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I'm using the graduated flask and mixing bottle I got with my TF-1000. The reagent is a Taylor bottle I bought locally (R-0013 I think?) within the last 12 months when the supply that came with my kit ran out. Same stuff that came with my TF-1000. I need to retest... maybe I can run home at...

I am making myself crazy trying to understand a puzzling change in test results. I apologize NOW for the length this post will surely stretch to. On 6/10, I discovered a full-blown algae bloom (especially discouraging because I cased it with an exceptionally STUPID mistake). At that point...

We built our pool 6 years ago, and went with a fiberglass, sport bottom (3 ft deep at each end, 5 ft deep in the middle). We decided to skip a deep end because we figured most people stand around in the pool. When you have a diving end, you give up half to two-thirds of your 'standable' area...

I'm no electrical wizard, but I can speak to some of the hazards that go with using extension cords. When you send electricity from point A to point B through a wire, you will lose voltage due to the resistance of the wire itself. Think of it like losing momentum when you ride a bicycle into...

Assuming your water is balanced, cell life will be directly related to how much you have to run the unit to meet your chlorine demand. It's really hard to make apples-to-apples comparison of cell life between different pools. If you have a long season and a big pool, your control unit will...

This is exactly what I encountered! The endless stream of dirt & junk in the media was the driver behind my decision to pull the stuff out of the filter and wash by hand. I typically find a very fine, sandy-colored substance accumulated in the nooks & crannies of the pool; steps, corners, etc...

Thanks, gents! I did wonder about the accuracy of my gauge at first, but it seems to behave normally. When I power the pump down, it drops immediately to zero. It also reflects diffferent pressure values when I switch the intake valve between main & skimmer -- as well as when I ran the...

Our Coverstar cover is on its 6th season. When I opened this year, I noticed a critter made a cozy winter home in the recessed box, next to the motor. Unfortunately, said critter used bits of fiber pulled from the ropes to make their place cozy. The rope is still pulling the cover, and the...

That's one of the downsides of my hybrid approach. I really don't know what fixed the problem -- the thorough media wash or the regeneration procedure. Maybe they both played a part. However, I did conclude that lots of backwashing over a short time span will not make up for neglecting the...

I'd posted a couple weeks back about a problem with water that remained stubbornly cloudy, despite good, healthy, balanced numbers. I got the advice to examine for filtration issues. I thought I'd share the success story in case it helps anyone else out there... I'm using a 200# Hayward top...

I opened up that filter today, and was really surprised by what I saw. Laying on top of the Zeo was a startling amount of RBC (Random Bits of Crud). This was particularly surprising because I just backwashed a few days ago. The surface of the media didn't look particularly rough or uneven...

Okay, an update on the numbers... As of 9:00 am this morning, I had pH = 7.2 + (it's just a *touch* darker than the 7.2 index on the comparator, but not nearly as dark as 7.5) FC = 9.5 CC = .5 T/A = 90 I tested chorline yesterday at 4:00 pm, and it came up at 10.5. So I only lost 1.0 ppm over...

That is a very intriguing post you linked in. After a backwash, my pressure is usually 16 - 17 psi. In prior years, I'd backwash when I got up to around 20. I backwashed yesterday for (only!) the second time this season... and only because I haven't done it for weeks... and my pressure was...

My pump is a Hayward Super Pump... but I don't recall if it is a 3/4 or 1 horse. 3/4 sounds right. It's about 6 years old now, but I had it rebulit at the electric motor shop a year or so ago (electric motor rebuild, plus new pump seals). I put in the Zeo when I opened up at the start of...

I'm looking to upgrade from a barracuda to a robot... maybe. I have a fiberglass, sport-bottom pool (3.5 feet deep at the ends, 5.5 feet deep in the center). However, there is a narrow safety ledge along both of the long sides of the pool, about 3.5 feet down. The ledge is approximately 3"...

This is my second year using the BBB method. Began learning it last summer, and am glad to finally know what's going on with my pool. Opened the pool the beginning of May, and have been struggling ever since trying to get it *crystal* clear. My numbers seem ok, but the water just won't...

We live in central Illinois, and get some pretty cold weather (think Chicago) over winter. For the first four seasons after installing our pool, the pool guys just left all the equipment in place. Everything was fine. A year or two ago, the startup capacitor on our pump motor went bad. I...

Just a trivial question, which I'm asking out of curiousity. Does the overnight chlorine drop test REALLY have to be done overnight? Can the test be faked out if you have an automatic cover? I've never been UNDER my pool's cover (by design, of course), so I can't say for sure if it's 100%...

Last year, the capacitor on my Hayward Super Pump fried, and it was not able to spin up. I replaced the capacitor for about eight dollars, and finished out the season. But it seemed like the pump was running really HOT. So hot it began to discolor the PVC pipe a few inches away. So, before I...

After a couple of busy weeks implementing BBB, the water is lookin' GREAT! :goodjob: I REALLY like using my TF100, and finally feel like I know what's going on in my water... except for one thing. I always have a CC level of .5. I recently spent nearly a week at shock level. I did an...

I use these strips too. I always go by the instructions, which say to read the peak of the color change. However, I've never noticed a huge vertical difference between the very peak and the point where the entire width of the indicator has changed. What difference are you seeing, and how does...

ooooookay. Duly noted. :mrgreen: Thanks for the reassurance!

Forgot to mention this in all my worry about measuring CYA... and I've developed the habit of checking pH first, FC second, then TA, & so forth. For some reason, while I was doing all my testing yesterday, I did the FC first. The vial turned clear, I added the CC reagent, vial turned clear...

I'm feeling a little better now -- at least with respect to testing CYA. I did another test today as soon as I got home from work, a couple of hours earlier than the last one. I got repeated readings of 70 - 80 over the course of two or three minutes. With that out of mind (for now), I...

Well, this last test (yesterday) was definitely a sunny day, though it was nearing evening -- maybe around 6:00 pm? it was still broad daylight, though; bright & clear out. I repeated the test several times (poured the solution back into the dropper bottle), and received a virtually identical...

I am beside myself with measuring CYA. I am still getting the hang of drop based testing (the TF100, natch), after years of strips. FC, CC, T/A, CH. No problem. However, the CYA test has me pulling my hair out. Over the last two weeks, I've measured CYA at values ranging from 65 to over...

The cover! DUH! :shock: My pool is covered virtually all the time on weekdays, unless the kids get in during the day. It's open as we speak, as the barracuda is doing its thing down there. It's sunny now, with forecast for hot temps & scattered storms today. I'll close it up if it...

I'm getting a little discouraged... I used the pool calculator to determine my shock level and the amount of 6% chlorine needed to get there. Added it around 5:00 pm Wednesday, and ended up right on 21ppm FC, 1ppm CC. I checked twice more that evening before bed, and the numbers held steady...

The new kit arrived from TF Test Kits, and the results are in: FC: 5 ppm CC: 1 ppm TC: 6 ppm pH: 7.5 T/A: 160 CH: 190 CYA: 80 I'm running an Aqua-Rite SWG in a 10K gallon fiberglass pool. The pool is always covered on weekdays, unless the kids get in, and generally open all day on weekends...

OK, I'm feeling better about things! Since my pH was so drastically low, I added two 76 oz boxes of borax to my pool last night, over the course of an hour. Readings last night and this afternoon are as follows (and remember, I'm still using strips as my *real* test kit has not yet arrived)...