Opening

[page21]

Hi I am new to the forum and began using the BBB method this year. Looks like a great way to go. KISS.
Anyway opening this year I started off with trichlor and shocked it silly until things cleared. Which they did nicely. The pool had a low ph though so before I knew about the Borax I added Baking soda to bring it up. The TA was low as well. Unfortunately I added too much of baking soda which has brought the TA up to 120 and I added some Borax for the ph which is now about 7.2. The choline was at 0 two days ago, water was clear, I added two bottles if 182oz bleach yesterday. FC is now 6-7. and when I do the TC test it looks about the same as the FC color. CYA is high about 90.
Visually, the water looked great before I added the baking soda and borax. Now it really looks like a load of laundry went through. It is cloudy and a bit milky.
Any idea why the water got that way and how to clear?

Thanks

 

[madwil]

We need to see a full set of test results- but possibly to high on CH...
What's the history of the pool (ie, what chemicals used before?)
What size/liner, etc is also helpful...

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

You might be just starting to get algae, or you might have calcium clouding. It is impossible to tell without more information.

You should post a full set of water test results.

CYA at 90 can be problematic. You can get by but if you get algae it can be a real pain to get rid of it again. With CYA around 90 the normal day to day FC level should be between 7 and 12. That means you are a little low.

 

[page21]

The has been neglected before we got here. It was algae ridden before last year and a pool co brought it back and we used it last year. This year it remained uncovered as the owner is too cheap for a cove during winter, so we get lots of leaves etc...I was on top of it most of the winter when there was no ice. I kept the leave at bay and supplied a bit of shock once a month. It is an inground plaster pool, old plaster with slate tile border. These were the number last week from pool co.. Pool is also free of all organic matter and looked great last week.

FC 0
TAC 0
PH 6.8
TA 50
Calcium 210
TDS 450
CYA 80

Then I added two bags of Arm and hammer #12 each and 2lbs of Borax to bring up the PH and TA.
My numbers are now:

FC 7
TAC 7 or more looks like same color
PH 7.2
TA 120
CYA 80-90

It was clear yesterday now cloudy.
Hope that helps

Now cloudy.



Thanks admin, I also added another 182 jug this afternoon.

 

[page21]

OK Pool looks clearer this morning after adding that last bottle of bleach.

PH 7.3
TA 120-130
Calcium Hardness 250
FC 10
TAC looks same as FC
CYA is closer to 100 I believe

I think one issue is the CYA which is higher than I thought from my readings with the Taylor 2006 test kit.

I will probably drain it to bring it down to the 70 range whatta ya think?

What is an accurate measure for the Chlorine over 5 since that is a far as the test kit color reading goes? How do I know when it is at 20 ppm? (reduce the amount by half and double it?)

 

[madwil]

A partial drain is probably not a bad idea- you can work with CYA right at 100, when you know it's 100 and not significantly higher, but takes more Cl...
the only accurate Cl test over 5 or so is the drop test...
you can dilute the pool sample with distilled water- 2 to 1, multiply by 3, 3 to 1 multiply by 4, etc... but loses accuracy each dilution point!

 

[JasonLion]

If you have a Taylor K-2006, it contains the FAS-DPD chlorine test, which will measure FC and CC levels up to 50 by steps of 0.5. FAS-DPD is the one where you add a scoop or two of powder that turns the sample pink, and then count drops until the sample turns clear again.

Yes, lowering CYA is a great idea.

 

[page21]

Thanks I appreciate your help. I am draining now and will keep you posted on how it turns out. But the clarity was back this afternoon after adding another bottle. So I think it is a high CYA issue and me not realizing I need that much more FC to keep algae at bay

 

[page21]

Hey guys pool looks great now! My CYA is down to 60 and I am keeping CH at around 6 or 7 per chart. FC has not been an issue. TA is at 90. The only struggle is to keep ph at 7.8 without letting TA get down past 80 or so. Is there a way to lower the ph without affecting the TA? Also wondering because of the FC or lack of it, if I may havean algea issue I can't see? How could I determine this? Thanks again!

 

[Butterfly]

Acid is going to lower both pH and TA. It's okay for your TA to go a little lower. Maybe it will settle down around 70 or so. You can wait and see. Also, a lower TA should help stop the faster pH rise.

Should you ever need to raise TA, it is easily done (maybe too easily done) using baking soda.
TA is easy to raise and kinda aggravating to lower.

It would be nice to have your pool/equipment specs in your sig.
Go to User Control Panel (top left under TFP logo), select Profile, then select Edit Sig.