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I'm totally convinced now the TFP is the better way. "Pool guy" came this morning and I watched as he took a sample from the surface (yep) and generated the following numbers: FC/TC-7.74, ph-7.6, TA-85, CYA-30 and CH-350. A few minutes before he got here I took a sample from the same section of the pool but arm's length below the surface and got the following: FC-16, TC-16.5, ph-7.8, TA-120, CYA-70 and CH-475. The numbers I generated with the TF-100 kit are essentially the same as yesterday except CH and this morning I let the handy dandy speedstir (yes, thank you Cheifwej!) mix as I added the R0012 as opposed to adding a drop, mixing then adding another drop, mixing ... Not sure which way is correct but I'm counting on some awesome TFP expert to coach me. We've had rain and overcast sky since yesterday but since there was no drop in chlorine overnight (pump off at night) does that indicate the CYA level is good or that there is not much organic for the chlorine to wage war on or does it not mean anything at all?
C
 
Adding drops while its mixing is correct. Always add drops until the last drop you add makes no further change in the color, then subtract that drop. In other words, when you think you have your reading, add a drop just to be sure there is no more change. That drop doesn't count unless of course it still changes color.
Trust your own testing. You have proved that your numbers are accurate ,consistent, and repeatable.

Frequency of tests.
FC and pH is tested most frequently (often daily). If your target FC is below 10 as most are, you can just use OTO test. The little blue box K1000.
Once a week I add the FAS-DPD chlorine and TA tests.
The CH and CYA change very slowly in most pools so to save on reagent use and time, I only run those tests about once a month.
I know when you start you want to check things often, but don't use up all your test supplies with unneeded testing.

Start keeping a log of your test results so you learn how your pool reacts. They are all a bit different, and you'll learn yours. Also, every time you have a full set of test results enter them in Pool Math to help determine what you need to add and how much. Also always look at (and record) your resulting CSI. That's an important number to both protect your pool and prevent scale.

You are catching on to this really fast.
 
Thank you so much for your help chief. So how do I test the CSI and FAS-DPD? I have a log of test results but have never been able to duplicate results from one method to another. I was more trusting of the pool store electronic test but I saw first hand today how sloppy work can skew the numbers so I prefer to do my own testing. Is there another kit I need or a calculation that I can do with what I Already have?
 
Lowering your PH from time to time will also lower your TA. It isn't all that high anyway. More here, Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity

The only way to lower CH is to partial drain and refill with water that has lower CH than your pool. People manage water with 800+ CH. Enter all your numbers into Poolmath and make sure to keep your CSI +/- 0.6. Managing PH is the easiest way to do that.
 
Thank you so much for your help chief. So how do I test the CSI and FAS-DPD? There are two kinds of chlorine tests included in th TF-100 kit. One is in the small blue box K-1000. That's an OTO test where you match the color. Calibrated from 0.5 to 5 ppm. The second chlorine test is the FAS-DP test. It uses the powder to tun the solution pink then count the drops back to clear. You can test much higher levels with that test. But if your FC target is well below 10 ppm, you can gauge it close enough with just the OTO test.

CSI is not a test you run, but a calculation of factors that include CH, pH, TA, Temp, etc. Pool Math does the calculating for you. Just put your readings in and you will see the CSI shown near the bottom of the chart. All these factors affect CSI, but the one you can control most directly is the pH.

I have a log of test results but have never been able to duplicate results from one method to another. Your tests results with the TF-100 look pretty consistent to me.
I was more trusting of the pool store electronic test but I saw first hand today how sloppy work can skew the numbers so I prefer to do my own testing. Is there another kit I need or a calculation that I can do with what I Already have?. You have what you need for now. Pool Math will handle your calculations. Any questions ....we are always here.
 
Thanks Chief. I've been trying to read more than I post and I am just in awe of the information that is available on this site. Newbies - read, read and read some more! I have been doing the full range of TF-100 tests daily to get better at it and to make sure the pool is stable. I got the floor cleaner fixed and am running it with knee highs on skimmer baskets (a tip I found here) and water is sparkling :D. Chlorine is still high but drifting down.
FC = 10 (was 16 a week ago)
CC = zero
CH = 400
TA = 80
CYA = 70
ph = 7.5
CSI = -0.01
I adjust the SWG to tweak the chlorine and aerate if ph drops below 7.5. Am I missing anything? Can it really be this easy???
 
When you add muratic acid to lower the pH you will see that your TA will also come down a bit. As to the CH being a bit high, there isn't much you can do about that, since the only way to lower is to replace high CH water with lower CH water. If You put all your test results, (along with the pool information like capacity, plaster for surface info, etc.) into Pool Math, you will see a number near the bottom of the chart listed as CSI. THAT NUMBER IS IMPORTANT. It is calculated from several factors you have entered including CH, TA, pH, temp, etc. The CH tells you how much Calcium Hardness is in the water. The CSI (Calsite Saturation Index) tells you if that calcium will stay in the water or perciptate out as scale on the surface of the pool if the CSI gets too high (above +0.6). If the CSI is too low (below -0.6) it can actually damage the surface of the pool by dissolving the calcium in the plaster and grout.
 
We are having a cold front (88 degrees) here in South Arkansas so I'm not IN the pool much this week but I sure am happy to finally have it balanced and clean. CSI was (negative) - 0.01 so that's good - right? I have some iron stains that I want to remove after swim season is over but since the pool is only 2 years old I wonder if the plaster is fully cured. I would hate to damage the plaster. I tested the stain with a vitamin C tablet so I'm certain that it is iron. I will take samples of pool water and tap water (from a private well) and have both tested for iron. The last time I took water to the pool store their CleanCare system showed .4 but it has been as high as .8. Up until May of this year it was zero. The pool has an autofill but I added quite a bit of new water to the pool earlier this month (to bring CH and CYA down). It was during a long dry spell and I had been running sprinklers in the yard (trying to save some landscaping plants that the deer came and devoured) so the well pump might have pulled sediments that don't normally get into the tap. There is no staining inside the house so I'm not certain it's coming from the tap water but that seems the best place to start looking for it. Could iron leach into the pool from flagstone coping? There is an aerator in the shallow end of the pool but I stopped using it because it mists onto the coping and the flagstone turns to mud when it is constantly wet with pool water. I had never used it until this summer and now that I think about the iron showed up after the week or so that I used the aerator. Hmmm. Any thoughts or comments?
 

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I have no experience with iron staining, other than a couple of very small stains I had caused by grinding off a bolt near the pool. I got rid of them by just letting a few vitamin C tablets dissolve on them. Maybe others can help you with that issue.
 
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