What order should I add chemicals?

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R

rlsnights

0
Sep 9, 2008
79
Opening the pool for the spring and have some numbers that are off.

TC 7 (we're keeping it on the high side due to hx of black algae)
FC 0
pH 8.2
TA 130
CH 160
CYA 40

Haven't needed to add acid and calcium before now and I'm not sure if it matters what order I do this in. Advice?

17,000 gal, IGP, Plaster, cartridge filters, not sure about the pump size
 
Please recheck the FC & TC #'s. Typos?

Adjust the pH first to around 7.4 to 7.6. When it hits 7.8, adjust it back down.

Lower TA [Edit: if you are having issues with pH rise].

The recommended levels are listed in an article in Pool School for easy reference.

Adjust your CH on a day when your are not adjusting anything else.

How old is your pool?
 
Beg your pardon, FC is 7 TC is 7. Otherwise the numbers I posted are correct. We've always trended high on the TA but our CH has been higher than this in the past.

White plaster pool was replastered about 2 years ago. Overall age of pool is about 40 years.

We were advised on here to keep the FC a bit high because of history of black algae.

Using a DPD test kit.
 
Lower your pH with muriatic acid sooner rather than later........that's too high and could be higher.

Your TA will come down when you lower the pH....probably to an acceptable 100 or so.

A little surprising that your CH would drop. Have you had a lot of rain over the winter?

Like BF said, I would add the calcium last but you should get it up around 250 or so.
 
I'll do the acid first. Tackling that this morning.

Not sure where we stand with the BA. After literally months of working at it we still have a few little black spots. But none of them are getting any bigger and we don't seem to have any new ones so we think those may be stains. We figured once the weather warmed up we would find out for sure :(
 
New numbers:

FC 5 - will bring that back up to 7
TC 5
pH 7.8 - plan to drop it to 7.2 to help reduce TA - have jury rigged my pool vacumn to aerate the pool water - just have it propped on the deck spraying the water out over the pool right now since I don't have any other way to do it.
TA - 120 - down 10; will check it again after I lower the pH some more
CH - 160 - yes we got a lot of rain this winter -had to actually drain the pool a couple times to bring it down below the deck level so I'm assuming that explains the big drop in CH.
CYA - 35
 
You are doing a great job of getting things under control!

When you have time, please add your pool/equipment specs to your sig and your location in your profile.
This will be a big help to those responding to your posts :wink:

Let's hope that you have beaten that BA beast into submission :hammer:
 
:) Thanks for the kind compliments. Not sure they're deserved but will accept them anyway :)

New numbers as of this evening when the sun has set:

FC 6 - added more chlorine to bring it up a bit
TC 6
pH - 7.2
TA - 110 - down 20 pts from this morning but still not low enough right?
CH 160 - will work on this once TA is fixed
CYA ~40

Am aerating the pool with my pool vacumn again right now. Will run that for a couple hours and then check the numbers in the morning.

I also have a problem with dirt and gravel in the pool. Don't ask how it got there, you don't want to know. Anyway, I guess I'll go start a new thread about that under a different forum.

Patricia
 

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I would leave TA right where it is. I think Butterfly was thinking you had an SWG. In fact, your numbers very nice. Aside from the dirt and gravel (can't wait to hear the story....it would be fine to keep it in this thread) how does your water l;ook now?
 
New numbers today:

TC 7.5
FC 7.5
pH 7.5
TA 120
CH 160
CYA ~40

So my pH has floated back up a little and so has my TA. Water is crystal clear - so I can get a really good look at all those bits of gravel and the dirt on the bottom :roll:

Should I leave things be or drop the pH again?

Patricia
 
We had a lot of rain and our pH has gone way up again. Is this "normal" or could something else be going on?

I was going to adjust the CH today but now I have to adjust the pH first so I'll be doing the CH adjustment in a couple of days.

Given our hx of black algae, do you think it's safe for me to bring the CYA up a bit maybe to 50 or 60 so I can cut down on our chlorine use a little now that swimming season is close at hand?

TC 8
FC 8
pH 8.2 - going to adjust back down to 7.5
TA 120
CH 160
CYA 35
 
Yes, rain will often raise the PH, especially when your TA level is high. Your TA is only just slightly high, but that is usually enough to do it.

You can lower PH and then raise CH on the same day if you feel like it.

Bringing CYA up to 50 is just fine. I would try that out and see how you like it before going to 60.
 
My pH keeps going up so I want to try to lower my TA cause I really don't like having to handle the muriatic acid regularly.

Yesterday my pH was back up to 8.2 with no rain to blame it on. So I added acid and today it's down to 7.5. I'm going to drop it again to 7.2 and do some aeration if I can.

I have a question about the aeration process. I got a solar cover for free from someone that covers most but not all of my pool. Since my pool is kind of free form it's probably as good as I'm going to get right now.

Anyway, I have the solar cover on the pool and I'm wondering if I should take it off while I aerate the pool or if it matters one way or the other. Advice?

TC 7
FC 7
pH 7.5 - dropping to 7.2 today
TA 120
CH 160 - going to raise this today after I adjust the pH

Patricia
 

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