First time testing

[quantumcosmic]

Yeah, but you're still standing. So.

True that , summer semester just started so my free time is gone for at least the next week.

 

[quantumcosmic]

Alright finally had time to test again:

pH - ~8.3
FC - 4.5
CC - 0.5
CH - 175
TA - 240
CYA - 50
SC - 3800

Gonna leave the SWCG of for the night, too lazy to go back out.
I’ll set it to 40% and give it a day in the morning.

Should I add any other chemicals for now?

 

[Texas Splash]

Should I add any other chemicals for now?

Acid. The pH should never go over 7.8. If it does, take action right away with muriatic acid to help prevent scale.

Your FC of 4.5 is fine. Even if it was higher it's fine (preventing algae).

 

[quantumcosmic]

Acid. The pH should never go over 7.8. If it does, take action right away with muriatic acid to help prevent scale.

Your FC of 4.5 is fine. Even if it was higher it's fine (preventing algae).

Yeah I was just waiting for FC to go down so I could even test pH. Acid going in momentarily. Pool math says to add 32lbs of calcium chloride for CH, should I add some or wait for pH to come down?

 

[Texas Splash]

Pool math says to add 32lbs of calcium chloride for CH, should I add some or wait for pH to come down?

You can add calcium now. Do it slowly in stages as to not overwhelm the water and make it cloudy. I would shoot for a CH target of only 250 though. I suspect your local water is naturally hard and will increase over the summer with top-offs from evaporation.

 

[duraleigh]

I suggest you add CH slowly as Pat suggested, too. Also test your CH fill water and post that. You may decide not to add any and let it rise naturally on it's own.

 

[quantumcosmic]

You can add calcium now. Do it slowly in stages as to not overwhelm the water and make it cloudy. I would shoot for a CH target of only 250 though. I suspect your local water is naturally hard and will increase over the summer with top-offs from evaporation.

I’ll get some on order then. My fill water TA ~100 and CH of like 0. Adding the 0011L turned the water blue, didn’t even try to turn red.

My fill water is fed off my house which has a softener for the whole house.

I suggest you add CH slowly as Pat suggested, too. Also test your CH fill water and post that. You may decide not to add any and let it rise naturally on its own.

See above for my fill water TA and CH.

 

[duraleigh]

My fill water is fed off my house which has a softener for the whole house.

Then why add calcium only to take it out with the softener? Do you have a unsoftened spigot?

 

[quantumcosmic]

Then why add calcium only to take it out with the softener? Do you have a unsoftened spigot?

I do not have a different bib I could use. The softener works on the whole house.

I don’t mind continually adding calcium, I want to get all my levels as optimal as possible so I can maintain them. If I get the calcium up, I highly doubt it will replace water at a fast enough rate to be THAT concerned. I just want my levels as close to perfect as possible.

 

[duraleigh]

I just want my levels as close to perfect as possible

That's an admirable goal but don't overthink it. Perfection is not pH 7.4 exactly but simply staying in the 7's. CH is not 300 perfectly but rather a range of around 250 - 400

All the chemistry has ranges and you will be "perfect" somewhere in those ranges. Keep us posted!

 

[quantumcosmic]

That's an admirable goal but don't overthink it. Perfection is not pH 7.4 exactly but simply staying in the 7's. CH is not 300 perfectly but rather a range of around 250 - 400

All the chemistry has ranges and you will be "perfect" somewhere in those ranges. Keep us posted!

Of course, like I said just as close to perfect as possible, I understand they are ranges, but I am also waaay outside some of those ranges so I am just trying to correct for it. I noticed my CH hasn't really changed at all since starting my TFP journey so I figured I should ask esp since pool math says to add 32lbs

I will run a full test a bit later on and post results. I added about 40oz of acid this morning so hoping the pH changed.

 

[quantumcosmic]

Back again. See photos

pH - 8.2-8.3? Best guess??
FC - 7 - SWCG has been on 40% output for ~27hrs
CC - 0.5
CH - 150
TA - 240
SC - ~3300, 16 changed very light pink, 17 changed the full “brick red”
CYA - Looking for clarification about what “no longer see the black dot” means. The first photo is 70 (black dot pretty visible imo), then 60 (black dot is more visible in person than photo), then 50 (just barely more visible than photo, I have to really concentrate to see it), then 40 (there is no question about not seeing the black dot)

 

[PoolStored]

pH - 8.2-8.3? Best guess??

Above 8. Reduce pH in .4 increment, using pool math, until you get to 7.8. Add muriatic, pump running, then test after 30 minutes, repeat until you get to 7.8.

Add to each line. Stand outside, sun to your back, hold the vial, in front of you, at your waist. GLANCE at the tube, when it looks like this (below) AT A GLAMCE, you are done. Take the number from the line associated with the current fluid level and add 10 (round up).

 

[quantumcosmic]

Above 8. Reduce pH in .4 increment, using pool math, until you get to 7.8. Add muriatic, pump running, then test after 30 minutes, repeat until you get to 7.8.

Add to each line. Stand outside, sun to your back, hold the vial, in front of you, at your waist. GLANCE at the tube, when it looks like this (below) AT A GLAMCE, you are done. Take the number from the line associated with the current fluid level and add 10 (round up).

View attachment 580211

Yeah I threw some acid in already. Will test again in the mornin, too late/lazy now.

Thanks for the info for the CYA testing. I do all my testing inside by the kitchen sink. So good lighting, but obv not the sun. I’m gonna order some CYA to have on hand and retest in the morning, hoping my FC stays stable.

is it worth it to start adding calcium now or should I just focus on the pH? I know others said it’s ok but 2nd opinions and all that…

 

[quantumcosmic]

Finally making some headway… got impatient yesterday and double the acid pool math was telling me… prob dumb but

 

[Texas Splash]

Well look at that. A color other than dark purple. Coming back down to earth.

 

[Newdude]

When it works, we take the win.

 

[quantumcosmic]

Finally had time to test this morning. I had the SWCG unplugged for 2 days by mistake. Unplugged it in the first place as the pH went up to 7.

pH- 8+
FC - 1.5
CC - 1
CH - 200
TA - 210
CYA - 40
SC - 3800

I added some more acid and have some CYA and calcium waiting when I get home.

As I add acid, I assume it “eats up” the TA and that’s why it’s coming down? If that’s the case is it safe to assume it will kinda rubber band pH until TA comes down?

 

[Newdude]

As I add acid, I assume it “eats up” the TA and that’s why it’s coming down? If that’s the case is it safe to assume it will kinda rubber band pH until TA comes down?

Thats as good as a lay person explanation as I've seen. Exactly like that for us simpletons. (With a far more science-y explanation if you'd like to read further to get it).

have some CYA and calcium waiting when I get home.

I forget if we went over the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. Don't raise CYA substantially without passing an OCLT. Each 10 CYA raises SLAM FC by 4. You want to know you need to slam *before* jacking the slam target. It gets spendy quick.

 

[quantumcosmic]

Thats as good as a lay person explanation as I've seen. Exactly like that for us simpletons. (With a far more science-y explanation if you'd like to read further to get it).





I forget if we went over the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. Don't raise CYA substantially without passing an OCLT. Each 10 CYA raises SLAM FC by 4. You want to know you need to slam *before* jacking the slam target. It gets spendy quick.

Link for further reading?

It may have been said about the OCLT, but that doesn’t sound familiar. I haven’t slam’d my pool as far as I know, correct me if I’m wrong.

I was going to add the pool math recommendation of CYA and to have some on hand otherwise, should I not add any CYA?

For the calcium, I’m obviously not going to add the 29lbs recommended all at once, but what should I aim for? 2-3lbs and wait or what?