Obsessively Fiddling with Levels

[fredricr1]

I did a search and found a lot of people obsessively test their pools daily, especially for FC and maybe pH (a good thing, as levels can fluctuate pretty quickly). I'm wondering, though, how obsessive one should be with respect to fine tuning chemistry. My K-2006 readings are: FC - 9, pH - 7.6, TA - 80, CH - 420, CYA - 60, BOR - 50ish. FC is high because I'm coming off a slam and trying to gently bring it back down to 5-6. I would like to get my CYA up to 70 or 80. Overall these numbers seem, at least from what I've read on here, to be in a decent range but I can't help wanting to fiddle and get TA to 75 or if pH climbs to 7.8 I feel the need to drag it back down. Stuff like that.

Am I overthinking things or do a lot of people really try to reach specific numbers rather than being "close enough"? When should values trigger some action on our part as opposed to just keeping an eye on things?

TIA.

Fred

 

[duraleigh]

In your own words, you are "close enough".

Test FC at least every few days. it is the ONE consumable item and you need to monitor it closely

Leave CH alone - test monthly

Leave Borates alone - no set time on testing....maybe monthly

Leave pH alone - generally anything in the 7's is in the correct range - You should test at least every few days

Calculate and dose enough to raise your CYA by 10 ppm. Then do it again (to get to 80) if test results are as expected. from there, test monthly


Go swimming.....enjoy your pool. My bet is your water looks nice.

 

[jblizzle]

You are overthinking a bit, but only a little.
You could benefit from a higher CYA.
There may be nothing wrong with a pH of 7.8 ... although check that your CSI is not too high in PoolMath.
Just use pH to keep the CSI in line and your TA may drop some.

 

[s_vidden]

I did a search and found a lot of people obsessively test their pools daily, especially for FC and maybe pH (a good thing, as levels can fluctuate pretty quickly). I'm wondering, though, how obsessive one should be with respect to fine tuning chemistry. My K-2006 readings are: FC - 9, pH - 7.6, TA - 80, CH - 420, CYA - 60, BOR - 50ish. FC is high because I'm coming off a slam and trying to gently bring it back down to 5-6. I would like to get my CYA up to 70 or 80. Overall these numbers seem, at least from what I've read on here, to be in a decent range but I can't help wanting to fiddle and get TA to 75 or if pH climbs to 7.8 I feel the need to drag it back down. Stuff like that.

Am I overthinking things or do a lot of people really try to reach specific numbers rather than being "close enough"? When should values trigger some action on our part as opposed to just keeping an eye on things?

TIA.

Fred

This is just my 2 cents,

I test FC daily because I dread algea breakouts and the price of testing and adding small amounts of liquid chlorine far out weigh the risk of algea breakouts due to negligent testing.

As for PH/TA. If my PH remains steady (7.4-7.8), then I know I have a solid TA/PH balance. If I am adding more than a half gallon of MA a week to reduce PH to these levels I will tweak TA to bring this balance in closer.

CYA gets checked more than once a month if I experience heavy rain fall (water over the skimmer) or a drain/refill to cool my water off.

But FC is my front line to crystal clear pool so it gets daily attention.


Shawn

 

[Richard320]

You're overthinking, but it's really common among new converts to the TFP way. I probably used as many test reagents the first summer as I did the last two years. It's pretty harmless and test reagents are cheap entertainment.

If you find yourself see-sawing where one day you raise TA and the next you lower pH and so on, then you're overdoing it.

 

[Dirk]

King of the Overthinkers here. How dare you challenge my rule!!

 

[aussieta]

ahhh, ocd gotta love it
i was obsessive in the early days, testing fc twice daily
now i only think about testing every day,
but only actually do the basics weekly (with swg) and the others monthly

 

[tomfrh]

ahhh, ocd gotta love it
i was obsessive in the early days, testing fc twice daily

But if you only test FC twice a day you can’t see how it tracks throughout the day.

 

[fredricr1]

Thanks for the replies, everybody. Glad to know I'm not the only one who prefers to do things "properly"!

To be clear, I think my main question wasn't so much how often one should test, but at what point deviation from an ideal chemistry target requires action. Examples: If my FC level is 4 but my target is 5, should I goose the SWG or wait till it falls to 3? If pH target is 7.6, if it climbs to 7.8 should I start adding MA or wait till it climbs to 8.0. That sort of thing.

- - - Updated - - -

In your own words, you are "close enough".

Go swimming.....enjoy your pool. My bet is your water looks nice.

Thanks, and yes, it looks great! No complaints. It even feels great after adding Borax to bring borates up to 50ppm!

- - - Updated - - -

You're overthinking, but it's really common among new converts to the TFP way. I probably used as many test reagents the first summer as I did the last two years. It's pretty harmless and test reagents are cheap entertainment.

LOL Exactly! I'm almost ready to go purchase a white lab coat because I get to play chemist every day!

 

[tomfrh]

Examples: If my FC level is 4 but my target is 5, should I goose the SWG or wait till it falls to 3? If pH target is 7.6, if it climbs to 7.8 should I start adding MA or wait till it climbs to 8.0. That sort of thing.

-

Keep FC above minimum at all times. Target FC is essentially minimum plus a safety factor. How far you cut into the safety factor is up to you.

pH 7.8 is ok, so you can add MA when pH hits 7.8 or when it starts exceeding 7.8, either of which will limit it to 7.8

pH rises slower and slower the higher it goes, so the longer you can leave it the greater the benefit in terms of reduced acid use.

im letting it go to 8 at the moment, Noones using the pool. In swimming season I’d add acid once it’s at any pinker than 7.8

ive started graphing my levels and watching the trends really helps you understand the behaviour and when to hit it.