How much should I be micromanaging my FC level and SWCG?

[Brett S]

So I’m still pretty new to this pool thing and I just got my SWCG a month or so ago and discovered TFP at about the same time and I feel like I might be overthinking things and micro managing a little too much.

I have discovered that my SWCG will generate about .6ppm of FC in my pool with an hour of run time. I also know that right now my pool has a daily FC loss of about 1 - 2ppm, mostly depending on whether the cover was taken off during the day and whether the pool was used, so I’m not really sure how to set my SWCG since the FC demand varies.

My CYA level is 70ppm and the chart says I should have a minimum of 3ppm FC with a target of 5ppm. So what I’ve been doing is checking every morning shortly before the SWCG is set to run, which should be the lowest FC level of the day, with a goal of a 5ppm reading at that time. If it’s at or close to 5ppm then I’ll set my SWCG to run for about 2 hours that day. If it’s closer to 6ppm then I’ll only run the SWCG for 1 or 1.5 hours.

But it seems like adjusting the SWCG daily might be more work than is really necessary, but at the same time it seems like the FC will continually drift up or down. Is it possible to find a sweet spot that allows the FC to stay within a good range? And that said, what is a good range? Maybe I’m creating too much work for myself by trying to keep it right at 5ppm. Would I be better off with a wider range? Say 4ppm-8ppm or something like that and just adjusting the SWCG when it gets out of that range? If so, what range should I be aiming for?

Thanks much

 

[Jimrahbe]

Brett,

Yes, you are just making this much harder than it needs to be.. In my mind the key is just making sure that your FC never goes below the minimum.. It matters not if the you go above the target value. I personally always run my FC a little high so that I never have to worry about going too low.

If you look at this chart FC/CYA Levels you can see that there is a huge difference in the target and the SLAM level.. Your FC would have to get above SLAM level to be a problem.

You just need to make sure you open the cover for an hour or so everyday or so, to allow the CCs to burn off.

There are zero reasons to micromanage pool care...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[aussieta]

i only test fc once per week
except start and end of season when weather is all over the place then twice per week

 

[blazer58]

You just need to make sure you open the cover for an hour or so everyday or so, to allow the CCs to burn off.

Slight highjack, if your cover is 4-6 inches from the sides, do you still need to remove to allow cc's to burn off.

Last year was first year with my pool, I was checking everyday, sometimes twice a day.
As the season went on, I was keeping FC higher, and checking only once or twice per week.
You will quickly learn what your pool needs/takes and testing will be less

 

[PoolGate]

I target roughly 10% of my CYA. You will get to "know" your SWG and where to set it. For me, usually run around 52% with my variable speed pump on 24x7. You are safe to swim up to the SLAM chlorine level so you have a long way to go.