TF-100 alkalinity confusion!! PLEASE HELP!

[frogabog]

What ajw said...

Forget about TA for now.

Aim for 3ppm chlorine (FC).

When you get your CYA, aim for 30ppm. Put it in a sock and hang it off your ladder or in front of your return. Squish regularly. The Chlorox brand from amazon is very soluble.

 

[ajw22]

Vinyl pools don’t need calcium.

 

[frogabog]

NO on the calcium increaser. You don't need it in a vinyl pool.

You can use some dichlor to chlorinate, but you will need to calculate how much CYA that will add and account for that when you add CYA manually.

 

[ajw22]

5 oz of dichlor will raise FC by 3, CYA by 2.7, and lower pH by 0.11 in 7,000 gallons.

You cannot use dichlor for long before your CYA gets above the desired 30 ppm.

28oz of stabilizer will get 7,000 gallons from 0 to 30 ppm CYA.

 

[thefloatqueen]

Ok thank you for telling me that before I ordered. So for pool math I put 0 as my FC and my CYA for now?

 

[thefloatqueen]

Nvm you answered my questions thank you!! When do I retest??

 

[ajw22]

When do I retest??

What test after adding what chemical?

CL you can retest after 30 minutes.

Stabilizer/CYA is slow to dissolve and depending on how you add it can take 24-72 hours. If you add it assume it is in the water.

 

[thefloatqueen]

Can you explain the sock thing? Please dumb it down for me as much as possible lol

 

[frogabog]

Go to your unmatched sock basket, choose one that you know there's no match for. Put CYA powder in it, put a rubber band around the top to close it, use a string to tie it to the ladder or rail. Squeeze frequently. CYA will disperse.

 

[frogabog]

If you don't have an unmatched sock basket or bag... I now pronounce you reigning Queen of Socks.

 

[ajw22]

The way I do it.

Adding CYA Equipment

• ajw22
• Jan 29, 2019

Sock filled with CYA ready to hang

• ajw22
• Jan 29, 2019

CYA dangling in sock in front of return

• ajw22
• Jan 29, 2019

 

[thefloatqueen]

Not sure how this will work with an AGP and no deck or anything. Why can’t it just be put directly into the pool in front of the return?

 

[Mr Bruce]

It needs to be suspended in front of a return. If it's on the floor it can bleach it.

Another option is to just get in the pool and swing it around in the water alternating between squeezing and "accordion-ing" it. That's what I do.

 

[ajw22]

Not sure how this will work with an AGP and no deck or anything. Why can’t it just be put directly into the pool in front of the return?

Hang it over the edge of the pool so the sock dangles in front of the return water flow and tie a string to something behind the pool.

 

[sacredcow]

So I’m testing for the TA and as soon as the sample turned green, I began dropping the R-009, swirling, cleaning off cap, and I’m seeing tiny pink drops when I first started dropping the R-009 solution but water stayed green. 22 drops later the bottle is pink. Does this count as “red”? What am I doing wrong?! It is raining and I don’t have chemicals in the pool yet if that helps. Chlorine level is 0 and I’m getting somewhere between 7.5 and 7.8 pH readings. This TA is so frustrating!! I don’t want to keep dropping it until I run out! Ahhhhh this pool is going to be the death of me lol HELPPPP please! Thanks in advance!

The color change for this indicator (which is bromocresol green / methyl red) transitions from green to red, but also has a gray transition phase. As you add the R-009 drops and mix, it is normal to see a spot of red in the green solution as it mixes. Continuing to mix and add the R-009 solution dropwise, you should see that the solution becomes less green and more of a gray color, and that the solution may turn almost entirely red but continued mixing brings it back to the green/gray color. When you see the gray color, you are getting close to the endpoint, which is defined as when the solution is PERSISTENTLY red after a drop of the R-009 reagent and thorough mixing (the speedstir, as mentioned above is very helpful for this titration). Note that this endpoint isn't red, as in a fire truck or a stop sign; it's definitely more of a pink.

 

[thefloatqueen]

So I gave it another go today. It did turn from green to grey after around 12 drops, each drop after that started from light pink (13 drops) to hot pink (22 drops). Still no actual “red”. My pH also jumped up to 8.0-8.2ish today, much higher than yesterday when it was around 7.2ish. I see why I failed chemistry in high school lol ??‍

 

[sacredcow]

So I gave it another go today. It did turn from green to grey after around 12 drops, each drop after that started from light pink (13 drops) to hot pink (22 drops). Still no actual “red”. My pH also jumped up to 8.0-8.2ish today, much higher than yesterday when it was around 7.2ish. I see why I failed chemistry in high school lol ??‍

Assuming you're using the 25 mL sample size, my $0.02 is that your TA is 130, and not 220.

My alkalinity was at like 290 or so when I bought my house, and keeping the pH down was a constant struggle (I'm sure I am on some kind of watch list for buying muriatic acid at the rate I was). I've since got it down to about 70 and the pH doesn't rise nearly as fast anymore (I add maybe 300-400 mLs of 31.45% muriatic acid once a week).

History was my struggle in high school. The best thing about college was not ever having to remember what Fred McWillardputz did in 1838.

 

[JamesW]

Forget about the whole pink/red distinction. Once it turn from green to pink or red, that's it.

 

[thefloatqueen]

@JamesW and @sacredcow Thank you so much! Thank God I didn’t dump 2 lbs of pH reducer like the Pool Math app said when I logged 220 for TA!! You two are the real MVPs!! Now I’m sure I’ll think of more dumb questions to ask lol! Thank you both again!

 

[thefloatqueen]

I wish the TF-100 Kit would say PINK is also acceptable! The “red” part made me think it needed to be actual blood red! ??‍ So happy TFP exists!!