Just got my test kit in!

[Spanglerk13]

I've been lurking around for a few weeks and I finally got my test kit in today! I tested my waters.

FC 6ppm
CC .5ppm
pH 7.2
TA 100ppm
CH 300ppm
CYZ 100+ppm

My numbers seem really high. According to PoolMath I should be replacing 60% of my water. I don't know if thats possible. We use a well. What should I do? I also should mention, my water is sparkling clear.

 

[MarianParoo]

Try doing this test, item 9: Pool School - CYA

 

[Spanglerk13]

Thanks. CYA is 160 then. Yikes!

 

[MarianParoo]

Boy Howdy. Sorry. Your target FC would be about 18....

Have you ever had your fill water tested for metals?

 

[Spanglerk13]

No I have not. We just moved in a few weeks ago. They only tested to see if its drinkable.

 

[MarianParoo]

Some county extension services will test it for you. Some people go to a pool store that tests for metals. Either way, make some phone calls... Also, how do the inside of your toilet tanks look?

 

[Spanglerk13]

Ok. My toilets do have streaks of orange/brown color which means we have iron, correct? Is that bad to fill the pool up if we have iron? We do have a water softener but the auto broke and we have to manually turn it on and sometimes we forget and our water does start smelling like sulfur. No idea what any of that means.

Ill ll try to get it tested soon. In the meantime I have a pool party for my 1 year old bday party this weekend. Is it ok to swim with such high chlorine in it? Is there anything I can do to prepare it for this weekend. Like I said earlier, the water is clear and looks clean.

 

[MarianParoo]

Well, if you just have "streaks" with a water softener, then the water may not be too high in iron although there is some there, obviously. I have iron in my well water and if I have to refill, I use softened water through a MetalTrap25.

Yes, it would be safe to swim if your FC is at least 18. I would personally take it up towards 25 with a pool party. That might seem really high, but 25 is well within the correct FC/CYA ratio for a CYA of 160.

 

[Spanglerk13]

Should I wait to get it tested? Or can I replace some of the water with my well? I don't plan on doing the 70% right away. I'll have to do it slowly.

 

[MarianParoo]

Sure. You can do some now! Drain as much as you can, though. Every time you know it's going to rain, drain a bit then also.

 

[Spanglerk13]

Ok so I just drained about 6" of water. Now I'm in the process of refilling. It's suppose to rain the next few days. Should I wait to test cya till after all the rain? I already gone through one small bottle testing those 2 times and I won't be able to get more till the end of next week at the earliest. Is there another way of finding out how much cya is? I have test strips but I hate them as I have problems reading them. I know strips are not recommended but maybe the cya is somewhat accurate?

 

[MarianParoo]

Aha. You must have the 2006A. 0.75oz. bottles? Order more of the 0871 too. Maybe the powder.

If you order through TFtestkits.net, or Amato Industries, I bet you'll get them faster.

6" is not going to make a huge dent in the CYA. Don't bother testing now if your reagents are low. You can still swim with the above recommendations.

 

[MarianParoo]

And no, there is no other reliable way to test CYA.

 

[Spanglerk13]

Well then. So if I drain and refill 6" every few weeks or so plus using rainfall till the end of the season, would that make a dent? I just don't want my well going dry.

Besides my CYA and FC, will my numbers be ok till I get a good cya number? I haven't done any testing today as I replaced the water and now it's dark. I did add a gallon of bleach tho while it's refilling. My FC needs to be 18 and then dor the party it's 25, correct? I want to make sure I got the right numbers because it seems so high.

 

[MarianParoo]

It will make a dent, sure. It's just gonna take a while. Think of adding tonic to a glass full of gin. Topping off with a little tonic, makes it less strong, yes. Your next mini-dump from the glass and addition of more tonic helps too but it's still strong. Dump out half the glass from the start to get it the right strength, and you have used less tonic in the long run. Hmmm. I don't know if that makes sense but I will post it anyway.

What are the surface dimensions of your pool? Maybe we can calculate what percentage you have drained with the 6".

 

[Spanglerk13]

It's a 24' diameter round and 4' deep. So 6" would be 12 or 13%. Doesn't seem much. :/

 

[MarianParoo]

That SHOULD put you at a CYA of about 130 or so. Less gin, more tonic! That could take you to 16 for now and 23 for the party.

 

[Spanglerk13]

So I just tested again.

FC 8.5
CC 0
pH 7.6
TA 120
CH 260
CYA 100

So a couple questions. Pool math says FC should be 8-13. What should be my target? 13? I know it shouldn't go below 8. I don't think I'm going to drain and refill because I lose about 1 inch a week so between that and closing this fall, my cya should be back to normal when I refill in the spring to open. Does that sound like it might work? Also when I do the CH test, it says it turns blue but I only see purple and just gets darker purple. Should I keep adding drops till I see blue or is it just my eyes playing tricks? Thanks again for helping earlier!

 

[Spanglerk13]

Also what should my TA andCH be at? They seem high.

 

[MarianParoo]

First off: Is that CYA of 100 with the diluted test?