HELP - 1st time pool owner and NO IDEA where to start! (pics)

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Keep the pucks out of the pool. Use them for vacations.

Remember even when you get to where you're testing more infrequently you still need to add bleach almost every day. You'll start to know exactly your FC consumption based on use/non-use the weather if it was intense sun that day or cloudy or if you use a solar cover. So even if you don't test you'll still be dumping a pretty regular amount of bleach in to maintain. If the pool is getting hard use one day you may want to check it twice. Before and after. It won't actually take that long for you to learn your pool and operate blind. Test yourself and try to guess what you think your pool needs before running your tests. After a few attempts you'll dial right in. Make sure to post up a full set of numbers once your SLAM is over and your FC is back to a normal range for your CYA.
 
You are doing it! Look at that BLUE! Great job!

You keep it right by "feeding" it every day-bleach.

At the beginning you will need to test FC and PH every day. I do the other tests-TA and CYA once a week.

Once I get my PH and TA happy I only test FC every day!


Now one thing I do about every other week is the OCLT. This test shows if anything is brewing in the pool. I do this just because it makes me feel good.

Kim
 
I'm done! I passed the SLAM criteria this morning and just did my remaining tests. My numbers this evening are:

FC: 1.5 (4)
CC: .5
TC: 2
CH: 425 (260)
TA: 130 (80)
CYA: 40 (30)
Cl: 2
pH: 7.5 (7.2)

I added 64 oz of bleach to fix the FC in order to get to 4. But all the other numbers that are out of whack are suggesting I replace water with new water. Is that necessary? We've been getting buried in rain with another storm coming in tonight. I'm just wondering how necessary it is to have everything perfect. Also wondering if my goals seem correct. Goals are in parenthesis. Below is a picture (don't mind the dirt please...I on,y get to vacuum at night after the kids go to sleep)

2808fc7e822e39b3fe6797fe262ff799_zpscutcv9gp.jpg
 
The only one that you would need to remove/add water to change is the CH and it does not matter with your pool! Sweet huh?? You have a vinyl liner so do not need to worry about it!

Your CYA at 40 is a good level for everyday life. I am going to post two links for you. I want you to read them and tell me (test time LOL) what you should do to lower the PH and TA.

Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

Let me know what you figure out!

Kim
 
kimkats said:
The only one that you would need to remove/add water to change is the CH and it does not matter with your pool! Sweet huh?? You have a vinyl liner so do not need to worry about it!

Your CYA at 40 is a good level for everyday life. I am going to post two links for you. I want you to read them and tell me (test time LOL) what you should do to lower the PH and TA.

Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

Let me know what you figure out!

Kim
Click to expand...

I'd say add 35 oz of muriatic acid which should lower both?!
 
You got it! 35 oz of MA will lower your pH to 7.2, and lower your TA by about 8. The target for your chlorine is 5, with a minimum of 3, so I'd target 5 instead of 4. If you find at the end of the day that it's lower than 3, then bump up your addition to hit 6 instead, so that you won't ever go below 3 during the hot sunny days, and algae won't come back.

I'd spend a couple days getting the hang of making sure your chlorine is at the correct level, then we can work on bringing the TA down.

Great job!
 
If you are using liquid Muriatic acid I see 24 oz using pool math. The 35 was for dry acid.

What you will want to do is push down PH to 7.2 then raise it back up by aerating your water by turning your returns so they roll the water. Do that over and over to bring the PH AND TA down.

You are doing a wonderful job!

Kim
 
No, let your numbers ride where they are for now.

Your TA might be a tad high but deal with that if your PH continually rises beyond control. Your PH is normal. Don't add MA. Unless you're already going to start the MA/Aeration process to lower TA, but I wouldn't. Yet.

Leave your CYA at 40 that's great, if anything creep it up towards 50 it'll hold onto your FC a tad better. Controlling FC in the 30ppm of CYA is more dicey.

Put your FC target up to 6 and try to keep that. Don't let it get to 3 or less. If you try and hold 4 you'll dip low too easily. It's safe to swim in FC levels up to your shock level 16. So going 1 or 2 ppm past the suggested target just gives you a bigger margin and less likelihood you'll dip and have something take over.
 
^Carterje (& wrems) slight correction to the above advice.

Your Min. FC at a cya of 50 is 4, meaning DO NOT LET IT DROP below 4, ever ;) If you dose to 7 or 8 and then see how much it drops 24 hours later, that will tell you how high to dose to have an end min. Of 4 ppm the next time you add.

See the chlorine:FC link in my signature.
 
The biggest take-away is that FC is a moving target depending on your level of CYA. Just use the chart to be sure that when your CYA changes you are changing your FC targets. I'm confused right now as to what your current level of CYA is. I thought it was 40 and Swampwoman says 50. Regardless, just use the chart and never go below the low number.

For me, I like to set my low number and high number threshold 1 ppm higher just to give me more wiggle room. In my instance I have 50ppm CYA the official chart says Min 4 Target 6. So my range I go for is 5 and 7 respectively. I lose 2ppm per day. So in the morning I dose to 7 and by the next morning I am at 5. Which puts me still 1 full ppm ahead of the danger zone official of 4.

Just give yourself extra room for error until you learn all the ins and outs of your pool and FC usage.
 

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wrems said:
Wait, why is your FC 1.5 after coming off a fresh SLAM? FC at SLAM level should take a couple days or more to drift back down and it should never breach the lower threshold of your target range.
Click to expand...

Im not sure why it got so low today. It was 4.5 this morning, but it was 90 degrees today and disgusting outside so I just assumed the heat and humidity took me down. I'll keep a target of 6!for sure (moving forward). So, in your opinion, does everything have to be perfect to swim or is it swimmable at this point?
 
Your numbers are pretty spot on. I'd go swimming for sure!

Pool School - Recommended Levels

Just remember TA being a touch high is meaningless in regards to how the water feels and so forth. TA is only a buffer for pH. So, essentially if TA is high your pH will tend to drift up and vice versa if your TA is low. TA for every pool will be different. Your pool may stay balanced pH wise with TA right there. What you'll learn over the next month or more is whether you have to add muriatic acid on a regular basis because your pH is drifting to near 8. If it does dose it with some acid and move on. When that procedure gets annoying or you feel confident you're ready to tackle lowering TA then do some research about it and go from there. It's a lengthy slow process where you play a yo-yo game with pH to ratchet your TA down. It's not necessary to go there now. Also, don't go crazy trying to adjust your pH to hold a specific number. As long as you're within 7.5 to 7.8 you're good! That number will naturally rise and fall with activity and other chemical additions.

As for CH, totally ignore it. It's meaningless when you have a vinyl liner.

You're good to go as long as you can see the bottom, your FC is below shock level and your pH is within the recommended level.
 
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