- Feb 6, 2015
- 6,249
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Did I add too much stabilizer? How could CYA drop more than half in a year?
- Thread starter outdoorsgal
- Start date
I'm done my SLAM and getting a new Hayward panel. Here were some of my awsome take aways from Dave. Dave, pls correct me if I'm wrong.:
1. I was overtesting my CCs. CC's need to be .5 or less just ONCE during a SLAM. That test result will vary. I would've kept going longer with my SLAM if it wasn't for his help with this.
2. Test FC and pH about 2-3 times weekly or everyday if that makes me more comfortable.
3. CYA, CH and TA should be tested once monthly......they really don't change much. also test CC, salt, and temp once a mth. I'm sure I'll do CC and temp more often.
4. Trust MY testing and stay OUT of the pool store........it will only lead to more confusion. I usually try to do this but I was worried about my CYA numbers this time and wanted confirmation. I now see it was only more confusion since it's such a vague test.
5. CYA seldom, if ever, goes bad. The test is very vague......there is not a better one. Just use good judgement and compare my results visually with what it looked like last month. Don't worry if I'm off. Getting it exact is not critical. Can shake, can invert with 30 seconds in between. It's not that exact. I'll continue to follow the directions but overall make sure it gets shaken up is the point.
6. FC is the most important test in the kit. I can test cc at the same time if I like but it is not critical unless I let my pool get murky. I've actually never had a murky pool. I've had algae, but in the form of small spots on the pebble.
We spoke about CYA being ok at 60 or 70 so I'll have to decide if I want to add more now that I've got it out or wait until next mth to retest and see if it's dropped.
I'm also hopeful that the new Hayward panel will help alert me if there's a problem with the cell (although I'm not that techie or in touch with my tech so we'll see how it's gonna work with the options for setting it up). A large percentage of the times I've had to SLAM in the past were due to probs with the cell/panel not working and since I didn't check it often enough or keep the FC high enough I didn't have wiggle room. I'm now more confident to keep the FC higher.
ha Gene. we were thinking the same at the same time. Originally Dave was going to post but then he thought it'd be helpful for me to do it to grind it into my stubborn little head. well, he didn't say it that way. he was much nicer like y'alls 
The closer you dance to min FC the closer you have to pay attention.
Especially in the desert, one electronics hiccup shuts the cell off today and you lose 4 FC like a liquid chlorine pool. You were running a 5 and now you're under minimum. You aren't paying attention because SWG so you won't even know what happened when it goes south. Maybe you notice it lost its sparkle in a few days. Maybe it keeps happening until things really go south.
Wiggle room is your best friend. Well. After Gene, of course.
- Feb 6, 2015
- 6,249
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Six days ago, your TA test shows TA of 150. You ARE going to need to bring that down a bit - to around 60-70. And you are going to have to test TA more than monthly until then.
With our high TA fill water and excessive evaporation rates, the TA will rise. Staying on top of it is much better than having to work to get it down.
After the FC drops below 10 ppm, test your pH and add muriatic acid as needed to keep the pH in the 7's.
And with a CH of 650 in Spring, you will possibly need to have the pH in the lower 7's to keep CSI in range.
Your problems in past years is not testing frequently enough. I'd recommend DAILY FC and pH testing for at least a month to get you back into the habit of testing it enough.
With our inherit hard water, your CH will continue to rise. Careful management of pH and TA will help to keep your CSI in the 0.00 to -0.30 (negative 0.30) range. Keeping the CSI in that range will minimize your SWG scaling up with calcium.
As @Newdude stated, the closer you dance to min FC the closer you have to pay attention.
Run you FC at the very top end of the target range for the CYA. Speaking of CYA, 70 would be better. Last year I tried 60 and to stay on top of my SWG percentage to have adequate FC in the pool at all times. I'm using CYA of 70 this year and may even up it to 80 if the need arises.
With our high TA fill water and excessive evaporation rates, the TA will rise. Staying on top of it is much better than having to work to get it down.
After the FC drops below 10 ppm, test your pH and add muriatic acid as needed to keep the pH in the 7's.
And with a CH of 650 in Spring, you will possibly need to have the pH in the lower 7's to keep CSI in range.
Your problems in past years is not testing frequently enough. I'd recommend DAILY FC and pH testing for at least a month to get you back into the habit of testing it enough.
With our inherit hard water, your CH will continue to rise. Careful management of pH and TA will help to keep your CSI in the 0.00 to -0.30 (negative 0.30) range. Keeping the CSI in that range will minimize your SWG scaling up with calcium.
As @Newdude stated, the closer you dance to min FC the closer you have to pay attention.
Run you FC at the very top end of the target range for the CYA. Speaking of CYA, 70 would be better. Last year I tried 60 and to stay on top of my SWG percentage to have adequate FC in the pool at all times. I'm using CYA of 70 this year and may even up it to 80 if the need arises.
all sounds good. I'll follow this. I'll work on increasing CYA, running higher FC, testing more frequently... Thx