First real test

[wbrewski]

Ok guys I have been reading the forum for a couple of weeks now. I got the taylor 2006 kit and here are my results

PH 7.8
CC 4
CH 220
TA 140
CYA 20
FC 4.4
Salt 3400

Do these look ok or do I need more tests and what do you recommend for chemicals

Pool Calculator
Pool 26000 gal
Salt water
72 deg.

 

[BattleOfYakima]

Welcome to TFP!! Congratulations on getting a great great test kit!
1. How's the water look at the moment?
2. Pump & filter running?
3. As you will see here, recommended levels vary by pool type: plaster, vinyl, or fiberglass. What do you have?

 

[Jezza]

Ok- a couple of things that I thought might be worth asking. Is your water clear?

I'm assuming your using the 25ml sample for the FC and the CC with each drop being 0.2. So just to clarify your CC of 4- did it take 2 drops to clear the red (which would make it 0.4CC) or 20 drops (4CC). We recommend using the 10ml sample for FC and CC - each drop is then 0.5 which is accurate enough for our purposes. This will save you a heap on your reagents.

Just confirming your reading of 20 CYA- does the dot disappear at all or just before you get to the top?

Also it would help us to provide us with some more details/specs about your pump, filter type, type of SWG if applicable and type of pool - plaster, fibreglass or vinyl in your signature.

 

[wbrewski]

Hi , yes I was using the 25ml sample, I will try the 10ml sample tomorrow The dot I can still see when the vile is full.
My pool is really old plaster , new plaster coming end of June.
my pump is a Pentair whisperflo.
the filter is a Hayward pro 60 sqf.
SW generator.
Filter is on 6 hr a day
No bottom drain just a vacuum sweeper and skimmer.

 

[Texas Splash]

PH 7.8
CC 4
CH 220
TA 140
CYA 20
FC 4.4
Salt 3400

Do these look ok or do I need more tests and what do you recommend for chemicals

Hi Walt. I'm afraid your readings are misleading us a bit which is why some others are asking for clarification. If your "CC" (combined Chlorine) is actually elevated to 4, that tells me you may have indications of algae in the water (cloudiness or green plumes when you brush), so we would recommend the following (SLAM):
- Lower pH to 7.2 with acid
- Your CYA could actually be lower than 20. Add about 10 ppm of stabilizer in an effort to get your CYA to 30 and retest in about 24-48 hours
- Increase FC to 12 and keep it there 24/7 with pump running. Follow all of the instructions on the SLAM page (link below) and you should be fine.

BUT .... if your FC (Free Chlorine) is 4 and CC is only <= 0.5, and water is clear, then you may not need to "SLAM". You might only need to increase CYA to a minimum of 70 for a SWG pool, and keep your FC in the 4-6 range. In either scenario your CH is a bit low which can compromise your already old plaster even more. You might want to consider increase a little unless your fill water is already hard and you plan to add more soon. Let us know if you have any questions about these two scenarios and we'll be glad to assist.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Ok guys I have been reading the forum for a couple of weeks now. I got the taylor 2006 kit and here are my results

PH 7.8
CC 4
CH 220
TA 140
CYA 20
FC 4.4
Salt 3400

Do these look ok or do I need more tests and what do you recommend for chemicals

Pool Calculator
Pool 26000 gal
Salt water
72 deg.

Can you do another test today and use the 10 ml sample? Did you do the CYA test at night or during the day?

Is this a newly opened pool or has it been running for awhile? Its unusual to see those FC/CC numbers from a salt pool with no CYA. Did you add any chlorine manually? Or any other chemicals?

Edit: Do you have an autocover?

 

[wbrewski]

Thanks All, I will run some mor test this week on my days off.
One other thing, I am leaving for England for 2 weeks what should I do to the pool?

 

[Jezza]

Can you confirm what your final CC reading was- 0.4 or 4?

 

[wbrewski]

It was actually .4

 

[Jezza]

Well that is good news. Just to confirm that your water is also clear?

The beauty of having a SWG is that it allows you too add regular doses of chlorine over a period of time so this could be your best option to maintain FC when you leave for UK. (also assuming that your SWG comes on automatically with your pump). When will you be leaving? Have you got anybody that might be able to test your FC and pH every few days?

If you go ahead with this particular option, while your away you might want think about adding CYA in 2 steps- firstly target 30 CYA, then retest and add to target 70/80. You'll also want to work on getting your SWG to a point where it maintains your FC at a consistent level. You can either adjust the SWG % on time or the pump run time to get your FC steady. You'll just need to check your FC daily and make sure that it is always maintained above the minimum for your CYA level. FC/CYA chart

 

[BattleOfYakima]

Will you need someone to visit and empty your skimmer basket? If so, teach them to use your test kit. You can email them the videos/instructions and have them in case they get confused when they are doing it. Also, make them join this site so they can ask questions in this thread if they have any.

 

[wbrewski]

i am back, i was layed up sick all weekend. Now i have a new test
FC 9
PH 7.8
CC 1
TA 140
CH 200
CYA 45
Salt 3400

It looks like I am getting there ( close to the recommendations from this web sight )
I really appreciate the response to my posts, I did not know that taking care of a pool was this involved, but my water is crystal clear now.

 

[BattleOfYakima]

Yay! You're getting there! Since your CC is back up to 1 I suggest you SLAM again to get it back down (might be a super fast one lol). I'm still pretty new here so if you wait for another, more senior opinion, no offense taken

as as for pool care being involved, that's a very fair statement. The great news is, if you maintain your levels the involvement is very easy to maintain and, generally speaking, only gets faster and less time consuming as time goes on and you perfect you numbers, get to know how you pool reacts to temperature, rain, sun, cleanings, and swimmers. Eventually you test less frequently, and more often than not it ends up being just to confirm. You'll know you FC demand. You'll notice the very early deviation from sparkling to hi to of cloudy/green and boost the FC some, maybe not even to shock, and it will recoup. Long story short, put all the effort, testing, adjusting, and cleaning time in now and really get to know you pool. Record everything. Keep it trouble free and it will only get easier from there.

 

[wbrewski]

according to the pool calculator I need 50 lb of calcium chloride can this be right ?

Where is the cheapest place to get reagents for my test kit?

 

[Texas Splash]

Walt, I got 31lbs of calcium chloride OR 41 lbs of calcium chloride dehydrate to get you to the 350 min for a non-SWG pool. Reagent? Depends on which one you need. For the FAS-DPD, usually we have to order that from TFTestKits.com. Others you may be able to get locally.

 

[wbrewski]

Thanks for all the help, going to England for a couple of weeks, when I come back I am having all new Plaster, coping and tile work done on my pool I will probably need a lot of information on start up.

 

[BattleOfYakima]

Safe travels!