First pool is going up this weekend! Very excited, but nervous.

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No need to go to the pool store that's for sure. :p And it's okay to keep posting here. Always focus first on your FC (avoid algae) and pH (avoid corrosion/scale). Make sure your CYA is at least 30 to give your FC protection form the sun, then over time we'll help you adjust TA and any other items you may need. One step at a time. :) Always refer back to the Recommended Levels chart (link below) to see where you should be for your pool type. Have a great day.
 
So the FC - is that the chlorine test I did in the little vial along with the pH? If so, that's at a 5 (or more) - I'm good there, right (should be 4-6)?

The CYA has been added (109 oz) so that should be good. I'll test later, once it's all dissolved - I need to be at 70-80 for the SWG (however, that's not running yet - won't be until tomorrow).

pH is low - 6.8 (should be 7.5) and TA is 30 (should be 60-80) - the calculator tells me I should ad 59 oz (vol) of borax and 102 oz (vol) of baking soda - correct?

Thanks again!
 
What a breath of fresh air! SO nice to see someone like me! Getting their test kit BEFORE the pool! LOVE IT! I wanted to make sure I could do the test. Once I saw how easy they were I went ahead and ordered the pool LOL

You are doing fine. One step at a time and doing it slowly to make sure it is right. NICE!

Kim:cat:
 
I have been doing my homework, Texas Splash, thanks! It's quite the learning curve but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

I just did my nightly testing and the chlorine is 3.6, pH 7.2, TA is 40 and the CYA is in the 30-50 range (test strip). Since we just added CYA this morning and borates and baking soda about two hours ago and the pH and TA are both moving up, I think I'm good for the night, yes? If someone can confirm that, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks, kimkats! I did expect this to be more complicated than it is (pool calculator helps SO much!) so I'm feeling much more confident after just a day of testing I've got this! ;)

And thanks for the advice on the pH and TA, Darrel B, I've got those moving in the right direction now!
 
You're doing very well. My only concern would be the strips. So until you get the kit or refills, make sure to keep the FC slightly on the stronger side. If your CYA is at 50 or even higher, your pool would require more FC to stay balanced as seen on the chart. For example, the normal FC target for a pool with a CYA of 50 is "6" - never below 4. So I would add a little more bleach soon to get you through the evening. Try your best to keep FC at a strong 5-6 range until your kit arrives. Have a good evening.
 
I do have the TF-100 kit, Texas Spash, and I did do the chlorine test with that (the vial with the pH test). I couldn't quite decide if it was 3.6 or 5 so I grabbed the strips that came with the pool to sort of double check and it's closer to 3 than 5 so per your advice, I will add some bleach and bring that up. :D Since the strip also shows TA and CYA, I thought I would throw those figures in so you guys could see that they were coming up. ;)
 
Just got back from the pool store and it was actually pretty painless! I told them I had my own test kit and that I'd gone to Lowe's to get what I needed and that I've been testing and adjusting as needed and they said that was fine, they were more than willing to work with me. Whoo Hoo! They didn't even try to sell me anything! ;)

I did have them test my water and they said I've done a good job so far, so yay! They did have some recommendations based on the readings and since these differ than the TFP recommendations, I just want to get some feedback:

1) FC & TC: tested at 2.51 - their recommended range is 2-4 so they said I was good there. The TFP recommendation for a SWG is 3-6 (depending on my CYA, of course - see, I'm learning!). Obviously I will stick with TFP's recommendations but I am wondering why their's is so much lower?

2) TA: Tested at 37 - their recommended range is 100-150!!! That is a huge discrepancy from TFP's recommendation of 60-80! What's up with that? Their suggestion was to add 18 lbs of baking soda - yikes! (Pool calculator tells me to add just 84oz to get to 70. Since I added some yesterday should I add this now or wait a little longer?)

3) CYA has come up already to 68 so that's doing well. Just added that yesterday so that may still come up, yes?

4) Copper: the print out said this was too high at 11.19 and suggested I add a copper sequestering agent but the pool guy didn't mention this at all so is this not applicable to my AG vinyl pool?

5) Calcium Hardness: tested at 23 - suggested I add 30 lbs Calcium Chloride to get to their recommended level of 175-350. Alternatively, TFP recommendations are anywhere between 50 and 300 and the pool calculator says I should 43 oz to get to 50. Should I do that or is that not important?

The pH is a tad low at 7.2 but we just added ProTeam Supreme Plus so we'll see where that settles. Overall, I think we're doing pretty well and I'm so amazed (but not surprised) how easy the TFP method really is!

As soon as my husband gets my outside pool steps built, I'm going swimming!!!!!!! :paddle:
 

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For your questions:
1 - Pool stores still use antiquated FC/CYA recommended levels. To keep a pool at a low FC of 2-4 would mean never letting the CYA get over 30. They do not take into account pools that have SWG or pools in extremely hot locations that require a higher CYA.
2 - Same philosophy as above. A TA that high will continue to pull pH higher quicker. TA serves as a buffer for pH and helps to keep it more stable when at a lower level. TA is also a critical agent for "CSI" which has an impact on calcium building-up, so TFP numbers account for those factors.
3 - Yes, check it again Tues or Weds
4 - If that was true, you would see immediate chemical reactions when the chlorine hits the water. For example, a copper content of over 0.3 ppm is excessive for our pools. Can you imagine a copper level that high? That just seems very strange. How does copper get into a pool you may ask? .... Pool store products! :brickwall: FYI - The only way to remove copper from water is to drain it.
5 - Low CH is basically "N/A" for a TFP vinyl pool.

Hope that helps.
 
Awesome! Thanks, Pat!

We did fill the pool from our 1.5 acre 20ft deep pond - might that account for the copper? I'm not seeing any chemical reactions though and, like I said, the pool guy didn't even mention the copper to me so maybe even he knew it was incorrect!

I'll just keep on keeping on with the TFP method - I'm loving it! I'm SO glad I found you guys last year when I first started thinking about getting a pool so I was able to do my research before actually getting one; it's making this all so much easier!

Lori
 
Oh no! After I put in the Supreme Plus, my TA started climbing and it is now at 160! Everything else looks pretty good:

CL 3 (will raise this a bit)
pH 7.5
Borates 50
Salt 3500

What do I do now? How do I bring that down? (FYI, I have salt in the pool but the SWG is NOT running yet, if that makes a difference.) The pool guy told me to add the Supreme Plus AND 18 lbs of baking soda - can you imagine what my TA would be if I'd done that? ACK!

Is this ok to swim in? My husband almost has my steps done! :(


>>2 - Same philosophy as above. A TA that high will continue to pull pH higher quicker. TA serves as a buffer for pH and helps to keep it more stable when at a lower level. TA is also a critical agent for "CSI" which has an impact on calcium building-up, so TFP numbers account for those factors.<<
 
:calm: Lesson #1 ... pool store and pool guys don't always know chemicals. :) They love to just dump stuff or tell you to do that without really understanding everything that will happen. Well, all you can do now (or later) is work on lowering the TA via the Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity page. Unfortunately, lowering TA is not as easy as it was to just dump that other stuff in the water, but you'll get it lowered eventually.

For now, just focus on a steady FC target based on your CYA to avoid algae, and watching pH daily. The other stuff can be adjusted slowly and systematically.

- - - Updated - - -

Now is a good time to review the Recommended Chemical list and practice on the Poolmath calculator (links below). You can see how we use that tool all of the time. It will be okay.
 
Yes, lesson definitely learned! ;)

I've been using the pool calculator for a few days and I think I've got a pretty good handle on it. I saw that it said to lower the pH and use aeration to bring the TA down but I didn't know how to aerate - I will now read the link you provided, thanks!

As always, I am grateful for your help but you didn't answer the most important question - can I swim???? :D On a serious note, thanks again - I appreciate your quick reply!

(I do hope it's ok to swim since the hubby just finished the outside steps and I need to get into the pool to help him put the inside ones in!)
 
Valuable information, thank-you once again, Pat!

My first swim was lovely... a bit cold (72 in the pool, 56 out!) but lovely none the less. Sadly, it was too chilly to wait for the full moon to rise but at least I finally got my first swim in. :D I was very nervous about this swim because I have had issues with SEVERE itching after swimming in my pond and the ocean so this was an expensive leap-of-faith for me that thankfully, paid off! Again, it was the people here at TFP that convinced me I would very likely not have the same itching issues with a pool. Love this site and the people on it - you've made this water lover a very happy camper. :lovetfp:

My TA was down to 130 this morning (from 160) but I'm off to read how to bring it down further and then I'm heading to the pool! :paddle:

Texas Splash said:
You can swim as long as you can see the bottom and your FC has not exceed the SLAM level for your current CYA. For example, if your CYA was 40, you can swim as long as the FC is not over 16 as seen on the Chlorine/CYA Chart. :)
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