5 Way Test results. Help, please!

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So I finally raised and steadied my FC to 3 and PH is about 7.6.
What about Acid Demand? It says add drops until it matches 7.4. I only have to add one drop. Do I need to add or do something?
My TA is still 140.
I want to be sure I'm maintaining all needed. Borax is for raising PH. Bleach of for raising FC. What would baking soda be used for?
Thanks!
 
You don't need to do anything more today.

7.6 pH is within the acceptable range so you're done.

Use the acid demand test or just plug pH and TA into poolmath to get the acid dose when pH hits 7.8.

Baking Soda raises TA. Yours is already on the high side (it will come down each time you add acid to lower pH) so you don't need to add any. You probably never will if your fill water is high in TA. I've never added any to my pool in six years. Nor any Borax.
 



Same test time, 2 different views. I always feel like I'm seeing it wrong. FC and PH need raisin'? Or is the PH considered 7.5?
I know my pool is small but I'm afraid to mess it up and have to refill a third time! Thanks in advance!
 
eanik said:



Same test time, 2 different views. I always feel like I'm seeing it wrong. FC and PH need raisin'? Or is the PH considered 7.5?
I know my pool is small but I'm afraid to mess it up and have to refill a third time! Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
I'd call the FC 2.5 and the pH 7.6

It won't hurt anybody if FC is higher than minimum. The CYA buffers it.

I like to hold the test block at arm's length and squint or look above my glasses so things are blurry. The colors seem easier to match that way. You can also try the pH test with one drop more or less. That changes the darkness without changing the shade so sometimes it's a better match for the comparator.
 
Hi! I accidentally added too much borax and raised my PH from 7.4 to 7.8. My FC is at 2.5, so I still need to add bleach. It has been raining like crazy here. I didnt realize my pump was leaking and I have to handle that this morning and replace about 3" (prior to raising the PH). Anyways, is it necessary for me to go get some Muriatic Acid to lower it or will it come down from there on it's own? :$ Thanks!

- - - Updated - - -

Oops, nevermind. I see 7.8 is OK on the chart!
 
Can anyone tell me why more FC level is not moving? It has been recently refilled (liner replacement), so working on raising to proper levels. Yesterday I tested in the morning and while there was a slight color, it was still about 0.6 to 1. I added a lot more (a few cups of 10% pool chlorine) and tested again a couple of hours later and there was no color to the test! weve gotten a lot of rain lately, but nothing between those tests! I did add anything after and just test this am in hopes that it was a fluke and no color at all again. Help, please! I feel like its always been a struggle to get this tiny pools chlorine up! When the calculator says add 5 oz, it usually takes way more to see a budge.

FTR, I keep my pool test kit outside, but under a screen porch.
 

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Hi eanik, and welcome!! Just wanted you to know that I learned how to maintain my pool using TFP methods with the same pool as you have. First 2 years were a disaster until I found this site. So you're 2 years ahead of me in that regard!!

Also, my daugher has exzema, and she goes through torture when she swims in friends pools or a public pool. My pool is much much better on her skin. Adding an SWG is a great idea, but even if you didn't do that you could still add salt. It softens the water, and her skin just feels silkier when she gets out. Also, I added borates to my pool, and that seems to have a positive effect on her skin also.

I noticed you mentioned that you want to "keep it mild" for your daughter's skin. I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to, but when using the proper level of chlorine for the CYA level, you're water will be "milder" than a pool with no CYA. Even though a chlorine level of 6 or 7 ppm may seem high, it isn't when you understand that the active chlorine in a properly maintained pool is less than .2 ppm (someone correct me on that if I'm wrong - I'm recalling it from an old chem geek post). This means that a chlorine level of 7ppm in a pool with a CYA level of 40 would have less "active" chlorine than a pool with no CYA and a chlorine level of 1 ppm.

I may be wrong on the numbers just mentioned, but one thing I can assure you is that my pool water is better on my daughter's skin that any other pool she has ever swam in, from Newfoundland to Florida. And it's all thanks to TFP. Trust the experts here (of which I am NOT one!!), and you will have an enjoyable, safe, easy to maintain pool. Good luck, and please keep us posted. I'm interested in how your daughter's skin reacts after you get all your levels in order.

P.S.
For what it's worth, when I had that same pool, I used 2100 gallons as my volume. Seemed to work fine. Test results matched what Pool Calculator indicated.

GC
 
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