New Pool Owner - Water Results

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T

tower_aviator

0
May 25, 2017
3
Orlando
Hi Folks

Long story short the builder finished the pool, filled it with water and added starter chemicals. I have a Salt Chlorine Generator. I went to the pool store since the pool was a bit cloudy and I'm out $100, it helped a little but not a lot. I learned my lesson there. I bought a K2006 Taylor kit, below are my results. Any and all information is greatly appreciated. I plan on taking care of the pool myself from now on.

5/25/17
(Pool size 18,000 gallons)
Free Chlorine = 5 PPM
Combined Chlorine = .5 PPM
PH = 8
TA = 150
CH = 150
CYA= 100
 
Welcome to the forum! Be sure to put your pool details in your signature.

Your numbers are not crazy, but you're going to have some problems to correct. First, your pH is at 8.0. You need to get this down to 7.6 using muriatic acid. You'll find with a SWG (salt water generator) your pH will rise, which is normal. If you find it rising back to 8.0 within a few days, you need to consider lowering alkalinity. 150 is probably fairly high. But if your pH is stable, then don't worry about it too much. Adding acid will reduce it over time.

CYA is also a bit high. You'll have to maintain more than 5ppm of FC to properly sanitize your pool. The only way to get rid of it is to drain water and refill. Hopefully it's actually 100 and not 150 or something (>100 isn't easily observable on the CYA test without dilution).

Anyway, you're in the right place! Most of us started at the pool store and then found a better way. Be sure to read Pool School, and learn to use the PoolMath calculator. You'll be fine. :)
 
I think the first thing to deal with is the CYA level. Is your measurement of 100 ppm accurate? cuz if it is... your pool builder should refund some of the money you paid him to get the initial pool water chemistry right. Search on this site to find the proper way to execute the CYA test... it's tricky...

Cliff Notes:

Do it in full sunlight, with your back to the sun and the "vial" in your shadow at waist level.

If the CYA level is truly reading 100 ppm, then the recommendation by most here will be to do a partial drain and refill.

Good luck...
 
CH is the last thing to worry about, especially if you might have a large water replacement. CH of 150 is not going to damage anything in the short term if your pool is plaster, and is not an issue at all for a vinyl lined pool.
 
The pool is plaster. I just redid the CYA test facing away from the sun and tube at waist level. the CYA is definitely at 100.

How much chlorine should I add? I read that it should be between 3 and 5 PPM, why am I raising this? Can I add it in liquid form?
 
You should first read Pool School - Pool School to better understand the chemical levels, what they do, and how they relate to each other. Based on your CYA of 100, you really need a free chlorine (FC) level of 11-13 to properly sanitize the pool. Your CYA is far too high to keep this properly maintained, and the only solution is to drain half the water and fill it up. Even then you will have a value of 50 CYA, which means you'll need to keep a FC of 7-9. This is doable. The "3-5ppm" the industry says is just wrong, unless you have no stabilizer. Right now you should focus on CYA and FC.

Once you do drains/refills to reduce CYA, then worry about hardness. First, CYA, then FC and pH, then all the other stuff.
 
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