First test results!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Your FC level is very low...I am assuming you should still be shocking? I would test FC every hour (if you can or at least as often as weather/schedule allows) and use those results to add chlorine per the poolcalculator to keep your levels up. That is the most important thing to do now. Do not worry about TA, CH etc. until you get through the shocking process. Your ph is high and should be brought down with Muratic Acid.

I also don't think you have added enough CYA for your pool...I see you have only added 36 ounces (was that dry CYA) which the poolcalculator gives me ~15 ppm? I am showing you need ~70 ounces by volume of stabilizer total to get from 0 to 30 ppm CYA.
 
Regarding the pH- since you tested at 8.2 which is the upper limit of the test, it could be higher than that as you realized. Since you are still testing at 8.2 or higher, you need to adjust the ph again. Wait, are you taking the test sample from the pool correctly? The pool needs to circulate for at least an hour to be well mixed before you collect the sample, and take it from elbow deep in the pool. Needs to be representative of the entire pool not some hidden spot near the steps with low circulation. And, FC needs to be below 10 when you test pH. If FC is above 10 ,pH reads false high, so just wait and do the pH when you can.
 
Since you tested your pH at 8.2 with FC only 2.5, your pH test should be correct.

You should add about 2 quarts of muriatic acid (you double check my dose) to lower your pH to about 7.4ish. It may take more than one adjustment to get it to the low 7's. And you should do this ASAP. If you have already raised FC to shock level, let it drop below 10 FC and then test and adjust pH. Consider adjusting the pH your first priority. Once it is lowered, resume your shock process.

About getting in the pool to vac......if your CC is no more than .5 and FC is below shock level, then I say go ahead and do it - no problem. :wink:
 
I just tested again.

FC 14.5
CC .5
TC 15
pH 8.2 or higher

The stabilizer I'm using is from walmart. It's hth stabilizer & conditioner, 96% cyanuric acid. The cap said it was aprox. 9 oz per capful, I put 4 capfuls. When I used the calculator it said for me to put in 45oz. The stabilizer came in a 4lb container & I put almost all of it. There's probably about a 1/4 of it left. I was worried about putting too much. I put it in a sock to hang in front of the return on the pool.

Our pump runs 24/7. I never cut it off. So circulation is not a problem.

So should I go ahead & add the muriatic acid? And with the chlorine reading so high I don't need to add any of that, right? I was surprised at the reading. It's always been so low, but I've been testing once a day because of the weather. But it's just been a few hours since I tested the water & added chlorine. Is the chlorine too high? I added what the calculator said to add, actually, a little less. The calculator said to add 261oz of chlorine & I added 256oz- 2 of the 128oz jugs of 6% bleach. I entered 2.5 in the now field & 10 in the goal field.
 
Bridgetgirl said:
When I used the calculator it said for me to put in 45oz. The stabilizer came in a 4lb container & I put almost all of it. There's probably about a 1/4 of it left. I was worried about putting too much. I put it in a sock to hang in front of the return on the pool.
Click to expand...
Poolcalculator gives me 67 oz by weight and 70 by volume needed for your 16800 gallon pool. 4 lbs is 64 ounces by weight, I would put the rest of the CYA you have into the sock.
 
Bridgetgirl said:
One more thing, I'm putting 8.2 in the now field on the calculator & I haven't changed the goal #, I left it as it is. Is that correct? The goal is 7.5.
Click to expand...
Since you are in the middle of the shocking, your ph will read falsely high. Since you previously tested at 8.2 (or probably higher) before you shocked, you may have to go further. I would put 7.2 in the goal. You will not be able to recheck it until you are lower in chlorine, but you ph was so high I would adjust now.
 
I just added 2 quarts of muriatic acid. It's dark, so I'll test again in the morning.

Thanks to everyone for all yall's help. My pool might not be where it should be yet, but it sure is pretty to look at again. The water is soooo clear and pretty. and it hasn't cost me an arm & a leg to get it that way! :whoot:

Thanks a million! :goodjob:
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Remember that you will not get an accurate ph reading (it will be high) if you are still at high FC levels. I suggest keep FC high and finish the shocking process, then finish fine tuning your ph. If you happen to let the FC slip by mistake, then you can check ph again and adjust.
 
Bridgetgirl said:
I just added 2 quarts of muriatic acid. It's dark, so I'll test again in the morning.

Thanks to everyone for all yall's help. My pool might not be where it should be yet, but it sure is pretty to look at again. The water is soooo clear and pretty. and it hasn't cost me an arm & a leg to get it that way! :whoot:

Thanks a million! :goodjob:
Click to expand...
Sounds good. Let your FC drop below 10 and retest the pH. Get the pH under control ( somewhere in the mid to low 7's) and then resume shocking. :goodjob:

When you use the PoolCalculator for pH adjustment, make sure you add your TA level in the 'now' column.
 
linen said:
Remember that you will not get an accurate ph reading (it will be high) if you are still at high FC levels. I suggest keep FC high and finish the shocking process, then finish fine tuning your ph. If you happen to let the FC slip by mistake, then you can check ph again and adjust.
Click to expand...
linen, we always recommend that pH is under control before shocking. :wink:
 
Butterfly said:
linen said:
Remember that you will not get an accurate ph reading (it will be high) if you are still at high FC levels. I suggest keep FC high and finish the shocking process, then finish fine tuning your ph. If you happen to let the FC slip by mistake, then you can check ph again and adjust.
Click to expand...
linen, we always recommend that pH is under control before shocking. :wink:
Click to expand...
Got it! Sorry for the confusion. :oops:
 
New test results!

FC 11.5
CC .5
TC 12
pH 7.8 finally
TA 210

The pool calculator says add 83 oz of muriatic acid. I put a now of 7.8 & a goal of 7.2. I put the TA of 210 in the now field of the TA column.

That's a lot of muriatic acid. Does it get used up or ate up? Is there a certain amount of time to wait before getting in the pool after adding that. I have three kids & I definitely want to be safe. Of course I haven't let anyone in since I started this process. But I would like to get in to vacuum & brush the walls & ladder.

I don't need to add any chlorine correct?
 
It gets used up. No swimming for 30 min to an hour after adding chemicals, depending on your circulation. You can stir well with a Wall Whale brush to speed that up. Always add acid and chlorine at separate times, mix well in between and wait 30 minutes.

I see that the pH of 7.8 was taken when the FC was 11.5, that pH reading may be falsely high. Do be careful about that. Test FC first, then if it is below 10, test pH, otherwise don't bother to test pH. Too easy to want to correct pH when the number is not valid.
 
Bridgetgirl said:
Ok I forgot that the pH reading could be false if the chlorine is high.

So should I just test my chlorine every hour and wait for it to fall then test my pH? At what level should the chlorine be to know that the pH test is correct?
Click to expand...
Yep, that will work. FC needs to be below 10 to rule out interference with the pH test.

Let the FC drop below 10, retest pH, add MA to lower it to about 7.4ish, circulate and wait 30 minutes to confirm pH.

If ph is good (low to mid 7's), resume shocking and don't even test pH again until you are completely done shocking :wink: .

How does your water look now?
 
It's beautiful!!!! :cheers:

I even called my daughter to look at it ( she's twelve ). It's so sparkly & pretty & blue! :-D

You know when I started this a few days ago my water was green & you couldn't see the bottom. I went & bought 16 128 oz jugs of bleach ( I still have two unopened ), a gal. of muriatic acid, & stabilizer, a 4lb container. I spent about 45.00 total on that stuff & my pool is beautiful. I've been spending hundreds at the pool place all summer every time I went in, that's what prompted me to go online. I'm sooo glad I found you guys. :whoot:
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply