Getting started for 2016 just want to clarify some things

[mackguy]

Just wanting to verify the order of some things I should be doing..

I don't have exact numbers in front of me but I'm sitting somewhere around

FC=10, CC was around .5 last I checked
CYA <20 (filled to the brim of the beaker in the TFP kit I can still easily see the black dot, but it is "cloudy")
TA around 20
PH 6.8 (or less I guess)

Haven't bothered testing CH yet.

Thanks to the low CYA the FC can be maintained relatively low, and we've got a weather reprieve with cloudiness all week so not losing too much from sun.

Right now I'm chlorinating with Trichlor shock from Wal-Mart to get the CYA up, however I know this also has the negative effect of lowering PH.

IIRC from last year, it was best to get TA in the target zone before fiddling with PH. Last year I was apparently running a TA of around 50.

Looks like I need to add about 13lb of baking soda to get the TA set, but also looks like the tri-chlor is going to pull the PH down faster than the baking soda brings it up. Should I be mitigating PH simultaneously, and if so, what's the best thing to use for PH Up?

Also, my baking soda turned into a brick over the winter.. can I safely toss the brick into a skimmer and let it self-disolve, or do I need to break it up and broadcast? Or just get a new bag of baking soda?

Thanks!

 

[Texas Splash]

A few things happening at once here. I would raise the pH immediately with either borax or soda ash, whichever you have available. That needs to be in the mid-7s right away. I would get a new box of baking soda. It's relatively cheap and needs to be broadcast spread across the deep end. Make sure to get the TA up to around 50-60 at least. CYA will increase but it might be slow if you rely on shock and stuff. Definitely get it up to 30 as a minimum and make sure to keep the FC at around 4 or so - never below 2. Hope that helps.

 

[mackguy]

Thanks,
Where does one buy Borax/Soda Ash? Last year all I did for PH was baking soda and had been told to not adjust PH until after TA was at a decent level..
Kept my TA around 50 for the rest of the season and kept the PH pretty stable at 7.5.

Was at a CYA of 40 or so last year, guess I replaced a fair amount of water over the fall/winter.

 

[Mr Bruce]

Any grocery store. Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

 

[mackguy]

Thanks I was looking for that earlier and couldn't find it for some reason!