Suggested TA for TFP Converts

[NLITP]

Wow, thanks! You've reminded me to pick up a thermometer for the pool today.

Yeah, I think I will bring up the CH to 250 or 300 based on the Recommend Levels prescribed by this forum. I will also try and follow your suggestion of targeting 7.6 as the lower bound and add MA when it reaches 7.8/7.9. I'll wait and see how long it takes for my pH to hit the 7.8/7.9 mark before deciding to lower TA further.

CYA is the most difficult thing to measure with my Taylor-2006 kit. Can I see the dot or can I NOT see the dot?? My best read was close to 70, while the "big store" was reading 40. So, I decided to call it "50". Not very scientific, I know. Do other test kits use a different way to measure it? I need to find a way of being more confident about this value...

I'll be off the trichlor tabs soon, as mentioned in my PM. Not soon enough for me right now, but soon...

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Well my CH is up to 750ppm so feel free to drive down here and haul off a few hundred gallons if you like

Yes, the CYA test is the trickiest. I believe your value from the test kit over any pool store. You just reuse the solution over and over again, filling the tube and watching the dot until you get a consistent read. Bright outdoor lighting (not that hard to find here in AZ), back to the sun, vial at waist high and try to look straight down the tube. If you tilt the tube while eyeing it, the liquid meniscus can sometimes act like a little bit of a lens and give you a false read on the dot. If you want to build confidence, then you can order the 50ppm Standard CYA solution from TFTestKits.net and use that to calibrate your eyeball and test methodology. It's exactly 50ppm so you know how much to fill the tube. Then you just adjust your viewing angle and lighting conditions until you're sure the dot is gone. Some folks have had an easier time with the test after practicing with the standard for a while. Don't go too crazy though. The test is +/-10ppm at best and there's no other test that is any easier. I believe there are colorimeter tests but, as with all electronic test methods, they are only as good as the calibrated tester and too prone to random failure. The CYA reagent works, it's just a matter of practice.

 

[msgtdan]

With the CYA test you can pour the solution back and forth several times and take an average of your readings. It can be a difficult test, try to be sure to do it on a sunny day with your back to the sun and the tube held at waist height.

 

[NLITP]

Great info, guys. Thanks!!