Newbie Question

[Maddie]

I am so glad to have found this forum. I just put in a pool last summer and with your help, I cleared my cloudy pool caused by my Pool School Guy!! I really love this forum. And please know that I am VERY new to pool chemistry knowledge!!!

First (see I read the rules) here are my numbers:

Free Chlorine 2.6 ppm
Combined chlorine .2 ppm
PH 7.6
CH 200 ppm
Alkalinity 110 ppm
CYA 40 ppm (I think.....hard to see when the dot disappears!)

My SWG is set on 70% though and I would like to lower it.

Should I turn my SWG down to say 60% right after I add Stabilizer or wait a day? I don't want my chlorine to go up much more, but I would think that by adding stabilizer it might.

Thanks guys,
Madeline

 

[kenmccall]

Hi Madeline

You do want your CYA between 70 or 80 and I have found that 80 is better for my pool. You also want your FC a little higher. I would leave the SWG where it is at now unitl you can get to a level of 4 FC and the CYA is where you want it and then tweet it back.

Ken

 

[Maddie]

Thanks Ken! I was going by a test I had done at Ace Hardware and they said the FC should be between 1-3, but pool school says 3-5. I'll have to change it on my tests!

And I guess it's okay to leave the SWG at 70%. I thought that was a little high.

 

[257WbyMag]

Welcome Madeline. I have always loved that name!

As kenmccall mentioned, SWCG pools tend to do better with a higher CYA as this protects the FC from being lost to the sun and as a result, your SWCG cell doesn't have to work so hard.

The amount of FC that you should maintain as a residual in your pool directly relates to the amount of CYA dissolved in the water. The Chlorine CYA Chart allows you to see where you should target your FC, based on the amount of CYA you have. You will note that we have only included CYA levels of 60, 70, and 80 for SWCG pools on the chart, because these are the typical levels we have found work best for salt pools. As it stands, your FC is too low for your CYA. The minimum FC that you should ever have with a CYA of 40 is 3 ppm.

I would go ahead and peruse the Pool School articles and get familiar with what is involved with things. I would also get you some bleach and add enough to get the FC up to 4 and keep it there. You should also get a little more CYA in there to get you to at least 60. Once you get those things in line, you won't have to have the SWCG set so high and things will level off a bit.

You should also go ahead and get you a solid test kit. The TF-100 is excellent (link in my sig line).

Use the Pool Calculator (link also in my sig line) to calculate the dosages for the vairous chemicals you may have to add. Bookmark it in your browser. The Pool Calculator is your friend. :-D

 

[Maddie]

Thanks.......I used to hate my name as a kid!!

I just put some stabilizer in, so should I add bleach now too?

I do have the T-100 test kit, although figuring out when the black dot disappears is difficult!

Thanks so much for the tips!!

Madeline

 

[257WbyMag]

Thanks.......I used to hate my name as a kid!!

I just put some stabilizer in, so should I add bleach now too?
Yes, go ahead and add it.

I do have the T-100 test kit, although figuring out when the black dot disappears is difficult!
Try this link for an example.
http://www.taylortechnologies.com/Chemi ... ntentID=36

It's best to take the reading on a sunny day. Sit with the sun to your back where your body shades the sample and start adding drops. As soon as the dot completely goes away, take your reading.

Thanks so much for the tips!!

Madeline

 

[poolgirl22]

I will also add on the CYA test that I was so glad to know I could pour the solution back into the mixing bottle a few times and repeat the disappearing black dot test and see if 3 or 4 times it disappeared about the same level.

 

[257WbyMag]

I will also add on the CYA test that I was so glad to know I could pour the solution back into the mixing bottle a few times and repeat the disappearing black dot test and see if 3 or 4 times it disappeared about the same level.

Excellent point!

 

[Maddie]

Thanks ModSquad.....I will do that when I test it tomorrow!!

And poolgirl......that IS a great tip. I never thought about that!!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Hi Maddie - welcome to TFP
That old "1-3" recommendation comes from old school thought of pools with no CYA in the water. Now that we understand the CYA/Chlorine relationship that recommendation is a bad one for pools with CYA higher than 20 (which most are) - but many pool store and testing places still quote it.