Texas First Time Pool Owner, New Pool, Tap and Pool Water Test Results

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tfp_fan

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2020
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Houston, Texas
I am a first time pool owner and we just filled our pool and spa last Friday (based on our water meter, the actual capacity is 12570 gallons). Here is the test results of my tap water (I have purchased a TF-100 test kit):
FC 1.5
CC 0
TA 460
CH 125
pH 7.8
CI 0.5
Br 1

The builder added chlorine tablets to the skimmers and also 2 gallons of Muriatic Acid to the pool water yesterday, Saturday (which was the day after the filling). I tested the pool water today, Monday, and here are the results (my pool should be saltwater, however, I know that we shouldn't add salt in the beginning:
FC 11
CC 1
TA 310
CH 125
pH 7.5
CI 5
Br 10
CYA 20

Based on what I learned from TFP, I think the TA is very high and CH and CYA are low. Any suggestion/recommendation is appreciated.
 
Don't worry about your TA right now. Yes, the CH is a bit low for new plaster. You might speak to the builder about that tomorrow. However it's possible he is expecting your daily brushing to release calcium dust into the water which might eventually increase the CH. So let's wait and see.

If the tabs are still in the skimmer, remove the right away - not a safe place. Use a floater for tabs.

CYA is low, but we normally don't add stabilizer until about day 3 of fill. But once you hit that day 3 mark, speak to the builder about increasing the CYA to around 40-50 to help protect the chlorine from the sun. Tabs will increase CYA, but it's slow and you will need more starting Tuesday.

Right now your biggest focus is keeping the FC level around 3 ppm. The sun should take some of the excess FC today unless you have storms like we do. Once you have stabilizer in the water, keep the FC and CYA balanced together as noted on the FC/CYA Levels to avoid algae.

After a couple weeks, we can come back and look at your TA. Keep the pH in that 7.5-7.8 range.

Congrats on the new pool. :swim:
 
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Texas Splash said:
Don't worry about your TA right now. Yes, the CH is a bit low for new plaster. You might speak to the builder about that tomorrow. However it's possible he is expecting your daily brushing to release calcium dust into the water which might eventually increase the CH. So let's wait and see.

If the tabs are still in the skimmer, remove the right away - not a safe place. Use a floater for tabs.

CYA is low, but we normally don't add stabilizer until about day 3 of fill. But once you hit that day 3 mark, speak to the builder about increasing the CYA to around 40-50 to help protect the chlorine from the sun. Tabs will increase CYA, but it's slow and you will need more starting Tuesday.

Right now your biggest focus is keeping the FC level around 3 ppm. The sun should take some of the excess FC today unless you have storms like we do. Once you have stabilizer in the water, keep the FC and CYA balanced together as noted on the FC/CYA Levels to avoid algae.

After a couple weeks, we can come back and look at your TA. Keep the pH in that 7.5-7.8 range.

Congrats on the new pool. :swim:
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@Texas Splash Thank you for your comment. I tested the water again today and here is the result:
FC 0
CC 0
TA 160
CH 475
pH 8.2
CI 0.5
Br 1
CYA 20
Would you please help me how I can balance the water? My pool builder has left for vacation and he will be out of town until the Monday after (he won't be here for the next 7-10 days). This is our first pool and I download the pool math but really don't know (not confident) what to do. The only thing that I thought to do for now is adding chlorine tab to the floater. What else should I do?
 
Good job testing your water. :goodjob: Here are some things to start now:
1. Lower the pH to 7.8. Look for the menu item "Effects of Adding" in the PoolMath APP to help you with the dosage amount.
2. Increase the FC with liquid chlorine (or regular bleach) to 3-4 ppm for today.
3. Don't worry about the TA or CH right now. No need to test the CL/BR side of the viewing comparator. Use the FAS-DPD (powder & drops) for accurate FC testing.

We've been fortunate with some unseasonably cloudy/rainy weather, but that will end soon. When the sun breaks through, you'll want more CYA to protect the chlorine. You will manage your pool as a non-salt pool for 30 days, so be sure to follow the non-salt chart on the FC/CYA Levels. Tabs will increase CYA, but not as fast as you might like. I would increase the CYA by about 20 ppm to get you closer to 40 or 50 for now. Use the sock method. If you aren't sure about that, let us know. Once you increase the CYA, you'll need to keep the FC balanced a little higher as well as noted on the FC/CYA Levels.

So for now, keep the FC elevated as required on the chart to avoid algae, and lower the pH to about 7.8 with muriatic acid. Acid and chlorine don't not play nice together, so don't add them at the exact same time - separate by about 5-10 minutes with good water circulating which is plenty of time. If you have any other questions let us know.
 
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Texas Splash said:
Good job testing your water. :goodjob: Here are some things to start now:
1. Lower the pH to 7.8. Look for the menu item "Effects of Adding" in the PoolMath APP to help you with the dosage amount.
2. Increase the FC with liquid chlorine (or regular bleach) to 3-4 ppm for today.
3. Don't worry about the TA or CH right now. No need to test the CL/BR side of the viewing comparator. Use the FAS-DPD (powder & drops) for accurate FC testing.

We've been fortunate with some unseasonably cloudy/rainy weather, but that will end soon. When the sun breaks through, you'll want more CYA to protect the chlorine. You will manage your pool as a non-salt pool for 30 days, so be sure to follow the non-salt chart on the FC/CYA Levels. Tabs will increase CYA, but not as fast as you might like. I would increase the CYA by about 20 ppm to get you closer to 40 or 50 for now. Use the sock method. If you aren't sure about that, let us know. Once you increase the CYA, you'll need to keep the FC balanced a little higher as well as noted on the FC/CYA Levels.

So for now, keep the FC elevated as required on the chart to avoid algae, and lower the pH to about 7.8 with muriatic acid. Acid and chlorine don't not play nice together, so don't add them at the exact same time - separate by about 5-10 minutes with good water circulating which is plenty of time. If you have any other questions let us know.
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Thank you so much @Texas Splash.
  1. I just added 31 oz bleach, and I will add muriatic acid too (the one that I purchased is HDX Step 2 Balance - 31.45% Hydrogen Chloride which I assume is the same as 31.45% 20 degree Baume in the drop down menu of the pool math - please correct me if I am wrong)
  2. After filling my pool, the builder programmed my pool and since then the pump is running every day from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. I am wondering if I should stick with this schedule (I mean running the pump continuously every day for 11 hours)?
  3. I know that I shouldn't add salt for the first 30 days and should manage the pool as non-salt. However, my question is: should the SWGC be on while my pump is running? Here is the photo I took from my SWGC which shows it is on.
  4. I noticed the color of some areas in my plaster is different (it is lighter color). I talked to the builder and he said "the plaster cures for 30 days and brushing helps." However, it has been 9 days since filling the pool, and it hasn't changed (please see the photo). Wondering if the plaster sub has done something wrong?
 

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You got the correct acid. That's what I use as well. :goodjob: Don't worry about the pump programming so much just yet. Plenty of time to adjust that later. The SWG os okay. If you have a separate control to turn it off you certainly can. As for the plaster, that's a tricky one sometimes. Each job cures a bit differently and builders tend to manage it in their own ways. I'd continue with the builder's recommendation, keep good notes and photos, and brush often. Lots of variables there we can come back to later.
 
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Regarding the plaster color (the different colors in some areas of my pool - please see the photo), the pool builder came to my backyard on Thursday, turned off the pumps and added about 9 or 10 gallons acid into the pool to fix the color. He brushed the pool and said that we should wait until the next day. He came back the morning after (i.e. Friday morning) to check the color. There were still some areas with different colors and the issue was not resolved. He said that he would talk to the plaster company about it. To naturalize the acid, he added two different chemicals (soda ash and one other chemicals) and turned on the pumps. He said that we can swim in the afternoon. However, when I tested the water in the afternoon (using TF-100), I got the following results:
FC 0.5
pH when matching the color against the color chart in OTO test, the color was even lighter than 6.8
TA 0 ? (after dropping 2 drops of R007 and 5 drops of R008, the color changed to red even before adding R0009)
CYA 20

I appreciate it if you can help me.

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You'll need to add baking soda. You need to increase the TA in stages to about 70 or so which will help the pH rise. Try adding about 6 lbs at a time (about 30 ppm worth). Add it, let it mix for about an hour, then add the next batch. If you have any form of aeration (waterfall, spillover, bubblers), let those run as well. Aeration helps with pH and the baking soda should take care of the TA. At the same time, increase your FC to at least 3 ppm. Even somewhere in the 4-6 range would be better to avoid algae. I would also add another 10 - 20 ppm worth of stabilizer to protect the FC. It's still quite hot in our areas. All of this can be done at the same time.
 
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Texas Splash said:
You'll need to add baking soda. You need to increase the TA in stages to about 70 or so which will help the pH rise. Try adding about 6 lbs at a time (about 30 ppm worth). Add it, let it mix for about an hour, then add the next batch. If you have any form of aeration (waterfall, spillover, bubblers), let those run as well. Aeration helps with pH and the baking soda should take care of the TA. At the same time, increase your FC to at least 3 ppm. Even somewhere in the 4-6 range would be better to avoid algae. I would also add another 10 - 20 ppm worth of stabilizer to protect the FC. It's still quite hot in our areas. All of this can be done at the same time.
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Thank you @Texas Splash. I found this instead of baking soda. Do you recommend it?
 

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TFP Fan. Couple of things from someone in the Houston area. You can get a 13.5 lb bag of baking soda at HEB for probably what you'd pay for 5 lb of "Alkalinity Up" or similar "pool chemical". Two, get some liquid chlorine at Walmart (in the pool supplies section) or even Leslies (Leslies stores near me are very proud of their 12.5% chlorine, though.) Problem with supermarket bleach (I shop HEB and Kroger) is many have additives you don't want, and many others are either low chlorine, or there is no chlorine % on the bottle at all, or just the word "Concentrated" and that probably means 6%. You truly need to get your FC up to 5 or 6 asap. My neighbor two doors down was casual about his new pool and had algae just three weeks after filling. Like Covid, I'd much rather prevent algae than cure it. I see you're using muriatic acid. Good. Don't use dry acid, as Pentair specifically warns about that has bad for the IC-40. And don't forget what Splash said about tablets in the skimmers. Get a Taylor K-1766 salt test kit and test your water before you add salt. Liquid chlorine increases salt. Before I put the first bag of salt in my pool, the salt was at 1200 ppm, just from my use of liquid chlorine. I picked up a couple bags of Morton Pool Salt at HEB each time I went, until I thought I had enough, but I added just one or two at a time until the K-1766 showed 3600, before turning on the IC40.
 
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Heater bypass, unless two valves instead of a valve and check valve, still allows that water to get into the heater.
 
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Texas Splash said:
Post a new set of pH & TA when you get a chance so we know your numbers are coming back up.
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Thank you @Texas Splash. Here is the new result. pH and chlorine is still low. The spa spillway and the scuppers haven’t worked yet. Should I use borax? I have 4 lb Borax at home but the app suggests to add 7 lb.
 

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Yes, you can try a little Borax. Better to go in stages though to not overshoot the pH as it might take a few hours with the new TA to influence the pH. Definitely get some chlorine in there right away as well. Good work. You're almost out of the woods.
 
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BowserB said:
TFP Fan. Couple of things from someone in the Houston area. You can get a 13.5 lb bag of baking soda at HEB for probably what you'd pay for 5 lb of "Alkalinity Up" or similar "pool chemical". Two, get some liquid chlorine at Walmart (in the pool supplies section) or even Leslies (Leslies stores near me are very proud of their 12.5% chlorine, though.) Problem with supermarket bleach (I shop HEB and Kroger) is many have additives you don't want, and many others are either low chlorine, or there is no chlorine % on the bottle at all, or just the word "Concentrated" and that probably means 6%. You truly need to get your FC up to 5 or 6 asap. My neighbor two doors down was casual about his new pool and had algae just three weeks after filling. Like Covid, I'd much rather prevent algae than cure it. I see you're using muriatic acid. Good. Don't use dry acid, as Pentair specifically warns about that has bad for the IC-40. And don't forget what Splash said about tablets in the skimmers. Get a Taylor K-1766 salt test kit and test your water before you add salt. Liquid chlorine increases salt. Before I put the first bag of salt in my pool, the salt was at 1200 ppm, just from my use of liquid chlorine. I picked up a couple bags of Morton Pool Salt at HEB each time I went, until I thought I had enough, but I added just one or two at a time until the K-1766 showed 3600, before turning on the IC40.
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Thank you @BowserB for your comment and suggestions. It really helped. Regarding adding salt for the first time, my existing salt amount is 1200 ppm. Do you remember how many pounds salt you added to your pool to reach 3600 ppm? Based on my calculation, it must be about 300 lb for a pool similar to yours (15000 gallons). Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
Use poolmath to add salt, just put 1200 in the current and 3200 in target.. add that then test salt again.. if exactly 3200 add the rest to get to 3600 :)
 
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@Texas Splash @BowserB This is the new test results:

FC 0
pH 8.2
TA 120
CH 575
CYA 30
Salt 4800 (Yesterday, the builder added 10 bags = 400 lbs of salt for the first time without letting me know before adding it :( )

Please advise. I haven't turned on the SWG yet since the salt is high. What should I do? Should I add liquid chlorine for now to prevent algae? I am asking since the liquid chlorine will add more salt (I assume). Any comments on the other measurements, and any suggestion for adding chemicals? I do appreciate it.
 
The IC40 will operate at that level salt. No issues.
Add liquid chlorine to get up to 5 ppm at a minimum.
Lower your pH.
 
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