Day 7 results:
I put in my second pouch at the end of Day 6. The following results were taken mid-day on Day 7:
Water 70F, clear, no algae
FC = 3.0
PH = 7.4 (adjusted with Borox up to 7.6 after Day 7 tresting)
TA = 175
CH = 600
CYA results:
Average of 6 readings at 3 different dilution levels using the Taylor K-2006 and test stripe = 320
View attachment 35624
Additional comments:
Although the BA-CAR instructions and tips are somewhat scattered throughout several disparate documents from BA, I read them all before proceeding.
In summary:
You are not suppose to cover the pool for 7 days before or after adding the CAR.
You are not to add Polyquat (sp?) or metal based sanitizers before or during the treatment.
The PH should be in the normal range before and during the treatment.
The chlorine level is to be between 2 and 3 before and during the treatment. Not zero and not >5.
BA is a little ambiguous about whether or not to add chlorine during the treatment. They say to "maintain" the chlorine level between 2 and 3. I interpreted that to mean I should add a bit of Clorox when needed to maintain the target range. I did so.
I did not see where BA said anything (pro or con) about adjusting the PH during the treatment. During the treatment, I have been occasionally adding Borox as necessary to maintain a PH between 7.4 and 7.6. The PH in my pool tends to slowly drift down (become more acidic) over time.
Other comments:
1) heugeneo, I stopped using any sanitizers except chlorine in my pool years ago, so there is no copper, silver, or organic sanitizer in my water. The copper stuff turned my white plastic pool sweep purple about 10 years ago, so I stopped using it, and just upped the chlorine levels.
2) I suspect for the last several years, my CYA level has been 500+ (while my pool store has been telling me it was 150). During swimming season, the pool was used almost daily by me, my kids and my grandkids, and there have been no complaints, or adverse reactions. So I'm not OCDing about getting my CYA below 100.
3) I believe "chlorine lock" is a myth. I have kept a clean, clear pool for the last several years (when the CYA was presumably >500) by just running chlorine levels >15. Again, there were no adverse reactions from any of the pool users.
4) During this BA-CAR trial, I've been running tight FC levels of 3.0, expecting a major algae bloom to explode onto the scene. In the past if I ran FC levels below 5 for a week, my pool would turn into a swamp. But during this treatment test, the pool has remained sparkling clean for over a week at the FC levfel of 3.0. I can only conclude that the BA-CAR itself inhibits algae.
5) I hope with the second bag, my CYA levels will get to <100, but we'll have to wait and see.
6) Just my experience, your mileage may vary.
Richard