Test results now what
- Thread starter bessanddavid
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!
First, bring your PH down to around 7.5 with muriatic acid. Bleach is not very effective at that high a PH. The PH test is not very accurate at higher chlorine levels, so you want to do this before adding more bleach. Your TA is fairly high, which is likely to cause the PH to constantly drift up, so check it when the chlorine level is below 10. Eventually you will want to lower your TA, but wait till you have clear water before worrying about that.
Then you need to bring your FC level up to shock level and hold it there. If you just did the CYA test with murky water it probably read a bit high, so I will guess your CYA level is 40 or 50. With a CYA of 40 or 50 you should bring your FC level up to 15 to shock the pool. Check your chlorine level at least three times a day and add more bleach to bring it back up to 15 each time. Continue doing this until the chlorine level holds steady overnight and you don't measure any CC.
While that is happening, brush the pool once a day. Also, backwash or clean the filter when the pressure goes up or every several days in any case.
The whole process may take a few days. The more frequently you can check the FC level and add more bleach the faster it will go. Please keep us updated on your progress.
Good Luck!
First, bring your PH down to around 7.5 with muriatic acid. Bleach is not very effective at that high a PH. The PH test is not very accurate at higher chlorine levels, so you want to do this before adding more bleach. Your TA is fairly high, which is likely to cause the PH to constantly drift up, so check it when the chlorine level is below 10. Eventually you will want to lower your TA, but wait till you have clear water before worrying about that.
Then you need to bring your FC level up to shock level and hold it there. If you just did the CYA test with murky water it probably read a bit high, so I will guess your CYA level is 40 or 50. With a CYA of 40 or 50 you should bring your FC level up to 15 to shock the pool. Check your chlorine level at least three times a day and add more bleach to bring it back up to 15 each time. Continue doing this until the chlorine level holds steady overnight and you don't measure any CC.
While that is happening, brush the pool once a day. Also, backwash or clean the filter when the pressure goes up or every several days in any case.
The whole process may take a few days. The more frequently you can check the FC level and add more bleach the faster it will go. Please keep us updated on your progress.
Good Luck!
Oh I meant to ask about aerating the pool is it suffice just to sweep the pool and generally just bash and bang the water to create the bubble affect if you know what I mean.
Regards d/b
Regards d/b
Hi, David, (for the rest of you, David's just moved to the US from Scotland....I have spoken with him on the phone)
I have to tell you I really like that "bash and bang" description.....absolutely perfect! :lol:
Yes, it'll be fine to bash and bang but probably your arms will get tired before you have too much affect.
As Jason said, focus primarily on keeping your chlorine up high. It's gonna' take quite a bit of bleach for the first day or two, then your usage will drop off as your pool clears. The pictures are helpful...that's algae, for sure.
When your pool goes to a cloudy blue, don't give up on the chlorine......keep bringing it right back to 15 until it's crystal clear.
Then, go to work on the Alkalinity. You may want to try a fountain or some kind of bubbling device that will work on your pool while you're not out there. An air compressor is a great idea but they are terribly noisy. You may end up with angry neigbors. Welcome to the forum! :lol:
PS - take a quick look at the pictures Backglass just posted in the algae forum......that's where you're headed.
I have to tell you I really like that "bash and bang" description.....absolutely perfect! :lol:
Yes, it'll be fine to bash and bang but probably your arms will get tired before you have too much affect.
As Jason said, focus primarily on keeping your chlorine up high. It's gonna' take quite a bit of bleach for the first day or two, then your usage will drop off as your pool clears. The pictures are helpful...that's algae, for sure.
When your pool goes to a cloudy blue, don't give up on the chlorine......keep bringing it right back to 15 until it's crystal clear.
Then, go to work on the Alkalinity. You may want to try a fountain or some kind of bubbling device that will work on your pool while you're not out there. An air compressor is a great idea but they are terribly noisy. You may end up with angry neigbors. Welcome to the forum! :lol:
PS - take a quick look at the pictures Backglass just posted in the algae forum......that's where you're headed.
duraleigh said:
That's what I thought as well, which really confused me when his testing showed 0 CC...
In a pool exposed to sunlight, even chlorine + algae may not result in CC that gets measured. The sun can break it down quickly. What's more surprising to me is that there was FC in the pool since it should have broken down rather quickly with that much algae. Of course, it sounds like testing may have been very soon after shocking so in a few hours the FC would likely drop quite a bit. CC tells you there is combined chlorine that needs to get broken down, but a lack of CC doesn't tell you the water is OK. The water also needs to be clear and there needs to be little FC drop overnight. It's the combination of all 3 indicators that tells you there's nothing left for chlorine to consume in the water (or if there is still cloudiness, that it may be something else not consumed by chlorine, such as too much saturation of calcium carbonate).
Richard
Richard
Interesting. In the face of a full on algae bloom, I would have thought there would be CC.
Excellent info, as always...
Excellent info, as always...
this might be obvious to you seasoned pros but how long do you have to aerate when adding muriatic acid
Regards d/b
Regards d/b
and another thing is my 1hp pump is sitting at 18psi rather constantly even after backwashing
will this have a bearing on my results
Regards b/d
will this have a bearing on my results
Regards b/d
18 psi can be fine, or too high. Do you know what it has been in the past after backwashing? If it has always been around there then that is fine. But if it used to be lower then there might be a problem of some kind.
You only need to aerate after adding acid if you are trying to lower the alkalinity. You shouldn't try to lower the alkalinity until after you have cleared up the algae.
You only need to aerate after adding acid if you are trying to lower the alkalinity. You shouldn't try to lower the alkalinity until after you have cleared up the algae.
To add a bit to Jason's response, when you have the algae cleared and are trying to lower TA, you aerate until the PH comes back up to target. If you need to further lower TA, you repeat the process, as many times as necessary until TA and PH are where you want them.
Hi here are todays findings after adding about 1/2 gal of mur/acid yesterday 2pm
yesterday- wed-----fc-8 cc-0 tc-8 ph-8.2 ta-310 ch-190 cya-60
today----------------fc-4.5 cc-1 tc-5.5 ph-7.8 ta-190 ch- cya-60
NOTE- when doing the total chlorine test via taylor kit (3) and then doing it by the tft kit 5.5 why the difference
will I add more mur/acid to get ph down and by adding this will the water change color
Regards b/d
yesterday- wed-----fc-8 cc-0 tc-8 ph-8.2 ta-310 ch-190 cya-60
today----------------fc-4.5 cc-1 tc-5.5 ph-7.8 ta-190 ch- cya-60
NOTE- when doing the total chlorine test via taylor kit (3) and then doing it by the tft kit 5.5 why the difference
will I add more mur/acid to get ph down and by adding this will the water change color
Regards b/d
David,
Adding the acid will not clear your pool. You need chlorine to get your pool clear.
See how your FC has dropped? That's because the algae is consuming it. The only way to get your pool clear is to add MORE chlorine to kill the algae. Use the calculator and bring your chlorine back up to 20ppm. Do the same thing the next day or as often as possible and that will clear your pool. Focus on nothing but the chlorine for now 'til your pool clears....you can fine tune your other numbers later.
No need to do the CYA test for a while....save your reagent.
The difference in the two tests for chlorine is because the FAS/DPD test is very accurate.....The OTO test in the little Taylor blue box is not as precise.
Adding the acid will not clear your pool. You need chlorine to get your pool clear.
See how your FC has dropped? That's because the algae is consuming it. The only way to get your pool clear is to add MORE chlorine to kill the algae. Use the calculator and bring your chlorine back up to 20ppm. Do the same thing the next day or as often as possible and that will clear your pool. Focus on nothing but the chlorine for now 'til your pool clears....you can fine tune your other numbers later.
No need to do the CYA test for a while....save your reagent.
The difference in the two tests for chlorine is because the FAS/DPD test is very accurate.....The OTO test in the little Taylor blue box is not as precise.
Getting the PH down will help the chlorine work, but you shouldn't allow it to delay you from adding chlorine. I would add about half as much acid as you did yesterday and then go straight to shocking the pool. You don't need to wait after adding the acid before adding bleach (or any other chlorine source).
I didn't see you post the size of your pool anywhere so I can't give you an exact number.
You can use my Pool Calculator to figure out how much bleach you need. I would aim for a FC level of 20. Measure your current level and enter that as Now, and then enter 20 for your goal and the calculator will calculate how much bleach you need.
When shocking the pool you want to bring the FC level up to the goal (20 in this case) and hold it there by retesting and adding more bleach at least three times a day until the FC level holds overnight and your don't have any CC. While that is happening you should brush the whole pool once a day and keep an eye on the filter and backwash/clean it as necessary or once every several days in any case.
You can use my Pool Calculator to figure out how much bleach you need. I would aim for a FC level of 20. Measure your current level and enter that as Now, and then enter 20 for your goal and the calculator will calculate how much bleach you need.
When shocking the pool you want to bring the FC level up to the goal (20 in this case) and hold it there by retesting and adding more bleach at least three times a day until the FC level holds overnight and your don't have any CC. While that is happening you should brush the whole pool once a day and keep an eye on the filter and backwash/clean it as necessary or once every several days in any case.
Hi guys, these are today’s figures, btw yesterday I added 15 fluid ounces mur acid,
3 gal bleach
This morning I added another 3 gal bleach.
yesterday- wed-----fc-8, cc-0 ,tc-8, ph-8.2, ta-310, ch-190 ,cya-60
Thur------------------fc-4.5, cc-1, tc-5.5, ph-7.8, ta-190, ch n/a, cya-60
Fri--------------------fc- 17.5, cc slight tint, tc- 17.5, ph-7.8 (if not a bit high)
The count for ta has went well over 300 it did'nt even turn to red before I stopped
it went a slight yellow color, and yes I am cleaning out all the equipment. What now I need serious help
Thank you for all your imput it has been a tremendous help
Regards b/d
3 gal bleach
This morning I added another 3 gal bleach.
yesterday- wed-----fc-8, cc-0 ,tc-8, ph-8.2, ta-310, ch-190 ,cya-60
Thur------------------fc-4.5, cc-1, tc-5.5, ph-7.8, ta-190, ch n/a, cya-60
Fri--------------------fc- 17.5, cc slight tint, tc- 17.5, ph-7.8 (if not a bit high)
The count for ta has went well over 300 it did'nt even turn to red before I stopped
it went a slight yellow color, and yes I am cleaning out all the equipment. What now I need serious help
Thank you for all your imput it has been a tremendous help
Regards b/d
Good, you got your FC above 15. Now you need to try and hold it there by testing the FC level and adding more bleach to bring it back above 15 at least three times a day.
Test the FC level in the evening at least half an hour after adding bleach and then test it early in the morning before adding anything and if it stayed the same overnight you are done shocking the pool.
While this is all happening you should run the pump 24/7 and backwash/clean the filter every few days.
None of the other tests really matter until you are done shocking the pool. The PH test doesn't even work correctly when the FC level is that high.
Test the FC level in the evening at least half an hour after adding bleach and then test it early in the morning before adding anything and if it stayed the same overnight you are done shocking the pool.
While this is all happening you should run the pump 24/7 and backwash/clean the filter every few days.
None of the other tests really matter until you are done shocking the pool. The PH test doesn't even work correctly when the FC level is that high.
Well last night (fri) I added another 2 gal bleach then tested c again before going to bed and it was up about 20 fc, this morning I checked it was about the same, incidently I checked the ph and it still reads abour 8, btw at school I hated science what have I done to deserve this now I know I have to maintain this level by checking 3 times daily.
Now my wife is biting my ear about the color
does keeping the fc level up eventually clear the pool.
Thanking you all once again David
now I know I have to maintain this level by checking 3 times daily.Now my wife is biting my ear about the color
does keeping the fc level up eventually clear the pool.Thanking you all once again David
Posts are going up despite the error messages. There doesn't seem to be any way to start a new topic though.
It sounds like you have killed all the algae. You want to hold the shock level for another 24 hours just to be sure it holds the FC level overnight again. Typically at this stage the pool is still murky white or gray, sometimes milky, sometimes a hint of color. It can take the filter a couple of days from this point to clear the water. Be sure to continue keeping an eye of the filter pressure and cleaning/backwashing as needed until the water clears. You should notice a visible impovement in the water each day.
If you are in a hurry you could do a floc treatment, which should clear the water by tomorrow, but it costs more, is more work, and runs a small risk of the algae returning.
It sounds like you have killed all the algae. You want to hold the shock level for another 24 hours just to be sure it holds the FC level overnight again. Typically at this stage the pool is still murky white or gray, sometimes milky, sometimes a hint of color. It can take the filter a couple of days from this point to clear the water. Be sure to continue keeping an eye of the filter pressure and cleaning/backwashing as needed until the water clears. You should notice a visible impovement in the water each day.
If you are in a hurry you could do a floc treatment, which should clear the water by tomorrow, but it costs more, is more work, and runs a small risk of the algae returning.