Total newbie. A little overwhelmed.

[Bryleemom0709]

Hey look who's back! Okay, here's what I would like for you to do:
1 - With pump on to circulate water, have enough liquid chlorine on hand to increase the FC to 10 per the PoolMath APP. Do not add anything else to the water at this point.
2 - Test the FC again in 10 minutes and report back. We'll go from there.

On it!

 

[Bryleemom0709]

Woof. Ok. FC is 16.5…..

 

[Texas Splash]

Wow. 16.5 is more than projected, but we'll come back to that. At least you are holding FC so that's good. Stand by as I type more.

 

[Texas Splash]

With FC holding, now you need stabilizer (CYA). For now, let's shoot for a CYA target of 30. In your pool that's about 5 lbs of granular stabilizer.

Adding CYA:
To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, place the required amount into a thin white sock or nylon and place in the poolside skimmer basket. For those concerned about suction flow to the pump, suspending the sock near a return jet or from a floating device will also suffice. Best never to allow undissolved granules to rest directly against the pool surface (vinyl). After about 20 min of soaking, squeeze the sock often to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, consider your CYA adjusted to that programmed (target) level. CYA test readings should show a rise in 24-48 hours, however some pools may experience a longer delay to fully register. Best to confirm final CYA in about 5-7 days before adding any more stabilizer/conditioner.

 

[Texas Splash]

Once you have the stabilizer soaking as noted above, you're on your way to a TFP pool. I would however like for you to do one more FC test before it gets dark. No rush, just one more test to ensure consistency because if your FC was zero before, 2 gallons should've only increased it to 10, so we need to find out why it was higher. Either too much chlorine was added, it was a stronger chlorine than 10% (like pool shock 12%), the testing was off, or your pool is smaller than you think (not 19,200).

So if none of those things above seem to match, we'll focus on your FC testing. Just be sure you are doing it as follows: 10ml water sample size with ONE generous scoop of powder (turns Barbie pink). Mix until clear and divide in half. Example: 20 drops equals an FC of 10.

 

[Texas Splash]

One other question to confirm ........... your water ..... would you say it's crystal clear? Can you see easily to the deepest part? Or is it cloudy, hazy, dull, or perhaps you see green somewhere?

 

[Bryleemom0709]

With FC holding, now you need stabilizer (CYA). For now, let's shoot for a CYA target of 30. In your pool that's about 5 lbs of granular stabilizer.

Adding CYA:
To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, place the required amount into a thin white sock or nylon and place in the poolside skimmer basket. For those concerned about suction flow to the pump, suspending the sock near a return jet or from a floating device will also suffice. Best never to allow undissolved granules to rest directly against the pool surface (vinyl). After about 20 min of soaking, squeeze the sock often to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, consider your CYA adjusted to that programmed (target) level. CYA test readings should show a rise in 24-48 hours, however some pools may experience a longer delay to fully register. Best to confirm final CYA in about 5-7 days before adding any more stabilizer/conditioner.

Ok. Question. I’m not sure I have a sock big enough for 5lbs of stabilizer LOL. That sounds so dumb…but…I’m not sure of the best way to do that?!?

 

[Bryleemom0709]

One other question to confirm ........... your water ..... would you say it's crystal clear? Can you see easily to the deepest part? Or is it cloudy, hazy, dull, or perhaps you see green somewhere?

Water is clear, for the most part…kind of cloudy-ish in the deepest part. No green anywhere, but there’s little specks of something sitting on top of the water, which is too small for my net.

 

[Texas Splash]

Ok. Question. I’m not sure I have a sock big enough for 5lbs of stabilizer LOL. That sounds so dumb…but…I’m not sure of the best way to do that?!?

You can split it up between 2 or more socks as needed. Or use any mesh-type product available. Just something that will prevent the granules from seeping out whole. If those granules hit the vinyl, they can make tiny bleach spots, so watch for that.

 

[Texas Splash]

Water is clear, for the most part…kind of cloudy-ish in the deepest part.

Okay, we'll come back to that in a bit.

 

[Bryleemom0709]

Once you have the stabilizer soaking as noted above, you're on your way to a TFP pool. I would however like for you to do one more FC test before it gets dark. No rush, just one more test to ensure consistency because if your FC was zero before, 2 gallons should've only increased it to 10, so we need to find out why it was higher. Either too much chlorine was added, it was a stronger chlorine than 10% (like pool shock 12%), the testing was off, or your pool is smaller than you think (not 19,200).

So if none of those things above seem to match, we'll focus on your FC testing. Just be sure you are doing it as follows: 10ml water sample size with ONE generous scoop of powder (turns Barbie pink). Mix until clear and divide in half. Example: 20 drops equals an FC of 10.

Here’s the chlorine I used. I didn’t totally empty the 2nd bottle.

 

[Texas Splash]

Yep, that's Walmart's 10%. It's good to use. So we'll work on the testing accuracy or other things a bit later.

 

[Bryleemom0709]

Results are in for the night. Just tested FC at 15.5. Socks have been in for almost an hour.
I leave for work at 4:30am in the morning. Do you think I should do any testing/adjustments before I leave, or will it be ok to wait until I get home around 5pm tomorrow? (EST)

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Will there be anyone home who could pour in carefully a jug of LC to hold things at an elevated level?

 

[Bryleemom0709]

Will there be anyone home who could pour in carefully a jug of LC to hold things at an elevated level?

Only me. But I could do it in the morning before I leave if I need to

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Yes, do that and again as soon as you return. The more often chlorine is topped up during a SLAM, the faster it goes.

Maddie

 

[Bryleemom0709]

Yes, do that and again as soon as you return. The more often chlorine is topped up during a SLAM, the faster it goes.

Maddie

Ok. Do I need to test before, or just add a gallon?

 

[Texas Splash]

Ok. Do I need to test before, or just add a gallon?

Since you're not technically in SLAM mode yet, you should be okay to wait until you get back from work to add more chlorine. If however you decide to add a little chlorine in the morning before leaving, only add 1/2 gallon. With a projected CYA of 30, your SLAM FC level would only be 12 anyways, so we don't need to go to high.

Tomorrow when you return from work, you only need to test the FC and pH. The CYA will be assumed to be 30 for now. Post the FC and pH tomorrow along with the quality of your water. We'll make a decision about a potential SLAM at that time. Until then, great work today. Good stuff.

 

[Bryleemom0709]

Since you're not technically in SLAM mode yet, you should be okay to wait until you get back from work to add more chlorine. If however you decide to add a little chlorine in the morning before leaving, only add 1/2 gallon. With a projected CYA of 30, your SLAM FC level would only be 12 anyways, so we don't need to go to high.

Tomorrow when you return from work, you only need to test the FC and pH. The CYA will be assumed to be 30 for now. Post the FC and pH tomorrow along with the quality of your water. We'll make a decision about a potential SLAM at that time. Until then, great work today. Good stuff.

I cannot thank you enough!!! I’m a little more hopeful that I can handle this after today!!! I’ll touch base tomorrow. Hope you have a good evening!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Good point, Pat. I thought she was in the middle of a SLAM and leaving the house for so long....