Pool was installed Mid-season 2013.
First (partial) season, I stumbled through "pool store" maintenance.
Then I found TFP, borated my pool and started the TFPC method, but using pool store testing combined with strips and and OTO/Phenol Red 2-way test kit.
I haven't had any problems. After swimming, I've always felt as clean as having just showered.
Salt water pool, as per my signature, but I usually open with liquid (10% pool chlorine from hardware store, verifiable by predicted FC increase)
After a pool party, or even just a significant number of swimmers, I measure FC and then boost to 4ppm or so with liquid, rather than use the slow "superchlorinate" mode on the SWCG.
So I opened the pool about a month ago, once the ice was gone, adjusted up the borates and salt, and balance the pH and such, and and have been dosing with liquid chlorine before turning on the heater to get the water out of the 50s F so the cell is more effective.
The weather has warmed up and we fired up the heater this past week.
Yesterday afternoon, I took a full set of readings with my TF100 purchased new in Oct 2015.
Pool is heated to 84F
FC - 4
CC - 0 ( Completely 0. Previous test when I opened the pool a month ago was 0.5, so I held at ~10PM for several days with negligible CYA)
pH - 7.6
TA - 50
Cal - 150
Borates - 60
CYA - 50
Salt - 1500 (Hayward Aqua Rite Low Salt system. T-CELL-LS requires 1200-1800 PPM salt)
(I've also double checked the FC/pH/TA/Hardness with a 4-way dip strip that seems to agree with the TF100 readings)
Everything is pretty much the same as it has always been.
From a SLAM standpoint,
The water is brilliantly clear
Overnight chlorine loss is negligible. I dosed to 10PPM early last week and still had 3.5PPM on Wednesday so 6.5PPM drop over 5-6 days.
CC is 0
We just started swimming the last two evenings and the water feels great, while in the pool.
That said, I swim underwater with my eyes open a lot. Shortly after getting out of the pool, my eyes look like ripe cherries.
And my skin reeks of chlorine.
This has never been an issue in previous years.
I showered after swimming last evening, with a strongly scented shower gel (Lever 2000 Sport, something something) and an hour after showering, I could still smell the chlorine on my hands and arms.
A few drops of visine cleared up my eyes after a couple hours.
But I'm at a loss as to why this is happening now?
The only thing any different this year is that I've left my TA lower, and didn't up my calcium.
Last year I had to add about a liter or so of muriatic acid every couple weeks while the TA was adjusted to around 70, but my subsequent research has lead me to believe a lower TA (closer to 50) will help me get in the groove and keep the pH in check.
Also last year, I upped the Calcium to 200-250 after the post winter top-up, but didn't this year because everything I read on here says it isn't important for a vinyl liner pool.
Help?
First (partial) season, I stumbled through "pool store" maintenance.
Then I found TFP, borated my pool and started the TFPC method, but using pool store testing combined with strips and and OTO/Phenol Red 2-way test kit.
I haven't had any problems. After swimming, I've always felt as clean as having just showered.
Salt water pool, as per my signature, but I usually open with liquid (10% pool chlorine from hardware store, verifiable by predicted FC increase)
After a pool party, or even just a significant number of swimmers, I measure FC and then boost to 4ppm or so with liquid, rather than use the slow "superchlorinate" mode on the SWCG.
So I opened the pool about a month ago, once the ice was gone, adjusted up the borates and salt, and balance the pH and such, and and have been dosing with liquid chlorine before turning on the heater to get the water out of the 50s F so the cell is more effective.
The weather has warmed up and we fired up the heater this past week.
Yesterday afternoon, I took a full set of readings with my TF100 purchased new in Oct 2015.
Pool is heated to 84F
FC - 4
CC - 0 ( Completely 0. Previous test when I opened the pool a month ago was 0.5, so I held at ~10PM for several days with negligible CYA)
pH - 7.6
TA - 50
Cal - 150
Borates - 60
CYA - 50
Salt - 1500 (Hayward Aqua Rite Low Salt system. T-CELL-LS requires 1200-1800 PPM salt)
(I've also double checked the FC/pH/TA/Hardness with a 4-way dip strip that seems to agree with the TF100 readings)
Everything is pretty much the same as it has always been.
From a SLAM standpoint,
The water is brilliantly clear
Overnight chlorine loss is negligible. I dosed to 10PPM early last week and still had 3.5PPM on Wednesday so 6.5PPM drop over 5-6 days.
CC is 0
We just started swimming the last two evenings and the water feels great, while in the pool.
That said, I swim underwater with my eyes open a lot. Shortly after getting out of the pool, my eyes look like ripe cherries.
And my skin reeks of chlorine.
This has never been an issue in previous years.
I showered after swimming last evening, with a strongly scented shower gel (Lever 2000 Sport, something something) and an hour after showering, I could still smell the chlorine on my hands and arms.
A few drops of visine cleared up my eyes after a couple hours.
But I'm at a loss as to why this is happening now?
The only thing any different this year is that I've left my TA lower, and didn't up my calcium.
Last year I had to add about a liter or so of muriatic acid every couple weeks while the TA was adjusted to around 70, but my subsequent research has lead me to believe a lower TA (closer to 50) will help me get in the groove and keep the pH in check.
Also last year, I upped the Calcium to 200-250 after the post winter top-up, but didn't this year because everything I read on here says it isn't important for a vinyl liner pool.
Help?
