New member from Australia

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NoTan2

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Aug 15, 2015
14
Newcastle, NSW Australia
Hi All,

Just wanted to say hello and thank everyone for an excellent and informative forum.
Reasonably long-term pool owner (15 years) but only new to this forum.

After having to replace my cartridge filter tank every 5 years or so due to water leaks developing, I've recently had the plumbing re-jigged to use two pumps - a 3-speed Eco pump to drive the filtration (and dramatically reduce the load on the cartridge filter) and the existing 1.5hp pump now only powers the Vantage infloor system. Hopefully also save some money on electricity as the large pump now only runs for about 90 minutes each day.

Having done this and seeing that the water is beautifully clean after the new filter was installed, I decided that perhaps I should stop being lazy and throw away the test strips that I've been using for the last few years and look after the pool properly. After a bit of searching, I discovered this site and as a result, acquired a Taylor K-2006.

I've only used it once and discovered that the test strips haven't been entirely truthful. :D No surprises there. The Taylor is a remarkable test kit and very straightforward to use.

So now I'm slowly bringing up the TA from 40ppm. (The test strips were suggesting a value closer to 80ppm.)

Spring has arrived here and my wife is keen to start swimming so I'm working hard to show her that the expensive test kit is worth the money.
 
How cool...now that the Northern Hemisphere is closing, we have our friends in the Southern Hemisphere opening!!

I understand that salt-water pools are quite prevalent Down Under...at least from the literature I've read.

Welcome aboard!
 
Welcome to the forum.

How is your pH? Don't get too hung up in the TA if pH is steady.

How have you been chlorinating your pool? I see a chlorinator in your signature, are you using tablets?

What is your stabilizer (CYA) level?

Dom
 
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

And apologies for my Australian terminology. As I've been reading through the posts and articles here, it's occurred to me that there are some small differences in the way we describe some things.
It looks like what we call a "chlorinator" is referred to as an SWG. And I don't know anybody who doesn't use one for their pools so, yes, as far as I know, salt water pools are common here.

Dom,
pH is 7.5 and CYA is a bit low at 30. Since I've been using test strips, I don't really have an "accurate" history of pH fluctuations but I've never been concerned that it has gone way out of range. I usually add some CYA around this time of year so I'll address that after the TA is where I want it.

Maybe I've just been lucky but my pool has always been easy to look after. In 15 years, I've only had some green algae twice or three times and a quick dose of chlorine cleared it up. Never had cloudy water. I've always guessed that it was perhaps at least partly due to the vigorous action of the infloor heads keeping the water nicely moving and evenly sanitised? I'll need to watch that now that I'm only running it for an hour or so instead of 6-8 hours a day.

The climate is very temperate here so I never close the pool - just turn down the pumps a bit over the winter.

Looking forward to joining in and learning.

Name is Paul, by the way. I'll add that to my signature.
 
It'll be interesting to learn what your numbers are and how you've kept your pool up compared to what is suggested around here. TFP suggests CYA in the 70-80 range for SWG but it sounds like you've had success with it about half that amount. What is the standard around your area for the numbers?

You might consider removing 'chlorinator' from your info and just leave SWG. 'Chlorinators' are large holders for chlorine 'tablets' or 'pucks' and some folks actually plumb those in and use them when they leave on vacation and then deal with the rise in CYA from them later. Otherwise, use of pucks is not suggested as a normal means of chlorination.
 
Hi Chris,

I've had no success with CYA at 30. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Back in April we were unfortunate to experience what the local media called a "SuperStorm". Our pool received a belly-full of mud and dirt and large amounts of rainfall and wind-blown vegetation. Over a period of two days, I was forced to drain water from the pool several times to prevent it overflowing. As a result the water balance literally went down the drain.

Following that, the cartridge filter failed and I've only recently got it (almost) running again. I've always run the CYA at what the test strips suggested was around 60-80. At least now I can measure it with more confidence.

Once I've raised the TA to around 80-100, I'll bring the CYA up to 70 or so, pH to somewhere around 7.5 and then adjust FC to around 5.
 

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NoTan2 said:
I like Perth and yes, it's a long way from here.
Click to expand...

How about that? I'm a fellow newbie and from Perth. Yes, it is quite nice - weather warming up but the water not quite warm enough for a comfortable swim (mines at about 72F/21C - kids don't mind but I find it a little cold).

Agree with Paul - nearly everyone seems to have a SWG here. CYA at 70 for SWG pools is interesting. The pool company I went through (completed early this month) suggested keeping it between 30-50. At the moment mine is 30 and FC is about 4 (not that they tell you there is a relationship between CYA and required FC levels - I read that previously here).

Water looks great so far but maybe it's early days. One of my sons has allergies/sensitivities to many things so worried a high FC level (ie. required for a CYA of 70) will cause him issues?
 
The relationship between CYA and FC is such that the effective CL level is pretty much equal all the way up. So for example a FC of 5 and CYA of 50 is same as FC of 10 and CYA of 100. The CYA is there to buffer the effects of the CL and to hold a reserve available as FC is used up from the sun and from bathers and algae.

So, no, you nor your son will have no noticeable difference as FC and CYA are increased together.
 
jbilman said:
not that they tell you there is a relationship between CYA and required FC levels
Click to expand...

Hi jbilman,

I run my pumps in the off-peak hours at night to save electricity (unless someone is swimming when they get turned back on for the duration). So the chlorine is at the mercy of the sun throughout the day. Years ago when I discovered CYA, (the pool company certainly didn't tell me about it - as you said) I just increased the CYA level incrementally over a period of time until the FC was still at a reasonable level at the end of the day. I've always preferred to keep the FC somewhat higher than the 1-3ppm which you see recommended in various places. I found that CYA at 60 or so and FC at around 4-5 seemed to work. This was using test strips so it was pretty hit and miss.

So when I came across this site, I was pleased to see that my empirical testing resulted in somewhere near the recommended levels here.

Do you have a good test kit?
 
NoTan2 said:
Hi jbilman,

I run my pumps in the off-peak hours at night to save electricity (unless someone is swimming when they get turned back on for the duration). So the chlorine is at the mercy of the sun throughout the day. Years ago when I discovered CYA, (the pool company certainly didn't tell me about it - as you said) I just increased the CYA level incrementally over a period of time until the FC was still at a reasonable level at the end of the day. I've always preferred to keep the FC somewhat higher than the 1-3ppm which you see recommended in various places. I found that CYA at 60 or so and FC at around 4-5 seemed to work. This was using test strips so it was pretty hit and miss.

So when I came across this site, I was pleased to see that my empirical testing resulted in somewhere near the recommended levels here.

Do you have a good test kit?
Click to expand...

At the moment I have the AussieGold 4-in-1 test kit (that came with the pool start-up kit). I bought some test strips recently out of curiosity as it had a measure of CYA - but I won't be very reliant on those. So far I've been testing FC daily to get a feel for my setup and the PH etc every 2-3 days, and plan on taking a sample at least monthly to the pool shop.
 
jbilman said:
and plan on taking a sample at least monthly to the pool shop.
Click to expand...

Hopefully you have a reputable pool shop. As you acquire some familiarity with your pool and do lots of reading here, you should be able to do most (if not all) of your own maintenance.
Unfortunately good test kits (you've probably read the recommendations here) are hard to come by in Australia. There is one place here that sells a kit which is almost the same as the Taylor. I read in the rules that new members are not supposed to recommend suppliers so I can send you a private message if you like.

- - - Updated - - -

LFrankow said:
Hello Paul I am curious as to how much your Taylor K-2006 set you back? I received a quote for one in Canada recently for 189.00 Cdn + taxes and shipping.
Click to expand...

Hi LFrankow,

I ordered mine from the same place as aussieta provided a link for. Rather foolishly, I ordered the smaller size which was $65US plus $40 shipping. With our current exchange rate it is quite expensive in $AUD.
 
I really hate that the initial cost is so high for you folks. It's like they know how important it is and they capitalize on that. Having your own kit, even if you have a SWG, is so important to being able to keep a clean and clear well balanced pool that it's worth it.

The other thing that's important to keep in mind: Pool $stores, by and large, do not produce reliable, good test numbers. Of course there are exceptions, but they are so few and far between that it's hard to find the good one. If you take a sample and bring to three different $stores you will get three different answers, some VERY different. Along with that you will be told you need different magic potions to fix whatever they think is wrong. If you find a place that does a powder and drop test for FC, there's a chance they are okay. But that's only true if they use a clean test vial.
 
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