Measuring by weight or volume ?

Whichever way you want.

Some say that you should add dry chems by weight, but I use volume. And, I wing it. Undershoot the dose and creep up on it, especially CYA! You'll be fine :wink:

Also, remember what Waterbear says, "It a swimming pool, not rocket science!" :mrgreen:
 
TizMe said:
The pool was clear at one time this spring and with all the rain and leaves and buds and :shock: it turned green ....... :roll:

Hey! Don't feel like the lone stranger! :oops: Or to put it another way, it can happen to anyone! :lol: :mrgreen:

The difference is, we know what to do about it! And, catching it at such an early 'green' makes it really easy to clear!

Now Tiz, how about a pic when you get it nice and pretty and sparkling?
 
Since my name was mentioned I will chime in.

USE WEIGHT FOR SOLIDS AND VOLUME FOR LIQUIDS!

The reason being that not all suppliers of the same chemical will supply it in the same form so such things are particle size or shape may vary and this could introduce enough error into the measurement to create problems.

Invest in an inexpensive diet scale that can be zeroed out when a container is placed on it (this is known as being able to zero the tare weight of the container). The scale really one needs to go up to about 4 lbs and be graduated down to ounces for a pool. If you are dosing a spa you might want something that can weight down to quarter ounces. Such scales can be had inexpensively at most department stores and hardware stores. Also invest in a set of plastic measuring cups to use for your tare containers. (I got a set of polypropylene measuring cups in 1 cup, 2 cup, and 4 cup from the dollar store. They are unbreakable and chemical resistant.) Keep the scale and measuring cups for pool use.

You will find that once you do this your pool dosing gets MUCH easier! :goodjob:
 
Well, I essentially agree with waterbear, but I wouldn't put it in huge capital letters. In most situations, the extra error introduced by using volume measurements for solids won't make any difference. Once in a while, especially for large changes, it can cause problems.

I have done some casual surveys and a 10% variation in density between manufacturers, and even between different containers from the same manufacturer, is fairly common. Every now and then you see a 20% difference. Larger differences are possible, but I haven't seen one yet. Even a 20% error will not normally be very significant, unless you are making a large change in your levels.

There are many other possible sources of error. The test kit measurements have some error, the pool volume has some error,chemicals are never the exact strength listed on the container, etc. Volume measurement errors are of a similar magnitude as other existing errors. Of course, the more sources of error you have, the more your final result can be off. You should always approach large changes cautiously, by making several smaller changes and remeasuring along the way.
 
JasonLion said:
There are many other possible sources of error. The test kit measurements have some error, the pool volume has some error,chemicals are never the exact strength listed on the container, etc.
Exactly, and such errors are cumulative. Why introduce them in the first place? A kitchen scale and some measuring cups are a cheap investment and are as important as a good test kit, IMHO!
 
Butterfly, last night I added 32 oz by measure of stabilizer and my wife checked it today and it is 30. All the stabilizer in her nylons has disolved so I am not sure if the figure will go up at all over the next day or so but I am not going to touch it and recheck it again over the weekend. Hope to post the pics I have so far. I will take one tonight when I go out to check the chlorine. Last night I went over board with that and my reading was 50 this morning with a CC of 2.
 

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TizMe said:
Butterfly, last night I added 32 oz by measure of stabilizer and my wife checked it today and it is 30.

Good job in adding about half the amount so you can creep up on your goal amount!

All the stabilizer in her nylons has disolved so I am not sure if the figure will go up at all over the next day or so but I am not going to touch it and recheck it again over the weekend.

Yea, I would not touch it, either! Sometimes it takes up to a week for all the CYA to dissolve!

Hope to post the pics I have so far. You know dog-gone-good-and-well we are waiting for the pix! :mrgreen:

I will take one tonight when I go out to check the chlorine. Last night I went over board with that and my reading was 50 this morning with a CC of 2. :shock:
 
Ok, here are some pics of the water ..... hope this works !

100_1760-1.jpg

Picture of Algae before chemicals added.

100_1761.jpg

Different view

100_1791.jpg

Taken 24 hrs after adding CYA and 5 jugs of bleach

100_1792.jpg

Dark area in the middle of the pool is where the leaves and junk have collected.

Will add more pics as water clears up !

My question now is, I added 5 bottles of bleach and my test results this morning were

FC 50
CC 2
TC 52

Can I let the chlorine drop some or should I keep adding the chlorine to the water each night since its WAYYYYY above shock level ? Pool is in direct sun all day so it should drop fairly fast ...
 
You nuked it! :shock: Well, I would just let it drop to normal shock level for your CYA. Then maintain shock level until you achieve the three decrees:

1. You hold FC loss to 1.0 or less overnite
2. Your CC's test .5 or less
3. Your water is sparkling

Thanks for the pix! The diff from first pic to last is amazing! :lol:

Keep us posted!
 
I wouldn't worry about it too much, but in the future, it is best to not allow FC get that high. Extremely high FC levels can shorten the life of the liner and cause it to start bleaching out sooner than it otherwise would.
 
Jason, I dont know what I was thinking. Maybe some of the bleach i though would be consumed by the algae. Perhaps it wasnt as bad or thick as it seemed to be by looking at it. I have dealt with algae blooms since being on this site and should have known better. I guess we learn from our mistakes .....
 
TizMe said:
Last night I went over board with that and my reading was 50 this morning with a CC of 2.

I just did a chlorine check this morning and realized why my reading was so high the other day. I multiplied the figure x 2 instead of .5 :shock:

I guess I need to be more awake in the mornings when i do the testing ...... anyway ...

Results from this morning are

FC 12.5
CC 1
TC 13.5
CYA 30 (from 04/16 test)
TA 60
CH 30
PH (not tested)

Water is cloudy and you can just make out the bottom of the pool. Going to put the cleaner in today to get the rest of the "small" stuff off the bottom of the pool.

I know my TA needs adjusting but is ok to wait until the pool has cleared up because my PH needs to be adjusted. When I checked it (PH) before adding the chemicals it was 8.2, now with shocking I will get false readings. Also my CH was 30, is this a correct figure ? I thought it was supposed to be between 200- 400.
 
Much better!

CC is above 0.5, so you should continue shocking, maintain FC at between 13 and 15, until CC comes down and your don't lose any FC overnight.

You should wait to adjust the TA until the FC level is below 10 and you have tested and adjusted the PH to the normal range.

Vinyl pools are not bothered by low CH levels. We recommend that you keep CH between 50 and 300. So all you need is a small increase in CH.
 
TizMe said:
Can I sprinkle the CH increaser into the water or should I add it through the filter ?

When I added mine (pre-TFP days)....I was instructed by the PS to dissolve it in a bucket of water and then pour that in front of the return. I guess it depends on what the package instructions say?
 

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