My first numbers

[mrodgers]

I have water level to finally run the filter without air getting into the system.

Current water level nets me 8500 gallons (22' x 3' deep.) We will eventually add more water and I will have to adjust chemicals, but for now, 3 feet deep is good for the 8 year old.

I added 240 pounds of salt for the SWG. I am calculating that will give me approximately 3400 ppm of salt. Wifey buying salt strips when grocery shopping tomorrow.

I added 4 pounds of CYA. I am calculating that should get me to 56. I will be adding more after I actually test it to get it to 70. The 4 pounds I added still isn't completely dissolved.

Also added a bunch of bleach when I got home.

I ran a test with the TF-100

pH - 6.7
FC - 1.5
CC - 0.5
TA - 30
CH - 90

First off, I added more bleach. I am going to test again after an hour. I should see about 5ppm. I am going to test in the morning before work for the OCLT. I'm happy to see the CC at no more than 0.5 considering a little bit of water that we were adding with the hose was in the pool for about 4 days without any filtration. I was adding about a quart of bleach each day, which should have been 4 ppm, but there was no CYA in the water at the time.

I can start the SWG tomorrow evening as it would be 24 hours, but I was going to run it during the day with the filter, so I'll set it up for Thursday and just use bleach again tomorrow.

Am I reading the pool calculator correctly? If I add 46 ounces of washing soda to raise the pH, it would also raise the TA by 38, which would put me at 68 on TA? If I use washing soda for the pH, then I shouldn't have to add anything for TA, correct?

I'm putting a list of stuff for Wifey to buy when she goes grocery shopping tomorrow. Just want to be sure the stuff she should get.

Got home today to see through the doorways people climbing up the ladder. The girls are extremely happy The 8 year old was scared last year to put her face in the water with the 12 footer, tonight she disappeared and reappeared 22 feet away, LOL.

Thanks once again for any replies.

 

[Richard320]

Sounds like you have it figured out.

 

[jblizzle]

Am I reading the pool calculator correctly? If I add 46 ounces of washing soda to raise the pH, it would also raise the TA by 38, which would put me at 68 on TA? If I use washing soda for the pH, then I shouldn't have to add anything for TA, correct?

That is what the pool calculator shows at the bottom: 46 oz washing soda will raise pH by 1.17 and TA by 38. But note that the pH calcs are not correct down there. So you may want to start with smaller additions (or adjust pH and TA separately).

Also, why are you trying to raise pH so high? I would target closer to 7.4-7.5. According to the top of poolcalculator, to go from 6.7 to 7.8 only requires 26 oz of washing soda.

Although, also note that your pH could be well below 6.7 and it may require more washing soda or borax than you think to raise it

 

[mrodgers]

That is what the pool calculator shows at the bottom: 46 oz washing soda will raise pH by 1.17 and TA by 38. But note that the pH calcs are not correct down there. So you may want to start with smaller additions (or adjust pH and TA separately).

Also, why are you trying to raise pH so high? I would target closer to 7.4-7.5. According to the top of poolcalculator, to go from 6.7 to 7.8 only requires 26 oz of washing soda.

Although, also note that your pH could be well below 6.7 and it may require more washing soda or borax than you think to raise it

The calculator gave me 46 oz washing soda for pH from 6.7 to 7.5, but I see that was with the default current TA listed as 70. If I put my TA of 30 in, it does change it to 24 oz. for change to pH 7.5. My computer sparked and fizzled away on Saturday and I'm not use to using my hardly used work laptop with the stupid mouse pad thingy, LOL. I didn't have the right number in for current TA after arrowing up and down the page looking at various numbers.

I will adjust in small increments certainly. My guestimate of 6.7 is from it just being a tinge of difference in color from the bottom of the scale of 6.8.

Thanks again folks. I just retested FC and CC and got 7.5 ppm (must have put more bleach in than I thought) with just a very slight tinge of pink showing back up when adding the R-0003 to check for CC. I would say it is less than 0.5 ppm. I'll be testing again in the morning before the sun pops up.

Actually, just found a full box of washing soda under the kitchen sink. Wifey says she doesn't use it. I can add some now and see what it tests out as tomorrow morning. Borax on the other hand, we use that in the laundry like crazy with the front loader, so we don't have a whole lot of that left.

 

[linen]

I will adjust in small increments certainly. My guestimate of 6.7 is from it just being a tinge of difference in color from the bottom of the scale of 6.8.

ph lower than 6.8 reads as 6.8 so it is possible that you are very low. When TA is as low as yours we generally recommend to raise that first with baking soda. Aim for 60 ppm TA. Then retest TA, if it is at ~ 60 then test ph and adjust accordingly. You should do the TA immediately, then after 1/2 hour of circulating check ph and adjust.

 

[mrodgers]

Ok, so I should have adjusted TA. I did put some washing soda in last night before reading your post, Linen. Checked pH this morning and was reading 7.2. Didn't check TA, had to get to work.

As for chlorine, last night FC was 7.5 and CC was assumed less than 0.5 ppm. This morning FC was 6.5 and CC was just barely a detectible tinge of pink, so again I assume <0.5. Clarity of water? Black, but then it was also pitch black out when I looked, LOL.

So, looks like I'm good for chlorine.

Running the pump with the hose weighted down in the water. Still need another 2 inches for it to reach the cheap floating skimmer. Checked the pump to bleed off air after it ran all night and no air in the system. Lot of bugs and stuff floating on top of the water since I'm not skimming (doing that manually) but everything is floating around in a nice circular motion around the pool. Looks like circulation is pretty darn good for crappy Intex stuff.

I'm extremely happy! Now I just have to wait for the next few days of mid 70° weather to pass. :grrrr:

 

[linen]

Still check TA and adjust it up to at least 60 ppm (our recommended range for non-swg pools is 70-90). Your washing soda should have raised it some so make sure you check it first. With TA that low (30 ppm) your ph can be hard to manage and go out of the recommended range of 7.5-7.8 very easily.