New pool, double checking before I raise CYA and CH

[rdiggidy]

My families first pool finished construction in August and now that the two months of free service are over, I thought I'd try to see if I can handle the maintenance myself. Thankfully I stumbled across this forum (after reading an Amazon review of a testing kit that made mention of this forum).

I have read the Pool School book, download the Pool Math app, and ordered the TF-100 as a result.

The last two weeks I have been using the pool test kit the pool company gave me and I could tell my FC and pH were both high (but too off the chart for me to tell how high). I initially turned the SWG down from 100% to 20% incrementally and now have had it completely off for about a week to allow FC to fall. I've also been adding acid over the last two weeks and now have the pH back into measurable range.

With my TF-100 test kit just coming in, I was able to test using that for the first time this evening:

FC: 7.0
pH: 7.3
TA: 70
CH: 200
CYA: 45
Salt: 3200
CSI: -0.96
Water Temp: 57 F

As this is my first go at this, I just wanted to confirm that increasing my CYA by adding Dry Stabilizer (approximately 3lbs 12 oz according to the app) and increasing CH by adding Calcium Chloride (about 28lbs according to the app) are the correct next moves to get things dialed in?

Appreciate the help/direction!

 

[kimkats]

Hi and welcome! You are off to a wonderful start with the great test kit!

Here is a set of links I put together for new pool owners. I am going to guess you have found some of these links already but don't want you to miss any so you are getting them all! LOL

Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule

Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

Pool Math

Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Make sure to ask any and all questions you might have no matter how small! We have all been where you are at one point.

Please know your SWG will not work during the burrr times. For some that is 60 and under and so it is 50 or so............knowing that you will have to manage your FC using liquid chlorine. Look around your area to see if any pool stores sell bulk liquid chlorine. You will have to put a deposit down on their jugs. You will not need as much while the water is cold as when it is warm but you don't want to risk the green monster in your new pool! Just make sure to keep any eye on the water temp in the Spring. Once the WATER temp touches 60 you will have to keep on your toes with the FC.

Kim

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum! :handshake:

As Kim stated, great job on a quality test kit!

I am not sure you need to add either CYA or CH. As your pool water is no doubt approaching the temperature your SWCG will quit generating, adding CYA is counter productive. Keep it at 50 ppm (round up, the vial is logarithmic and you cannot extrapolate between lines). Follow [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] for a non-SWCG pool until spring when your water warms.

What is the CH of your fill water? I suggest you test pH, TA, and CH of your fill water. If your fill water CH is above 100 ppm, then do not add calcium. Just maintain your pH higher. Let it climb to 8 and only drop it to 7.8. That will increase your CSI out of the aggressive range. Your pH will naturally rise with your curing plaster.

Take care.

 

[rdiggidy]

Thank you kimkats and mknauss,

I now vaguely remember the pool builder saying the SWG would automatically shutoff when it got colder; guess it hadn't clicked that colder is "now" and that it shutting off means my pool essentially becomes a non SWG pool for the winter months.

Also thanks for the explanation on the CYA numbers being logarithmic (a word I had to google).

I will test the fill water this evening. Glad I checked in with you guys before going forward, glad I found the forum, and appreciate both of your help!

 

[mknauss]

Great. Report your data on the fill water.

Monitor your pH daily. It should rise fairly quickly.

 

[rdiggidy]

Fill Water:


CH- 75
TA - 70
pH - 8.2

You mentioned not adding calcium if my CH was under 100. With it at 75 what would you recommend?

You called it on the pH, crept up to 7.5 today. I’ll let it get to 8 before dropping it down.

One other question that came to mind:

What do you do with test result water /chemicals after mixing them and getting a result? Dump in the dirt? Down the drain? It’s so little/diluted it doesn’t matter?

 

[mknauss]

With your low CH fill water you should not have an issue with rapidly rising CH due to evaporation. So I would suggest adding 50-100 ppm CH to the pool water using calcium chloride. That will make keeping your CSI in the benign range easier.

I have a rock yard (desert) so I just dump the test liquids out in it. Never see it. Or you can dump it down the drain.

 

[kimkats]

down the drain for me.

 

[Dirk]

Down the drain, and not in the pool like you see pool guys do!

Welcome to TFP!

I gotta say... we welcome new people here all the time, virtually every day. I don't think I've ever seen someone with a better jump start! You seem to already have a great sense of TFPC, check. Test kit, check. Excellent signature, check. Pool School, check. Pool Math, check. Good numbers, check. Even the way you typed them, in our preferred format! Go to the head of the class. Great job!!