Recent content by dvcavall

If I was willing and able to scrub my tile line once a week, I believe that would prevent the build-up, but that just isn't practical for me and I am betting many others. We have a combined pool/spa with a water spillway between them going from the spa to the pool. The sun shines directly on...

If we all agree that the scale I have (all of it is at or above the water line) is from evaporation, then I think that reinforces the strategy of keeping CA and TDS low. A lower amount of minerals in the water per volume, should translate into fewer mineral deposits left behind through a given...

Thanks for the replies. The scale I am seeing is more than salt. Using strong acid cleaners or even pumice (which I don't like to use because it is harder than the tile glazing), barely removes it with a lot of elbow grease. As I said, all the tile lines in the shaded areas do not have the...

Just thought I would voice my experience with using the SI and water balance to prevent calcium scale. Where I live in Southern California, pools can easily build to a CA hardness of 300-400ppm. I have read in more than one training certification manual that by keeping pH, TA in range (pH...

I have read several papers/discussions on calculating the saturation index. All of them used examples, and all of them chose example test numbers that matched exactly with a number on the table. As you know, the table listings have wide gaps between the number ranges listed. For temperature it...

I have no experience with either sand or DE filters as this is my first pool. I don't know how often those type of filters require cleaning, but I am surprised it could have enough impact to actually regulate CYA...but sounds as though it does? I would think that changing out a 3rd or 4th of...

Here is one reference I recalled under the Definitions in the Pool School. It is really the Dichlor definition, but is making the specific point about CYA I believe? Dichlor Sodium dichloro-s-triazinetirone Sodium dichloroisocyanurate A stabilized, granular, fast-dissolving form of chlorine...

I have seen a couple of unclarified references that indicate that there is some issue with certain CYA levels and the use of cartridge filters. Can someone explain the issue in some detail? I run a Jandy paper cartridge filter. It is unclear to me what if anything the CYA level has to do with...

Thanks MattM, It sounds as though you are able to indicate and use ORP readings as part of your pool management, even though you have CYA levels in the 30-40 range? A previous post stated that..."CYA levels above about 20 ppm make ORP useless for chlorine control." If I read your post...

Thanks to everyone for the responses. Guess I will put my reading glasses on. Thanks again!

I'm just jumping into the deep end of Pool chemistry after 6 years of pool ownership, so I am reading studies and trying to make sense of it all. I have read that world heath orgs have incorporated ORP standards into pool and drinking water sanitation, and the World Health organization...

Thank you for the reply. I am using a Lamotte 2056 colorimeter digital kit, and those are the readings it gave, so the readings I gave. I am also using a mineral sanitizer (Zodiac Nature Express 2) which indicates that a much lower chlorine level can be used, but I agree I need to increase my...

Hello everyone. I am new to the forum, but have found it very informative already. I'll try to do an intro at another time. Here is my haunting question. What do I need to do to increase my ORP value? Depending on whether you subscribe to the saturation index range of -0.5 - +0.5, or if you...