I dumped the water sample. Okay to do the CYA test using the water with the fresh dose of Dichlor?
New Hot Tub Owner - Taylor Test Kit
- Thread starter mwhitney
- Start date
- Jun 24, 2021
- 15,880
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Yes. Make sure you do it with strong sunlight.
Print these out, they help to do the test correctly:
CYA - Cyanuric Acid Test
Cyanuric acid (CYA) is the chemical name for the product commonly called “pool water stabilizer” … Read more…
www.troublefreepool.com
Thanks. I'll have to wait until tomorrow. Dark here now.Yes. Make sure you do it with strong sunlight.
Print these out, they help to do the test correctly:
CYA - Cyanuric Acid Test
Cyanuric acid (CYA) is the chemical name for the product commonly called “pool water stabilizer” … Read more…
The guide mentions strong artificial light. Would 'Bright White' LED pot lights suffice?
- Jun 24, 2021
- 15,880
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
No. It is a turbidity test and is reliant on high lux lighting. You want bright sunlight or even slightly overcast...print and read the article...
Very roughly speaking, direct overhead sunlight is around 100,000 lux, strong indirect light (i.e. shaded from the sun) is around 10,000 lux, an overcast sky is around 1000-5000 lux but varies on how overcast (which is why a bright white cloud overcast is still OK), indoors is usually < 1000 even in a bright kitchen or LED (more typically 500 lux).
Certainly in a pinch, use what you have. Since you are right at 30, doing it correctly will show you what 30 SHOULD look like.
OK - new test this morning after adding 16 g of DiChlor last night.
FC: 9.5 ppm
CC: .5ppm
CYA: tested outside, back to the sun and at waist level, TT filled to the top (30), I could still just see the black dot when glancing at the TT. I'm guessing it would have disappeared at 25 if the TT went that high. It did not quite look like the 'end test' photo in the guide.
FC: 9.5 ppm
CC: .5ppm
CYA: tested outside, back to the sun and at waist level, TT filled to the top (30), I could still just see the black dot when glancing at the TT. I'm guessing it would have disappeared at 25 if the TT went that high. It did not quite look like the 'end test' photo in the guide.
I don't like pictures for something so subjective. Your light was different than the moment of the pic, and looks different, but isn't.
Switch to bleach.
Sounds good. As long as I have my visual in mind as a 'baseline' for 30. The guide says to add 10 to that, do I have that part right? So we'd be at 40 ppm for CYA?
Cheers.
- Jun 24, 2021
- 15,880
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
If it is almost obscured at 30, then CYA is somewhere between 20 and 30. Round up to 30.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,000
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
While the app gives guidance based on the levels tfp recommends you need to understand why & not just blindly follow the app. Its primary function is a calculator.
Print this chart and keep it in your kit
FC/CYA Levels
SLAM level is shock level for your cya. SLAM = Shock Level And Maintain which is a process to eradicate nasties/algae and prove they are gone vs simply raising fc to shock level once
For your tub and bathers fc is ok anywhere between minimum and slam level for your cya.
This means targeting one specific ppm is really not necessary so long as you are staying in the range. Most who manually dose may need to raise fc up to 8 or 10ppm after a soak to deal with the current bather waste AND ensure they don’t fall below minimum before the next dose/use. You have to do what your tub needs - thats the only blanket recommendation that we can give you. Every tub is different. I find that i can make it through a 1 person 30 minute soak without falling too close to minimum if I start out around 6ppm. Your mark may be different as there are many variables involved.
My tub can get by for 6 days without falling below minimum if i raise fc to slam level immediately before leaving and turn the temp down.
Update (I promise not to do this forever):
Now I'm trying to get a sense of degradation over time (using the tub / not using the tub).
Yesterday I measured the FC at 19 drops (9.5 ppm) and today after not using the tub for ~24 hours, it came in at 13 drops (6.5ppm). I've yet to add a first dose of liquid chlorine given that the levels were higher yesterday.
That means a drop in FC of 3 ppm, covered tub, no use over 1 day.
I realize individual results will vary based on a number of factors, but does this seem like a 'typical' rate of change?
I'll continue to log, daily, for a while to better get to know behaviours / see what the drop looks like with people in the tub etc.
Given the above and '10' as a FC target to give a 'buffer' for use, the app is recommending 68mL of liquid chlorine for my initial dose.
1) Do I need to pay attention to anything else at this point (pH, Al, total chlorine hardness) if the FC / CYA are in check?
2) Apart from a tub refill and getting the initial sanitizer / CYA up, is there ever a need to switch back to Dichlor (assuming I'm able to maintain the CYA at 30-40 and FC in the target range or slightly above)?
TIA.
Now I'm trying to get a sense of degradation over time (using the tub / not using the tub).
Yesterday I measured the FC at 19 drops (9.5 ppm) and today after not using the tub for ~24 hours, it came in at 13 drops (6.5ppm). I've yet to add a first dose of liquid chlorine given that the levels were higher yesterday.
That means a drop in FC of 3 ppm, covered tub, no use over 1 day.
I realize individual results will vary based on a number of factors, but does this seem like a 'typical' rate of change?
I'll continue to log, daily, for a while to better get to know behaviours / see what the drop looks like with people in the tub etc.
Given the above and '10' as a FC target to give a 'buffer' for use, the app is recommending 68mL of liquid chlorine for my initial dose.
1) Do I need to pay attention to anything else at this point (pH, Al, total chlorine hardness) if the FC / CYA are in check?
2) Apart from a tub refill and getting the initial sanitizer / CYA up, is there ever a need to switch back to Dichlor (assuming I'm able to maintain the CYA at 30-40 and FC in the target range or slightly above)?
TIA.
For now it's only the FC but I'd say maybe biweekly check on the CYA as that gets consumed too but by time/heat so that will need a study too so you don't let the hot tub take over your life.
Did you use it the day before ? Residuals can cause all kinds of FC drop. Once FC is holding, most see closer to 1ppm per day when idle.
There's no learning like doing. You'll connect the dots pretty quick.
Check ph with FC and dose Ph back to a 7 as necessary. Remember that 10+FC skews the Ph test so wait until the FC dips if it's ever 10+.
CH probably won't be needed. You'll learn as you go if you have foaming issues to need some CH.
Push TA to weekly. If it stays stable, go every other week.
Dichlor has 2 components. Sometimes you need them both and it's helpful. Sometimes it's more PITA than it's worth if you need alot of one and only a little of the other.
But all up to you if you want to use it when it would be helpful.
I did use it the evening, prior.
Excellent.There's no learning like doing. You'll connect the dots pretty quick.
So check / adjust pH only when FC is below 10?
Good to know. The spa place told us that once you add CH after a fill, it shouldn't ever need to be added as it won't burn off / deteriorate. Would you agree with that?
Thanks for the info.
Ok so probably the 1ppm loss most see, plus 2ppm loss from residuals.
You'll get a feel for it after a while.
Correct. Your choice if you wait for the FC to dip, or just dose per your gut feeling because the PH has done the same thing every 3 days for weeks.
I agree. And you might not even need it in the first place. I didn't.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,000
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
@mwhitney
While 3ppm loss sounds a little high, also understand that the higher the fc the faster the rate of decay. I presume, as the others have mentioned, that there was also some residual batherwaste involved there.
Don’t sweat it too much, just feed the tub what it needs to stay above minimum.
Aim highish so you don’t have to micromanage.
Something like this:
Start around 6ppm fc —>
Use tub for say 30 minutes (whatever your typical use is) —>
Check your fc after to ensure you never get below minimum—>
dose to say 10ppm—>
Tomorrow when you go to use the tub check where you are fc wise, if its in the 6ppm range and that worked fine for your last soak then jump in & repeat the process knowing that you can use the tub in this manner and frequency without having to constantly dose/test. You may need to tweak these numbers but you get the idea.
My tub is about 100 gallons smaller than yours so your bather load may not be quite as high as mine.
Main thing: If you aim highish you sure your bets.
There is no upside to riding the minimum line.
Note that ph testing is invalid above 10ppm fc so simply check that before raising fc that high. It’s usually something I do before using the tub anyway.
Key takeaways:
Chlorine is King
(between min & slam for your cya)
Ph is Queen
(Anywhere in the 7’s is perfectly fine - even riding 8.0 for a little bit is ok)
All the rest follows.
Not inconsequential, just not as high priority as Fc and ph.
Ta in the 50/60 range works best for most to help moderate ph rise - if yours is higher it will come down as you manage ph so no biggie.
Ch up to 150 to control foaming if it occurs otherwise don’t worry about adding any.
If much above 200 consider using some amount of softened water to fill.
In a hot spa cya does degrade (the hotter the water the faster this happens) i keep my tub hot
around 104/105 so I use a little dichlor every couple of weeks to keep cya in range.
* I see in your logs that you are only logging your additions.
Log your test results first
(by hitting the “+” at the bottom of the overview page then hit the “+ log test results” button) then log your additions. This help you & us keep track of what’s going on if you have an issue. This also automatically fills all your most current parameters in each card so you don’t have to type them in again.
While 3ppm loss sounds a little high, also understand that the higher the fc the faster the rate of decay. I presume, as the others have mentioned, that there was also some residual batherwaste involved there.
Don’t sweat it too much, just feed the tub what it needs to stay above minimum.
Aim highish so you don’t have to micromanage.
Something like this:
Start around 6ppm fc —>
Use tub for say 30 minutes (whatever your typical use is) —>
Check your fc after to ensure you never get below minimum—>
dose to say 10ppm—>
Tomorrow when you go to use the tub check where you are fc wise, if its in the 6ppm range and that worked fine for your last soak then jump in & repeat the process knowing that you can use the tub in this manner and frequency without having to constantly dose/test. You may need to tweak these numbers but you get the idea.
My tub is about 100 gallons smaller than yours so your bather load may not be quite as high as mine.
Main thing: If you aim highish you sure your bets.
There is no upside to riding the minimum line.
Note that ph testing is invalid above 10ppm fc so simply check that before raising fc that high. It’s usually something I do before using the tub anyway.
Key takeaways:
Chlorine is King
(between min & slam for your cya)
Ph is Queen
(Anywhere in the 7’s is perfectly fine - even riding 8.0 for a little bit is ok)
All the rest follows.
Not inconsequential, just not as high priority as Fc and ph.
Ta in the 50/60 range works best for most to help moderate ph rise - if yours is higher it will come down as you manage ph so no biggie.
Ch up to 150 to control foaming if it occurs otherwise don’t worry about adding any.
If much above 200 consider using some amount of softened water to fill.
In a hot spa cya does degrade (the hotter the water the faster this happens) i keep my tub hot
around 104/105 so I use a little dichlor every couple of weeks to keep cya in range.* I see in your logs that you are only logging your additions.
Log your test results first
(by hitting the “+” at the bottom of the overview page then hit the “+ log test results” button) then log your additions. This help you & us keep track of what’s going on if you have an issue. This also automatically fills all your most current parameters in each card so you don’t have to type them in again.
I would say if when you check before the soak and it comes to 6 I'd add right then so when your soak is done it can't be below min. Just my take.
Understood. Well put - thank you.
Perfect. I added the first dose of liquid chlorine (68 mL) on Sunday based on a target of 10 We didn't use the tub that day and this evening it was at 5.5ppm FC. Shooting for 10, the app is recommending 88mL of LC.
I'll dose about an hour before we go in. I'll test again when we get out and again before we use the tub to gauge any further drop.
Sounds like a good plan.
Good to know. Thanks.
As per your note below, I added the results to our log. pH looked to be about 7.6, Alkalinity at 70 ppm, FC at 5.5 (off to add that 88mL dose).Note that ph testing is invalid above 10ppm fc so simply check that before raising fc that high. It’s usually something I do before using the tub anyway.
Key takeaways:
Chlorine is King
(between min & slam for your cya)
Ph is Queen
(Anywhere in the 7’s is perfectly fine - even riding 8.0 for a little bit is ok)
Really helpful. Thank you for this.All the rest follows.
Not inconsequential, just not as high priority as Fc and ph.
Ta in the 50/60 range works best for most to help moderate ph rise - if yours is higher it will come down as you manage ph so no biggie.
Ch up to 150 to control foaming if it occurs otherwise don’t worry about adding any.
If much above 200 consider using some amount of softened water to fill.
In a hot spa cya does degrade (the hotter the water the faster this happens) i keep my tub hot
* I see in your logs that you are only logging your additions.
Log your test results first
(by hitting the “+” at the bottom of the overview page then hit the “+ log test results” button) then log your additions. This help you & us keep track of what’s going on if you have an issue. This also automatically fills all your most current parameters in each card so you don’t have to type them in again.
Perfect. Just tested at 5.5, added 88mL. We'll soak in an hour and re-test tomorrow to record the shift. I have a spreadsheet going now.