10 day taking care of my newly built pool. Fill 7/28

BobbyKW · Sep 6, 2022

Hey there members. I’ve been taking care of my pool for about 10 days. I had a startup guy (recommended by PB). I’ve been working with my TF-Pro/Salt testing kit. As some of you told me, it’s not nearly as scary as I originally thought it would be. The only real problem I seem to be having testing is PH and CYA. I can’t seem to distinguish the colors in the ph test, and the CYA test seems to change on me (60-80) daily. I know I’m a little visually comprised, but can someone tell me if I’m on the right track with my chemistry?

I’ve watched my FC slowly drop, CC pretty stable at .5, so I increased the output on my iChlor 15 generator from 20% (set by startup guy) to 23%. Pool math suggested 21%. I run my pump for 12 hours.

My CH seems to be running in the 500’s. Is this kinda high, or ok? CSI has been ok lately.

I eventually want to add Borates to my pool, because I‘d like to help stabilize my PH and have that silky water Feel.

Hopefully you guys can see my logs and give me advice on my testing. I feel as tho I may be micro managing my pool, unnecessarily.
(Slightly stressful)

I really appreciate this forum and the members. I’ve learned a lot but have much, much more to learn. Thanks!

HermanTX · Sep 6, 2022

BobbyKW said:
My CH seems to be running in the 500’s. Is this kinda high, or ok? CSI has been ok lately.

It is high but manageable. That is pushing your CSI to be on positive side of zero. With a SWCG you want to be close to zero as feasible. However only way to remove CH is to drain and that will affect both your CYA and salt levels as well. So try to manage the CH. Is that due to your fill water or did the PB add Calcium. You can use your test kit to test for CH in your fill water which is helpful to know if you have autofill feature. However, with 5100 gal it may be not that bad to drain a third or so and refill but your decision on that.

BobbyKW said:
I eventually want to add Borates to my pool, because I‘d like to help stabilize my PH and have that silky water Feel.

You may want to read on this. The saltwater should already give you a "soft" feel and adding Borates can add complexity to your chemistry. Just may want to hold off on that and get a good grip of current set up.

BobbyKW said:
I can’t seem to distinguish the colors in the ph test, and the CYA test seems to change on me (60-80) daily. I know I’m a little visually comprised, but can someone tell me if I’m on the right track with my chemistry?

You may want to invest in a good pH meter - I use a Apera PH60 and find it very easy to read pH digitally. I calibrate it every 4-6 months. Can purchase on Amazon.

For CYA testing - try this

Make your 50/50 solution using your pool water and the R-0013 reagent
Mix it and let it sit for 30 seconds per the instructions
Rather than looking down the tube at the black dot and pouring your mixed solution. I suggest you squirt enough in your tube to a specific mark - such a 100. Then look in the tube for the black dot. If you see it, then squirt in more mixture to the 90 mark, then look in the tube for the black dot. Continue this for each decade graduation (i.e. 80, 70, etc.)
On the one you cannot see the dot then the previous mark is your CYA level. So if you saw the black dot at 50 but not at the 40 mark then your CYA is 50.
This way you are not staring at the black dot constantly and seeing it regardless. I remember my teacher in grade school had us stare at a black dot for 60 secs and then look up and we saw that black dot everywhere we looked - it’s the same effect if you stare down that tube.
Also, by filling to each decade mark, you ensure that you do not try to interpret between the decade marks as the tube is logarithmic meaning that the graduations are not proportional so picking a number between 2 decade marks is not feasible

TampaKathy · Sep 6, 2022

On TFTest Kits you can buy a CYA standard solution that is calibrated to 50ppm...so you can see what you are looking for...I just used the standard solution this past weekend and realized I was off...what I was calling 40 is really 60.

Britali · Sep 6, 2022

For me my 1st pool is like having my 1st child…over protective & over worried lol. I am sure I will relax more the more I learn & experience.

I have Apera PH60 recommended by Herman, it is a good tool…just remember to calibrate it. I ran the test kit pH to compare the two readings and now use the meter when I am doing quick readings & then the drop method when I run full tests from my Taylor weekly. You can try to hold the pH test tube in front of a solid light colored background that has good lighting. Shadows & different colors etc can make the colors in tube not uniform. I have a fabric solid light colored blind in my window I use as a uniform background.

BobbyKW · Sep 6, 2022

HermanTX said:
It is high but manageable. That is pushing your CSI to be on positive side of zero. With a SWCG you want to be close to zero as feasible. However only way to remove CH is to drain and that will affect both your CYA and salt levels as well. So try to manage the CH. Is that due to your fill water or did the PB add Calcium. You can use your test kit to test for CH in your fill water which is helpful to know if you have autofill feature. However, with 5100 gal it may be not that bad to drain a third or so and refill but your decision on that.

You may want to read on this. The saltwater should already give you a "soft" feel and adding Borates can add complexity to your chemistry. Just may want to hold off on that and get a good grip of current set up.

You may want to invest in a good pH meter - I use a Apera PH60 and find it very easy to read pH digitally. I calibrate it every 4-6 months. Can purchase on Amazon.

For CYA testing - try this

Make your 50/50 solution using your pool water and the R-0013 reagent

Mix it and let it sit for 30 seconds per the instructions

Rather than looking down the tube at the black dot and pouring your mixed solution. I suggest you squirt enough in your tube to a specific mark - such a 100. Then look in the tube for the black dot. If you see it, then squirt in more mixture to the 90 mark, then look in the tube for the black dot. Continue this for each decade graduation (i.e. 80, 70, etc.)

On the one you cannot see the dot then the previous mark is your CYA level. So if you saw the black dot at 50 but not at the 40 mark then your CYA is 50.

This way you are not staring at the black dot constantly and seeing it regardless. I remember my teacher in grade school had us stare at a black dot for 60 secs and then look up and we saw that black dot everywhere we looked - it’s the same effect if you stare down that tube.

Also, by filling to each decade mark, you ensure that you do not try to interpret between the decade marks as the tube is logarithmic meaning that the graduations are not proportional so picking a number between 2 decade marks is not feasible

Thanks for your response. I don’t have auto fill, but just checked the CH from my tap. It’s 100. Apparently the startup guy didn’t test it before adding hardness at the beginning. I’ll check out Amazon and get that ph meter. I’ll also try your technique for testing cya.

TampaKathy said:
On TFTest Kits you can buy a CYA standard solution that is calibrated to 50ppm...so you can see what you are looking for...I just used the standard solution this past weekend and realized I was off...what I was calling 40 is really 60. View attachment 451765

thanks. I’ll give it a whirl!

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10 day taking care of my newly built pool. Fill 7/28

BobbyKW

Member

HermanTX

TampaKathy

Britali

Well-known member

BobbyKW

Member