Received my TF-100 yesterday. Sure is a lot of bottles!!! Now I just need to learn how to use it.
Started watching the YouTube videos.
Started watching the YouTube videos.
Test Kit Arrived
- Thread starter Jabooh1
- Start date
Congrats on your kit! It's really the best overall kit around in terms of usefulness and value for a homeowner pool. I love the SpeedStir option as well.
Check out the Extended Test Kit Directions if you want some more detail on the tests and ask questions if needed.
Check out the Extended Test Kit Directions if you want some more detail on the tests and ask questions if needed.
jcowart
0
Good to see you are taking control. You will be a Jr. Chemist in no time. It looks like a lot but it really is easy. Start keeping a log, soon you will start to see a trend and a feel for your pools personality. Over time you might not need to run every test every time. TA, CH, and CYA are the ones that don't change much. Good luck and ask questions. That's what TFP is here for. Everyone had to start somewhere.
Keeping a log is a great idea. If you want to get your nerd on and use a great spreadsheet. JessieWV has put together a pretty good one here.
I was making a log, but stopped and downloaded the spreadsheet referenced above.
I do have a SWCG, what should I set my salt ppm to be?
I do have a SWCG, what should I set my salt ppm to be?
Congrat's on the kit. It really is easy once you run a couple of them. Ask questions if you need too. Salt is usually around 3500 PPM but look to see what you Mfr suggests to be sure.
Welcome to the forum.
Welcome to the forum.
PoolPal is a terrific app for keeping a log of everything and having it tell you what to do to get to your goals. The beauty of it is that it can be right there at the pool with you. Also very very easy o use it to see effects of different levels on the LSI and CSI indices (which not everyone needs or cares about).
I am a total spreadsheet geek - thanks for pointing this out, it is now downloaded - Karen
Just did a full set of tests. Here are the results.
FC 2.5
CC 0.5
TC 3
Br 4
Ph 8.5
TA 60
CYA 50
CH 500
Acid demand 5 drops so I added1/2 gal of muradic acid.
I have been chasing the ph since the pool was filled in November. We got about 2 inches of rain yesterday and it still tested above 8.2.
How long should I wait after adding the acid till I test again?
FC 2.5
CC 0.5
TC 3
Br 4
Ph 8.5
TA 60
CYA 50
CH 500
Acid demand 5 drops so I added1/2 gal of muradic acid.
I have been chasing the ph since the pool was filled in November. We got about 2 inches of rain yesterday and it still tested above 8.2.
How long should I wait after adding the acid till I test again?
With the pump on, half an hour should be plenty. You can ensure things are mixed well by brushing a little to set up cross currents.
Thanks!
I'll go back out in a hour or so and retest. I brushed it after adding the acid.
I'll go back out in a hour or so and retest. I brushed it after adding the acid.
Br stands for bromine and you have none in your pool. That test is an OTO test for chlorine and is redundant when you do the far more accurate FAS/DPD Free Chlorine test (the one with the powder)
Not sure how you tested 8.5 since the test only goes to 8.2. Nevertheless, you should not be "chasing" the pH but rather bringing it down by using PoolMath to calculate your dosage and muriatic to bring the pH down to around 7.5. Is that what you are doing?
Yes. I estimate it higher than 8.2. It is at least 8.2. By chasing I mean, chasing a proper ph value. I have added at least a gal of MA and have not seen a discernible drop in ph.
Remember that the pH scale is logarithmic, not linear. The move from 8.5 to 8.2 will take a lot more acid than the move from 8.2 to 7.9
I would use 8.2 as your start value, use 7.8 as your target, and add enough acid to achieve that move. Wait 30 min and retest. You may need to redo this several times - you know your pH is above 8.2, but it's impossible to know how high above.
I would use 8.2 as your start value, use 7.8 as your target, and add enough acid to achieve that move. Wait 30 min and retest. You may need to redo this several times - you know your pH is above 8.2, but it's impossible to know how high above.
Another possibility is that the acid you bought might not be full strength. If it says "low fuming" or "safer" or anything else, it's a good chance it's weaker than 31.45% and you need to select the proper strength to calculate the proper dosage. Also, your pool may or may not be the size you think it is. If it's bigger than you were told, you'll be underdosing all the time.
It is 31.45% MA. When I filled the pool I measured the flowrate of the hose into a 5 gal bucket so I should be close to the volume. It is possible to be off though. Tested it today. Seems much better.
Cl 2.5
ph 7.8 to 8 (I have hard time telling the difference)
Acid demand was one drop to 7.2
TA 40
With the SWCG I need to TA to go up. Do I do TA adjustment first then counter the ph with MA or other way around?
Cl 2.5
ph 7.8 to 8 (I have hard time telling the difference)
Acid demand was one drop to 7.2
TA 40
With the SWCG I need to TA to go up. Do I do TA adjustment first then counter the ph with MA or other way around?
Check out "Effects of Adding Chemicals" at the bottom of poolmath. You'll see that Baking Soda has very little effect on pH.
Personally, I'd fix the pH first, since it has the most effect on scaling or etching, and then fine tune the rest.
Personally, I'd fix the pH first, since it has the most effect on scaling or etching, and then fine tune the rest.
Ok reread pool school and I think it might be starting to sink (haha) in. Just a lot of information.
I need to keep doing MA treatments to lower the ph to 7.6. Then add baking soda to bring TA (because MA will lower it) to 60-80.
One thing that the articles do is warn you of what can happen when chemicals are out of the suggested ranges. However it doesn't tell you how quickly problems can arise. If ph is high for a week or two or TA is low for a while, does that have great affects on the plaster?
I need to keep doing MA treatments to lower the ph to 7.6. Then add baking soda to bring TA (because MA will lower it) to 60-80.
One thing that the articles do is warn you of what can happen when chemicals are out of the suggested ranges. However it doesn't tell you how quickly problems can arise. If ph is high for a week or two or TA is low for a while, does that have great affects on the plaster?
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