First time Pool Owner - No FC results

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aubie96

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Mar 9, 2017
28
Atlanta/GA
Here are my results from this evening using the K-2006 kit. I might need to still get a hang of it but here they are.


FC - I could not get the 10ml of water to turn pink no matter how much of the powder I was putting in. I think I tried close to 10 scoops.
CC - could not get to this due to above
pH - 8
TA - 110pm
CH - 230ppm
CYA >100 (very cloud)

The pool was managed by a company till about a month ago and I took over now. Its a gunnite pool about 20x40 approximately built in the early 70s. Will give exact measurements and pool equipment on saturday if not earlier.

Yip suggested I try the FC test with tap water and I will give that a go tomorrow.

I am just reading up on the CYA and Chlorine stuff and most probably will be doing some shopping this weekend for chlorine and all.

Seeing the results above, what do you all suggest? I am keeping the pool as clean as possible but not having a cover and surrounded by trees is not helping me a whole lot. Want to invest in a cover soon. Any suggestions?

Thanks
 
Absolutely you need to pour a gallon of household bleach in there and let the pump mix it all in. Then re-test. You can't go without chlorine or you're going to experience an algae bloom.

Do this first thing tomorrow...it really is important to have that chlorine in there.

Next: take a fresh sample of pool water and re-test the FC/CC and then do a dilution test for the CYA. It may be far over 100ppm, so you need to get an idea on how much higher. Take *equal amounts* of pool water and tap water and mix them. Then use this water as your pool sample and perform the test again (outside in the sun with the sun to your back) When you see your results double that number. That is your CYA. You're going to have to drain some water and refill to lower that CYA as it doesn't degrade or evaporate out of the pool. The higher your CYA is, the more chlorine your pool requires to stay algae free.

Buy a gallon of Muriatic acid from Lowes in the paint section- it should be 31% and run abour $8 or so? You need that tomorrow to lower your pH. Also very important. When you're ready we'll tell you how much to put in, and how to find this information yourself.

Your CH is just a skosh low, but that's easily fixed after everything else. We can even use a bit of CalHypo to get you there if you don't want to bother with a big bucket of calcium. Later though...

Get back to us-

Yip :flower:
 
Dang it.
:mad:
Got the HDX outdoor bleach on impulse when I went to get the muriatic acid and bleach. Double checked just before pouring in and glad I did that. I see that I need to get the germicidal based on other postings. If I go to Kroger, which brand/strength bleach is advised? I do have the muriatic acid. Can I put that in before I get the bleach or wait until bleach application is done?
 
It would be fine (preferable actually) to lower the pH first. Go easy, add 1/2 -2/3 what pool math says and retest after 30 minutes before adding more.

Any 8.25% bleach from the grocery store or Wal-Mart is fine.
 
So, I found some super soluble Sanitizer chlorine granules and I do have a Haywards Chlorine Feeder. I am guessing I can use them in the long run once this initial bleaching is done?
I also have a clean pump and a pool pump with timers set to noon. When I add chemicals, how do I force the pump to work? By changing the time to a few minutes from that time or is there another way to override it? Sorry for all these questions but just catching up finally. I see a Pentair FNS Plus Fiberglass Diatomaceous Earth Filter with a sand bag nearby. Will be uploading pics online and post url here soon. Regards
 
Generally, any solid chlorine is going to add something to your pool that you can't get rid of without draining and replacing the water. If you want to use solid chlorine products, that's ok, so long as you're testing your water, are making adjustments to other chemicals as needed to avoid getting out of balance (e.g. if your chlorination method is adding CYA, you're going to have to increase the amount of FC you're maintaining in the pool over time to counterbalance it) and understand that at some point you'll have to drain water and replace it. That's why most of us use bleach or liquid chlorine on a normal basis - to prevent the addition of unwanted extra CYA.

What kind of pool timer do you have? If you can give us details or a photo of it, we can help you get it configured.
 

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Below the dial showing the times, there is a lever sticking out. Flip the lever to the right (or left) to turn the pump on/off manually. If it's off, and it's very close to the time it just turned off, the lever might not move since the little tab that turns it on and off will block it from turning back on. If you're just trying to turn it on (or off) and you're not close to the time it's supposed to turn on/off, just flip the lever and you're done. Don't forget to turn it back off when you're done, or if you do forget, the next time the off time comes around the timer will shut off the pump automatically.

There is an owners manual here:
http://www.intermatic.com/-/media/inriver/7170-8615.ashx/PF1202T-InstructionManual-EN

This pump is usually designed to operate two different pumps (or possibly a single, dual speed pump at high/low). You'll have to consult an expert here to get more details on which dial controls what function of your pump(s).
 
Just buy the basic, generic household 8.25% bleach from Kroger or Walmart. Actually check the pool section of Wallyworld as they sometimes have stronger 10% liquid chlorine there that works well. No scents, no thickeners, no "outside" specific labels.... just plain bleach.

Don't use granular or puck chlorine products unless you also desire to add more CYA or calcium to the pool. They *always* contain one or the other, and both calcium and cya build up and don't leave the pool without a water exchange.

Yippee :flower:
 
A gallon of the generic bleach from Kroger is added. I did start the pumps (filter and cleaner) manually thanks to triptyx. I was freaking out for a second that maybe the pumps were shot or something. I do see a lot of debris in the glass module (?) and I am guessing I need to read up on how to turn off power, and maybe turn off a few valves, release the pressure (its about 25psi right now when running) and then open that lid.

I read up on the manual for the timer. Now comes the question of how long should I run them at this point? Any suggestions on duration/time etc? Regards.
 
aubie96 said:
I read up on the manual for the timer. Now comes the question of how long should I run them at this point? Any suggestions on duration/time etc? Regards.
Click to expand...


At this time of year, with all the pollen we're getting, I'd start at 4 hours and see if that keeps the pool clean. If not, add some hours. If so, you could always bump it down an hour and see if it stays nice. Its a balancing game unless you just don't mind running it around the clock or for more hours than it actually needs.

Yip :flower:
 
IMG_2212.JPGIMG_2215.JPG The pool pump is shown here and its controlled by the right timer. I have another booster pump (Centurion) connected to the left timer. I have set the left timer now to start at 10am and go till 2pm. The right will start around 1030 and go till 130. Is that what you see too? Want to make sure I am reading it right. The manual said that the left one should be running longer than the right timer. Or have the usage in my case been different due to the introduction of a booster pump?
 
So I'm reading it that your actual pool pump/filter equipment runs from 10:00 to 13:30 hrs (3.5 hrs).

Your Polaris pump appears to run aprox 09:30 to 15:00 (5.5 hrs).

Sidenote: Your pump basket needs cleaning out :)

Can you take a pic of the entire pool so we can determine if its vinyl or gunnite? Vinyl often has fake printed on tile up at the edge whereas gunnite usually has real tile up top. Its important for you to know which you have because the recommended chemistry levels are not the same.

Yip :flower:
 
Thanks for reading the timer. I need to get a hang of it and actually have decent lighting in that shed to start with.

FC -3
CC -1
CYA - TBD (its stil cloudy both in test solution and weather). Will follow the suggestion of using half tap water and half pool water and report back.
ph - 8. I had to add 3 drops to bring it back to R-005 to bring the solution back to colorless.

I believe the pool is gunnite since the entire surface feels coarse to the hand. I am attaching a pic.

IMG_2258.jpg
 
Should I add more bleach at this point to bring up the FC and CC?
Should I also add more muriatic acid to bring down the pH?
The water is clear but there is a good bit of dusty debris (pollen too). The pump basket has been cleaned.
 
Yes, bring the FC up (and CC's mean something is in the water that may need to be addressed. Goal is no CCs or less than 0.5) So go ahead and add a gallon per day until we get a better read on the CYA.

Yes, go ahead and bring the pH down. I'd suggest taking it down to 7.2 to 7.4. Have you figured out how PoolMath can help you determine how much MA to use?

Are those real tiles, with grout between them on the top edge of your pool? I can't tell by the picture.

Yippee :flower:
 

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