First Test Reading of Julie's Pool - Questions

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From_Arizona

From_Arizona

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LifeTime Supporter
May 8, 2007
212
Glendale, AZ
Hi all - finally got to play with my new kit after the fill. Can you please point out if I am heading in the proper direction....

18000 gallon, beadcrete/gunite pool / DE filter - not using SWG yet.
water temp 93 degrees....air temp 104 degrees

DAY 1
CL = 0
PH = 7.8
FC = 0 * can you confirm I do not do this test again until I have at least the minimum CL in the pool.
T/A = 90
CH = 180
CYA = 20
* added 1 gallon of 10% liquid chlorine that evening

DAY 2 (this morning)
CL = 1
PH = 8.2
T/A = 90
CH = 170
CYA = 20

Adding 4.5 cups of muratic acid in next hour
Calculate 5 pints of 10% chlorine to add - should I add once sun goes down?
CYA - should I add any more stabilizer?
BBB - when can I start converting to a BBB method?
 
Starting up a plaster pool you need to keep close track of the PH. Try to keep it between 7.2 and 7.8 if you can. That will probably mean adding acid to bring it down to 7.2 every day for the first couple of weeks, possibly twice a day.

You want to keep your FC level at 2 or above at all times. And that will go up when your CYA goes up. It is best to add bleach around sunset or early evening. Try to aim for a level that will leave you at 2 or above tomorrow evening, perhaps 6? This will also change as your CYA changes, since you will lose less to sunlight with higher CYA.

If you added CYA recently you should give it the full week before retesting and adding more. Since you are getting a SWG you will probably want CYA to end up between 60 and 80, but check the manual for your SWG.

Since you are using liquid chlorine and muriatic acid you are already using the BBB method.
 
You are going to be surprised at how much acid you are going to use. I went through 4 gallons in three weeks :shock: (only 11,000 gal pool), but I have not added any in the last week. Also, like Jason said, give your CYA at least a week before testing and adding more. I over-shot my goal of 70 and ended up with 100 ppm CYA because I wasn't patient enough :oops: . Your TA is probably just about perfect. I had to lower my TA from 160 and when it got to the 80-90 range, I was using a lot less acid.

I just cranked up my SWG 2 days ago and MAN, does the salt make the water FEEL GOOD! But, just as I was getting a handle on BBB, now I'm having to learn how to fine tune my SWG.

Doesn't it feel good to be posting for advice on water chemistry rather than just the build.

Good Luck, I'm sure you'll do fine!

Dave
 
Thank you fo rthe replies!!

I just added 6 cups of acid after recalculating to bring closer to 7.2 ph. I will retest this afternoon and add more an hour or so before the chlorine if needed.

How much 10% liquid chlorine should I add to try to get it to a FC reading of 6 by tomorrow evening? I do not want to move to quickly, but just the same I do not want to worry about an algae risk either with our heat.

Something was added to bring the CYA level up at start, but I cannot find my note that advised how much the guy added or what it was specifically - argh - we had a dust storm roll through while we were in the pool first night and I have no idea who's yard my notes could have landed in :? I will retest the CYA level next week and not worry aout it until then.

Another question - when testing the CH - how blue should the color change be...still seemed a bit on the purplish side.

I am trying to have patience re: adding the salt - I really miss the salt water pool feel and am not looking forward to the feel of the chlorine when it gets to proper levels or above.
 
Sept 1 (Sat) am test results

FC = 3
CC = .5
TC = 5
ph = 7.8
T/A = 100
Temp = 90
CH =170
CYA = 20 * based on first test - will wait a week to test again before adjusting

Adding 48oz or muratic acid this am, after my swim, to get the ph back down to 7.2 like is was last night.
I will have to add 2 qts of chlorine before noon, then recheck this evening to hopefully have an increase in FC, CC and TC.
:?: should I be checking any metal levels since no metal sequestrant was added at fill?
 
Unless you are using well water I wouldn't worry about metal levels until you have a problem. Actually, you probably would have already had metal stains, if there were enough metals in the water to be a problem, since you let the PH go up to 8.2. So no need to worry about metals at this point.

On both the CH and TA tests you are looking for a color change, the specific starting and ending colors don't really matter.

I would guess that you need three or four quarts of 10% liquid chlorine a day with CYA that low, but the only way to know is to try it and see what happens and then adjust what you do the next day based on your testing.

There is no need to do both the quick OTO chlorine test (shades of yellow) and the full FAS-DPD test (powder turns pink, drops till clear) at the same time (except for practice). TC = FC + CC. Since your numbers don't add up, I assume you got the TC number from the OTO test, which is less accurate.

Are you brushing the pool reguarly? This is less critical with beadcrete than regular plaster but still a good idea for the first week or three.
 
Jason -
Thank you for your help understanding what I am testing...and how I should be testing. I am brushing the pool 1-2 times daily right now. Trying to push all the small sediment towards the main drain since we keep getting hit by dust storms, another last night. I am sure this can be impacting my results as well. This morning things look a bit better

Last night:
FC = 2.5
CC = .5
TC = 3
ph = 7.5
temp = 94

SEPT 2 (am)
FC =5
CC = 1
TC = 6
ph = 7.2
T/A = 80
CH = 160 * this has dropped 20ppm since pool start, when should I try to increase the calcium level?
temp = 90
 
F_AZ,

Looks like you are off to a nice start.

From your test results, it looks like you tested last night, added Cl, and then tested again this AM. It'll be more meaningful to you if you test the night before an hour or so after you've added the Chlorine. I know it may mean you have to test twice that evening but the overnight FC loss is a really good indicator of anything organic growing in your pool.

Your CH of 160 is a little low but not alarmingly. I think I would retest in another couple of days and, if it's not increased by then, bring it up to around 250 or so. 200-400 is generally considered a good range for CH.

I missed in the thread when you first added CYA so, if you added enough to get higher than 20ppm, you should start to see an increase in the next day or so. If not, add enough to bring it into the 30-50 range.

Wow! that water temp is warm! In your climate you could aerate that water with a fountain, etc. and bring the temp down quickly if you so choose.

Last, how does your water look?
 
You are doing just fine.

The CH level will go up over time, you are probably just seeing the natural variation in the test result. When the plaster is four weeks old you should adjust the CH to your goal level. Until then don't worry about CH too much.

I am a little concerned with CC of 1. If that doesn't go down by tonight you should shock the pool. Hopefully it is just a glitch in testing.
 

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Hopefully the glitch is me with using the kit, just getting used to it this week...having fun with it too!

Water is very warm, we are under heat advisories the last few days...should be 114 degrees today with possible monsoon storms this evening. It was great watching the lightning last night - it was in the east valley - over 20 miles from me so I enjoyed from within my pool.

We had scuppers and aerator on to lower temp yesterday and it lowered the temp from 94 to 90 in no time. The scuppers do not really aerate the water and actually are more of a solid flow.

I will continue to test and measure once before and then a few hours after adding chlorine tonight.

Thank you everyone for your advise...it is very exciting to get to talk numbers now - time to get back in thw pool now since I am almost dried off :-D
 
I have done fairly well with keeping my PH at 7.2...it has remianed constant through last night, this morning and now again this evening. I think I understand the PH factor enough to be comfortable, but the chlorine is still a bit evasive in how I am understanding.

Tonight
FC = 3 * we had 9 people in the pool all day yesterday - last night the FC was at 5, CC at .5, added chlorine and this morning as at 7.5 FC and CC at .5
CC = 0 *which is good as I understand it
TC = 3
PH = 7.2 *new pool so this is my target with twice a day checks for the next few weeks.

:?: My water is clear and I brush daily with the lovely wall whale! - can you confirm that I should target my FC at 6ppm overall and look for any drop overnight? Just trying to confirm before adding chlorine tonight and testing one hour after adding to confirm night value...

My husband laughed at me testing all and trying to get the hang of it - he is starting to see the value in what I am testing and how they all inter-relate - THANK YOU for all the help everyone gives!! So far my pool has been easy sailing.
 
The water is clear and you aren't having problems so there is no need to check for FC drop overnight.

The goal with FC is to add chlorine in the evening and have the FC level be 3 or higher the next evening before you add more. What level you aim for in the evening depends on your CYA level, how much sunlight the pool gets, water temperature, how many people are swimming, leaves or pollen falling in the pool, and so on. The only way to know what an appropriate level is for your pool is to try various levels and see where you end up the next evening, keeping in mind that it will vary based on all those factors so you will always be adjusting it a little bit.

Just at first it is good to test the water more than once a day, particuarly when many people are swimming. You never want the FC level to drop below 3, which might happen at first when you are not familiar with the pool unless you test a little extra. As you gain experience with the pool you will know what to do and can test less frequently.
 
From_Arizona said:
My husband laughed at me testing all and trying to get the hang of it - he is starting to see the value in what I am testing and how they all inter-relate.
Click to expand...

My DH did the same thing. Then he had a work meeting here and all his pool-owning male peers were asking me all sorts of ?s on pool maintenance when they saw our pool and realized DH didn't handle the maintenance 8) . It seems that a few of them then went home and began talking to their wives about what a cool, clean pool we had and how they wanted their pool to look like ours! DH isn't laughing anymore... :wink:
 
dawndenise said:
From_Arizona said:
My husband laughed at me testing all and trying to get the hang of it - he is starting to see the value in what I am testing and how they all inter-relate.
Click to expand...

My DH did the same thing. Then he had a work meeting here and all his pool-owning male peers were asking me all sorts of ?s on pool maintenance when they saw our pool and realized DH didn't handle the maintenance 8) . It seems that a few of them then went home and began talking to their wives about what a cool, clean pool we had and how they wanted their pool to look like ours! DH isn't laughing anymore... :wink:
Click to expand...

Yep. Ditto. :wink: Got two friends w/pools that do not look anywhere near as good as ours (water), but then again, they are old pros. :roll:

BBB all the way for us!

Joyce
 
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