New pool and lots to learn!

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Oscar G.

Gold Supporter
Jun 21, 2019
135
Gilbert Arizona (Phoenix suburb)
Hello pool peeps! We are on day 3 of our new pool in Gilbert Az and I am trying to get my mind wrapped around all the fun stuff involved in keeping the water chemistry up to par. I was given a quick and dirty "pool school" by the PB and now its sink or swim. At this point I am testing with Hach Aquacheck 7 test strips which I'm sure won't be up to your standards ;). It was suggested during pool school that I periodically have Leslies test a sample and they would recommend products to bring my levels back to normal. I've done enough research on TFP to know that is not a solid plan going forward...

I have a floating tab holder in the pool at all times with 3 tabs and I am adding 10% Sodium Hypochlorite as needed to maintain 1-3ppm FC, based on test strip reading.

What else to I need to be concerned about at this point?
Should I bite the bullet and get a legit test kit?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
Congratulations on the new pool.
Your right, the test strips don't cut it. And using trichlor every day here in our climate will not cut it for long either.
Order a TF-100
The only other real option for a test kit is a Taylor K-2006-C. Be careful comparing prices because the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. You need to get the K-2006-C to get the larger bottles that you want.
I also have the Speedstir. It makes testing much easier.
 
You are in the right place. These people are geniuses and can help you through whatever you need. I'm lucky in that i have a good pool store. Mom and Pop shop that pop is the PB. They only hire family and its the same experienced people year after year. They have sent me home empty handed many times that they could have sold clueless me something. They've earned my trust. Occasionally i will be in a Leslies or some similair chain store. Looking at pool floats or something. Holy cow. 43 year old me simply cannot take instructions from a 17 year old. Ever. I will learn more from the internet in 5 minutes than they learned working in the store for 3 months since they became old enough to work.
 
mknauss said:
Congratulations on the new pool.
Your right, the test strips don't cut it. And using trichlor every day here in our climate will not cut it for long either.
Order a TF-100
The only other real option for a test kit is a Taylor K-2006-C. Be careful comparing prices because the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. You need to get the K-2006-C to get the larger bottles that you want.
I also have the Speedstir. It makes testing much easier.
Click to expand...
Thank you, its been a blast so far! I'm going to order the TF-100 tonight, thanks for the tip. If Trichlor is not the answer, should i be adding sodium hypochlorite manually as needed and not use the floater?
 
Newdude said:
You are in the right place. These people are geniuses and can help you through whatever you need. I'm lucky in that i have a good pool store. Mom and Pop shop that pop is the PB. They only hire family and its the same experienced people year after year. They have sent me home empty handed many times that they could have sold clueless me something. They've earned my trust. Occasionally i will be in a Leslies or some similair chain store. Looking at pool floats or something. Holy cow. 43 year old me simply cannot take instructions from a 17 year old. Ever. I will learn more from the internet in 5 minutes than they learned working in the store for 3 months since they became old enough to work.
Click to expand...

You're lucky to have a dependable pool store. Ive only been in Leslies once but I already get the feeling that the "free" water analysis is going to cost me, lol.
 
Oscar G. said:
If Trichlor is not the answer, should i be adding sodium hypochlorite manually as needed and not use the floater?
Click to expand...
As you are unsure what your CYA is, I would suggest adding 4 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine to the pool each evening with the pump running. When you get your test kit, run the tests and post them up.
 
Sure. With the tablets you have been using your CYA is not zero. And if the CYA is still low, the FC will be burned off rapidly by the sun. Normally we tell members with algae to add 5 ppm FC per day. Since you did not say you have any algae, I reduced that a little.
 

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mknauss said:
Sure. With the tablets you have been using your CYA is not zero. And if the CYA is still low, the FC will be burned off rapidly by the sun. Normally we tell members with algae to add 5 ppm FC per day. Since you did not say you have any algae, I reduced that a little.
Click to expand...

I am obviously very new to pool stuff so forgive me if I ask a lot of questions and i definitely want to learn. I know there is a relationship between FC and CYA and that is something I don't fully understand yet, but ill get there.

Do I add 4ppm worth of liquid chlorine regardless of the current FC in the pool? The test strip read around 3ppm this morning and adding 4ppm would obviously raise the FC to 7. Just want to clarify this.
Should I stop using the tabs?

Thank you so much for your help! :)
 
You should remove the tablets. They are adding CYA, which you do not know what level that is. If high, you will be draining and replacing water.

The strips may or may not be correct. I would personally add the liquid chlorine. If you wish to believe the strips, that is up to you.
 
mknauss said:
You should remove the tablets. They are adding CYA, which you do not know what level that is. If high, you will be draining and replacing water.

The strips may or may not be correct. I would personally add the liquid chlorine. If you wish to believe the strips, that is up to you.
Click to expand...

Ok thank you. I have ordered the TF-100 so I may rely on the strips until the kit arrives. I may also take a sample to the pool store periodically until the kit arrives.
 
As I mentioned previous, my TF-100 is on the way but I don't want things to get out of whack before it arrives. I had the pool store test a sample even though i know you all probably don't trust the results. They recommend adding 19oz muratic acid then retest. Next day add 15oz "hardness plus". What do ya'll think?

FC 4.5
TC 4.5
CH 150
CYA 50
TA 80
Acid demand 2
Copper 0
Iron 0
TDS 450
Pho 150
 
Oly said:
Are you adding 4ppm FC per day with liquid chlorine?
Post the results from your own testing with your own kit.
Anything else you add now is a flying guess.
Click to expand...

I added 3ppm last night and had been adding 2ppm the previous nights, but that was based on the test strips so probably not accurate. What is the thought behind adding 4ppm per night? Is this the standard way to dose when you have an unknown concentration? Thanks and forgive my ignorance....
 
You’re in AZ, and it’s summer, so you are likely going to get 3-4 ppm FC loss per day. Since we can’t be 100% sure what the CYA is, we are suggesting keeping FC at a solid level until the kit arrives. :)
 

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