Please help me understand

[Texas Splash]

Oh and after the acid how soon can I add chlorine to keep it up?

With good circulation, I'll add liquid chlorine about 5 minutes after the acid has dispersed from the area.

 

[Leebo]

Also I paid to get the advanced app but again I’m still figuring out where the heck it is I just keep opening a basic thing

Can you expand on this as I’m not fully following

 

[Texas Splash]

Jackie, I'm going to help you with your signature. Going through these posts, I see the following:

"20K gallons, Hayward pump, heater, Dolphin cleaner, and Taylor K-2006C."

To make your signature more valuable, my questions for you:
- Inground pool, but what material? Plaster or vinyl lines?
- Do you know what model pump (i.e. Superflow, PowerFlo, etc). Is it a single speed, 2-speed, or variable speed?
- What type of filter? Hayward sand, or DE? Maybe tell me the model if available?
- "Digital" heater? Do you know what make/model?

 

[jackieRN]

Can you expand on this as I’m not fully following

When I went to the Pool Math app, it shows you can pay with Google pay 7.99 for the year to get advanced settings assumed I needed this because the other doesn’t really tell me how many chemicals I need to add

 

[Leebo]

The $7.99 per year subscription for the PoolMath app primarily enhances your experience by providing detailed test result and chemical tracking features. This Premium subscription is valuable for maintaining accurate records and ensuring your pool water remains balanced and safe.

Key features included in the Premium subscription:

• Enhanced Test Result Logging: Allows you to input and save test results over time, which helps in monitoring the water quality and understanding trends in your pool's chemistry.
• Detailed Chemical Tracking: Offers precise calculations on the amount of chemicals you need to add based on your test results. This feature simplifies the process of adjusting your pool water by providing specific dosing recommendations tailored to your pool’s needs.

To access and utilize these features:

1. Enter your recent pool water test results into the app.
2. Navigate to the "Overview" page where you'll see tabs for various chemicals like pH, Chlorine, Alkalinity, etc.
3. Tap on the tab for the chemical you need to adjust. This will open a page that allows you to calculate how much of what chemical is needed to get from point A to point B.

These advanced tools are designed to help you manage your pool more effectively, ensuring a clean and healthy swimming environment. If you require further assistance, please feel free to reach out for support.

 

[jackieRN]

Jackie, I'm going to help you with your signature. Going through these posts, I see the following:

"20K gallons, Hayward pump, heater, Dolphin cleaner, and Taylor K-2006C."

To make your signature more valuable, my questions for you:
- Inground pool, but what material? Plaster or vinyl lines?
- Do you know what model pump (i.e. Superflow, PowerFlo, etc). Is it a single speed, 2-speed, or variable speed?
- What type of filter? Hayward sand, or DE? Maybe tell me the model if available?
- "Digital" heater? Do you know what make/model?

Hayward super pump 700 i think single speed ? Vinyl liner. The filter is Hayward cartridge filters.
The Hayward heater is new last year we had it installed there are no visible model numbers I’ll look for the papers

 

[Texas Splash]

Signature updated.

 

[jackieRN]

I decided to test my calculations against Leslie. So very different. Pretty sure the FC is correct because I’ve been dumping in lots of liquid chlorine as I drop the CYA. I didn’t bother testing it. The cya could be a little,off due to not being absolutely sure when the dot disappears so I err on the side of more.
I make sure the water levels (meniscus) is correct etc. Struggling to believe there is this much difference! I trust myself I know I’m doing it right now…but really? Oh and also my TA was really high I was dropping ph as advised no way it got that low that fast. (Was 160 and 144 )

 

[mknauss]

Trust your testing. Do not go to pool stores for water chemistry testing.

 

[Texas Splash]

Oh Jackie. You've got this! Save your gas and time by avoiding the pool store. One day you'll drive by them and laugh at all the ridiculous advice they gave you in the past, and the poor souls who still go there not knowing any better. Trust YOUR testing.

 

[jackieRN]

Spouse is spending 20 dollars for 2 uses of “cartridge cleaner” is there something natural we can use? We no longer use phos free (because y’all say it’s garbage and I do t need it if my FC is high enough “

 

[mknauss]

Tri sodium phosphate. TSP.
Or powder dishwasher detergent. Like cascade.
See Cartridge Filter Use and Care - Further Reading

 

[jackieRN]

I’m just curious- why are the acceptable ranges at pool stores either much broader or tighter in regards to water chemistry? I know they want to sell chemicals but it’s so dramatic.
For example before I bought my Taylor kit my alkalinity was 160 I got it to 120. Looking at my old papers from Leslie they had TA. At 71 and recommended 8pounds of alk up. Pool school shows that as ideal. Same with cya - 100 is acceptable but they want FC 1-4 ppm. That would not last. How do they get away with this?

ps- I’m still chasing my TA reading at 120 by lowering ph. We had lots of ph down so I didnt buy MA. We are also dealing with very heavy daily rains.
My cya is 65 now down from over 200 and FC is 14 because with the rain I went a little nuts and dumped in a gallon a night. We aren’t swimming right now it’s thunderstorms on and off

 

[AUSpool]

The pool stores and the pool industry in general haven’t been following the chemistry. They haven’t embraced the relationship between free chlorine, FC, and stabilizer, CyA. TFP has had the benifit of a bunch of smart people who collectively embraced the work by a fellow called O’Brien who was the first to publish literature containing the FC/CyA relationship.

Alkalinity is a bit different but the same smart folks realised that high alkalinity is really only good for those using the acidic pucks and that alkalinity and the CO2 off gassing is responsible for pH rise. They realised that for everyone using SWG’s or liquid chlorine a lower alkalinity is better in terms of pH stability.

The industry doesn’t like change, not when it benefits the consumer and affects their gravy train.

 

[jackieRN]

The pool stores and the pool industry in general haven’t been following the chemistry. They haven’t embraced the relationship between free chlorine, FC, and stabilizer, CyA. TFP has had the benifit of a bunch of smart people who collectively embraced the work by a fellow called O’Brien who was the first to publish literature containing the FC/CyA relationship.

Alkalinity is a bit different but the same smart folks realised that high alkalinity is really only good for those using the acidic pucks and that alkalinity and the CO2 off gassing is responsible for pH rise. They realised that for everyone using SWG’s or liquid chlorine a lower alkalinity is better in terms of pH stability.

The industry doesn’t like change, not when it benefits the consumer and affects their gravy train.

Thanks for your response. I am new to self testing and I’m very nervous about trusting my results. But I am.
My big problem now is I have developed severe staining and I just got the water balanced…no way im comfortable with taking FC to zero and doing all the stuff needed. I might consider a new liner lol it’s 10 years old. Somehow by balancing I have caused the staining to get much worse. It’s definitely not algae my FC is 14 and CCis zero. Still learning.

 

[Texas Splash]

Somehow by balancing I have caused the staining to get much worse. It’s definitely not algae my FC is 14 and CCis zero. Still learning.

Don't panic. You've got this. I just went through your entire thread and realized we never discussed metals or iron, at least I didn't see it. For you to say that staining is getting worse with the elevated FC level would seem to indicate you have some metals in the water - usually iron or copper. Iron is common from well water, but some city water sources are a bit high in iron too. Copper comes from mineral sanitation devices like the Frog System, but also from many, many pool store chemicals and algaecides, or products with the name "Blue" in them. For now, continue with the SLAM Process to make the water clear and algae-free.

As for those pesky stains, do the following please. First, share with us a pic or two of the stained areas. Next, grab a typical Vitamin C tablet and rub it on a stained area. Let me know if it lightens up that stain at all. When was the last time you cleaned that cart filter? Did you see any light blue/turquois colors on it?

 

[jackieRN]

Don't panic. You've got this. I just went through your entire thread and realized we never discussed metals or iron, at least I didn't see it. For you to say that staining is getting worse with the elevated FC level would seem to indicate you have some metals in the water - usually iron or copper. Iron is common from well water, but some city water sources are a bit high in iron too. Copper comes from mineral sanitation devices like the Frog System, but also from many, many pool store chemicals and algaecides, or products with the name "Blue" in them. For now, continue with the SLAM Process to make the water clear and algae-free.

As for those pesky stains, do the following please. First, share with us a pic or two of the stained areas. Next, grab a typical Vitamin C tablet and rub it on a stained area. Let me know if it lightens up that stain at all. When was the last time you cleaned that cart filter? Did you see any light blue/turquois colors on it?

We clean the filters every week. I did the vit c test and it worked. Last time I correlated my stuff with lite house there was no copper and 0.10 iron. I’ve never had algae and the water is sparkling clean. It’s incredibly hard to get a pic of the staining but I’ll try when the storm passes. It’s started on the pool floor and now it’s the circumference- my water chemistry is good now. Before I got my own kit I did dump in a bottle of algeacide because I was so confused about what was happening- then I did a bottle of metal out ( no response). In bright sunlight the stains are hard to see but in the early morning it’s very visible. I read the steps to conquer staining drop ph to zero etc etc omg I’d rather get a new liner and start with zero cya
Ps- is the magnetic stir thing for 50$ worth it?

 

[jackieRN]

 

[Texas Splash]

When Vitamin C lifts a stain you know it's iron. So for now continue the Slam. If you want, you can get some polyfill and place it in the skimmer to see if you can filter out iron. We can address widespread staining later.

The speed/smart stir... Absolutely!

 

[jackieRN]

Wrong one but steps are also stained