Newby in need of advice balancing

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Morning test results after the shock fiasco..

FC- 14
CC- 0
ph- 8.0 (acid demand was 15 drops)
TA- 90
CH- 330
CYA- 30
SI- 0.5

Notes; Pool water is clear, algae is not noticeable by the eye
Maintenance; cut the SWCG down 50%
Chemicals; based on the Acid Demand test, added 1gal of Muriatic Acid. Stopped with the conditioner.

Questions; I assume the 1 gal of Muriatic Acid is going to deteriorate my TA? Should I be adding baking soda, or should I just leave it alone and test again this evening?

Thanks in advance
 
Is the pool water crystal clear, like you can see if a quarter is heads or tails in the deep end, or if the drain has philips or flat heat screws?

The pH test is invalid with FC over 10. Hang on adjusting your pH until you can test below 10.

Your CYA is too low, if you don't need to SLAM.
 
Mr Bruce said:
Is the pool water crystal clear, like you can see if a quarter is heads or tails in the deep end, or if the drain has philips or flat heat screws?

The pH test is invalid with FC over 10. Hang on adjusting your pH until you can test below 10.

Your CYA is too low, if you don't need to SLAM.
Click to expand...

Yes, the pool is crystal clear, I can see definition of anything in the deep end.

I've already put 1 gal of Muriatic Acid to adjust the ph per the Taylor Acid Demand Test.. Guess I'm in trouble? Is there anything I should do?
 
I hope that wasn't 31% MA. My pool is almost 3x that size and I add like 10oz at a time. How much did pool math tell you needed?

Please confirm the percentage on the bottle and any date codes you see. Were there strong fumes coming from the bottle?

It's a good idea to either a) run things by TFP members or b) take very small half steps to creep up on numbers, especially acid addition.
 
Mr Bruce said:
I hope that wasn't 31% MA. My pool is almost 3x that size and I add like 10oz at a time. How much did pool math tell you needed?

Please confirm the percentage on the bottle and any date codes you see. Were there strong fumes coming from the bottle?

It's a good idea to either a) run things by TFP members or b) take very small half steps to creep up on numbers, especially acid addition.
Click to expand...

I used Jasco Green Muriatic Acid, nothing on the bottle but the website states 20% hydrochloric acid. I did not use pool math however I did use the Taylor Acid Demand test chart.

I'm not touching another chemical until I run it by TFP members from now on. Once I feel I'm getting a handle on this from a knowledge standpoint, I'm dead wrong.
 
Good, you might be ok (ish). You may have some pH work to do but there is no way to know until your FC drops below 10. Cut off the SWG for now.
 
No, nothing until the FC drops and you can get a good pH test. Hopefully it'll drop enough by tomorrow. When it does drop to below 10 run a full test, especially pH and TA.
 
Okay, after my confusion and mistakes, here are the details of the pool now that the FC is below 10 after the shock a couple days ago.

Pool is crystal clear, sunny day near 80, no visible signs of algae whatsoever. Pump has been running 24 hrs a day, SWG is at 0%.

FC- 7.4
CC- 0
ph- 7.2
TA- 60
CH- 310
CYA- 50
Salt- 3300
water temp- 78

I promised Mr Bruce that I wouldn't touch a chemical until I ran it past TFP first :D

- - - Updated - - -
 
For the FC/CC test you can do a 10ml water sample and each drop is 0.5 FC btw. Saves reagent.

Man, that is awesome. Those are pretty good numbers, I was hoping you hadn't sunk your pH and crashed your TA.

All there is to do now is bump the CYA up to at least 70 and you are set to go.

Whew!
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
According to Pool Math, to increase the CYA, I'm to add 28oz of conditioner...

Pool Math also states to add the following to get to my optimum level...

ph is 7.2 want 7.5 add 10oz of soda ash
TA is 60 want 70 add 19oz of baking soda
CH is 310 want 350 add 47oz of calcium chloride
CYA is 50 want 70 add 28oz of stabilizer

Now I understand that adding stabilizer will adjust the CYA to the proper level and this will help the FC stabilize. But I'm still trying to grasp how it will adjust the other numbers that are slightly low. I guess that comes with experience.

For now I'm just going to throw 28oz of conditioner in a sock and put it in the skimmer.

The last question I have is.. should I run the SWCG up a bit to protect the FC number? When the pool guy was around he had that running around 4% all the time..?
 
If you are going to do an OCLT you do not want the SWCG on. It's up to you, if you have pulled every light, ladder and checked behind the skimmer weir and are (currently) experiencing very little FC loss you can go without. On the other hand, it'd take very little time, just a FC test after the sun goes down and one before the sun comes up. I just realized you were originally SLAMming this pool, and never did really finish. The last step of a SLAM is an OCLT so you should do one.

Don't worry about all those other numbers. pH will probably rise over time, just knock it down when it gets to the 8s. TA is perfect for now. CH is fine, anywhere 250-350 is good (CSI dependent). CYA does need to come up when it's SWCG time.

I do the sock-in-a-skimmer thing as well but the pump needs to run continuously while the sock is in there with undissolved CYA. I get on my knees and massage it to make it go quicker, usually just a couple minutes.
 
I like to dissolve the CYA in a sock in front of the return for this reason. If you use the skimmer then undissolved CYA will sit in your filter and can be removed from your system by back washing or cleaning your cartridges.
 
I don't have a cartridge filter (although sometimes wish I did) but you need to clean them I see no reason not too. If you could post where you saw that or if someone else would like to chime in I'd be glad to learn.

Let us know how the OCLT goes.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply