I am learning that for sure. I may try the splitting of the doses like you said and see how it plays out. The pool stays perfectly clear and seems to feel fine, no burning eyes or anything. So maybe spreading will help bring TA down. Still learning the summer season routine trying to stay ahead and learn this TFP way of pool life.
New pool and first summer season
- Thread starter Cmelser
- Start date
Alright I am going to go crazy with this balancing act. So I followed advice and will add acid every few days to control the PH and with the hope to bring TA down. So I had my swg set at 25% and pool holding around 5.5-6ppm life was good other than ph. So we have a day or two of colder temps and chlorine jumped to 8ppm. Left everything alone to have it ready for the warmer temp again(got to love Florida). Check Saturday chlorine 7. Check Monday as I was watching ph back to around 6. Wednesday check to add acid and chlorine 4.5. Add acid turn swg to 28%. Today ph good and chlorine at 3.5. Roughly figured yesterday I was losing about .6ppm a day. So today was cloudy rainy and cooler. Raised swg to 32%. How the world do I go from riding along stable to continued loss after being ahead of curve? Pool is clear feels fine tests show no CC. We used pool over the weekend daily but two kids and me not a huge load and never really seen a drop with use. I am either going to go crazy chasing this stuff or my wife will be tired of me constantly working on it and will hire a pool company. I understand temp change and all will move things but it’s not been that crazy. Plus my cell is oversized so I would think I would recover quickly or at least stay stable. I am sorry so many questions and yes I have read pool school
And a lot of threads in here. I am probably over board on taking care of it but want to be sure algae doesn’t start and want to get it dialed in so I can relax and enjoy swimming season for our first year.
And a lot of threads in here. I am probably over board on taking care of it but want to be sure algae doesn’t start and want to get it dialed in so I can relax and enjoy swimming season for our first year.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,345
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
A cover and screen enclosure will make your UV impact variable all the time. So I would not stress over the FC going up over your target range. Are you tracking your data? The Poolmath app really helps with that and will make the future much easier.
Air temperature does not have much effect on FC. Primarily it is UV impact and bather load.
Air temperature does not have much effect on FC. Primarily it is UV impact and bather load.
The change quickly happened with the temp change. Then the next day temps back up and FC changed right off. Maybe UV was a little less however today was cloudy all day and I still lost .5. I thought the screen would help way more than it appears to. Unless my Stablizer test was way off?
- May 3, 2014
- 58,345
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
CYA test is challenging.
When you do the CYA test, try this next time.
Once you have your solution ready, back to the sun, etc. Fill the vial to a line, say 80, lower the vial to your waist level and glance for the dot, you see it, add solution to the 70 line, glance, see it, repeat until you no longer see it with a glance. Then use the CYA value one step above the line you read. So if you stopped at 50, use 60 ppm CYA.
The vial is in logarithmic scale. So it is not viable to interpolate between the lines. Just use the whole numbers, such as 50, 40, 30, ....
When you do the CYA test, try this next time.
Once you have your solution ready, back to the sun, etc. Fill the vial to a line, say 80, lower the vial to your waist level and glance for the dot, you see it, add solution to the 70 line, glance, see it, repeat until you no longer see it with a glance. Then use the CYA value one step above the line you read. So if you stopped at 50, use 60 ppm CYA.
The vial is in logarithmic scale. So it is not viable to interpolate between the lines. Just use the whole numbers, such as 50, 40, 30, ....
I planed on testing It again Saturday morning after reading the tips on here. I did get a result from a pool store of 50, first time I think I got 60, then a 50 and a 70. Maybe it’s 50! I had no idea that my levels would change this much I bought salt pool wanting it to be easy! Don’t mind the work it’s a nice hobby but the crazy changes I didn’t Expect. I know there’s a learning curve for a first timer but just seems crazy. I know the Florida strange weather doesn’t help hoping tomorrow I climb back up in FC instead of drop. I am hoping I don’t have something living in the pool about to break loose.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,345
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
It will calm down. I test about twice a week now. I already know when I will need to adjust my FC creation by the SWCG based on the last several years data. I promise, it will get easier.
Dont overthink it so much. You need days in a row of low or no FC to really have issues. I honestly never test much. Maybe once a week if pool is lucky. If it's high I just turn cell off for a day and then back on. If its low I may super chlorinate for a cycle or few hours. The range isn't that important day to day and bathers load and UV are the major changes. When its warm even weather the thing will be on autopilot. Its early and late season that need fussing
This makes me feel much better. All I have read was doom and gloom about letting your FC drop below target and having to go through SLAM. I clean and check every Saturday, brush vacuum all that. I have been testing Ph and FC every couple days because of my PH level changing more and wanted to make sure I kept FC up with weather changing. I figured I hit 6, if it cooled down let it climb then when it warmed the next day let it fall, just didn’t expect to keep going. Right now I am supposedly producing 2.6ppm a day I think per pool math, just seems like all of a sudden a lot of loss daily. Like you guys are saying though maybe watching to close is like waiting for a pot to boil. Maybe I will just leave it tonight and do my full check tomorrow am and see where I am at. Looks like we will have another “cooler” rainy day or two coming so I just to keep my hands and feet in the ride and enjoy! Thank you for info. I have a friend who ran a pool business and he picks on me when I ask him questions, calls me a over achiever and to just use the pool and stop chasing stuff. This is what happens when you are on a state wide stay at home order!
On the money. Don't micromanage. Importantly, too, your testing gets better each time you test. The little variations you are getting now will go away with time.
The testing really does become second nature after a while.......you are on the right path.
Cmelser, Im like you. Brand new to all this testing, and having a hard time figuring out how to adjust. I have found that my salt, TA, CYA and CH numbers are staying really stable, so Im just sweating the FC and pH numbers. Ive come to the realization that pH will creep up to 8+, no matter how I beg and plead with it, so I just blop some in after testing. I dont even test afterwards, Ive gotten to know this pool pretty good. The few times I did test after adding MA it was at 7.8, so I now know to just add MA each week before I test. FC swings a bit more on me; still can't get a handle on where it needs to be, but with our weather being 70 and cloudy one day, and then sunny and 90 the next, I figure its probably going to swing until we get into summer full time. As long as Im above recommended levels, Im okay with that, even if it goes up a bit high. Im sure within the next 30 days or so, it will be chewing up a lot more FC, so Ill just adjust when we get there. Ill just keep an eye on it, test regularly, and we'll be good to go!
It’s been crazy now that the weather started warming! First few weeks after build I was adding a lot of acid. Then it slowed and everything kinda just stayed easy. Then the weather warmed, cooled, warmed and it’s been all over! Glad I am not the only one. I am sure it’s the weather and I was doing the same with acid but started testing more which drew my attention more to Ph. I was only adding once a week and going with that. New kit is either more accurate or shows a little high, old kit always showed 7.8, new always showing 8+ unless I test after acid. I hope it all levels out soon so I feel a little more at ease. Guess I just need to listen to all the wise people on here and just ease up some and let the weather calm down. Thanks for the info knowing I am not alone in Florida with a balancing act on my hands.
Starting to feel good with testing here are this morning’s results:
PH-8
FC-3.5
CC-0
TA-100
CH-500 still feel the drops aren’t accurate hard to get out of bottle.
CYA-70 thanks for the link to the tip on this much easier today feel confident in 70
CSI- .46
After I pulled sample I added some water, and then the rain came. So I didn’t clean or add anything but water now it’s filling on it’s own go figure! I don’t want my CH to get much higher but I don’t want to add pool store snake oil and I don’t know if I really want to drain some and refill. Maybe rains and splashing will knock it down some of it drains some through overflow. I feel better that FC didn’t drop anymore but it didn’t raise either so hopefully I start going up after this rain storm.
PH-8
FC-3.5
CC-0
TA-100
CH-500 still feel the drops aren’t accurate hard to get out of bottle.
CYA-70 thanks for the link to the tip on this much easier today feel confident in 70
CSI- .46
After I pulled sample I added some water, and then the rain came. So I didn’t clean or add anything but water now it’s filling on it’s own go figure! I don’t want my CH to get much higher but I don’t want to add pool store snake oil and I don’t know if I really want to drain some and refill. Maybe rains and splashing will knock it down some of it drains some through overflow. I feel better that FC didn’t drop anymore but it didn’t raise either so hopefully I start going up after this rain storm.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,345
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Your FC is below minimum. That needs to be addressed. Best to not let your FC fall below target range for your CYA.
Keep lowering your pH to 7.4 when it hits 7.8 or 8. That will lower your TA and help you manage CSI.
I assume your fill water is high in CH? If so, take advantage of your rains to manage that by using rain to fill the pool as much as possible.
Keep lowering your pH to 7.4 when it hits 7.8 or 8. That will lower your TA and help you manage CSI.
I assume your fill water is high in CH? If so, take advantage of your rains to manage that by using rain to fill the pool as much as possible.
Starting to feel good with testing here are this morning’s results:
PH-8
FC-3.5
CC-0
TA-100
CH-500 still feel the drops aren’t accurate hard to get out of bottle.
CYA-70 thanks for the link to the tip on this much easier today feel confident in 70
CSI- .46
After I pulled sample I added some water, and then the rain came. So I didn’t clean or add anything but water now it’s filling on it’s own go figure! I don’t want my CH to get much higher but I don’t want to add pool store snake oil and I don’t know if I really want to drain some and refill. Maybe rains and splashing will knock it down some of it drains some through overflow. I feel better that FC didn’t drop anymore but it didn’t raise either
PH-8
FC-3.5
CC-0
TA-100
CH-500 still feel the drops aren’t accurate hard to get out of bottle.
CYA-70 thanks for the link to the tip on this much easier today feel confident in 70
CSI- .46
After I pulled sample I added some water, and then the rain came. So I didn’t clean or add anything but water now it’s filling on it’s own go figure! I don’t want my CH to get much higher but I don’t want to add pool store snake oil and I don’t know if I really want to drain some and refill. Maybe rains and splashing will knock it down some of it drains some through overflow. I feel better that FC didn’t drop anymore but it didn’t raise either
This is what I have been saying the last few posts, then I was told not to worry. Now it’s it needs to be raised. I have raised my percent on my swg on the 16th and I have stayed at 3.5 for a couple days, so I don’t want to raise to much and cause it to climb again. The weather keeps changing daily here so that seems to play a factor. I guess after rain I will jack the system up more and raise level. Maybe turn on super chlorine for a few. Ugh just when I thought I was going to slow down with it.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,345
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I would not worry about having too high of FC. Set your SWCG to create 2 or 3 ppm per day and see after a few days where you stand. If too much, lower it a little and monitor. No harm for FC to be high, other than being careful of testing your pH with FC above 10 ppm.
According to pool math I should be creating 2.5 or little more per day, I am sitting at 32%. It went up last week to 8 when temp cooled off then started to drop and hit 3.5 so I raised it the 32% mark. Waiting to see if it climbed back up it was originally holding 5-6 on 25% until the couple cooler days.
Marty, I think his FC is just above minimum, with his CYA at 70, the minimum FC is 3, and he's at 3.5. I sure wouldnt want to see it fall any lower than that tho.
I reviewed my spread sheet that I started keeping in December for all my numbers. I was like you, really really worried about my numbers and relying on everyone here. When I first started tracking, my TA would run 110-120. I was told not to worry about it, so I didnt. Ive virtually ignored it; I had plenty of other numbers to lose sleep over. In looking at my spread sheet, when it started at 120, it slowly came down til now it is holding rock steady at 80, and Ive done no adjusting to it. So Ill jump on that bandwagon, and tell you to track the TA, but dont worry about it. It will come down as you keep adding MA. Mine did just that.