New to BBB and some numbers

[WestSidePool]

As of last year I vowed not to be taken by the pool stores (except for liquid chlorine since its cheaper than bleach in my area), and decided to start the BBB as best I could.
So if anyone recalls I ended my first year of pool ownership with a deer in my pool which resulted in a new liner and refilling right before winter.
Prepped and closed the pool.

I opened the pool up on mothers day (Sunday) and it was a nice green pool.

I spent the next few days fighting the pool with 10% chlorine (used about 7-9 bottles of it) along with tablets (which I have a whole bucket full) in my auto chlorinator.

As of today the pool is looking like normal, but I used my new purchase (TF100 kit) to get the following results.

FC - 1
CC - 0
TC -
PH - 7.5
TA - 70
CH - 130
CYA- less than 20 (Since the tube only reads to 20)

Any help on where to go from here?

 

[257WbyMag]

You are really looking pretty good. I'd stick with the liquid chlorine and save your tablets for vacation time when you will be away from the pool.

As long as your FC is holding overnight, I'd go ahead and raise your FC to 4 and add enough CYA to get you to 30 or even 40. Don't recheck your CYA until a week is passed just to make sure it has completely dissolved. That should do ya!

 

[WestSidePool]

Thanks for the info.
I checked my FC level today, after i did the daily Chlorine and pH test and saw that i had no chlorine.
I'm assuming this is due to the fact that i either 1) still have algae, or 2) the sun ate it up throughout the day.
Is this correct?

Am i supposed to put chlorine in the pool every single day or should it last for awhile before needing to be replaced?

 

[JasonLion]

Chlorine needs to be added every day, especially when the CYA level is low. If your CYA level is very low the chlorine will get completely used up every day by sunlight. You need to raise your CYA level, as 257WbyMag suggested.

 

[WestSidePool]

I did the FC loss test last night and the chlorine i added is holding so it seems it is the sun.
Now i just need to get my CYA level up. Since my results are completely clear when i do the CYA test (i'm gonna base my results on 0) the pool calculator tells me to add 110oz by weight or 111oz by volume of stabilizer to get it to 40.
Does that sound about right, or should i start with less and work my way up?

 

[Bama Rambler]

If you're fairly certain of your pool size then you can add most of the recommended amount.

One thing troubles me about your opening post though. You said you used liquid chlorine as well as tablets but your CYA still reads zero. What's in the tablets you used? If they're Cal-Hypo that explains it.

 

[WestSidePool]

If you're fairly certain of your pool size then you can add most of the recommended amount.

One thing troubles me about your opening post though. You said you used liquid chlorine as well as tablets but your CYA still reads zero. What's in the tablets you used? If they're Cal-Hypo that explains it.

These are the tablets I used.
http://www.lesliespool.com/browse/H...bs-20-lbs/D/30100/P/1:100:1000:100000/I/12439

 

[JasonLion]

A couple of tablets would only raise the CYA level by 2 or perhaps 3, which wouldn't show on the test or make much of a difference.

 

[WestSidePool]

Thanks Jason,
I'm gonna head to the pool store after work to get some stabilizer to raise it. Any suggestions on how much to put in to get me going?
And from what I've read i just put it in a sock/stocking in the skimmer basket and let it go until all is dissolved. Then check the results after a week?

 

[Butterfly]

Five (5) pounds CYA should get a 20K pool to 30, assuming a zero start.

You could test after a week and then add more if needed.

Use Jason's Pool Calculator to figure your doses. Link in my sig.
It also has an "Effects of adding chemicals.." section near the bottom.

 

[poolgirl22]

Thanks Jason,
I'm gonna head to the pool store after work to get some stabilizer to raise it. Any suggestions on how much to put in to get me going?
And from what I've read i just put it in a sock/stocking in the skimmer basket and let it go until all is dissolved. Then check the results after a week?

If you have a walmart...get the HTH brand. Saves a bit of money over the pool store and from what I've read folks seem to like its dissolvability...(I made that word up.!) Scrabble anyone?

 

[Butterfly]

Good idea, PG22

There are also the big box stores like Lowes, HD, Ace, etc.

Sometimes wallyworld is out of stock

If you think you may need to backwash, instead of hanging the sock in the skimmer, hang it in front of a return.

 

[WestSidePool]

Well i'll be heading out tonight and passing a Walmart, Homedepot and Lowes, so i'll check each place. Thanks for the heads up on this. Saving money is great

I'm going to do a backwash prior to adding it, since i was fighting off that Algae. This way i know i should be good to go for a good while.

 

[WestSidePool]

It's been over a week and I did some number tests and here is where it is at.
FC-2.5
CC-0
TC-2.5
PH-7.5
CYA-30
Temp-76

I added a bit more CYA last night to help bring that up higher, so I'm not sure what it's at as of today.

Now my concern is last night I saw algae growing in the pool. What would cause this since my numbers seem to be within the ranges?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Are you staying above your "min" 100% of the time?
How often are you running the pump and during what hours?
Also, can you describe the algae or post a pic?

 

[WestSidePool]

I'm pretty sure I have been., i've been adding chlorine every evening when the sun sets to get it to 4ppm. Looking back at my number sheet it seems to be around 2ppm when I test it.
I run my pump 24/7 since i don't have it on a timer.
It was just some typical green algae growing in the corners

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Well, I have to say I'm surprised, you would think that running 24/7 and staying above would be enough... anyway try upping your min/target range a little, and brush the problem areas daily. Let us know how it goes.

 

[esim13]

I don't know if this will help or not but I try to keep my FC at 7, the higher end of my range. I am in full sun with no shade until dusk. Previously I was keeping it around 4 and found that I was having to add several quarts of bleach a day and risking dropping below level bc of sun. Now with it around 7 I'm only adding a few cups a day. And I have peace of mind knowing I'm only dropping to 4 or 5 a day.

 

[WestSidePool]

I don't know if this will help or not but I try to keep my FC at 7, the higher end of my range. I am in full sun with no shade until dusk. Previously I was keeping it around 4 and found that I was having to add several quarts of bleach a day and risking dropping below level bc of sun. Now with it around 7 I'm only adding a few cups a day. And I have peace of mind knowing I'm only dropping to 4 or 5 a day.

Actually this sounds like me.
Sun is on the pool from rise to set, and i find myself adding a fair amount of Chlorine in the evening.

So i'll try to keep it towards the higher range and see what happens.

 

[WestSidePool]

Well After my first aglae outbreak a bit ago i shocked the pool at night just to make sure things were dead.

Now i'm keeping my chlorine at about 5+, and i'm still seeing some outbreaks....still not sure why.