Recent content by lightingguy

It works because both sides are solving for the same thing - essentially the total amount of chlorine. On the left side is the total amount of chlorine in your bleach On the right is the total amount of chlorine in your pool It only works when the measurements are the same (ppm and oz)...

Welcome to TFP! We hear this kind of thing all the time. We can totally get you on the right track - but we'll need accurate test results to truly help. A couple things to start while you are studying : 1) Ph decreaser and TA increaser are counteracting each other. Here we keep our TA on...

A full set of test results would help. High TA will drive PH up - as will aeration of the water. Does your spa have an attached waterfall? Typically the plan is to lower your TA to 60 or so and see if the PH stabilizes.

TA and Calcium numbers are probably the most relevant to tap water. Though it is interesting to test FC levels out of the Tap. That being said - your tap water numbers are not going to change much in terms of pool maintenance. Your Pool builder is doing the initial start up - yes?

The high TA will cause the PH to rise. You;ll add acid - which will lower both the PH and the TA. Other than that I wouldn't worry about it. Definitely add a little CYA this year. It's hard to maintain an outdoor chlorine pool with 0 CYA.

Raising the TA of an SWG pool is usually either a bad idea or a waste of time. It you can post a full set of test results and include if you have a plaster pool we could give you more specific advice. Welcome to TFP!

High CH levels are just a fact of life here in So. Cal. The Fill water has quite a bit (depending on your water co. it varies throughout the year). Everytime you top up the pool you add more CH. My CH goes up about 200ppm per year. High CH, High TA and an SWG is an annoying combo. The...

Salt changing the PH level is silly. As mentioned the source of PH rise in pools is TA - which is compounded by the SWG. The SWG causes CO2 to out-gas and thus raise the PH. Lowering the TA will indeed help lessen this affect - though it may not reduce it entirely. Adding borates to...

If you are slamming correctly and keeping your FC/CYA ratio correct then the cartridges wouldn't be too much of an issue. What's your cya level?

#1 - Copper can play a role in slowing algae growth. If you are keeping you CYA levels on the lower end (20 ppm) that would play a much larger role in keeping your pool clear. A low FC level works with low CYA #2 - Is it safe? Opinions might vary - but you really can't say. If you FC...

You don't need to worry about the CH number if you have a liner pool - that's really only important for plaster pools. Your TA is quite high which will push the PH up constantly - especially with a SWG pool. This isn't a big deal - just something to expect. Bring the PH down to 7 or so...

Bleach - Yes that is the same a liquid chlorine just a lower strength. It's important to get plain bleach - not scented or "splashless". Those bleach products are just for the laundry. Plain bleach is Sodium Hypochlorite - just like all other forms of liquid chlorine

Pools with high CYA and relatively low FC levels can stay clear for awhile. It really depends on any number of factors - the amount of debris that falls in the pool, bather load, etc. Typically there is low a level algae outbreak in these pools that isn't seen. At some point some...

The savings found here at TFP are mostly derived from understanding how these chemical processes function - and following the system properly. If you keep your FC to CYA ratio correct you never need to shock the pool or worry about phosphates and algecides, etc. When reading in Pool...

The active form of chlorine - the thing that does all the work - is very very reactive. When it reacts with something (kills bacteria or gets hit with a photon of light from the sun) active chlorine expends it's energy and converts to salt - normal table salt like you eat. You need to add...