Question about salt, muriatic acid, & CH test

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Hey_Mom111

Member
Jul 11, 2023
9
Indiana
Pool Size
13090
Surface
Fiberglass
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Jandy Aquapure 1400
Brand new to pool ownership and have learned so much from you all already! I have a couple of questions I hope it’s ok if I put them in 1 post.

1. I had Leslie’s test my water yesterday to see how their results measures against mine and a confusing difference was the salt level which I was not expecting at all. I know I need to add salt, but I’m not sure which results to go by. We have an AquaPure 1400 and that says the salinity is 2.6 gpl (I looked up a gpl to ppm conversion and it said that is 2603ppm). I got 2200 with the Taylor test, and Leslie’s got 1748?? I was really surprised by the difference.

2. I also need to lower our TA some more. Can I add Muriatic Acid and salt at the same time?

3. Calcium Hardness - I learned from Leslie’s test that we have .8 ppm copper levels. I saw the pool guy with algaecide so after everything I’ve read here that didn’t surprise me. My CH test turns purple and per Taylor’s instructions I added 6 drops of the hardness reagent before adding the other drops. My test still turned purple so do I add more of the hardness reagent before the 20 drops of calcium buffer? After it turned purple I kept going to see what would happen and after 35 total drops (including ones before) it was turning blue. Leslie’s CH results were 87. Oh, also, I read a lot on here about the CH test and the Taylor Speed Stir was suggested a lot so I bought and have been using that.

I know in a lot of posts I’ve read you are to trust your results more than the pool store, but I don’t have that confidence in myself yet..I really wanted our results to match! I was proud though that I didn’t stress when they handed me an extensive list of products they said I needed to buy! 😁

Levels from this morning’s test:
FC 3.5
CC 0
TA 100
PH 7.6
CYA 70
Salt 2200
CSI .02
 
1) trust the Taylor test - it’s one of the simplest to do and is . Cells tend to infer salinity based on electrical current - there is no chemical probe. As long as your cell is happy and producing it should be ok. Don’t trust Leslie for anything - they also don’t use a chemical test for salt.

2) MA and salt are independents. They recommend waiting 10-15 between adding chems.
 
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Hey_Mom111 said:
I know in a lot of posts I’ve read you are to trust your results more than the pool store, but I don’t have that confidence in myself yet..I really wanted our results to match! I was proud though that I didn’t stress when they handed me an extensive list of products they said I needed to buy!
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You'll never get everything to match unless its a broken clock is right twice a day situation. Don't make it a goal to match a flawed system.

Good for you for not buying the products.
 
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With that much copper in the water you should consider doing some kind of partial drain to remove it before stains start to set in. Copper staining is notoriously difficult to deal with and anything over 0.3ppm can put you in the staining territory.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
With that much copper in the water you should consider doing some kind of partial drain to remove it before stains start to set in. Copper staining is notoriously difficult to deal with and anything over 0.3ppm can put you in the staining territory.
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I had searched on the forum and saw that (unfortunately) was the only way to remove copper. I had also read about Jack’s Magic and was considering using that for a little while so I could hold off on a partial drain. I know Jack’s Magic only prevents staining and does not remove copper and is rather pricey, but is there any other reason I shouldn’t do this for just a little while?
 
Hey_Mom111 said:
I had searched on the forum and saw that (unfortunately) was the only way to remove copper. I had also read about Jack’s Magic and was considering using that for a little while so I could hold off on a partial drain. I know Jack’s Magic only prevents staining and does not remove copper and is rather pricey, but is there any other reason I shouldn’t do this for just a little while?
Click to expand...

Just one more chemical that is being blindly added to the water. Most are based on HEDP which will add phosphates to the water as they breakdown. Copper staining is not like iron staining in the sense that your water can be well balanced, low pH and moderate chlorine levels and copper stains can still form. Iron can be held at bay by keeping the pH on the lower side and the FC on the lower end, copper does not react the same way. SO it's best to get rid of the copper as quickly as you can.

Consider doing an exchange-drain
 
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