TA finally in check...pH still high. And what about phosph?

[hawkeyes]

I think I finally have my TA lowered and stabilized after a verrrry long battle. It has consistently been in the 70-90 range for a couple of weeks now. The pH still rises every other day. I add acid, get it back down to 7.5 and then 2 days later it's back up to 7.8. Hopefully this will level out a bit more in time. Here are my numbers today----are phosphates seriously something to not even worry about as long as the other readings are in check? I stopped buying the PhosFree stuff at the recommendation of everyone here and now only buy acid while at Leslie's until I can come home and put the numbers in the pool calcuator.

pH 7.8
TC 5
CH 230 (Pool Calc tells me this is too low for the first time ever)
CYA 30 (have conditioner to add today)
TA 80 (yippeeee!!!)
Phosphates 800 ???? (down from the 2500 they told me a few weeks ago....said my new landscaping/fertiziler may have thrown off numbers)

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

How are you adding chlorine? If you are using a salt cell or bleach, try dropping the pH a couple more tenths for a longer period before needing acid.

Scott

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

CH is fine
TA is fine
PH try targeting 7.2 instead - you may need to add Baking Soda to raise the TA in a few weeks or so (I know, I know...)
CYA - good target 60
PHosphates - irrelevant as long as you are maintaining proper FC levels, according to the CYA chart, you can ignore any phosphate readings.

 

[hawkeyes]

CH is fine
TA is fine
PH try targeting 7.2 instead - you may need to add Baking Soda to raise the TA in a few weeks or so (I know, I know...)
CYA - good target 60
PHosphates - irrelevant as long as you are maintaining proper FC levels, according to the CYA chart, you can ignore any phosphate readings.

Thanks. The liquid stabilizer at the pool store is EXPENSIVE and I feel like my levels are often low (have had to add it twice in the last month which cost almost $100). Is there any cheaper way to increase CYA? If not...why are my levels low but yet my chlorine levels are always right around 5?

 

[fuzzy_dba]

CYA 30 - target 60

Thanks. The liquid stabilizer at the pool store is EXPENSIVE and I feel like my levels are often low (have had to add it twice in the last month which cost almost $100). Is there any cheaper way to increase CYA? If not...why are my levels low but yet my chlorine levels are always right around 5?

Liquid stabilizer is always the most expensive method; it's because the CYA doesn't take as long to dissolve.
At your current CYA of 30 and a target of 60 you need to add 88 oz. of powdered stabilizer (5-1/4 lb.) or 228 oz of liquid stabilizer.

CYA (stabilizer or conditioner) at Wal-Mart is $16 for 3 or 4 pounds. You could spend $32 for the CYA that you need. Personally, I buy 4 or 5 containers when spring hits and it's time to open the pool. The local Wal-Marts run out of it by mid-June and they don't re-stock it.

The only reason to ADD CYA is when you add water or have an ammonia problem, which is usually only over winter. Leaks or splash-out's require water which require CYA. CYA doesn't evaporate or disappear. It's the 1 pool chemical that doesn't get "used up".

Terry in NC

 

[Melt In The Sun]

That's strange that your levels are often low, with a cartridge filter. Do you have an autofiller? Sometimes a leak + autofiller = lots of unintentional water replacement and low CYA.

 

[hawkeyes]

That's strange that your levels are often low, with a cartridge filter. Do you have an autofiller? Sometimes a leak + autofiller = lots of unintentional water replacement and low CYA.

Nope...no autofill. We've had quite a few kids over swimming during the past 2 weeks and I have added about 1/2" of water due to lots of splash out. We also had quite a bit of rain 2 weeks ago and winds have been VERY high. Reading the CYA is the hardest part of all of the tests for me. When I read it on my end I get about 50. Leslie's says 30.

I added the liquid stabilizer today so will see what the CYA level shows next week. So...if I understand you correctly...if I get my CYA up to 60 or so, it should STAY there unless we get a lot of rain or I have to add more water?

 

[JasonLion]

CYA normally drifts down very slowly through the pool season. You are always losing a little to splash out and, if you have a filter that requires backwashing, to backwashing. But that process should be rather slow.

 

[Melt In The Sun]

I lost 20 ppm CYA over 6 months due to chlorine breaking it down. It was over the winter, I kept my FC up, and nobody swam (no splash out). Sounds like you were losing more than that?

 

[hawkeyes]

Did my own numbers this morning and I really wonder if the chick at the store did a decent job. I'm getting a CYA of 90. I added a jug of the stabilizer yesterday and it went from 30 to 90??? Is that right??? TA is up to 90 as well (Crud) and I'm testing my chlorine at a 7.5. Does this mean I need to dial down my salt cell? It's at 50%.

 

[duraleigh]

Always trust your own testing. More and more, it seems like that gets increasingly important.

To increase CYA in that pool by 60ppm, you should've added more than 10 lbs! Sounds like a testing error on the front end and your CYA may well go over 90 if you added yesterday.

 

[hawkeyes]

Always trust your own testing. More and more, it seems like that gets increasingly important.

To increase CYA in that pool by 60ppm, you should've added more than 10 lbs! Sounds like a testing error on the front end and your CYA may well go over 90 if you added yesterday.

Yep....I think so, too. So what are the effects of high CYA????

 

[dmanb2b]

Per Pool School....a cornerstone element of BBB is understanding the relationship between the chlorine in your pool and the stabilizer you put in to protect the chlorine from the sun. Generally, the more stabilizer, the more chlorine you need to maintain its effectiveness.

CYA of 90 would say you should shoot for a minimum FC of 5-6ppm in a SWG pool...7.5ppm would be fine

 

[fuzzy_dba]

Always trust your own testing. More and more, it seems like that gets increasingly important.
To increase CYA in that pool by 60ppm, you should've added more than 10 lbs! Sounds like a testing error on the front end and your CYA may well go over 90 if you added yesterday.

Yep....I think so, too. So what are the effects of high CYA????

Please read the "Water Balance for SWGs" article in Pool School!
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/water_balance_saltwater_generator
I personally do not trust pool store testing. I've found it to be enough to get you vaguely into range, but it's kind of like missile technology: if you are aiming for the pitchers mound at Yankee Stadium and still want to hit the infield it will get you to the stadium and the parking lot. Yea, it's a ballpark estimate at best!

About a 50% duty time on the salt cell...
- Which cell are you using?
- How many hours per day are you running it?
- What's your FC and CC level when it's running?

The various manufacturers have range limits for their PH, TA, and CYA that you need to stay within, while still maintaining effective FC levels. I vary my duty time with the bather load by running the pump more (and pre-dosing the pool with bleach! ). Also, warmer water means a higher duty cycle, usually because of the high bather load (aka parties). In addition, higher CYA means a higher FC level is required!

Terry in NC

 

[hawkeyes]

Always trust your own testing. More and more, it seems like that gets increasingly important.
To increase CYA in that pool by 60ppm, you should've added more than 10 lbs! Sounds like a testing error on the front end and your CYA may well go over 90 if you added yesterday.

Yep....I think so, too. So what are the effects of high CYA????

Please read the "Water Balance for SWGs" article in Pool School!
http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/water_balance_saltwater_generator
I personally do not trust pool store testing. I've found it to be enough to get you vaguely into range, but it's kind of like missile technology: if you are aiming for the pitchers mound at Yankee Stadium and still want to hit the infield it will get you to the stadium and the parking lot. Yea, it's a ballpark estimate at best!

About a 50% duty time on the salt cell...
- Which cell are you using?
- How many hours per day are you running it?
- What's your FC and CC level when it's running?

The various manufacturers have range limits for their PH, TA, and CYA that you need to stay within, while still maintaining effective FC levels. I vary my duty time with the bather load by running the pump more (and pre-dosing the pool with bleach! ). Also, warmer water means a higher duty cycle, usually because of the high bather load (aka parties). In addition, higher CYA means a higher FC level is required!

Terry in NC

I run the pump 8 hours/day. My CC levels are usually between 5 and 7.