New SWG and pool…add muriatic acid?

[DrivenPT]

Ok, so I am trying to learn how to manage my new salt pool with pebbletec.

Test at Leslie’s had the following:

Free chlorine 0.21
Total chlorine 0.74
PH 7.9
TA 94
CH 127
CYA 20
Salt 3335

Turned the SWG to super chlorination for 4 hours. Should I go for longer? Also, should I also add muriatic acid? If so, I see a lot of different advice about how to do that. Leslie’s suggests 18oz of acid diluted in a 5 gallon bucket. Does that need to happen or can I use a smaller container and dump it straight into the pool?

If anything else needs to be added, let me know. Leslie’s suggested the muriatic acid, then Leslie’s hardness plus, then power powder plus, then pool conditioner and shock. Seems like a lot.

Thanks!

 

[Newdude]

Hey DPT and Welcome !!!!

If anything else needs to be added, let me know.

Your own testkit

TF-Pro Salt

tftestkits.net

The TF100-salt from them is awesome too. Or a Taylor k2006 or K2006c, but neither is as good as a value as the two TF kits.

Leslie’s suggested the muriatic acid, then Leslie’s hardness plus, then power powder plus, then pool conditioner and shock.

Of course they did. They exist to sell you stuff. 'Free water test' my rear !!!! How much would all that have cost ?

Get your own test kit and we will teach you the cheap and easy way.

Read up and ask away Pool Care Basics
Purchase. Test Kits Compared
Download . PoolMath
Follow. FC/CYA Levels
Witness. How Clear is TFP Clear?

 

[Bperry]

Ok, so I am trying to learn how to manage my new salt pool with pebbletec.

Test at Leslie’s had the following:

Free chlorine 0.21
Total chlorine 0.74
PH 7.9
TA 94
CH 127
CYA 20
Salt 3335

Turned the SWG to super chlorination for 4 hours. Should I go for longer? Also, should I also add muriatic acid? If so, I see a lot of different advice about how to do that. Leslie’s suggests 18oz of acid diluted in a 5 gallon bucket. Does that need to happen or can I use a smaller container and dump it straight into the pool?

If anything else needs to be added, let me know. Leslie’s suggested the muriatic acid, then Leslie’s hardness plus, then power powder plus, then pool conditioner and shock. Seems like a lot.

Thanks!

Leslies is really bad at testing. If their numbers are right (they probably arent) you dont need anything other than liquid chlorine to get the FC up and maybe some conditioner (CYA).

 

[DrivenPT]

Ok, test kit ordered.

With my basic kit I can see that my chlorine is low and my pH is at least 7.8.

In the meantime anything you’d suggest?

Will the SWG raise the chlorine with the super chlorination on or do I need liquid chlorine?

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Bump FC up to 5 ppm with liquid chlorine, then use the SWG to maintain FC. Get the kit, post results, and we'll get you moving forward.

In the meantime, download and play around with Pool Math and create your signature.

Create Your Signature - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Best wishes!

 

[Bperry]

Ok, test kit ordered.

With my basic kit I can see that my chlorine is low and my pH is at least 7.8.

In the meantime anything you’d suggest?

Will the SWG raise the chlorine with the super chlorination on or do I need liquid chlorine?

Superchlorinate doesnt do much. It just keeps the machine running for 24 hours and then shuts it off. 24hours of extra runtime wont do much to raise your chlorine enough.

Don’t add anything other than liquid chlorine until your test kit arrives.

 

[Radish]

Ok, so I am trying to learn how to manage my new salt pool with pebbletec.

Test at Leslie’s had the following:

Free chlorine 0.21
Total chlorine 0.74
PH 7.9
TA 94
CH 127
CYA 20
Salt 3335

Turned the SWG to super chlorination for 4 hours. Should I go for longer? Also, should I also add muriatic acid? If so, I see a lot of different advice about how to do that. Leslie’s suggests 18oz of acid diluted in a 5 gallon bucket. Does that need to happen or can I use a smaller container and dump it straight into the pool?

If anything else needs to be added, let me know. Leslie’s suggested the muriatic acid, then Leslie’s hardness plus, then power powder plus, then pool conditioner and shock. Seems like a lot.

Thanks!

Hi Driven
I have just retired from the pool industry 40 plus years.
Answering your questions.
The amount of time your SWG operates depends upon the volume of water in your pool and the size SWG ( I call them salt chlorinators) is.
SWG's should not be used to super chlorinate your pool, they are not designed to do that.
If i was servicing your pool i would 1 super chlorinate using liquid chlorine and 2 adjust your pH. Remember always add chemical to water not the other way around and NEVER use the same container for chlorine and acid, they can be a deadly mix, seriously. Never use the same container for any 2 chemicals!
If your pool is outdoor i would increase you CYA level to 40. If your pool is indoor, you need to get rid of any CYA level.
Doing the above will increase your chlorine level instantly allowing your SWG to stay on top of things providing the system is running the correct amount of hours. The muriatic (hydrochloric) acid will bring your pH back into line, pH is a comfort factor 7.4-7.6 is the pH of a humans tear.

Having the CYA level correct allows the chlorine to remain in the pool for a longer period. Chlorine is an oxidiser and sanitiser in 1, the UV rays burn the chlorine out. CYA is like putting a pair of sun glasses on your pool.

Pool shops are geared to sell, use liquid chlorine over powder, no mixing, no residue.
Keep it simple. Having a SWG on your pool makes life easier, no daily hand chlorination, the SWG does it for you, the water chemistry is no different to if you would be hand chlorinating the pool.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Good advice above, for the most part. However, outside of increasing FC to account for daily loss, TFP doesn't recommend making chemical adjustments based on pool store test results. It's your pool, but we recommend you wait until you get a set of reliable tests results from a recommended test kit.

If your pool is outdoor i would increase you CYA level to 40. If your pool is indoor, you need to get rid of any CYA level.

TFP recommends a CYA level between 60-80 ppm for SWCG pools. For indoor (non-commercial) pools, TFP recommends a CYA level between 20-30 ppm solely for bather comfort. Chlorine with no CYA to buffer it is harsh.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

DrivenPT-
Salt Water Generator pools (SWG) produce chlorine in small, consistent levels. Using the "Boost" function turns the percentage up to 100% for 24º but after that its back to it's regularly scheduled programing.

If there is algae you need high enough chlorine to produce a haymaker punch of chlorine level all at once. Then you need to continue to "stun" the little algae boogers and remain high enough to kill off the resistant algae that remains. Remember that algae can form biofilms which are like protective raincoats that they hide under- that's where the daily brushing comes in, it disrupts that.

Home testing is way more efficient than those "free" pool store tests.

 

[cwswifty]

Ok, so I am trying to learn how to manage my new salt pool with pebbletec.

Test at Leslie’s had the following:

Free chlorine 0.21
Total chlorine 0.74
PH 7.9
TA 94
CH 127
CYA 20
Salt 3335

Turned the SWG to super chlorination for 4 hours. Should I go for longer? Also, should I also add muriatic acid? If so, I see a lot of different advice about how to do that. Leslie’s suggests 18oz of acid diluted in a 5 gallon bucket. Does that need to happen or can I use a smaller container and dump it straight into the pool?

If anything else needs to be added, let me know. Leslie’s suggested the muriatic acid, then Leslie’s hardness plus, then power powder plus, then pool conditioner and shock. Seems like a lot.

Thanks!

Go get some 10% bleach from Home Depot or another place. Add 85 ounces and wait for your test kit. Check back here with a full set of your results.

 

[DrivenPT]

Ok, here comes a dumb question…is liquid chlorine just regular household bleach? If so, how much is required? My test kit doesn’t give much detail just a color chart with 5 shades of yellow at 0.3,0.5,1.0,1.5 and 3. My best guess is around 0.3 but I don’t have a lot of confidence in that.

 

[DrivenPT]

So if I raise the FC

Go get some 10% bleach from Home Depot or another place. Add 85 ounces and wait for your test kit. Check back here with a full set of your results.
View attachment 563440

What is my target for FC? Isn’t 5.0 really high?

 

[mknauss]

I suggest you read through the links provided in Post #2.

 

[cwswifty]

Ok, here comes a dumb question…is liquid chlorine just regular household bleach? If so, how much is required? My test kit doesn’t give much detail just a color chart with 5 shades of yellow at 0.3,0.5,1.0,1.5 and 3. My best guess is around 0.3 but I don’t have a lot of confidence in that.

Liquid chlorine and plain household bleach is the same as long as the bleach doesn't have ANY additives. Household bleach will be weaker (around 6%). I buy liquid chlorine from Home Depot or Walmart and it is 10%. Use Pool Math to tell you how much to add based on your pool volume, CYA level and liquid chlorine strength.

 

[DrivenPT]

If my CYA is indeed low at 20 instead of the 70-80 recommended, is that something I should try to raise? I understand from what I’ve read on the site so far that as CYA goes up, so to must the FC. Should I keep CYA (pool conditioner?) on hand if it is low or just worry about making sure the FC is in range?

Looking forward to the TF 100’s arrival so that I have data to provide.

Thanks all for the help, and patience!

 

[Supersix]

Sound familiar?

@Newdude

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

If my CYA is indeed low at 20 instead of the 70-80 recommended, is that something I should try to raise?

Yes. You want your CYA level to be within the recommended range. Although you need to initially bump your FC up to range, your pool will lose less FC to the sun. Test your CYA monthly and adjust as necessary. Keep your FC within range daily. Never allow your FC to drop below the minimum for your CYA level.

 

[Newdude]

If my CYA is indeed low at 20 instead of the 70-80 recommended, is that something I should try to raise?

Yes. But promise me you won't add anything without checking here first. There's a whole hierarchy and process and it really matters which comes first sometimes.

Don't worry, we will help you navigate it all. It's dirt simple stuff but information overload at first.

 

[DrivenPT]

Ok, first test done with TF100 salt test kit. Results below, though I can’t help but question if I did them right.

The salt number is the number from the salt cell on the pentair app. I thought this kit would have a salt test but it doesn’t appear to.

Any suggestions?

 

[Newdude]

Get 5ppm FC in there and maintain a 5 daily for now.

Testing under 30 CYA is sketchy at best. Add 15 ppm and wait for it to register.

Lower the PH to a high 7.

Test your tap water CH and we'll go from there.

Order a taylor K1766 from TFtestkits.net if you want it guaranteed to come fresh or Amazon if you want it only guaranteed to come.

*edit. I see you bought the salt kit. Double check your receipt for TF100-salt.

Then double check the kit for chromate indicator and silver nitrate bottles. (Yellow and orangey brown)