These readings MUST be off - this thread is for my brother who is joining soon

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T

toofast

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May 9, 2013
993
North East Ohio
So I am a loyal TFP advocate...trying to convince my brother to rethink things. He has always slightly struggled with his water.

He has a vinyl in ground pool, 16 x 32, cartridge filter, NE Ohio Located.

He has been using trichlor pucks for the last 10 years and has never tested for CYA nor has he ever changed his water.

Below are his test results from a store using a super computer (Great West)

He is ordering a test kit from TFP, but in the meantime he is panicking. I told him to DO NOTHING until he gets accurate readings. He lives an hour away, so I can not easily test for him.

Please confirm or deny what you think he should do or not do at the moment. There is NO WAY I believe of these readings...maybe FC as I know how much stuff he dumps in the pool trying to get it right.

FC: 12.29
CC: 0
pH: 6.3
CH: 0
TA: 0
CYA: 0
Copper: 0
Iron: 0
 
toofast said:
So I am a loyal TFP advocate...trying to convince my brother to rethink things. He has always slightly struggled with his water.

He has a vinyl in ground pool, 16 x 32, cartridge filter, NE Ohio Located.

He has been using trichlor pucks for the last 10 years and has never tested for CYA nor has he ever changed his water.

Below are his test results from a store using a super computer (Great West)

He is ordering a test kit from TFP, but in the meantime he is panicking. I told him to DO NOTHING until he gets accurate readings. He lives an hour away, so I can not easily test for him.

Please confirm or deny what you think he should do or not do at the moment. There is NO WAY I believe of these readings...maybe FC as I know how much stuff he dumps in the pool trying to get it right.

FC: 12.29
CC: 0
pH: 6.3
CH: 0
TA: 0
CYA: 0
Copper: 0
Iron: 0
Click to expand...
I think the free pool store testing is worth what he paid. Agree, no panic - he needs one of the recommended test kits, but you already knew that.

There is plenty of chlorine in the water but the pH needs to come up using those numbers. Does he have any sort of test kit at all? Even the cheap ones from WalMart will give a reliable pH number to verify it's that low, which after years of tabs and little testing it probably is. If it is he can work on bringing up the pH while he waits for the test kit.
 
It is simply impossible for the PH to be 6.3 and the TA to be zero at the same time. It is also unlikely, though remotely possible, that CH is as low as zero. Finally, it is difficult to believe that CYA is zero for a 10 year trichlor user, though again this is merely unlikely, and not impossible (CYA sometimes vanishes over the winter).

So the first step is to get some reliable test results.

The odds are fairly good that PH actually is too low, as that test is the most likely to be correct. But given the errors/unlikely results from the test, I would wait for confirmation before doing anything.
 
Ok, I suggested he purchase a cheap $5 Walmart kit to validate his pH until he gets a real test kit.

He is still panicking...and to make matters worse he went to another pool store and got these readings (oh geez) HOWEVER the only consistency is low pH - to be verified shortly with the WM Kit.

FC: 4
CC: .5
pH: 6.2
CH: 98
TA: 2
CYA: .9
Copper: 4.3
Iron: 0
 
Panic really isn't going to do any good. Get one of the recommended test kits on order.

He can go to a third pool store and the results will probably be different from the first two.
 
No way, of course Jason is correct with 6.anything pH and Zero TA. it's simply impossible.

Maybe the pH test will help, but I suggest a drive. Help him out if you can make it. Let us know when he joins too.
 
With two pool stores agreeing that PH is low, working on raising PH is fine. However, he needs some kind of PH test to do that, as the PH is probably really low and he will need to raise it, wait an hour, test again, and repeat as many times as needed until it is at a more appropriate level. Fortunately, inexpensive PH tests are easy to get.
 

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I can't take it :pukel:

My insane brother got frustrated, because he is old (not really) and says he could not figure out how to test for pH, so he just dumped in a bunch of Sodium Bicarbonate first, then Sodium Carbonate...one after the other.

How much, who really knows....he thinks about 10 lbs each or so, maybe less.

I got so mad I hung up on him...told him tomorrow to put on his readers, and add 5 stinking drops of the red test fluid and tell me what it is...arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I will have to wait till this weekend to drive on over and test for him, but until then the fun will continue.
 
toofast said:
I can't take it :pukel:

My insane brother got frustrated, because he is old (not really) and says he could not figure out how to test for pH, so he just dumped in a bunch of Sodium Bicarbonate first, then Sodium Carbonate...one after the other.

How much, who really knows....he thinks about 10 lbs each or so, maybe less.

I got so made I hung up on him...told him tomorrow to put on his readers, and add 5 stinking drops of the red test fluid and tell me what it is...arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I will have to wait till this weekend to drive on over and test for him, but until then the fun will continue.
Click to expand...
You know.... this morning I almost posted, "If he's one of those impatient types who absolutely MUST do something, tell him to start draining his pool. Then he can start fresh." I must be psychic. :cop:
 
You know, you may not be able to help him much at all. That is truly bizzare and logic defying.

Adding 20 lbs of chemical into your pool out of frustration? You're in for a haul I'm afraid. He will certainly have some TA to work with. :hammer:
 
Yes, he is truly bizarre and logic defying...

The funny (and sad) thing is that most of the problem is trying to undo the brain washing of all the years of what pool stores and experts are telling him. The last store wanted him to add 30lbs of this and that and something else, then hope :-(

Anyways....he is ordering (my sister in law promised) the TFT kit today...after he tried using this wacky test kit

http://www.walmart.com/msharbor/ip/HydroTools-4-In-1-Deluxe-Swimming-Pool-Test-Kit-with-Storage-Case/24851467

For a simple pH test, it wanted him to add XX drops of Chlorine neutralizer...passed on the PPM of Chlorine. So of course he got all messed up and gave up yet again....on a side note, any idea what nutty pH test this might be and does he really have to do that ?
 
Omg. The frustration! I hope he can be brought around. Hopefully you can get through to him and show him that it can actually be simple and not panic inducing.
Pool store panic. That's what happens when you become convinced that something is just too complicated for the everyday man and you have to blindly trust the supposed expert.
Might be hard to get him to realize that in a very short time he can learn and be much more knowledgeable than those "experts".
I hope it turns out well!

We're all rooting for you!
 
Patrick_B said:
It looks like a simple phenol red pH test. Same chemistry in the TF100 and most pool test kits. It's good technology. Old, tried and true. It's invalid with FC above 10 as you know.
Click to expand...

yeah that is what I thought, but he SWEARS it is telling him to put in a round of Chlorine Neutralizer first....perhaps his is some gimmick to get good readings when FC is over 10 ?

nevertheless the pH test came back through the roof, which is the opposite of what the stores told him. I suspect his FC is through the roof, but until his kit comes, we shall only be guessing :)
 

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