What order should I adjust CYA, Ph & FC, confused

[pjpool2010]

Here is my current reading. What is the order in which I should address first CYA or FC or Ph or TA

FC: 0.5
TA: 75
CYA: 0
Ph: 7.2
CH:100

Things I currently have at home:
1. Chlorine tablets 10 or 15 from last year
2. Few pounds of di-clor from (Lesile Chlor Brite)
3. Baking soda 3 bags (13lbs each)
4. Stablizer HTH brand 4lbs powder
5. Clorex bleach 182 oz big jugs (6 in total)

I have chlorine tablets in skimmer (2 in each skimmer) since last night. Assumming this will help me to increase CYA slowly.

Question:
1. My FC is zero, to ensure water is sanitized, should I add di-chlor 3lbs overnight. This can probably help to increase my CYA.

2. Now when should I add stablizer in between all these? What order should I apply these chemicals to balance it properly.

Thanks,

 

[woodyp]

I'd dump some liquid bleach in it right NOW to get FC up to around 6. You WILL NOT be able to hold any FC without CYA. See chlorine/cya chart and the pool calculator in pool school for how much to add. Add CYA powder immediately! Those pucks will be too slow to hold any chlorine at 0. Let the pump run over nite to get some CYA circulated in that water.
Get your CYA in the 30-50 range.
Other 2 are fine.

 

[lightingguy]

Order of business

1) Get some chlorine in the water quickly or you'll be fighting off an algae outbreak.

2) Using the Dichlor will help bring up the CYA. Until your CYA up a bit you will be losing alot of chlorine to sunlight. Dont try to use the Dichlor as your primary source of CYA though.

3) PH - The Trichlor/Dichlor will push it down. The Bleach will push it up. I wouldn't worry about it until it's really out of Range. 7.2-7.8

4) TA/CH - in range.

 

[PaulR]

Summarizing and agreeing with the above:
FC and CYA are the things to worry about first.
pH is on the low side but not immediately critical.
TA/CH are fine where they are.

In a large pool like yours, the amounts of dichlor/trichlor you mentioned aren't worth much.
Assuming the tablets are 8-oz trichlor, 10 tabs = FC +17, CYA +10 (eventually).
4 lb dichlor = FC +8, CYA +7.
4 lb stabilizer = CYA +15.

So, if you dumped it ALL in, you'd have CYA ~30, which is about the minimum you want.
In fact I would recommend dumping in all the dichlor, just to get rid of it. Also put all the stabilizer in a sock and hang it in front of a return jet. It will take a few days to take hold but then you'll be in a good starting place. You can do these things at the same time.

Adding CYA and dichlor while simultaneously leaving trichlor tabs in the skimmers means your pH will probably drop; you need to monitor that. If it does go down toward 7.0, use borax (not baking soda) to bring it back up.

When you get the immediate problem taken care of, we can work out the long-term maintenance strategy.
--paulr

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Summarizing and agreeing with the above:
FC and CYA are the things to worry about first.
pH is on the low side but not immediately critical.
TA/CH are fine where they are.

In a large pool like yours, the amounts of dichlor/trichlor you mentioned aren't worth much.
Assuming the tablets are 8-oz trichlor, 10 tabs = FC +17, CYA +10 (eventually).
4 lb dichlor = FC +8, CYA +7.
4 lb stabilizer = CYA +15.

So, if you dumped it ALL in, you'd have CYA ~30, which is about the minimum you want.
In fact I would recommend dumping in all the dichlor, just to get rid of it. Also put all the stabilizer in a sock and hang it in front of a return jet. It will take a few days to take hold but then you'll be in a good starting place. You can do these things at the same time.

Adding CYA and dichlor while simultaneously leaving trichlor tabs in the skimmers means your pH will probably drop; you need to monitor that. If it does go down toward 7.0, use borax (not baking soda) to bring it back up.

When you get the immediate problem taken care of, we can work out the long-term maintenance strategy.
--paulr

What he said

 

[pjpool2010]

Last night,
1. Added left over Di-chlor about 5lbs by mixing it w/water.
2. Added HTH stablizer to the both skimmer evenly per directions.
3. I left the Chlorine tablets from prior night in the skimmer for now, intead of socks near the return.

Is it acceptable to have Chlorine tablets in skimmer? I will test the water, late evening when I get home.

Filter is running since last night and I will let it run all day today. I will probably turn it off AM tomorrow.

 

[Bama Rambler]

It's acceptable to have pucks in the skimmer as long as the pump is running. Trichlor is acidic and if the pump is off it creates a very low pH locally and can harm even the plastic of the skimmer itself and upon restart of the pump will send a slug of low pH water through the system.

 

[pjpool2010]

I tested water in the evening and it's amazing how different the chlorine value with Leslies FC test kit compared to new TFT taylor's DPT test.

FC: 14
CC: 0.5
TA: 85
CYA: 0 (unknow since I added stablizer last night. I will check tmrw).
Ph: 7.2
CH:100

Question on Calcium hardness (CH): During the test water turned to pale pink and when I added reagent-012, it turned to clear water color after 10 drops. It did not turn blue. Is my test void?

 

[PaulR]

My CH tests are typically pale as well. I put a white sheet of paper behind the tube to help distinguish the colors. Don't shine any direct light on it (e.g. the light on a magnetic stirrer, if you use one) as it can wash out the pale colors.

If you try this and it is truly colorless, let us know.
--paulr

 

[JasonLion]

I haven't heard of the Taylor CH test turning clear before, but some of the less expensive test kits certainly do that. It is happening because of your high FC level. Clear is a valid endpoint, so your test result is around 100.