Differences in chem test results

[pinguy]

Looking at the site, there is an ORP option. How would I know if I have it?
http://www.autopilot.com/our-products/category/1-Pool-Pilot-Total-Control-System

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Looking at the site, there is an ORP option. How would I know if I have it?
http://www.autopilot.com/our-products/category/1-Pool-Pilot-Total-Control-System

There would be small tubes siphoning water from the pressure side of the plumbing to a box that contains the pH and ORP probes. It would pretty obvious.


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[pinguy]

There would be small tubes siphoning water from the pressure side of the plumbing to a box that contains the pH and ORP probes. It would pretty obvious.


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Yea I don't think so.

I turned it down to 30%, but now it changed its self to 19%. The good news is the FC was down to 5 today. I'm going to call aquacal tomorrow to see what the deal is.

Also (and I mentioned this in another thread), my acid demand is still crazy high. I'm adding about a 1/2 gallon of MA daily. Is that much acid normal for new plaster? My TA is at 110.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Yes. A newly plastered pool will have a very high acid demand. Also, your SWCG is contributing to the pH rise as well (significant aeration occurs inside the cell as hydrogen and chlorine gas bubbles are formed).


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[pinguy]

Gotcha. Do acid feeders work well, and where do they go in a pump setup?

I would be interested in looking at taking the Nature 2 out and putting an acid feeder in it's place if that's an option.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Acid feeders are typically installed after the filter but before the SWCG.

Before you go through an expensive modification, try lowering your TA first to see if you can stabilize your pH rise. Try to target the low end of your TA range (~70ppm) and see if you can get a stable pH in the 7.6-7.8 range. If you can't stabilize your pH rise by lowering to 70ppm, then try going lower to 60ppm and adding 50ppm borates. 50ppm borates creates extra buffering capacity against rising pH and cuts down the pH rise inside your cell by as much as half.

If all else fails, you can add the acid feeder but they're not cheap and, like any extra piece of equipment, require maintenance and are prone to peristaltic pump failure (being near a large pool of corrosive acid).

My suggestion is you spend your first season "learning" about your pools chemistry needs before making any major changes.


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[pinguy]

Acid feeders are typically installed after the filter but before the SWCG.

Before you go through an expensive modification, try lowering your TA first to see if you can stabilize your pH rise. Try to target the low end of your TA range (~70ppm) and see if you can get a stable pH in the 7.6-7.8 range. If you can't stabilize your pH rise by lowering to 70ppm, then try going lower to 60ppm and adding 50ppm borates. 50ppm borates creates extra buffering capacity against rising pH and cuts down the pH rise inside your cell by as much as half.

If all else fails, you can the acid feeder but they're not cheap and, like any extra piece of equipment, require maintenance and are prone to peristaltic pump failure (being near a large pool of corrosive acid).

My suggestion is you spend your first season "learning" about your pools chemistry needs before making any major changes.


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Thanks, I probably wouldn't add the feeder until next season anyway. The nature2 is really just a waste of space. I'm assuming the PB only install them so people don't need to manually dose chlorine for the first month. I ended up doing that anyway :???:

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Take the Nature2 out and sell it on Craig's List. You can use the money you make on it to save up for an acid feeder


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[pinguy]

Ok I just talked to aquacal. They said the unit automatically adjusts +/- 10% or so to compensate for temperature changes.

 

[pinguy]

FC = 3.5
CC = <.5
CYA = 50-55
PH = 7.6
TA = 80
CH = 290

The FC was a little low when I tested, I think because of a high swimmer load (dogs and babies) plus the sun all day. Its been 4-5 on a consistent basis.

The only thing weird that I noticed today was a little bit of a fishy odor coming from one of the skimmers. I've been finding a ton of Japanese Beatles in there, so could that have something to do with it?

Also, I'm going to start adding a (calculated) bit of dichlor to bring the CYA up to recommended levels. Which leads me to another question. Does bringing FC up to shock level for a short amount of time have an affect on a pool with no problems? The pool guy said to shock the pool before and after high swimmer loads so no one gets sick...but that kinda sounds like a myth.

Does

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Increasing your CYA will help you with chlorine loss from the sun. Baby pee and dogs are a separate issue (I have no dogs and I am not a dog-person so I tend to take a very dim view of allowing canines in a pool )

What I do in anticipation of high bather loads is to raise the FC up by 2-3ppm either before or after swimming, definitely NOT shock level. You can certainly go up to shock level but it's really kind of pointless and a waste of chems. I have found the little bump up helps keep the water happy.

Yes, your "fishy" odors are probably chloramines from decomposing bugs. Try to stay on top of the skimmers as best you can. I like to use skimmer socks to catch little bugs and arboreal debris. I probably catch about a pound of "gunk" every 5-7days. I'd rather catch it then let it decompose inside the filter.


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