Spike in CH from yesterday to today, is this a problem?

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Ok, as per Dave's (duraleigh) suggestion before I got my test kit to be safe, I have been adding 96 oz of 6% bleach every night after the sun goes down. Got my test kit, and after playing science lab this morning, and hoping I did ok for the first testing, here are my results for your review/suggestions:

FC 4.5

CC .5 maybe - it was so very faintly tinged after I added the R-00003, then I spilled most of it, put one drop of R-871 in there and it did go back to clear, so not sure if this is right.

TC 4.5 - 5.0 (see CC comment, sigh)

From the Basic Kit, looked like Cl was 5 and pH was 8.2, really that highest pink color for sure

T/A 120? The drop really showed a pink swoosh when dropping in around 12 drops, is that when you stop??

CYA not sure, when I held the tube at waist level, I could still see the black dot after the tube was completely full, so what does that mean? Back on 5/28, CYA per the pool store was 50.

Water is sparkling clear, feels very nice, was about 77 degrees yesterday.

Ok, lay it on me, what should I use for CC, TC, and T/A in the pool calc, and what are your general suggestions based on these results?
TIA,
Shell
 
If you see the dot when the tube is completely full, that means your CYA is at or near zero.

At the bottom of pool calculator there's a space to select where you get your suggested goal levels. Just pick troublefreepool.com
 
Robbie, thanks. I have it set to TFP, bleach and vinyl at the bottom of pool calculator. If the pool store said I had CYA of 50 back on 5/28, what happened to it??

Would the stabilizer I have seen at Menards be ok to use?
 
One of the tests is incorrect. Unless you drained your pool, I doubt you lost that much CYA all at once.

I've seen two sets of instructions for testing CYA. One says to mix for 30 seconds then drop into the tube. One says to mix then wait 30 seconds before dropping into the tube. I admit I'm doing mine by using the Speedstir for 30 seconds, and I seem to be getting reliable results - they are consistent with my chlorine usage and estimates on where I should be based on the amount of stabilizer I've added. Is it possible you didn't thoroughly mix your solution, or didn't wait long enough before dropping the solution into the tube? There was also someone here recently that forgot to add the R-0013 reagent!

I'm not familiar with that stabilizer, I'll let someone else chime in. If it is 100% Cyanuric Acid, it should be fine.
 
I believe it said 96% cyanuric acid, 4% other, would that work?? Also, I think I need to do the T/A test again, as it only looked pinkish with that 12th to 14th drop. Is all the liquid supposed to turn red for a final result on that?
 
96% cyanuric acid is fine to use. Your CYA is for all practical purposes is zero. Add enough to get to about 40ppm.

If your pH is 8.2+ then you need to correct that first. Just put 8.2 in the now column and about 7.4 for your target and add as much acid as it recommends. Wait and hour and test it again. Adjust more if it needs it.

Robbie has given good advice on everything else.
 
Ok, Bama per your recommendations, I added 24 oz of MA at 11, checked again at 12 when I got home from Walmart after getting the stabilizer. It was down from 8.2 to about 7.8, and the rest of the #'s were:
pH 7.8
FC 2.5
CC .5 was just a teeny tinge of pink, and one drop made it go back to clear, so count it?
TC 3.0
T/A 240 I kept adding the drops and swirling until I got red, and it was 24 drops.

Pool calc is telling me to add 14 oz of bleach, 42 oz of MA and 72 oz by weight of stablizer (if I really do have zero CYA). What should I add first, in what order, and how do I add the CYA? I think its a powder and it says to add it right to the skimmer??
 
First, adjust your pH to 7.4ish. Allow it to mix for at least 30 mins before adding chlorine.

I suggest you shoot to increase CYA by 30. When you re-test it in a week, you will see where you are and can adjust.

You can add CYA using the sock method. Put the granules in a sock, tie it shut, and drop it in the skimmer. Take care not to block the water flow.
 
Done, added the 42 oz of MA slowly in front of the return jet, waiting 30 mins to add the bleach...

Per Butterfly (thank you!), I changed pool calc target to 30, and added @3 lbs 6 oz of CYA to a sock, tied it off and dropped in skimmer. Hard to tell pouring out of the 4 lb bottle, just left some in the bottom, so should be about right. Why do we put it in a sock? Bottle says to just add slowly to the skimmer??
 

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Ok, went out to check the CYA sock in the skimmer, and it appears to have been all used up and the sock is somewhat brown?? With my water being clear now, I wouldn't have thought there would be any more metals in the water, but I think it collected some of it anyway... Cool Beans!!!

Here are my new test results this morning:
Cl 3 from basic test: is this the same as TC??
pH 7.5 def down from 8.2 the other day, was 7.8 yesterday, yay!!
T/A 210 def down from 240 yesterday, but should I try to bring pH down to 7.2 to get T/A down further?? What would be a good T/A goal for me on an ongoing basis??
FC 2.5 This teetered between 4 but could have been 5 drops, so I counted 5, so same as yesterday, that ok??
CC .5
TC 3
It is going to be really hot and very sunny today, so wondering if I should add the MA and bleach this morning, or just wait and check again this evening after the sun goes down and add then??
 
Hadn't heard anything from anyone yet, so went ahead and added 16 oz of MA. Going to wait about 30 minutes and add some bleach: anywhere from 14 to 28 oz to raise my FC a bit. Right now its at 2.5, but because of other stats, my new goal per pool calc is 2 to 6, and it says 14 oz will raise FC .5.
Sound good? Anyone?
 
JeepGirl said:
Hadn't heard anything from anyone yet, so went ahead and added 16 oz of MA. Going to wait about 30 minutes and add some bleach: anywhere from 14 to 28 oz to raise my FC a bit. Right now its at 2.5, but because of other stats, my new goal per pool calc is 2 to 6, and it says 14 oz will raise FC .5.
Sound good? Anyone?
Click to expand...
Sounds good! :goodjob:
 
Thanks Butterfly! I changed my target to 6, and with my morning FC of 2.5, it says to add 98 oz. So one 96 oz jug would do, right? I need to wait another 20 mins since I put in the MA, then how long do we have to wait after adding the bleach before using the pool? It's hot today!!!
 
Also, don't know new CYA level yet, just added the stabilizer yesterday and need to wait a week to re-test. As of this morning it was all used up out of the sock though..., so on the pool calc, if I assume CYA of 30, the my goal for FC is 2 to 6, but if I keep CYA at 0, then my goal for FC is 1 to 3.
Which should I go by???? :hammer:
 
To be safe, we suggest you wait 30 minutes after adding chems before you swim.
Some of us brush the entire pool and jump in. Brushing mixes it up really good. :mrgreen:

Now, the CYA. Normally we suggest that 24 hours after CYA dissolves assume it is there and adjust your FC levels accordingly. You are close, so assuming the 30 CYA should be just fine.

You have taken control! Enjoy your pool :-D
 
Thanks! So since it is going to be very sunny and hot today, should I assume the far end of the goal for a target of 6 and put in the whole 98 oz (was just gonna use a 96 oz bottle)? Or use less to get or keep it somewhere in the happy middle of the 2 to 6 range? It was 2.5 at almost 9 am this morning....
 

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