That is one reason that I really like the SpeedStir, removes the hand swirling required to do an accurate test with lots of drops. It looks like you are almost there, shouldn't be much longer.
Issues after starting my own pool maintenance
- Thread starter timinswfl
- Start date
I use the Speedstir also, but I think my drops were too small because I was putting them in too fast.
Hopefully you pass the OCLT. Was there any algae in the light niche besides the sand ?
Now it's really going your way. With a loss of just 1 you might be pretty close. Maybe some of the big loss was just test error. Let's hope so, and see what happens tomorrow.
There was a little bit of other stuff in there, not sure if it was algae. Very close this morning- FC drop 1.5, CC=0.5. Probably one more day.
That's great Tim!
You are likely on or near the edge of whipping this thing. If your water is clear now, you are likely very, very close. As time goes on, there will be days when you can walk up to your pool for a look and say yep, I need some Chlorine. It might be after a big party, or a few days missed on maintenance, but you'll know. When it happens, you'll be amazed what a little FC adjustment in the right direction will do for you. This, along with pH control are the two most important things you have to manage. Being on top of these, the rest is pretty easy.
You are likely on or near the edge of whipping this thing. If your water is clear now, you are likely very, very close. As time goes on, there will be days when you can walk up to your pool for a look and say yep, I need some Chlorine. It might be after a big party, or a few days missed on maintenance, but you'll know. When it happens, you'll be amazed what a little FC adjustment in the right direction will do for you. This, along with pH control are the two most important things you have to manage. Being on top of these, the rest is pretty easy.
SLAM is complete! FC last night was 21 today is 20.5, CC=0.5 and pool is clear. I have a new solar pool cover to put on and cut, but I will wait until FC is below 10 to do that.
I assume the next step is to work on the salt level? It was at 4000 last check and I'd like to get it to 3500 before I need to turn the SWG back on after FC comes down. Once the salt level is down I plan on revisiting and adjusting PH and CYA.
How much run time should I start with on my SWG? I can set it to run twice a day and I'd like to save as much on my energy bill as possible. I have a Hayward Goldline T-CELL-15 Turbo Cell for a 40,000 Gallon Pool (my pool is 15,000 gal), but I don't know how much chlorine it can generate per hour. I realize the run time will have to be adjusted in summer vs winter, I am just looking for a reasonable starting point.
I assume the next step is to work on the salt level? It was at 4000 last check and I'd like to get it to 3500 before I need to turn the SWG back on after FC comes down. Once the salt level is down I plan on revisiting and adjusting PH and CYA.
How much run time should I start with on my SWG? I can set it to run twice a day and I'd like to save as much on my energy bill as possible. I have a Hayward Goldline T-CELL-15 Turbo Cell for a 40,000 Gallon Pool (my pool is 15,000 gal), but I don't know how much chlorine it can generate per hour. I realize the run time will have to be adjusted in summer vs winter, I am just looking for a reasonable starting point.
I suggest to increase the CYA to 80 ppm as that will help reduce the amount of time the SWG needs to run. With CYA of 80 target the FC at 5 ppm and never below 4 ppm, see the FC/CYA chart in PoolSchool.
You need to coordinate pump run time and SWG % output. Once the FC drops to 6 turn the SWG back on with 50% output and check the FC daily and adjust the % up or down as needed until you are satisfied with the amount of chlorine is being added. I usually run a high % with a low run time on the pump when I can get away with it.
If the SWG is happy making chlorine with 4000 ppm of salt, then I would leave it alone for now. But, if you do decide to replace some of the water, do it now before adding the CYA.
You need to coordinate pump run time and SWG % output. Once the FC drops to 6 turn the SWG back on with 50% output and check the FC daily and adjust the % up or down as needed until you are satisfied with the amount of chlorine is being added. I usually run a high % with a low run time on the pump when I can get away with it.
If the SWG is happy making chlorine with 4000 ppm of salt, then I would leave it alone for now. But, if you do decide to replace some of the water, do it now before adding the CYA.
I would normally agree with bumping up the Cya, but this time of year, I don't think there is a huge rush. Not that it's bad advice, there just isn't as much intense sunlight this time of year. I think Ping gives a good place to start, so go from there. You still have enough FC for at least a few days anyhow.
The SWG will start but turn off after some time with a high salt error at a level of 4000, so that is why I want to fix the salt level first. That way when I need the SWG to start making chlorine it will work. Once I get the salt level down and FC down I will retest everything and post the numbers here.
He is in Florida and still using the pool, so I do still suggest raising the CYA after dumping some water to fix the high salt content. The CYA is going to be lower once the water is replaced and it is already low for a SWG pool.
I didn't say not do it, and I also said you weren't wrong...I just said that there was no rush!! And there isn't, he will be fine either way he goes. My main reason for saying so is his FC level. He has plenty to carry him for a few days.
I added some water yesterday and today I tested FC and it was 15. I then turned on the SWG to get an updated salt level reading (I also have strips but only want to use them as a double check for cost reasons). I set the chlorine level to 45% so the SWG would give me a salt reading. The salt level is reading 3800 initially although I will check it again after the pump runs a while. After all this was done I looked at the pool and there is now cloudiness coming out of the jets, obviously from the SWG. At the beginning of this process you may remember I had bubbles on the top of the pool that went away when I turned off the SWG. I suspect the bubbles will come back if I leave the SWG on. Any ideas on what is causing this? The salt cell is pretty new and has not been turned on much since my salt level has been too high for it since I bought it, so I do not think it needs cleaning.
What type of pump do you have?
When I run my pump on slow speed the SWG produces bubbles that I can see in the return water, although they don't form on the surface of the water. If I run it on high speed then the bubbles do not form at all.
When I run my pump on slow speed the SWG produces bubbles that I can see in the return water, although they don't form on the surface of the water. If I run it on high speed then the bubbles do not form at all.
I believe it is a single stage pump 1 1/2 hp. The pool guy put it in a couple of years ago right after we moved in. I tried to attach some pictures, but got an error that my quota was exceeded. I would not call these bubbles, but cloudiness. After 20 minutes it is not producing bubbles on the surface, it is still cloudy. Maybe it will clear up on its own. Salt level now reads 3700 on the SWG display.
Checked the pool and it was clear again. Checked the SWG and it had shut itself off. So I am replacing more water to get the salt level lower.
I can't explain this cloudiness but let it run for a while and see if it doesn't improve in the next few days.
Quick update- I was still working on lowering the salt level which is at 3600 right now. I thought the SWG was still shutting off because of the salt level but after looking through the manual today, I think it was just normal operation as it shuts itself off periodically when the chlorination % is less than 100 (I had it set to 30%). I am checking FC daily which has been in the 10-11 range so until it drops below 10 I will not check ph and other things. My plan is to lower the chlorination % more to get FC below 10 then I will run the full test suite and report back. I do have the solar cover on to hold in the heat and had run the pump and heater longer to heat the pool, both of which keep the FC from dropping as fast.
Good deal Tim. It will not hurt a thing if you just shut it off until the FC drops to where you want it.