Where should I start?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
D

doncaruana

Gold Supporter
Bronze Supporter
LifeTime Supporter
Aug 25, 2011
589
Northville, Mi
Pool Size
15500
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Did my testing with my new kit last night and came up with these (all expected, based on previous pool store tests)

FC: .59
TC: .72 -> CC = .13
pH: 7.6
TA: 141
CYA: 2
CH: 110

From what I've read, CH is of no concern to me at this level at all, and pH is great. However, the pH got there because, when it was at 7.0 and TA was at 80, the pool store told me to bring up pH by raising TA (I didn't even use all of what they told me too), which now seems too high from what I've read.

In the meantime, there's been no stabilizer added, so CYA being 2 is expected but not helping. And FC is way low, I'm sure partially because of the lack of CYA. And I expect that my CC is non-zero maybe because I don't have enough FC.

Now, beyond whether my understanding of above is offbase (is it? Or am I in the ballpark?), I don't know where to start. Should I crank up the chlorine and CYA first? I could put some stabilizer in while I use the IC40 to "superchlorinate" - should I do that at the same time? Or should I worry about the alkalinity first?
 
Hi, Don,

Those test results must be from a digital tester. They will work but you will soon realize that sort of accuracy is impossible to obtain and is unnecessary even it it was possible.

If that is from a colorQ, get a backup test when you bring up your CYA......the CYA test seems to be their weakest point.

Tell us what your water looks like and we'll get started. If it becomes necessary to shock, don't waste your SWG for that....it's very inneffective. Post back your water's appearance and we'll get going. Your test numbers are all workable, incidentally. :-D
 
Thanks duraleigh! Yeah it's from a ColorQ and I've already been warned about CYA :) But, I expected it like that since nothing's been put in - although it just occurred to me - CYA doesn't naturally occur from anything does it??

Anyway, the water looks great actually. It's crystal clear.
 
What test kit are you using? The kits I am familiar read in .5 increments. CYA below 20 ppm is about the same as 0. If you need to shock the pool, then use liquid chlorine and save the wear and tear on the IC40. Raise the CYA to 30 ppm while you shock then after the shock process is complete raise the CYA to 70. Keep the CH between 50-200 ppm. If you notice the pH rising quickly once the IC40 is operating, then you can lower the TA and pHwith muriatic acid and let the pH rise on its own. There tends to be a rise in pH when using any SWG system. If the pH is below 7.0 and does not rise with SWG use then aerate the water with a fountain or return pointed up to break the surface. This will cause the pH to rise.
 
Yes, it's digital and a ColorQ. I posted the number for CYA but didn't expect it to actually mean anything. It's effectively 0 regardless :)
 
Sorry, Don, I got everything a little sidetracked. OK, now that we know the water looks good, there is nothing in your test results that would indicate the need to shock.

I would suggest you get FC and CYA up to maintenance levels and work with that for a few days until you can gauge your FC consumption.

Calculate and dose CYA to get to 60ppm (starting from 0). Remember not to test for it for a week from when you put it in but for planning purposes, assume your calcs are correct and that it is in there.

Secondly, calc enough FC to bring it up to 4ppm. use bleach. I assume you have salt in the pool so the next thing I would do is turn on the SWG and set it for maybe 40%. Check your FC again in 24 hours and see if it's up or down and adjust SWG accordingly. It'll take a few days to get that right but that's all I would focus on....getting the SWG tuned in.

After your SWG is happy, you can test CYA and see how close you are to the 60-80ppm most SWG's want. adjust accordingly.

After all that, keep an eye on pH, TA and maybe one more check of CH....we'll fine tune those when you report those values.
 
I didn't get away from work in time to grab some stabilizer, but I did have the SWG running all day. WHen I tested tonight (after about 1.5 hours of swim time with the family), this is what I got:

FC: 1.36
TC: 1.42 => CC: .06
pH: 7.7
TA: 177

I didn't test CH or CYA - didn't seem much point right now.

Plenty I don't know yet, so I don't get why the TA keeps rising.

Do I need to worry about the rising pH/TA yet or should I go ahead with the CYA tomorrow?
 
As Dave said,
CYA is your #1 priority as you are currently losing a LOT of FC to the sun ... although the SWG seems to be keeping up.

Once the CYA is in you will have to play with the SWG output to get in the appropriate levels.

You can then start lowering the TA if your pH rise is undesirable.
 
Got it. Kind of figured but wanted to check in. I turned the SWG up and ran it a lot today, so it made some headway.

As I'm waffling between liquid stabilizer or not, it seems I should get the dry stuff as the acidity will actually help my other issue (pH/TA) anyway.

Can you still swim while adding the CYA (liquid or dry)?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
One additional question on adding the CYA. From reading around TFP, it seems the "sock" in the skimmer is the best approach. But is that an actual sock or a "skimmer sock" (or does it matter)? And does anyone have any suggestion on how much of the 8lbs I need to add I should put in said sock at a time?

Thanks again for all the help!
Don
 
The poolcalculator.com can tell you how much to add ... to go from 0 to 60ppm in a 16k gallon pool is 128 oz or 8 lbs :) You eventually may need to add some more after confirming your levels to get to the recommended range for SWG.

Another option is hanging the sock in front of a return in the pool.
 
Don,

If you see no need to backwash/clean your filter for a week, it is fine to put it slowly into the skimmer. letting the filter catch it and it will dissolve slowly over the next 3-7 days.

The sock method is a real sock and put as much in as makes sense. Two or three socks is fine if you need them....just put them someplace where the water flows over them to help them dissolve.
 
Thanks guys. I know I already know I need to add 8lbs and I'm not touching the filter (brand new cartridge) so I guess either way. I think the answer I'm looking for is "Put as much as makes sense into a real sock and put it someplace where water flows over it to help it dissolve".

Perfect. :)

THANKS!
 
As of yesterday I was at 2.14 FC, O CC, 7.5 pH, 144 TA and 21 CYA. Since the CYA reading is at the border of readability any way, I'm not really counting it. But at least I'm in decent ranges while still adding CYA. I'll come back once I've got more CYA in.
 
Well, a week later and clearly I didn't add enough CYA (or ColorQ is *really* bad at reading it - but I know I didn't add 8 pounds yet either). My numbers now are:

FC: 3.41
TC: 4.21 -> CC = .8
pH: 7.6
TA: 146
CH: 77
CYA: 30

It seems my FC level is high enough and that the CYA is low enough it shouldn't be reducing the FC effectiveness that much. How did I get here ... and am I still on the right track even?
 
While I think they have improved them, I chose not to sell the ColorQ because it seem there are just too many innaccuracies inthe test results.

Many people report very acceptable results but others (perhaps like you) seem to get puzzling CYA and CH results. I would take a sample to a pool store if the tests are not the amount you predicted when you dosed.
 
Thanks Dave - not overly worried about the CYA at this point - I haven't gone back and calculated how much I put in vs how much I have yet. And I was planning on taking another sample in to the store anyway. But I am a little concerned over the CC level, given I have that much FC. Should I be?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply