First Test Results ... what do I need to buy/add??

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Tested this morning after adding nothing but Calcium

FC 1.5 (I will be adding as soon as rain stops)
pH 7.7 - is it normal for this to creep up like this? its gone up .1 a day
TA 70
CH 250 (will be adding more today)
CYA - still not able to make the dot disappear but its definitely cloudier. I put another sock out there this morning
 
garroyo130 said:
FC 1.5 (I will be adding as soon as rain stops)
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No need to wait for the rain to stop, I'd get FC in there now...1.5 is flirting with algae
garroyo130 said:
pH 7.7 - is it normal for this to creep up like this? its gone up .1 a day
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That's within testing error, but possible
garroyo130 said:
TA 70
CH 250 (will be adding more today)
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Why? 250 is fine. Do you get a lot of rain? Do you have an autofill? Do you know the CH of your fill water? What type of pool do you have? Do you use Pool Math (PoolMath)? Do you know your CSI?
garroyo130 said:
CYA - still not able to make the dot disappear but its definitely cloudier. I put another sock out there this morning
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Are you using pool math to figure out how much CYA to add? How much have you added already?
 
PoolStored said:
No need to wait for the rain to stop, I'd get FC in there now...1.5 is flirting with algae

That's within testing error, but possible

Why? 250 is fine. Do you get a lot of rain? Do you have an autofill? Do you know the CH of your fill water? What type of pool do you have? Do you use Pool Math (PoolMath)? Do you know your CSI?

Are you using pool math to figure out how much CYA to add? How much have you added already?
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Added chlorine to bring it up to 5ppm

Havent gotten lots of rain. I do not have autofill and dont know the CH of my fill water. Pool is gunnite/ecofinish. I have been using pool math for everything but CYA.
I was advised to err on the side of caution since its a new build and I was not 100% on what was used for the tile grout.

CYA is the only thing I have not been using pool math for. Reason being, I don't feel my CYA is at 0, but I cant exactly quantify if its 10, 20, or something else. Based on what remains in the bag, I'd say I've added between 3.5 and 4lbs total, starting from 0 CYA.
 
garroyo130 said:
Added chlorine to bring it up to 5ppm
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Great.
garroyo130 said:
Havent gotten lots of rain. I do not have autofill and dont know the CH of my fill water.
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If the autofill is the same as your tap water, test your tap water for CH. Might do TA at the same time.
garroyo130 said:
Pool is gunnite/ecofinish. I have been using pool math for everything but CYA.
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Use "Effects of adding" in pool math for CYA additions.
garroyo130 said:
I was advised to err on the side of caution since its a new build and I was not 100% on what was used for the tile grout.
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Err on the side of caution, where and with what?
garroyo130 said:
CYA is the only thing I have not been using pool math for. Reason being, I don't feel my CYA is at 0, but I cant exactly quantify if its 10, 20, or something else. Based on what remains in the bag, I'd say I've added between 3.5 and 4lbs total, starting from 0 CYA.
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Use Pool Math effects of adding. Adding 4lbs to your 12k POOL should get you to 40 CYA. I'm a bit "extra" and I weigh my CYA so I know exactly what I'm adding. YMMV. Does the 4lbs you added include the sock this morning? If so, then I'd give it another 24-48 to dissolve and circulate, then you should be close to 40. Can you weigh the bag and subtract weight from the stated bag weight to get a better sense of how much you added?
 
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PoolStored said:
Great.

If the autofill is the same as your tap water, test your tap water for CH. Might do TA at the same time.

Use "Effects of adding" in pool math for CYA additions.

Err on the side of caution, where and with what?

Use Pool Math effects of adding. Adding 4lbs to your 12k POOL should get you to 40 CYA. I'm a bit "extra" and I weigh my CYA so I know exactly what I'm adding. YMMV. Does the 4lbs you added include the sock this morning? If so, then I'd give it another 24-48 to dissolve and circulate, then you should be close to 40. Can you weigh the bag and subtract weight from the stated bag weight to get a better sense of how much you added?
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Perhaps I misread earlier replies on this thread. If im good at 250, then I will not add more.

Just checked the bag, there is a little less than 1lb left out of a 5lb bag.
 
garroyo130 said:
Perhaps I misread earlier replies on this thread. If im good at 250, then I will not add more.
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It depends. If you don't get a lot of rain, but you get high evaporation and are using autofill that has high CH, then I'd leave it at 250, it will come up with evap and fill. I'd test your tap water for CH and TA. What type of pool do you have? Vinyl? Plaster? Fiberglass?
garroyo130 said:
Just checked the bag, there is a little less than 1lb left out of a 5lb bag.
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Then let what you have added dissolve. Keep your FC up and check CYA in 24-48 hours...you should be darn close to 40 CYA.
 
PoolStored said:
It depends. If you don't get a lot of rain, but you get high evaporation and are using autofill that has high CH, then I'd leave it at 250, it will come up with evap and fill. I'd test your tap water for CH and TA. What type of pool do you have? Vinyl? Plaster? Fiberglass?
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Its ecofinish over a gunnite shell. Per builder it does not follow the plaster cure process. Its applied almost like a powder coat? its applied then cured with a flame.
 
Feel it. Is it rough? Or is it really smooth, even soft? Can your fingernail push into it?
 

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This morning's tests. Numbers looking much better from where we started!

FC 3.5 - Yesterday's loss was 3.5ppm in a 24hr period (it was cloudy all day)
pH 7.7
TA 80
CH 400
CYA 35? - this is the level at which the look of the dot matches the known sample test. Last add was yesterday though so I have a feeling I just need to give it more time to mix in? Per pool math i should be around 45ppm with what I added.
 
garroyo130 said:
This morning's tests. Numbers looking much better from where we started!

FC 3.5 - Yesterday's loss was 3.5ppm in a 24hr period (it was cloudy all day)
pH 7.7
TA 80
CH 400
CYA 35? - this is the level at which the look of the dot matches the known sample test. Last add was yesterday though so I have a feeling I just need to give it more time to mix in? Per pool math i should be around 45ppm with what I added.
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Good!

The CYA test is exponential, meaning you can't read a result between lines. Fill to first line, look. Keep filling to the next LINE until the dot is obscured. Your CYA for pool purposes is 40.

Target to keep your FC between 5-7 at all times when your CYA is 40. Minimum FC (3 for 40 CYA) is LAVA!

Always follow this...Link-->FC/CYA Levels
 
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garroyo130 said:
So if I understood correctly, from here I should increase CYA gradually until my chlorine loss is about 2ppm/day?
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Nope. Chlorine loss can be highly variable. Number and duration of swimmers, amount of sun, organics that get in the pool etc. Mine can be as low as 2 or as high as 5.5. 2 with solar cover and cloudy. 5.5 with full sun, no cover and swimmers.

For you, with using liquid chlorine, our recommendation is to keep your FC/CYA between 40 and 50.

www.troublefreepool.com

What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
Follow up regarding Calcium Hardness. I've been reading about CH naturally climbing as a result of evaporation and hard water. Being that I have hard water and will likely see a fair amount of evaporation, should I maintain my CH at its current level of 325?

How long does it take for issues to show or for water replacement to be necessary?
 
garroyo130 said:
should I maintain my CH at its current level of 325
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Your last test results showed a CH of 400.

No reason to raise the CH level. Range starts at 250 ppm.

Monitor the CH monthly. As long as you maintain pH and TA, CH should not be an issue until you are above 650 ppm.

You get rain. Use rain to refill the pool as much as possible. Drain down a couple inches before a big rain.
 
garroyo130 said:
Follow up regarding Calcium Hardness. I've been reading about CH naturally climbing as a result of evaporation and hard water. Being that I have hard water and will likely see a fair amount of evaporation, should I maintain my CH at its current level of 325?
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Some users here install water softeners to avoid or prolong climbing CH and the need to replace water due to high CH.
 
mknauss said:
Your last test results showed a CH of 400.

No reason to raise the CH level. Range starts at 250 ppm.

Monitor the CH monthly. As long as you maintain pH and TA, CH should not be an issue until you are above 650 ppm.

You get rain. Use rain to refill the pool as much as possible. Drain down a couple inches before a big rain.
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They did and I'm honestly not sure what happened. My guess I may not have allowed enough time for it to mix in or something?
I tested again yesterday and got 325 twice, tested this morning and it was 325 again.
 

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