help with the first balance ever

[2428dakota]

So per your advice, I purchased the taylor water test kit and yesterday did my first test ever. I entered the numbers into the pool calculator, but so many things are so out of wack, I'm not sure where to start first.

The pool is 34,000 gallons.
The FC is .5
The TC is 1
The PH is 7.2
The acid demand is zero
It only took one drop of the base demand to bring the PH to 7.6
The alkalinity took 4 drops which I guess means that it is at 40
The calcium hardness is hugely high....420
The Cyarnueric acid test never looked cloudy at all, so I'm guessing it is at -30.

Where should I start. I have been shocking with like 10 pounds of shock every 4 days or so....going broke. Black algae is starting to grow quickly around the sides and there is mustard yellow algae that is powdery on the sides and the bottom. The water actually looks pretty clear. We are in Houston where it is already crazy hot and the temperature of the pool is probably about 74 degrees. Where should I start.

Thanks so much for all of your help. Soooooo tired of being scammed at the pool supply store!
---Leslie

 

[Richard320]

Your pH is good. TA can wait until after it's clear. You need to add enough stabilizer to get to about 30 and have that dissolving in a sock while you start dumping bleach in to keep FC about 12, every couple hours.

420 CH is not huge. If the "shock" you've been adding is cal-hyo - and it's almost for sure of your CYA would be higher - that's where the CH came from. So stop using powders.

Your next stop is pool school. study the shock process. Then go look through the algae forum and look for threads with lots of replies and a paperclip icon. Those are good sources of inspiration. Clear the regular algae first. Then you'll be able to see the black algae spots to work on them.

 

[Smykowski]

Your next stop is pool school. study the shock process. Then go look through the algae forum and look for threads with lots of replies and a paperclip icon. Those are good sources of inspiration.

I may have to start using ^^this^^ as my boilerplate response. That was exactly what I did when I first got here, and it really helped shove me up the learning curve.

 

[2428dakota]

I actually had read those, but my questions were centered around the fact that it seemed that some numbers were very low and some were very high and I didn't know what to do FIRST. I will go buy stabilizer and start dumping the liquid chlorine in. You said to do that until my FC was 12, however, the test kit only goes up to 10? I'm confused....and the water is clear, it just has powder yellow algae on the bottom.

Sorry to be a nuisance, just want to do the steps right. And when you said to stop using shock, does that mean ever???? Will liquid chlorine take care of that?

 

[Smykowski]

I actually had read those, but my questions were centered around the fact that it seemed that some numbers were very low and some were very high and I didn't know what to do FIRST. I will go buy stabilizer and start dumping the liquid chlorine in. You said to do that until my FC was 12, however, the test kit only goes up to 10? I'm confused....and the water is clear, it just has powder yellow algae on the bottom.

Sorry to be a nuisance, just want to do the steps right. And when you said to stop using shock, does that mean ever???? Will liquid chlorine take care of that?

You should be using the FAS-DPD test for chlorine, which can test up to 50ppm. It's the one with the powder and the reagent.

When we say stop using "shock", yes, we mean stop using the powdered product that has the word shock on the label. It doesn't just add chlorine, it also adds CH or CYA, lowers pH, and indirectly lowers TA. Confusing, right? This is why we don't use it very often. If your pool needs something, only put in what it needs. Liquid chlorine/bleach will ONLY add FC. Keep it simple.

Go back and reread "The ABCs of Pool Chemistry" in pool school. It will make a lot more sense this time around.

And don't worry, you're not a nuisance....we were all newbs once. Ask more questions if you have them.

 

[2428dakota]

Loaded myself up with stabilizer....in socks in the skimmers and floaters and after 24 hours or so, I will start adding the liquid chlorine. I get it now. I was told every few hours, but how much every few hours for my 34,000 gallon pool that I currently reading .5 for FC.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

You need to learn to use the Pool Calculator to determine how much of each chemical to use. Put your test results in the "now" column and enter your targets, and then hit calculate. If you move your mouse over the amount of chemical, it tells you how many cups, etc. that is in the box at the top. If you have trouble figuring out how to use it post back.

 

[2428dakota]

No....I did that and have that figured out . The previous posts told me to dump chlorine in every few hours and I didn't know if that meant, every few hours put in what the pool calculator said or only to put in a bit of it every few hours. That's the only reason I was confused.

 

[Bluechip]

As for the chlorine, put it all in now. The algae and the sun will start consuming the chlorine. In an hour or so test again. Add what the pool calculator says again. Repeat until you pass the OCLT.

The CYA you need to assume the amount that you put in is in there. It doesn't always show up in the test for a week or more after you add it.