I think it is going good, anybody give me a second opionion?

[juzzie]

I have been using BBB for a month and a half and everything seems great...

Water is crystal clear and never looked so good....

Today's test results:

Fc = 4
TA = 70
CH = 60
CYA = 30
PH = 7.2

I struggled with the CH test at first but am certain I have got it right after reading about fading end points etc. etc.

The fill water here is very soft and I have read all over the site about calcium hardness and I really can't find a comlelling reason to raise CH with fibreglass liner.

Since I have fibreglass pool, what reason do I have to raise CH?

I have some cal-hypo left over and think I'll just use that up to get the calcium up and finish up the old stock.

Also another observation is that I have been adding regular doses of liquid chlorine ever since I lowered pH to 7.2 to do my initial shock.

The pH had been rock solid ever since. It just won't budge off 7.2. Shouldn't it be drifting up over time?

 

[BoDarville]

Re: I think it is going good, anybody give me a second opion

Calcium helps fiberglass pools resist staining and cobalt spotting. If calcium is too low, the water could dissolve some calcium out of fiberglass surfaces to some degree if it contains a gel coat with calcium carbonate filler.

• • If you know that your pool's fiberglass does not contain a calcium carbonate filler, then your current level is probably fine. Just monitor for staining and increase if necessary.

• • If it does have a calcium carbonate filler, then I would increase the CH to somewhere between 220 - 320 ppm.

• • If you are not sure, I would increase it to around 220 ppm (the low end of the recommended range for fiberglass surfaces with a calcium carbonate filler). This level is also squarely within the range for vinyl-lined pools (which really don't need calcium) so there is no harm in increasing CH to this level as a preventative measure against staining.

Keep in mind that it is much easier to add calcium than it is to get rid of it if you have too much.

As for the pH, every pool is different. The pH in pools containing fountains or other water-aerating features usually drifts up. If your pool does not have such features, you may not experience this. The fact that your pH is rather steady indicates that your TA is optimally set for your pool. However a pH of 7.2 is at the low end of the target range, so just keep an eye on it so it does not go any lower. You can raise pH with either borax or soda ash/washing soda (not baking soda). Soda ash/washing soda will increase TA more than borax will, so I would recommend using borax in your case.

 

[diverman57]

Re: I think it is going good, anybody give me a second opion

as for the ph, i find that keeping the ph around 7.2 in my fiberglass pool keeps stains to a minimum.

 

[juzzie]

Re: I think it is going good, anybody give me a second opion

Thanks for the reply!

Just went away for holiday interstate and dosed up the chlorine to shock level before leaving.

Got back from 6 days away and the free chlorine is still at 12 and the pool looks really good.

I'm really happy knowing that I can go away for a week and come back to a trouble free pool!!!