What Am I Doing?

[NicoRobin]

Tested the pool water myself for the first time:

FC - 10 (It was really dark)
TC - 10 (It was also really dark)
CC - 0?
pH - 7.8 (I had to add 2 drops to get ideal for acid demand)
TA - ?? (The sheet said 80-120 is ideal, does that mean in drops or after you multiply by 10? Because I put in 130 drops of the solution and it was still yellow (got tired))
CH - ?? (It turned pink at first and then with 50 drops it was still pretty much white)
CYA - 30? (Not sure about this either, the numbers on the vial go from top (30) to bottom (100) right?)

I don't know where to begin, please help!

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello and welcome to TFP! It looks as thought the test kit you have is the equivalent to the Taylor K-2005. It's good for most tests, but it will not accurately test FC/CC over 5 ppm. For that you need THIS ITEM. For the tests themselves, I would like for you to carefully read each item HERE as it applies to the test you are doing. See if those instructions help clear things up for you If not, let us know.

Because some testing is similar, I'm also going to give you the following video links which may help as well:
TF-100 (CYA): Testing Cyanuric Acid with the TF-100 - YouTube
TF-100 (CH)- 25ml sample test: Calcium Hardness with the TF-100 - YouTube
TF-100 (FAS-DPD): FAS/DPD Chlorine test for the TF-100 - YouTube
TF-100 (TA): Testing Total Alkalinity with the TF-100 - YouTube
TF-100 (Speed Stirrer): SpeedStir Magnetic Stirrer - YouTube

Let us know if you still have difficulties.

 

[NicoRobin]

Thank you, those links look very helpful. I have 95% of the visible algae gone from my pool but its still pretty cloudy. It's soo much work trying to figure out the chemistry and then figuring out what chemicals you need to balance it. I still have such a long way to go. When Slamming the pool, only the chlorine levels should be high, yes?

 

[Texas Splash]

When SLAMming, there are 3 keys things do check on chemistry:
1 - Make sure pH is between 7.2-7.5 (I'd recommend closer to 7.2 if your pool is really cloudy/green)
2 - Verify CYA; Everything from here depends on that accurate CYA number; it determines your FC level
3 - Increase FC to the proper SLAM level for that CYA (i.e. CYA of 40 = SLAM FC of 16); see the Chlorine/CYA Chart link below

From there, it's all about brushing, vacuuming, and doing everything else on the SLAM page. Hope that helps.

 

[NicoRobin]

Yes it does. Thank you so much!