Bixby, OK water chemistry

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Nursenini

Nursenini

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TFP Guide
Sep 22, 2015
2,122
Bixby, Ok
Ran my first set of numbers this evening. Pool school is Wednesday morning at 9am

temp 93 degrees
pH 7.2
FC 6.5
CC 1
CH 125-175 (approx 150)
TA 60
CYA 50

I think start up guy was here brushing today. IDK if he added anything or when but it would have been after I left for work this afternoon.
Pool math estimates my pool volume as 13700 gal

From what I can tell, everything is low except FC

Thoughts?
 
Re: Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!

Your water chemistry actually looks pretty good for this stage. Your pH and TA will come up on their own from the plaster, but you could add some calcium hardness unless that's all being handled by the PB. Even so, I wouldn't take the CH up by very much just yet. Hopefully one of your other followers with more experience than me comes along to confirm, but I would be quite happy with those numbers at this stage. You could increase pH a bit for sure if that's what the PB wants, but if they're looking after it, then warranty becomes more important.

Among other things, a pool store would tell you to raise TA and then you'd end up reducing it later.

Just double-checking... you're going to chlorinate with liquid?, i.e. this is not an salt water pool?
 
Re: Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!

Been thinking about your pool, and it's OK for a few days as-is, so you can relax!! :)

FWIW, I think if it was me, I'd target having it around TFP recommended levels within a week. I'd raise CH to minimum, though how much CH is your fill water? Maybe under minimum. That is, if the pool builder has handed it off, warranty wise. Again, just me, but if was up in the air who's in charge, I wouldn't bring it up, I'd do TFPC, and track my testing and additions in case they ever blame the water. Maybe a free pool store printout each month as backup.

What's August like there? Dry and windy with wicked rainstorms now and then?

To be a little gentler on the plaster, I'd keep pH 7.5-7,8, and if it went down by itself even a whisker, I'd raise the TA, but otherwise leave it alone
FC I'd do bare minimum 4 and daily top-up to 8 ppm FC

Rest is fine, I think. Someone did the CYA right :) and that's great peace of mind :)
 
Re: Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!

Nursenini said:
Ran my first set of numbers this evening. Pool school is Wednesday morning at 9am

temp 93 degrees
pH 7.2
FC 6.5
CC 1
CH 125-175 (approx 150)
TA 60
CYA 50

I think start up guy was here brushing today. IDK if he added anything or when but it would have been after I left for work this afternoon.
Pool math estimates my pool volume as 13700 gal

From what I can tell, everything is low except FC

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

You are in pretty good shape.

Your plaster mfg wants
PH 7.2 to 7.6
After 30 days it is fine to go up to 7.8

TA 80-120
I would stay at 80, not higher, add some baking soda to raise it
After the first 30 days keep TA between 60 and 80

CH 200 to 400
Add some CH to get to 200-250

CYA at 50 is good

And they want your LSI to be 0 to 0.3

Enter all your test results into PoolMath and it will calculate your CSI, use instead of LSI
Keep your CSI 0 to +0.3 for the first 30 days and -0.3 to 0 after that.

FC is calculated based on CYA and the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]
Always keep your FC above minimum to keep your pool safe, sanitary and algae free.
Aim for target or a little higher so that the next time you add chlorine it is still 1 or 2 above minimum.

The first 30 days is critical to long plaster life. Maintaining chlorine and PH daily is very important. You do not want to have to SLAM in the first 30 days. High FC is not good for new plaster. And PH out of range either direction is very bad for plaster, especially new plaster.

Managing your CSI will add a decade or more to the life of your plaster. With proper chemistry management your plaster will last 20-30 years. Not managing it has resulted in people having to replaster in as little as 3-5 years.

More here on pool chems and how to add them to your pool
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
 
Re: Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!

One more note on start up. Run your pump 24x7 at somewhere around 1200-1600rpm. Whatever circulation level makes the water look good to you. And backwash your filter when the pressure rises 20-25% above clean level.

Are you getting much plaster dust when you brush? Did they do an acid wash the day after plaster, day of fill?
 
Re: Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!

Awsome looking pool. Make sure you run your spa jets and spa floor drain to flush fresh chlorine in them at least once a day. I run the spa main drains for 15minutes each day and also the spa jets for 5 minutes and blower for one minute during that time.
 
Re: Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!

Awsome looking pool. Make sure you run your spa jets and spa floor drain to flush fresh chlorine in them at least once a day. I run the spa main drains for 15minutes each day and also the spa jets for 5 minutes and blower for one minute during that time.
 
Re: Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!

I'm so sorry everyone! I have been working so much OT, working in the pool and have had a horrible long lasting case of vertigo, I never got back to all your comments and information. Please forgive me for the silence. I have been testing almost daily, swam 4 or 5 times, had our first large group (15 people) get together, lots of brushing, trying to read and learn about my chemistry, had pool school (VERY quick education) and clean up & grading of my yard finally happened.

pooldv said:
You are in pretty good shape.

Your plaster mfg wants
PH 7.2 to 7.6
After 30 days it is fine to go up to 7.8

TA 80-120
I would stay at 80, not higher, add some baking soda to raise it
After the first 30 days keep TA between 60 and 80

CH 200 to 400
Add some CH to get to 200-250

CYA at 50 is good

And they want your LSI to be 0 to 0.3

Enter all your test results into PoolMath and it will calculate your CSI, use instead of LSI
Keep your CSI 0 to +0.3 for the first 30 days and -0.3 to 0 after that.

FC is calculated based on CYA and the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]
Always keep your FC above minimum to keep your pool safe, sanitary and algae free.
Aim for target or a little higher so that the next time you add chlorine it is still 1 or 2 above minimum.

The first 30 days is critical to long plaster life. Maintaining chlorine and PH daily is very important. You do not want to have to SLAM in the first 30 days. High FC is not good for new plaster. And PH out of range either direction is very bad for plaster, especially new plaster.

Managing your CSI will add a decade or more to the life of your plaster. With proper chemistry management your plaster will last 20-30 years. Not managing it has resulted in people having to replaster in as little as 3-5 years.

More here on pool chems and how to add them to your pool
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Click to expand...

I somehow missed this post, pooldv :/
I have been plugging my numbers into pool math and thinking I was doing pretty good. According to your suggestions, I'm off.

Today's readings:

pool temp 91
instant salt 2800
avg salt 3100
current salt level 3057
chlorine production 35%

pH 7.8 (pool math said to add 10oz acid, so I did)
FC 7.5
CC .5 (maybe)
CH 375-425 (not sure on this test. Pool math had said to add calcium hardener, which I did, but not as much as pool math said to... At what point in this test do you call it blue??)
TA 70
CYA 60 in the shade, 75-80 in full sun with my back to it. Pool math had said to add stabilizer, I added 1/2 of what it said to... How long can you let the CYA mixture sit in the squirt bottle after you add the pool water and reagent? Does this matter? Do you freshly shake it right before pouring?
Do I need to drain some of my water???

needsajet said:
Been thinking about your pool, and it's OK for a few days as-is, so you can relax!! :)

FWIW, I think if it was me, I'd target having it around TFP recommended levels within a week. I'd raise CH to minimum, though how much CH is your fill water? Maybe under minimum. That is, if the pool builder has handed it off, warranty wise. Again, just me, but if was up in the air who's in charge, I wouldn't bring it up, I'd do TFPC, and track my testing and additions in case they ever blame the water. Maybe a free pool store printout each month as backup.

What's August like there? Dry and windy with wicked rainstorms now and then?

To be a little gentler on the plaster, I'd keep pH 7.5-7,8, and if it went down by itself even a whisker, I'd raise the TA, but otherwise leave it alone
FC I'd do bare minimum 4 and daily top-up to 8 ppm FC

Rest is fine, I think. Someone did the CYA right :) and that's great peace of mind :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, jet! Like pooldv's post, I wish I would have paid attention to my thread better instead of just concentrating on pool math, pool school and reading the testing and balancing forum.

My fill water CH is 100 if I did the test correctly. I'm not sure when to call the water blue, though...it might be higher.

I was was shooting for TFP levels (hand off was last Wednesday) but now I'm not sure I was testing correctly.


pooldv said:
One more note on start up. Run your pump 24x7 at somewhere around 1200-1600rpm. Whatever circulation level makes the water look good to you. And backwash your filter when the pressure rises 20-25% above clean level.

Are you getting much plaster dust when you brush? Did they do an acid wash the day after plaster, day of fill?
Click to expand...
I am still seeing some plaster dust as of 3 days ago. The last 2 days with them doing clean up, fill/grading of my yard there has been a ton of dirt in the pool. It's been a royal pain to try to clean it out. Today it looks better. I vacuumed yesterday and ran the pump on high for a couple hours after I brushed. I'll brush this evening and see how much dirt and/or plaster dust is left. The spa takes longer to clear the dirt than the pool....


wjr75 said:
Awsome looking pool. Make sure you run your spa jets and spa floor drain to flush fresh chlorine in them at least once a day. I run the spa main drains for 15minutes each day and also the spa jets for 5 minutes and blower for one minute during that time.
Click to expand...

I was doing that just yesterday and PB stopped by, asked me about it and said I didn't need to...think I will anyway. Better safe (and chlorinated) than sorry (and algae).
 
Re: Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!

Today's pH and Cl test. I'm reading this at 7.8 and >5
I added 11oz MA to bring it down to 7.5. I'll recheck in the morning before work.
Cl drop test shows 7.5 FC and MAYBE 0.5 CC, if that...








Today's pool water looks pretty clear. The color has changed a little.
I can still see some dirt in it but it's not dull looking like it was yesterday. Too bad they have to come back and add more dirt to the yard....




 
Re: Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!

Today's pH and Cl test. I'm reading this at 7.8 and >5
I added 11oz MA to bring it down to 7.5. I'll recheck in the morning before work.
Cl drop test shows 7.5 FC and MAYBE 0.5 CC, if that...








Today's pool water looks pretty clear. The color has changed a little.
I can still see some dirt in it but it's not dull looking like it was yesterday. Too bad they have to come back and add more dirt to the yard....




 

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Re: Hello from an excited Newbie in Bixby Oklahoma!!

pooldv said:
You are in pretty good shape.

Your plaster mfg wants
PH 7.2 to 7.6
After 30 days it is fine to go up to 7.8

TA 80-120
I would stay at 80, not higher, add some baking soda to raise it
After the first 30 days keep TA between 60 and 80

CH 200 to 400
Add some CH to get to 200-250

CYA at 50 is good

And they want your LSI to be 0 to 0.3

Enter all your test results into PoolMath and it will calculate your CSI, use instead of LSI
Keep your CSI 0 to +0.3 for the first 30 days and -0.3 to 0 after that.

FC is calculated based on CYA and the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]
Always keep your FC above minimum to keep your pool safe, sanitary and algae free.
Aim for target or a little higher so that the next time you add chlorine it is still 1 or 2 above minimum.

The first 30 days is critical to long plaster life. Maintaining chlorine and PH daily is very important. You do not want to have to SLAM in the first 30 days. High FC is not good for new plaster. And PH out of range either direction is very bad for plaster, especially new plaster.

Managing your CSI will add a decade or more to the life of your plaster. With proper chemistry management your plaster will last 20-30 years. Not managing it has resulted in people having to replaster in as little as 3-5 years.

More here on pool chems and how to add them to your pool
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Click to expand...



Nursenini said:
I somehow missed this post, pooldv :/
I have been plugging my numbers into pool math and thinking I was doing pretty good. According to your suggestions, I'm off.

Today's readings:

pool temp 91
instant salt 2800
avg salt 3100
current salt level 3057
chlorine production 35%

pH 7.8 (pool math said to add 10oz acid, so I did)
FC 7.5
CC .5 (maybe)
CH 375-425 (not sure on this test. Pool math had said to add calcium hardener, which I did, but not as much as pool math said to... At what point in this test do you call it blue??)
TA 70
CYA 60 in the shade, 75-80 in full sun with my back to it. Pool math had said to add stabilizer, I added 1/2 of what it said to... How long can you let the CYA mixture sit in the squirt bottle after you add the pool water and reagent? Does this matter? Do you freshly shake it right before pouring?
Do I need to drain some of my water???
Click to expand...


Here are more detailed test instructions for the CH and CYA
Pool School - Extended Test Kit Directions.
CYA test needs to be in full sun, back to the sun. Yes, shake before you pour. Pour it back and forth as much as you want to double or triple check the number in different light.

Yes, I would stay compliant with the plaster mfg 30 day start up numbers for the first 30 days and then move to TFP levels after. Especially with PH and TA.

CH and CYA will be ok, no need to drain. Just make sure to adjust your FC levels according to you CYA, [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]
 
Thank you! That's a relief!

I really have not gotten a clear idea of what they did to start up our pool. I know chlorine/stabilizer was added to the skimmers. I know salt was dumped in the first day or 2 and that's all I know. I was given a tiny kit for testing pH and Cl, a quick walk through on how to work the basics of my automation, clean out the filter baskets, how to vacuum with a demonstration, and a quick verbal on how to backwash but no demo as he didn't want to and I didn't have any DE on hand to replace. Otherwise, no guidance. Start up guy said he was our go to for the first little while but he hasn't responded to any texts. He was supposed to come change out our backwash hose with a longer one and bring us a skimmer basket handle we are missing but he had never shown up.
 
pooldv said:
This should cover you the DE filter
Pool School - Maintenance and Cleaning of Pool Filters
Use and care for DE filters
Click to expand...

Thanks, dv! I have also been watching YouTube videos. I'm still nervous to backwash by myself without having actually seen an in person demo. I have visions of draining 1/2 my pool within seconds (I know that won't happen) and shooting DE back into the pool (THAT could maybe happen)...

needsajet said:
How is your SWG and chlorination going?
Click to expand...
Hi jet! Ok...I think...I haven't the first clue about what it should be set at though. Right now it's at 35% production and runs when the filter runs. Looks like we are averaging around 3000ish ppm. I did the Taylor salt test once to see how the numbers compare and Taylor had me a little lower. My FC continues to read high in comparison to my CYA but I haven't done anything to it. I still need to figure out my pump run speeds, run time and all that.
I had read on here about salt cells exploding, had asked my PB about the occurrence and he told me to quit reading. I laughed. He tried to equate my reading/researching about these manufactured products to someone googling medical info and questioning me about caring for my patients in ICU. Ridiculous. Manufactured products are made for a purpose with a specific expected function, with certain variables. Any good consumer is going to read about ratings, reviews, etc (Consumer Reports is a good example). In the medical field, every case of pneumonia, COPD exacerbation, sepsis, etc is different based on the age and history of the patient as well as a huge lot of other factors. It's not something you can google.
Anyway, he told me I did not need to worry about turning it off. Even if it shows "on", it only runs when the pump is running. Once I get a better handle on things, I'll probably set it on a schedule to turn on and off with the pump schedule. Better safe than sorry....
 
Don't worry about exploding SWGs :) It takes a rare set of multiple failures and a source of ignition, so it is a stretch to make it happen even if you tried hard to do so. The SWG has a flow switch that protects it from running without water, but yep, it's still a good idea to set it so it runs at the same time as the pump. You'll have fun tuning it all up the way you want it. Really glad you have use of the pool finally and with all those grandies as well. Post your test numbers any time you want feedback.

Here's a pool care schedule that people find handy: Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
 
Here's today's numbers

FC 7
CC 1
CH 400-425
TA 70
CYA 60
pH 7.8

I added 21oz MA with a target of 7.5. I got there but then rechecked pooldv's posting of my manufacturer's requirements and added an additional 11oz for a target of 7.3, rechecked and I'm there. I'm getting this pH thing down pat.

I also added (not at the same time) baking soda to raise my TA to 80. Rechecked and I'm there.

With evaporation of 3 or so inches and rain water of 3 or so inches, is it possible for the CYA, CH and FC to drop?
Will the addition of baking soda and MA drop my FC?

I rechecked my FC and CC after I added the chems. They now read FC 5.5 and CC 0.5

Also, I can't figure out what to do to get my CSI in the range pooldv mentions (+0.3) I am consistently around -0.3
 
needsajet said:
Don't worry about exploding SWGs :) It takes a rare set of multiple failures and a source of ignition, so it is a stretch to make it happen even if you tried hard to do so. The SWG has a flow switch that protects it from running without water, but yep, it's still a good idea to set it so it runs at the same time as the pump. You'll have fun tuning it all up the way you want it. Really glad you have use of the pool finally and with all those grandies as well. Post your test numbers any time you want feedback.

Here's a pool care schedule that people find handy: Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Click to expand...

Thanks, jet!

I think ink by the time I get a handle on all this, it will be time to close the pool.
 

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