Different Results

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C

charlottesweb

0
Jun 29, 2009
8
Lincoln, Nebraska
I'm new to this "forum"...but I don't have a lot of money to spend going to a pool place. I had a smaller above ground pool last year 10foot round by 30inches deep & had no problem maintaining the chemicals. We've upgraded to a 15foot round by 48inches deep above ground. I am having major issues getting the chemicals to balance & I am getting different results with the test strips & a Vue Block Test Kit. So which one is correct?? Here are the specifications....

Above ground pool 15'round by 48" deep
5310 Gallons
I've added so far: 16oz HTH Stabilizer, 5oz Superchlorination Shock, 1 cup Muratic Acid

Test strips results show:
TH - 200
FC - 0
PH - 8.4
TA - shows blue, only green shades on box to compare to
CYA - 30-50

Vue Block Test Kit
CL - 1.5/3.0
PH - 7.8
That is all this test kit tests for

So which one is correct? And how do I get everything in balance? The chemicals I currently have are
HTH Chlorinating Granules
HTH Shock & Swim
Muratic Acid
HTH Stabilizer & Conditioner

At this point I am just confused..........
 
Test strips like you are using are notoriously inaccurate.

Also, one of the main purposes of this website is to help keep folks OUT of the pool stores by arming you with the knowledge you need to maintain your water.

Your best bet would be to invest in a good test kit, like the one linked in my signature. (The 2 best kits, TF100 and Taylor K-2006, are not found in stores.) It will be a small investment that will save you a ton of money and frustration.

You need some chlorine in your pool... we suggest using unstabilized chlorine such as liquid chlorine or even bleach (they are the same product, just different strengths)
Check out Jason's Calculator, linked in my signature, to help you determine how much to add!

Please take a little time and read the articles in Pool School... then post back here with questions!!

I know you feel overwhelmed, but with a little time and practice, you WILL have a Trouble Free Pool!

Welcome to TFP!
 
If you don't have the money to invest for the test kits the mermaid queen suggested,

Go to walmart and get the HTH 6 way drop test kit, it is under $20 plus tax. That is what I am currently using and by using that test set up, my pool is starting to level out just fine.

I am relatively new here, if the Vue block test kit, is the one that you put drops in, then thats the one you want to go by. first 4 weeks as a pool owner, I was using the test strips and they just aggravated me to death! :rant:
 
What are the active ingredients on the HTH chlorinating granules you listed?

16 oz of stabilizer should put your CYA level at about 20. Another 16 oz and you should be in range. :goodjob:

Then refer to the CYA chlorine chart for your recommended FC levels.

I believe the shock & swim is cal-hypo and I believe the granules are as well? If so, using those up will mean your calcium level will get higher. They are ok for occasional use. Bleach would be better.

I agree, if you can't swing for the TF100, at the very least get the HTH 6-way for $20. With the 6-way, you can check your TA level too, and if that's high, we'll have you lower it with muratic acid. Right now, if the PH goes above 7.8 on the drop-test kit, lower it to 7.2 with the muratic acid. Use the Pool Calculator to figure out how much acid that is.
 
The active ingredients in the HTH Chlorinating Granules is:
Calcium Hypochlorite 47.6%
Other Ingredients 52.4%
In the HTH literature is also states this to be an unstabile chlorine. So I imagine this will work to bring up the FAC?

Also the test strips I am referring to are the HTH 6-way Swimming Pool & Spa Test Strips.

I also forgot to mention I am using the pump/filter that came with the pool. It pumps 1000 gallons per hour & uses a cartridge.







frustratedpoolmom said:
What are the active ingredients on the HTH chlorinating granules you listed?

16 oz of stabilizer should put your CYA level at about 20. Another 16 oz and you should be in range. :goodjob:

Then refer to the CYA chlorine chart for your recommended FC levels.

I believe the shock & swim is cal-hypo and I believe the granules are as well? If so, using those up will mean your calcium level will get higher. They are ok for occasional use. Bleach would be better.

I agree, if you can't swing for the TF100, at the very least get the HTH 6-way for $20. With the 6-way, you can check your TA level too, and if that's high, we'll have you lower it with muratic acid. Right now, if the PH goes above 7.8 on the drop-test kit, lower it to 7.2 with the muratic acid. Use the Pool Calculator to figure out how much acid that is.
Click to expand...
 
Okay, I bought the 6-way test kit from walmart. Here are my results......

chlorine - 5
br - 10
cya - 45
ph is between 7.8 & 8.2

I don't understand the alkalinity nor hardness test. The end result for the alkalinity is 300 (30 drops to change it from green to red) & the hardness was 250 (25 drops to change it from red to blue). How do I come up with the actual alkalinity reading????

I know I need to lower the ph with muratic acid, but I can't seem to get the pool calculator to work right.

I've also added another 16oz of granular stabilizer (7-2) which I know takes up to a week to dissolve. I've also added 1/2 gallon of bleach.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. My kids would like to go swimming !!!!!!

Thanks for the help !!!!


The Mermaid Queen said:
Test strips like you are using are notoriously inaccurate.

Also, one of the main purposes of this website is to help keep folks OUT of the pool stores by arming you with the knowledge you need to maintain your water.

Your best bet would be to invest in a good test kit, like the one linked in my signature. (The 2 best kits, TF100 and Taylor K-2006, are not found in stores.) It will be a small investment that will save you a ton of money and frustration.

You need some chlorine in your pool... we suggest using unstabilized chlorine such as liquid chlorine or even bleach (they are the same product, just different strengths)
Check out Jason's Calculator, linked in my signature, to help you determine how much to add!

Please take a little time and read the articles in Pool School... then post back here with questions!!

I know you feel overwhelmed, but with a little time and practice, you WILL have a Trouble Free Pool!

Welcome to TFP!
Click to expand...
 
your cya is fine, don't add more. there should be a chart or explanation on the muriatic acid bottle to tell you how much to add to get desired effect. or read the pool school article on how to use the calculator. why can't your kids go swimming? is it green?
 
A good place to start with my Pool Calculator is the Pool School article on how to us it. If you have specific questions, fee free to ask.

It sounds like you did the TA and CH tests correctly. Your TA level is 300 (high) and your CH level is 250 (fine). Because your TA is high, you want to lower the PH down to 7.2. One approach to lowering PH is to add one cup of acid, give it 30 minutes to mix in, and then test your PH and see where you are. Repeat as often as needed to get the PH to where you want it (lowering the amount of acid used if you are getting close).
 
no, the water is not green...just trying to be careful so there is no problems with their skin. My son finds reasons for "burning' of the eyes if the chemicals aren't right. I know it's mainly me, but I have a 7-month grandson who just loves the water & with baby skin being "tender", I was a little worried before but feel more at ease now that all you guys have helped me. They will probably go in today !!!!

Thanks so much to all of you !!!! I was ready to "throw in the towel". But I now have a better understanding of how to get things "in-line" after reading the pool guide & all the help you all have given me!!!!



reebok said:
your cya is fine, don't add more. there should be a chart or explanation on the muriatic acid bottle to tell you how much to add to get desired effect. or read the pool school article on how to use the calculator. why can't your kids go swimming? is it green?
Click to expand...
 

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Thanks for the help. One more question comes to mind....How long after adding muratic acid can people get in the pool? I was told 4 hours after adding muratic acid.


JasonLion said:
A good place to start with my Pool Calculator is the Pool School article on how to us it. If you have specific questions, fee free to ask.

It sounds like you did the TA and CH tests correctly. Your TA level is 300 (high) and your CH level is 250 (fine). Because your TA is high, you want to lower the PH down to 7.2. One approach to lowering PH is to add one cup of acid, give it 30 minutes to mix in, and then test your PH and see where you are. Repeat as often as needed to get the PH to where you want it (lowering the amount of acid used if you are getting close).
Click to expand...
 
Current Readings :

PH 7.2 to 7.5
AL 220
HARDNESS 220
CYA 40
CL 1
BR 2

Okay, I know I need to get the alkalinity down. So I need to keep adding muratic acid to lower the ph? By aerating, would leaving the pump run work? Or do I need to add some other type of pump (like a fish pond or aquarium pump)? This being a "pop-up" pool, adding a makeshift waterfall would be difficult. I also know I have to get the chlorine back up. The reading for CL & BR are from the OTO test. Using the pool calculator, I know how much of everything to add. But I have one more problem.....

I have a white film mainly around the bottom edge (about a 6inches on the bottomw & 6 inches going up the side). I plan on vacuuming today, but I am curious to know what this is. Is it some kind of hard water or calcium buildup? Or is it white algae? How can I figure it out. Because I started out with out of wack readings, I don't know what to think.

On the Chlorine/CYA Chart, if the cya is 40, the minimum fc should be 3, the target fc should be 5, but what is the shock fc of 16 mean?????

Thanks for the help, it is really appreciated !!! :)
 
charlottesweb said:
Current Readings :

PH 7.2 to 7.5
AL 220
HARDNESS 220
CYA 40
CL 1
BR 2

Okay, I know I need to get the alkalinity down. So I need to keep adding muratic acid to lower the ph? By aerating, would leaving the pump run work? Or do I need to add some other type of pump (like a fish pond or aquarium pump)? This being a "pop-up" pool, adding a makeshift waterfall would be difficult. I also know I have to get the chlorine back up. The reading for CL & BR are from the OTO test. Using the pool calculator, I know how much of everything to add. But I have one more problem.....

I have a white film mainly around the bottom edge (about a 6inches on the bottomw & 6 inches going up the side). I plan on vacuuming today, but I am curious to know what this is. Is it some kind of hard water or calcium buildup? Or is it white algae? How can I figure it out. Because I started out with out of wack readings, I don't know what to think.

On the Chlorine/CYA Chart, if the cya is 40, the minimum fc should be 3, the target fc should be 5, but what is the shock fc of 16 mean?????

Thanks for the help, it is really appreciated !!! :)
Click to expand...

Yes, as your pH rises you add MA to lower it; you also lower the TA when you add the acid. Your pH will rise slowly as the pool outgasses CO2, aerating just accelerates the outgassing. Unfortunately, your pump won't aerate the pool unless it's rippling the water on the top or actually causing the water to froth. I don't know if an aquarium pump would do much, but it might be better than nothing. If you have an air compressor, you might be able to rig up something to bubble the water, too.

edit: Unless you're trying to lower TA, you don't need to add acid until your pH has risen to around 7.8 or so.

I've never heard of white algae, so I would think it might be some type of scaling. Of course, I've been wrong before, so if anyone else knows, please chime in!

The shock level of 16 means if you need to shock the pool because of an algae bloom or for any other reason, that's the level you should bring your FC up to and maintain until your issue's cleared up. Remember, shock is something you DO to a pool, not something you add to a pool.
 
Hello,
I have been reading here since last year and never posted before(i think) because all my questions were already asked and answered. I know close to zero when it comes to pools. I said close because there is something I do know, the white residue is from the HTH. I had the same problem last year and when I changed to another brand the white residue stooped. Of course that brand raised my CYA without telling me and I got a green pool. That's another story for another day. Anyway back to your problem I was told at the pool store the white residue is a binder used in HTH chlorine.
Good Luck
 
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