Cyanuric Acid 1st? or does it make a difference?

[Sleiman]

Here are the results of my first ever water test:

Free Chlorine: 6.09 ppm
Total Chlorine: 7.36 ppm
Combined Chlorine: 1.27 ppm
pH: 8.4
Hardness: 72 ppm
Alkalinity (w/stabilizer correction): 98 ppm
Cyanuric Acid: 5 ppm
Copper: 0 ppm
Iron: 0.1 ppm
Salt: 3800 ppm

I was recommended 8.5 cups of stabilizer (sock in skimmer), supercholorinate and Add 6 cups of easy down (pH).

Sound recommendation?
Do I start with Cyanuric Acid 1st, then pH then superchlorinate, or can I do all at once? Is the order important?
THANKS!!

 

[Texas Splash]

If it were me, I would start this way.....
1 - Order either a TF-100 (go south to pick up) or Taylor K-2006C test kit to validate my own numbers. Store testing can be off in some areas and you can't afford that error.
2 - Get a sock soaking with only enough stabilizer for a CYA goal of 30. With a SWG you should have 70, but you need to be cautious for now until you can test it on your own. If you want, you can increase it to about 50, but I wouldn't want you to go too high just incase the store's test was too low.
3 - Lower pH immediately with muriatic acid. It's cheaper and works great. Get the pH to the mid 7s - almost never above 7.8.
4 - Keep the FC around 5-7, never below 3. Use regular bleach if you ever need to quick increase.

I can't emphasize enough about the test kit. It makes a big difference. Hope that helps.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum! :handshake:

I assume those are pool store tests.

Have you added any CYA in the past? If not, then put enough CYA powder in a sock to get to 40 ppm CYA. Put the sock in the skimmer or hang in front of a return.

Add 3 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine today. Tomorrow use [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] based on 40 ppm CYA.

Once your CYA is fully dissolved, wait 24 hours and then test for it.

You MUST have your own test kit. Order it now. We suggest a TF100 from TFTestkits.net. Or the Taylor K2006C. Get the SpeedStir, makes testing much easier.

Once you get CYA to 40 ppm and FC is holding well, then raise your CYA to 70 ppm in preparation to start your SWCG. Do NOT use Superchlorinate or whatever. Use LC to raise your FC to target level based on [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] and set your SWCG to generate 4ppm of FC each day.

Use SWG Run Time Calculator to dial in your SWCG.

Digest that and ask more questions!! Take care.

- - - Updated - - -

I see Pat caught you are in Canada. That makes getting a test kit a bit more difficult. Your best bet is to order it and ship to a mail drop at the nearest US border town from your location. Then drive down and pick it up.

 

[Sleiman]

Thank you Texas Splash! I already ordered my TF-100 and is coming with relatives in a couple of weeks. Did this based on this site's recommendations.
My Free Chlorine is already 6.09. I was told that I had some organic matter in the pool (bacteria, whatever) because of the high combined Chlorine number, which is recommended to be between 0-0.2 ppm, or I may have misunderstood?

 

[Sleiman]

Thank you mknauss!
Yes these were store test results, I had to do it at the store because my test kit won't get here till the end of the month.
It will be my 1st time adding stabilizer. I will start doing that now.
I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by adding 3 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine today. Using the calculator on this side, it tells me that adding 7000 ml of 5.25% bleach will raise the FC by 3 and raise salt by 5. Is that what you mean?
are you suggesting that I keep my SWCG off until all this is balanced?
Thanks again!

 

[mknauss]

The issue is no way to test FC. So you are flying blind until you get your test kit. So I would not use the SWCG until you can test.

So as Pat said better than I, bring your CYA up to a lower level and then use liquid chlorine. Keep at least 3 ppm FC in the pool each day. The easist way to do that without testing is to add 3 - 4 ppm FC worth each day (based on CYA of 30 - 40) as you will lose about 3 ppm each day.

For pH, you can get a cheap test at Walmart or Canadian Tire. Or you can believe the pool store. It may be higher than reality as when you transport the sample to the store you aerate the small amount of water you are carrying.

Take care.

 

[Sleiman]

Pat and mknauss, can't thank you enough! Here's an update:
- Only one more week till I receive my excel test kit... yay!
- I have tested the water at two different pool stores today and here are the results:

Test Store 1 Store 2
FC 8.16 6.42
TC 8.16 7.12
CC 0 0.7
pH 7.6 7.7
Hardness 73 71
Alk. 91 97
Cy.Acid 37 32
Iron 0 0
Copper 0 0
Salt 4000 2700
Phosphate N/A 1237 ppb

So.... some tests are pretty close, but others are off like the Chlorine and salt. How can these be THAT different. I guess this goes to show how inaccurate these store tests are? but at least I can believe the ones that are close, like the stabilizer or alkanity or ph, right?
As for salt, my OmniLogic shows 3.2 g/l salt.
Anyway... should i just wait till i get my kit to do anything?
Thanks again!

 

[mknauss]

I would not use the PS tests for anything.

You know how much CYA you added. If you got the two way test I suggested just maintain it the way I discussed.

Maintain your FC at or above 3 ppm.

 

[Sleiman]

I would not use the PS tests for anything.

Haha... ok.

 

[Sleiman]

Just wanted to give you guys an update now that I've got the test kit and got the hang of testing stuff for a few times. Here are my latest test readings:
FC=4
CC=0
TC=4
pH=7.5
Alkalinity=130
Hardness=130
CYA=between 50 and 60

Using the SWG calculations and my own observation regarding how much FC is used up and the rateat which my SWG produces chlorine, I figured I need to run it at 40% for 24 hours to maintain my FC loss (which is around 2 ppm daily) - I keep my pool covered all night and half way through the day.

Does that sound logical?
Is 40% 24 hours (or 80% for 12 hours) normal SWG runtime?
Shall I keep adding CYA until I reach 70?

Thanks again!

 

[mknauss]

For a pool covered most of the time your FC use sounds fine. Your SWCG is rated for 40K and you have a 33K pool so without the cover you would need to run your SWCG at 100% for over 20 hours each day.

With a cover you may not need the high CYA, but it should not hurt. As you are at 60 ppm CYA I would leave it there personally.

 

[Sleiman]

Thank you mknauss!