will retest the pH tomorrow.

Also, my CH is about 300, is this ok to leave like this?
 
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