New top! Need help

[phxtn]

First time pool owner. New to pool maintenance.

My my test results are

fc 4.4
ph 7.8
ta 50
cya 60
Ch 460
It looks like i need to raise fc to 6.8. Reduce ph bit and increase TA? I also want to add borates. Would greatly appreciate any help.


thanks a lot for this community. Learned a lot from this group in just two weeks!!!

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello and welcome! Yes, FC is a bit low for a non-SWG pool with a CYA of 60. Your daily target is an FC of 7, so I would bump that up with some bleach. Never go below 5. That's my CYA as well, so I like to keep my FC at a steady 6-8 range. Your pH is at the top-end of the scale, so don't let it go any higher. TA is okay at 50, but I wouldn't let it go lower. At some point you may need to throw-in some baking soda to raise the TA while you use acid to lower pH. I don't see your CH listed, but I suspect you have hard water like most others in that area, so you might want to post that when you get a chance.

One other thought though since you are new: What are you using to test your water? That's very important for us to know. In addition, you probably should add some more info to your custom signature so we have a better idea of your equipment - to include your type of test kit. That info comes-in really handy.

Hope that helps.

 

[Richard320]

Welcome!

What he said ^^^

50 TA is marginal, but I'm willing to bet your fill water is going to be very alkaline, which should start pushing that TA up when you start replacing evaporative losses.

Yes, reduce pH a little.

You're in Arizona, so I'd worry about CH as well if I were you. It tends to be really high in the southwest. Do you have a full test kit?

 

[phxtn]

Thank you! I am using Taylor 2006 for testing. I did measure CH. Made some mistake during the test. Hence didn't post that number. I will test again tonight and post it. So, far now , I will focus on FC and PH.

- - - Updated - - -

One more thing, previous owner had swg and removed it before I moved in. I am not sure if that is important current maintenance.

 

[Texas Splash]

No problem. Now you'll just treat your pool as a non-SWG pool for the recommended levels. Have a nice day.

 

[phxtn]

Ch is at 460

 

[Texas Splash]

That's expected. SO while it's a bit high, it's by no means ridiculous or unmanageable. The key for anyone who fills with hard water is to be very conscious of your pH and TA levels. As long as you watch those closely, it will help off-set the CH. The poolmath calculator in extremely valuable for that.