DAY 1 at TFP

[TXTOM]

received my test kit and ran the tests yesterday and again this morning to ensure consistent results. Have read the intro articles and run the numbers through the calculator. Calculator indicates adding bleach, baking soda and CYA and drain/replace 35%. However, I'm not sure why the chlorine is not getting into the pool? I filled the chlorinator last night and ran the pump all night. Any help is appreciated.

Results:
CC - .5
FC - 0
Chlorine - 0
CH - 400
TA - 90
CYA - 20
PH - 7.5

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello and welcome to TFP! First about the drain. Not sure why? Is your water clean & clear? No cloudiness or algae? Your CH is fine (manageable) and the CYA is actually low (20), so I don't see a need to exchange water. Your TA is fine for now, certainly not low, so I wouldn't raise it at all. PH is great. Chlorine & CYA are your issues right now. Since your pool appears to be a non-SWG pool, raise CYA to about 40 in preparation for summer and balance the FC accordingly as noted on the Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below). Add the bleach ASAP because no FC = algae. It should never be below 3. Be advised we will normally recommend that you stay away from the in-line & tabs. They will increase CYA over the season requiring a drain. You seem to be okay at the moment, but watch it closely. Stick to regular bleach from HEB or Wal-Mart and you'll do just fine with no side-effects.

Great to have yo with us at TFP!

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

Change your target level for CH to 400 and it shouldn't tell you to drain. No need to drain to lower CH. No need to add baking soda either. Baking soda raise ta and yours is fine. Here are the recommended levels, Pool School - Recommended Levels

 

[TXTOM]

Thank you for the help. Just so I'm clear, I should be using bleach only and no longer buying/using the chlorine tablets/inline chlorinator. Sorry for the basic questions, just goes against the normal procedures I'm used to!

 

[pooldv]

No worries, ask away.

Bleach/liquid chlorine is best for every day chlorinating of your pool. It is fine to use trichlor pucks when you will be away from the pool for a while or when you want to slowly increase your CYA level from time to time.

More here, Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool

And some more fun reading here,
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - Getting Started
TFPC for Beginners

 

[Richard320]

If CYA is only 20, whatever chlorine you're adding is probably being destroyed by the sun. Or you have the beginnings of an algae bloom. Which one it is can be easily settled with an overnight loss test using bleach. Shut off the chlorinator so it doesn't skew the results. Here's the reasoning in a nutshell: only 2 things consume chlorine: sunlight, and organics. If you test after the sun goes down and again before it comes up, you've eliminated sunlight as a possibility. So if you lose overnight, it's organics -- algae. That calls for what we call a SLAM. But let's hold off on that one, so I don;t have to type so much. If it held, then it's sunlight. You just need to raise the CYA level and make sure you add enough bleach every day to make up for the losses. Typical loss is 2-3 ppm/day. Less if it's covered, more with intense sun or lots of swimmers.

 

[Paul & Crystal]

Beautiful Pool! Welcome to TFP

Crystal