New convert

[Peter T]

Hi all,
I'm a new owner of a 15,000 gallon solar heated pool. After reading your posts I've decided to say good bye to the pool man, buy the TF100 kit, stock up with some BBB and am ready to be baptized into the system. Obviously I need help determining what/how much BBB if any I need to add.

My readings as a first timer I think are accurate but was unsure with CH test where my pink vial didn't quit turn "blue" but lavender at 60 drops of R-0012 and slightly more blue at 70 drops (high nonetheless):

FC: 0.5
CC: 0.5
TC: 1
pH: 7.0
T/A: 100
CH: 600-700
CYA: 71

Hope someone can help me determine what BBB recipe I need to make the switch. BTW, had a minor showing of green algae last week and yesterday so I threw in a 1 lbs bag of shock from HomeDepot each time which was all I had on my shelf at the time.

Thanks for your help,
Peter

 

[polyvue]

I'm a new owner of a 15,000 gallon solar heated pool. After reading your posts I've decided to say good bye to the pool man, buy the TF100 kit, stock up with some BBB and am ready to be baptized into the system. Obviously I need help determining what/how much BBB if any I need to add.

Welcome to the forum, Peter. It sounds like you're already on the right track!

FC: 0.5
CC: 0.5
TC: 1
pH: 7.0
T/A: 100
CH: 600-700
CYA: 71

Well, you probably know your chlorine is too low... and your pH is too low, as well. Be careful about applying any more Home Depot shock before you know what's in it. 'Best practices' here almost always means using liquid chlorine (10 or 12%) or Chlorox 6% bleach -- keep it simple.

Recommend repeating your Calcium Hardness test (see below), 'cuz if it's really that high, a partial drain and refill of pool water is your best next move. If you find CH is lower than you thought then the next step is to increase your Free Chlorine (FC) to 5% or more of your CYA level. 71 ppm CYA * .05 = minimum 3.5 ppm chlorine. By adding bleach or liquid chlorine you'll likely find that the pH will go up some.

Do you have a Salt Water Generator (SWG) cell? If not, the CYA is needlessly high and this is another reason to consider a partial drain/refill. Recommended CYA level for a non-SWG pool is about 30-50 ppm. If this applies and you're able to confirm high CH, you can kill two birds with one stone by draining off part of your water. (A lower CYA level also enables you to maintain the pool at a lower chlorine level.) Once you've made your adjustments, do a complete battery of tests and post them.

My readings as a first timer I think are accurate but was unsure with CH test where my pink vial didn't quit turn "blue" but lavender at 60 drops of R-0012 and slightly more blue at 70 drops (high nonetheless):

This happens to me also. I watch carefully for a very subtle change to lavender and STOP at that point. For an explanation, see I got a purple endpoint instead of a blue endpoint when I did a hardness test. What happened?

Other members will be around shortly to provide you with their take. Good luck!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Welcome!

What kind of pool do you have? Please update your profile to include your specs. Go to User Control Panel, then Profile, then Edit Signature.

Where are you located? How much swim time is left in the season, and do you winterize?

You can manage with a CYA of 70, I did my first summer on BBB. It was difficult, but my pool survived. If you are closing soon, and the water level will be lowered anyway, then I'd just wait and make sure you maintain your FC levels according to the CYA chart, using liquid chlorine/bleach.

What does your water look like?

The CH test is a tricky one, the most complex IMHO of all the tests. It takes a long time to perform...you MUST swirl for 20-30 seconds between each drop. For you to do the test correctly if your level is that high, it will take you 20-30 minutes to do the test.

Try the alternate procedure and see where you end up. If it is high, why? What have you been using that would cause it, or are you in an area with high CH in the tap water? Because if so, draining and refilling from the tap won't help your situation.

 

[Peter T]

Thx for quick replies.
I'm an accidental first time pool owner--kinda came with new home we just moved into in Buena Park CA—we bought it for the roomy yard—but our 6 kids are really enjoying it. Pool is 15k gal inground plaster with a solar heating and Pentair FNS36 DE filter. Currently pool looks clear and normal—my son was in it yesterday and I felt it was safe to invite friends over to swim tomorrow. Weather here is always good for swims, so don't know if closing pool is necessary (in the high 80's-90's this week). With the solar heater I supposed we’ll be using it a little longer till autumn wind/rain arrives.

I went to the Pool Calculator and added the suggested BBB last night—will check readings after work. Is there any other way to bring down the CH and CYA without having to drain 40%? Just got my first water bill and am really hesitant to throw out 6,000 gallons but will do if I really hafta. Will try to redo the test as you suggested—hopefully I didn’t do it right the first time—although I did find a non-working water softener left by previous owner which might give me an indication

Will post levels again tonight.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

As I stated you can manage with 70, just keep the FC levels according to the CYA chart.

For chlorine, do not use Cal-Hypo, tablets or any granulated form of chlorine. Just use bleach a.k.a. liquid chlorine to maintain your FC levels, as the latter won't add CH or CYA to your pool.

Thru splashout and filter cleanings, rainwater, etc., the CYA level will slowly come down over time. You can do small water replacements every so often to lower the levels too. A few inches here and there and eventually the levels will come down.

Provided you monitor your PH and keep it under 7.6 at all times the high CH shouldn't be an issue.

 

[polyvue]

Thru splashout and filter cleanings, rainwater, etc., the CYA level will slowly come down over time. You can do small water replacements every so often to lower the levels too. A few inches here and there and eventually the levels will come down.

True, but don't expect miracles. LA gets even less rainwater than Sacramento (about 15 inches total per year.) Might want to consider FPM's advice to just drain a few inches now and again. If nothing else, you'll save a bit on chlorine dosage in the months to come (if you reduce chlorine in keeping with lower CYA.)

 

[Peter T]

I went home during lunch and took readings. Having added the recommended BBB last nite, I see FC improved yet pH went up to 8 and T/A to 130—those aren’t too high right? CH and CYA not as bad as first read but still high—I didn’t swirl for 30 secs b/t drops as FPM suggested—guess I’ll have to consider partial drain.

FC: 2.0 (was .5)
CC: .5
TC: 2.5 (was 1.0)
pH: 8 (was 7.0)
T/A: 130 (was 100)
CH: 530
CYA: 60 (was 70)

One thing I definitely noticed—pool is so crystal CLEAR! I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this clear since owning it for past two months—even when pool man took care of it. Is that due to the little BBB I put in there or is it b/c I’ve never come home during middle of day to notice? My stay-at-home wife agreed though.

What should I do now?
1. Bring FC up to at least 3?
2. Do I need to bring pH and T/A down?
3. What is appropriate level for T/A as I read 70-90 on “Recommended Levels” but 100-120 at “ABCs of Pool Chemistry”

Thx again for your helpful posts,
P

 

[polyvue]

FC: 2.0 (was .5)
CC: .5
TC: 2.5 (was 1.0)
pH: 8 (was 7.0)
T/A: 130 (was 100)
CH: 530
CYA: 60 (was 70)

What should I do now?
1. Bring FC up to at least 3?
2. Do I need to bring pH and T/A down?
3. What is appropriate level for T/A as I read 70-90 on “Recommended Levels” but 100-120 at “ABCs of Pool Chemistry”

Hi Peter,

Recommend that you focus on chlorine (FC). ADD sufficient chlorine (about 2 quarts of 6% bleach) to increase FC to at least 3.5, preferably a bit higher. Your pH is now a little high, rather than low. So, may want to make your adjustments in small doses then re-test.

You can use the Pool Calculator to check my work!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

a tip on the testing - make sure you test after the water has been circulating awhile. Always test in the same location. Take a cup or something and reach down about 18 inches to take the sample. Use that cup of water to test with. Be sure to rinse it well before and after, also make sure you rinse the test vials after testing. Rinse them with pool water before testing, and tap water after.

I suspect testing error on one of the PH results. You need to re-test and confirm you are correct - with high CH the PH that high could cause scale. If the PH is 7.8 or higher, lower it down with acid to 7.4 today if possible.

Your TA is fine at either level. The recommended guidelines are just that... and there are variables. With an SWG or waterfall/spa source of aeration, then we recommend a lower TA of 70-90. If tablets are the source of chlorine, we recommend a higher TA. For using bleach and you don't have any sources of aeration, a TA of 100-130 is fine. The only time high TA becomes an issue is if it causes the PH to rise, and the frequent rise becomes annoying. When you add acid to lower PH the TA will also slowly go lower.

 

[Peter T]

Thank you guys so much! Will see what happens tonite and send report tomorrow.
I'm so consoled and encouraged by your expert and prompt help :-D