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Rickey

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Apr 22, 2010
12
West Columbia, SC
Hello. I purchased my house with a pool last year. When I got it I had the liner replaced and followed the limited instructions of the pool guy, smart guy...., anyhow, after reading for hours and hours I seem to think I am not doing anything right. I tested my pool just a few moments ago and would like some guidance. My reading are below. The water is a little milky and definitely needs to be vacuumed. I plan to do that this weekend but was wanting to clear it up first. So far I have replaced a bulkhead in the sand filter that was broke, replaced some fittings that were leaking and changed the sand in my filter. I have added a couple boxes of Borax and some Bleach but now see I should have read more first. Anyhow, readings tell the tale I guess.

Chlorine- 1.5
PH- 7.6
TA- 80
CYA- 60

I will go to a couple pool stores and check my readings tomorrow or Sat. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Please speak in Barney language as I am still trying to remember all this pool lingo. Thanks for your time and assistance.
 
Welcome to TFP!

Sounds like you need to shock your pool. Right off, from the numbers that you did provide, you don't have enough chlorine in the for basic pool water needs and you are going to need to shock your pool.

Yes, go to the pool store with a water sample and post the full panel of results here in this thread. Don't buy anything from the pool store. They will likely have LOTS of products to sell you for $$$. Don't buy any chemicals from them now. Just check back with your numbers and we will go from there.

Order a test kit. You want a drop-based test kit of high quality to do your own testing. The TF-100 kits are top notch. See the link in my signature line for information on these.

Please start reading the Pool School articles so that you can get familiar with what you need to be doing as far as testing, chemical needs, and so forth.

No worries. Your pool will be sparkly soon. Did I mention not to buy anything from the pool store? :-D
 
Add some more chlorine as soon as possible. With CYA around 60, you want the chlorine (FC) level to be 5 or higher at all times. With FC down near 1.5 it will be very easy for algae to get going. In fact the milkiness in the water is probably the first sign of algae and if so will quickly turn into a totally green pool if you don't add more chlorine.

I am not sure which test kit you have, but make sure you have or get a test kit with the FAS-DPD chlorine test, which will measure FC and CC separately up to very high levels. You also need to know your CH level, just to make sure it isn't too high.
 
I got two different tests done today at two different locations. They are below:

Site 1:
PH: 7.6
TA: 77
FC - 1.1
TC - 1.1
CH - 58
CYA - 59

Site 2:
PH: 7.7
TA: 66
FC - .9
TC - 1.4
CH - 80(nothing said about calcium just Total Hardness on this test)
CYA - 49


I also went into my signature and adjusted my pool size. I saw I fat fingered it initially. What are your recommendations? The water was a lot clearer today when I turned it on than yesterday. I can only assume that was because I added another box of Borax yesterday evening. I vacuumed the pool also. I didn't get everything out yet but most. I'll work on it tomorrow or Sunday. Family day tomorrow. :) Thanks for your help.
 
As I said before, you need more chlorine in the water. Your FC reading was 0.9 one place and 1.1 the other, both of those readings are way too low. You need FC to be at least 4.0, and preferably higher, at all times.

All of your other numbers are fine.
 
Jason,
What is the highest I should let my FC get to? According to the pool calc, if I raise it by 3 it will take about .8 gallons. If I add the whole jug I have, 1.42 gallon, it will increase to around 6.1 using the lower cal and 6.3 using the higher. I want this baby to sparkle but not be so bad we can't get in. Thanks.
 
Please see the following chart to see the relationship between chlorine and CYA levels...

chlorine-cya-chart-t2346.html

4 ppm is the bare minimum for your water to be safe to swim in and any level below that could lead to algae and bacteria growth. We advise not to swim when your FC is at shock level for your given CYA which, based on my calculations, would be an FC in the 20 to 24 ppm neighborhood. You may safely swim in the pool as long as your FC is between the minimum and shock level for your given CYA.

Based on your CYA level(s) your pool would be ideal with an FC of 6. That's where you should target and keep it unless your CYA changes. Swimming in a pool with a FC that is higher than recommended may cause your swimsuit to fade a little. Swimming in a pool that has a FC that is lower than recommended can result in potential infections. Too low of an FC will also result in algae sooner or later.
 
Hi Rickey,

See the Chlorine/CYA chart in my sig, also in Pool School. With a CYA of about 60, you want to maintain FC of at least 5. The min is FC 5 and the target is FC 7.

In the evening you should add enough liquid chlorine/bleach to reach FC 7. The next evening you should re-test to make sure you did not drop below the minimum of FC 5. If you did, then try a target of 8 and see how that holds.

Each pool is different and you will need to test often until you understand your pool's personality :wink:

Keep reading Pool School. The best investment we made in our pool was a good test kit. I recommend the TF100. Link in my sig.

Welcome to the forum :wave:
 
Thanks all for the help. I added the bleach. That should get it around 6. I will check it tomorrow and adjust again if needed. So from all of the reading I have done, and please correct me if I am wrong, I should not be using pucks but adding bleach daily to keep my FC up so that my CYA doesn't increase? I am going to pick up a new test kit pretty soon. I know he was trying to sell but one of the "Salesman" was pushing HACH Aquacheck 7 strips. Has anyone had any experience with them?

257,
Great read. I will start using that chart.
 
Rickey said:
Thanks all for the help. I added the bleach. That should get it around 6. I will check it tomorrow and adjust again if needed. So from all of the reading I have done, and please correct me if I am wrong, I should not be using pucks but adding bleach daily to keep my FC up so that my CYA doePoosn't increase?

Correct, stop using the pucks and only use liquid chlorine or bleach!

I am going to pick up a new test kit pretty soon. I know he was trying to sell but one of the "Salesman" was pushing HACH Aquacheck 7 strips. Has anyone had any experience with them?

Strips are notoriously inaccurate. See Pool School for "Test Kits Compared".
Click to expand...
 

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Rickey said:
Thanks all for the help. I added the bleach. That should get it around 6. I will check it tomorrow and adjust again if needed. So from all of the reading I have done, and please correct me if I am wrong, I should not be using pucks but adding bleach daily to keep my FC up so that my CYA doesn't increase? I am going to pick up a new test kit pretty soon. I know he was trying to sell but one of the "Salesman" was pushing HACH Aquacheck 7 strips. Has anyone had any experience with them?

257,
Great read. I will start using that chart.
Click to expand...
Yes.
Yes. The test strips read close to my TF100 results, but only for the numbers in their limited range.

BTW, you can go swimming with FC at 6, with your CYA numbers. I have extremely high CYA levels - about 140, a gift from the previous homeowner - so I keep FC up in the 12-16 range. No skin dryness, no red eyes, no bleached swimsuits, no smell when using the spa section.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I will be ordering a test kit soon. For now stuck with the one I was left by the previous owner and the Pool Stores. My pool still is a little cloudy. I am going to give it another day or so to clear up. Do most of you add bleach daily to your pools? How much would I add daily to maintain my pool on average? I guess that all would depend on location, sun, and the normal depletion rate. Thanks again all.
 
Rickey said:
Thanks for all the replies. I will be ordering a test kit soon.

You will not be disappointed!

For now stuck with the one I was left by the previous owner and the Pool Stores. My pool still is a little cloudy.

Post another set of test results. You may need to shock your pool.

I am going to give it another day or so to clear up. Do most of you add bleach daily to your pools?

Well, every day or maybe every other day depending on lotsa factors. I add daily, always in the evening when the sun is off the pool.

How much would I add daily to maintain my pool on average? I guess that all would depend on location, sun, and the normal depletion rate.

You are correct, lots of variables. Remember, the CYA/Chlorine relationship and keep your FC maintained accordingly.

Thanks again all.
Click to expand...
 
Butterfly,
Yes, that CYA/Chlorine relationship is something I have to remember. Last year I just shocked weekly and added tabs. I kept my chlorine levels low and had no issue at all but it was with a new liner and new water. I had no idea what I was doing. This year I swore I would try to do a lot better and ran across this board and one that actually lead me to this one by some guy named Ben. I saw his named mentioned a few times on this site. I can say now that I have already saved a bunch of money getting this pool right jsut from the reading here. That helps drastically with a teenager... I will go get the water tested again tomorrow if possible. I'll also use the test kit I have here and test it at the same time to compare results. The test kit I have is an Aqua Chem test kit. It tests Chlorine, Active Bromine, pH, TA, Hardness, and Stabilizer. I'll take a pic of it and post it later.
 
Here is the test kit.

TestKit.jpg
 

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