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nysaltwaterpool

Member
Jul 14, 2023
12
Saratoga County, NY
Pool Size
13500
Surface
Fiberglass
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hi all,

I have a recently installed fiberglass pool and I have the results from the TF- 100 salt kit. I'm going to follow the instructions from the pool math app based on my test results, but it feels like sequencing could be important here. The test results are in the attached screenshot.

Day 1 (today)

1. Add about 8 pounds of CYA.
2. Turn up SWG to 100%
3. Add about 8 lb of sodium bicarbonate

Day 2:

I will retest for chlorine and pH levels. If pH remains low I will add one and a half pounds of borax. If chlorine remains low and the salt water generator is not keeping up, I will add bleach according to the pool math app.

How does this all sound?

I did go to the pool store to confirm my test results (attached) and it seems pretty close. They sold me half the amount of CYA I need for double the price of what it costs at Walmart, two bags of shock, and a bottle of alkalinity adjuster. I'm going to keep the shock as the cost of doing business for their test and return the other items because I can buy them cheaper elsewhere.

Thank you to all for making a great online community and facilitating owner maintenance of pools.
 

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1) Do not add 8 pounds of stabilizer. Put in enough to raise CYA to 30. Use Pool Math. We will check for algae before we raise CYA further.
2) Raise your FC to 10 with liquid chlorine. Turn on SWCG after 30 minutes, % and run time to add 4ppm/day using pool math.
3) Bring the TA up to 60 using baking soda, wait about 8 hours and test, and THEN, if needed raise your pH to around 7.4 using 20 Mule Team Borax.

Test again tomorrow. I would also do an OCLT tonight. Link-->Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
 
Thanks @PoolStored. I've added the CYA to your recommendation. I'll add the chlorinating powder this evening after swimming activities are over, then do a test tonight and a test first thing tomorrow.

What happens after FC reaches 10, it will naturally come down to the desired 1 - 3 level?
 
nysaltwaterpool said:
chlorinating powder
Click to expand...
Let's use liquid chlorine. Can you post a pic of the bags of powder you have? Or at least the brand and name of the product?

nysaltwaterpool said:
What happens after FC reaches 10, it will naturally come down to the desired 1 - 3 level?
Click to expand...
The point of getting FC to 10 is to avoid getting algae. You will then let it drift down. You should base your target FC on this...Link-->FC/CYA Levels

Essentially, you want enough FC to sanitize the pool. That level is dependent on your CYA level. Once you get up and running, and we know you don't have algae, then we can raise your CYA. Higher CYA will reduce the demand on the SWCG. However, with a new fill, if you have algae, easier to get rid of it with a lower CYA...so low CYA for now, confirm no algae, raise CYA and raise your FC levels when you raise your CYA level.
 
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PoolStored said:
Let's use liquid chlorine. Can you post a pic of the bags of powder you have? Or at least the brand and name of the product?


The point of getting FC to 10 is to avoid getting algae. You will then let it drift down. You should base your target FC on this...Link-->FC/CYA Levels

Essentially, you want enough FC to sanitize the pool. That level is dependent on your CYA level. Once you get up and running, and we know you don't have algae, then we can raise your CYA. Higher CYA will reduce the demand on the SWCG. However, with a new fill, if you have algae, easier to get rid of it with a lower CYA...so low CYA for now, confirm no algae, raise CYA and raise your FC levels when you raise your CYA level.
Click to expand...

I've attached a photo of the chlorinating powder. We've had three visible algae flare-ups so far and our pool builders response was to add algaecide and shock simultaneously.

Now that the salt water generator is hooked up and running at a higher level, we haven't seen the pool turn green again. That being said, I'm open to being cautious in case there's algae that we can't see that's present in the pool.
 

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So, that is cal hypo. It contains calcium. Unless you have a heater, calcium is not required for a fiberglass pool. That being said, you CH is on the low side and it won't hurt you using it up. I wouldn't use it as a long term solution. When CH gets high enough, the only way to get it out is to replace water. Use up what you have, then use LC to raise FC and SWCG to maintain it. SWCG isn't good at raising FC.

nysaltwaterpool said:
our pool builders response was to add algaecide and shock simultaneously.
Click to expand...
Yeah, don't do that. Follow my instruction in post 2. Do an OCLT tonight, make sure to follow the instructions carefully. Read them three times and print them out, keep them in your back pocket.

If you pass, no algae, we go to maintenance mode. Follow the FC/CYA recommendations and keep your FC at the high end of the recommended range.

If you don't pass OCLT, then to clear ALGAE, we follow this process...Link-->SLAM Process
 
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Here’s the order I would treat:
  1. Daily FC to 5ppm, either based on SWG settings or LC additions.
  2. PH to 7.6-7.8 to account for the next CYA step
  3. CYA to 30
  4. Perform OCLT to confirm no algae/organics in the water.
  5. If OCLT failed begin slam.
  6. Once OCLT passed (because SLAMing is easier if not) take CYA to 70 split into a couple of doses (you have to drain if you overshoot) tested 3-5 days after dose before next.
  7. See where TA is at after all this, if 50 or above I’d leave it alone.
 
I added the chlorinated powder earlier to achieve FC of 10 according to PoolMath, even using a kitchen scale to ensure I put in the correct number of ounces.

I just measured FC (~3.5 hours after addingg chlorine) and it came out to 13.5, with a CC of 14. Speculating on why things might be higher than expected -- I turned up my SWG earlier today because FC was low. Perhaps it's possible it began to raise FC significantly, and then I added chlorine for FC based on this mornings test (before SWG running at 100%). SWG has been at 0% since adding chlorine to facilitate OCLT

I also added enough granulated CYA for 0 - 30 earlier this afternoon. However, PM gives the same amount of chlorinating powder for an FC of .1 -> 10 for 0 and 30 cya and I understand it takes up to 48 hours to fully disolve.

All that being said, is it an issue that FC is now 13.5 instead of 10? I will do the test again in the morning.
 
Not for a one time event, but we should keep it to SLAM level. It may be that you added FC with powder and SWCG. It may be that your pool size is a bit different than you think...
 
PoolStored said:
Not for a one time event, but we should keep it to SLAM level. It may be that you added FC with powder and SWCG. It may be that your pool size is a bit different than you think...
Click to expand...

It's possible on the pool size. It's listed online as 13493 gallons, but perhaps that's only when it's filled to the very top. I could do some math to figure out what it might be when it's a few inches lower and use that going forward.

My FC at 7:45 this morning was 11. I didn't realize this last night, but we were forecast to get rain overnight and we got about an inch of rain at 6AM. It seems like an inch of rain could have a significantly impact on the FC level, but I don't have the experience to say if a drop of 2.5 ppm is online with rain only, or rain and algae.

I plan to redo the test tonight (forecast looks better).
 

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Here's a recap of today, which I think is also visible in my pool math logs:

- FC test at 7:45 a.m. of 11
- FC and CYA test at 3:45 p.m. FC of 9 and CYA was hard to tell, the dot was visible when the tube was nearly full but it was blurry, so I estimated around 15
- We had some crazy down pours today and had well over an inch of rain, so I removed pool water to get it under the skimmer again, added my remaining cal-hypo (~4oz) then vacuumed.
- Tested FC at 9:00 p.m. and came back at 14, which is a little higher than I expected. I probably should have tested before adding, but I assumeditI had dropped further from the FC of 9 between UV and sun.

I'll do another test in the morning to see what FC is at. I should have stated this from the beginning but the water has and continues to look very good.
 
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FC is down to 10.5, CC is .5 and CYA can probably be called 20 this morning. I'll continue to keep the SLAM going. I'm considering adding more CYA tonight (after testing it again) to try and get it up to 30, as it's almost 48 hours since the application.

How visible/invisible is algae? IMO out water looks great and is crystal clear. Here's a pic from this morning where I was trying to document some staining on the bottom of the pool, which I'm going to research.PXL_20230717_111041067.MP.jpg
 
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All right, I think our SLAM is over, as we only lost .5 FC overnight last night, here's a rundown of my recent logs from PoolMath:

------------------------------------------​
Test Results 07-19-2023 @ 08:33 AM​
------------------------------------------​
Free Chlorine: 8.0​
Combined Chlorine: 0.5​
CYA: 30​
CSI: -1.75​
------------------------------------------​
Test Results 07-18-2023 @ 09:27 PM​
------------------------------------------​
Free Chlorine: 8.5​
Combined Chlorine: 0.5​
CSI: -1.70​
------------------------------------------​
Chemical Addition 07-18-2023 @ 05:44 PM​
------------------------------------------​
+ 104 FluidOunces of Bleach​
------------------------------------------​
Test Results 07-18-2023 @ 05:29 PM​
------------------------------------------​
Free Chlorine: 6.5​
Combined Chlorine: 0.5​
CSI: -1.70​
------------------------------------------​
Test Results 07-18-2023 @ 08:23 AM​
------------------------------------------​
Free Chlorine: 8.5​
Combined Chlorine: 0.5​
CSI: -1.70​
------------------------------------------​
Chemical Addition 07-17-2023 @ 09:03 PM​
------------------------------------------​
+ 18 Ounces of DryStabilizer​
------------------------------------------​
Chemical Addition 07-17-2023 @ 08:52 PM​
------------------------------------------​
+ 43 FluidOunces of Bleach​
------------------------------------------​
Test Results 07-17-2023 @ 08:51 PM​
------------------------------------------​
Free Chlorine: 6.5​
Combined Chlorine: 0.5​
CYA: 20​
CSI: -1.70​

From the suggestions in the above responses, I think the remaining steps are the following, but I'm not sure on sequencing or their accuracy:
  1. Turn up SWG to 100% (out of caution, I have no idea if it's going to generate enough FC to keep up with UV loss). Keep tabs on FC over the next few days.
  2. Do a full set of tests from the TF-100 salt kit
  3. Adjust PH toward ideal range.
  4. "Once OCLT passed (because SLAMing is easier if not) take CYA to 70 split into a couple of doses (you have to drain if you overshoot) tested 3-5 days after dose before next."
I'm also curious where I should aim to keep FC while CYA is dialed up to 70. Should I keep supplementing w/ liquid chlorine due to UV loss during the day? Thanks @PoolStored and @SoCalTFP for all of the help!
 
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nysaltwaterpool said:
All right, I think our SLAM is over, as we only lost .5 FC overnight last night, here's a rundown of my recent logs from PoolMatch:
Click to expand...
Is the pool clear? No NOTHING in the pool, no haze, no dead algae...no NOTHING?

nysaltwaterpool said:
From the suggestions in the above responses, I think the remaining steps are the following, but I'm not sure on sequencing or their accuracy:
  1. Turn up SWG to 100% (out of caution, I have no idea if it's going to generate enough FC to keep up with UV loss). Keep tabs on FC over the next few days.
  2. Do a full set of tests from the TF-100 salt kit
  3. Adjust PH toward ideal range.
  4. "Once OCLT passed (because SLAMing is easier if not) take CYA to 70 split into a couple of doses (you have to drain if you overshoot) tested 3-5 days after dose before next."
Click to expand...
Post a FULL set of results to your pool math logs. We can see your logs under your name. Need full set to provide next steps.
nysaltwaterpool said:
I'm also curious where I should aim to keep FC while CYA is dialed up to 70. Should I keep supplementing w/ liquid chlorine due to UV loss during the day? Thanks @PoolStored and @SoCalTFP for all of the help!
Click to expand...
Top end of the recommended range for your CYA. Link-->FC/CYA Levels
 
PoolStored said:
Is the pool clear? No NOTHING in the pool, no haze, no dead algae...no NOTHING?
Click to expand...

@PoolStored Not to my untrained eye, from this morning:
pool_color_2.jpg
pool_color_1.jpeg
PoolStored said:
Post a FULL set of results to your pool math logs. We can see your logs under your name. Need full set to provide next steps.
Click to expand...
Up-to-date tests are in the Pool Math logs. One oddity that occurred during testing was the color of the left scale in the daily test, it was darker than anything in the scale. I'm not sure what this means.

pool_test_photo.jpeg
I plan to turn the SWG down to 60% tomorrow, from the 100% it ran at today, and see where it ends up. Not upset to be back at 10FC, but I think I would need to raise CYA soon for safety of swimming in the pool.

Tomorrow, if all goes to plan, the apron will be poured around the pool. I'm sure some of the concrete will get into the pool and that will cause imbalances.
 
nysaltwaterpool said:
Up-to-date tests are in the Pool Math logs. One oddity that occurred during testing was the color of the left scale in the daily test, it was darker than anything in the scale. I'm not sure what this means.
Click to expand...
It means your FC is high...as confirmed by your FC test result of 10.
nysaltwaterpool said:
I plan to turn the SWG down to 60% tomorrow, from the 100% it ran at today, and see where it ends up. Not upset to be back at 10FC, but I think I would need to raise CYA soon for safety of swimming in the pool.
Click to expand...
The pool is ok, slam for 20cya is 8...Let FC come down and get some CYA in the pool.
 
It has been a little bit, and I have yet to balance the remaining aspects of the pool but I tested today and will begin remaining balancing tomorrow. I plan to add stabilizer to 60ish as to not overshoot 70, add 4lbs of calcium to begin pushing toward 200 (heaters documentation says 200), and at a bit of borax to get pH to 7.6.

Should I keep TA at 50? If I understand correctly, raising TA will also raise pH. Is it better to just raise TA to 70 and see how pH is impacted?

Thanks all!
 
nysaltwaterpool said:
Should I keep TA at 50? If I understand correctly, raising TA will also raise pH. Is it better to just raise TA to 70 and see how pH is impacted?
Click to expand...
Leave your TA alone. Manage pH in the 7s. pH will likely stabilize somewhere between 7.6 and 8. Leave pH alone until it gets to 8. When it does, only adjust to 7.8. It should be fairly stable. No need to raise pH with Borax, it will rise, even if slowly, on its own.

If you decide to raise TA, only raise it a bit (say 60), then leave it alone.
 

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