Trying to get started

[sandycreek91]

Hello, Forum!

I'm opening the pool for the summer after using SWCG last year. I pulled the cover to find a green mess.

For the life of me, I can't find my TF-100, so at the pool store I grabbed this PoolMaster Basic 5 test kit until my new TF-100 arrives (already ordered).

So, I don't have full numbers. However, to start with, my FC test results in VERY ORANGE. It is not even close to the ranges of yellow on the test kit.

My pH is pinker than the 8.2 range.

The water mostly cleared up over night (not green anymore) to where I can easily see the bottom of the pool, but it is far from ready (obviously).

Any suggestions on how to tell what my real FC and TC is, and what to do until the TF-100 arrives?

I have NOT turned on the SWCG until I get the chemicals balanced out.

 

[Siamese]

The ph test won't be correct because of the high FC levels, so don't worry about that for now.

You'll need to know your CYA level in order to shock properly. You could take some water to the pool store for testing. Take the results with a grain of salt, and don't buy anything other than possibly liquid chlorine. It may give an indication of your CYA level though, and from there you can determine your shock level.

Until you get the TF-100, to gauge your FC level, you could dilute the pool water with an equal amount of distilled water and mutilply your results by two. It's not the most accurate way to proceed, but it will allow you to get started.

 

[BoDarville]

sandycreek91:

Looking at the comparator block, it appears that the Poolmaster Basic 5 Test Kit uses the OTO test as the reagent to test for the presence of chlorine. If your FC results are very orange, then you have a higher level of chlorine than the scale on the comparator block. Check out this page for a more detailed explanation on reading these colors: Extended Test Kit Directions. Scroll to the second post on that page, entitled: OTO Chlorine Test. From the color scales described on this page, you have FC somewhere around 15-20 ppm.

As for your pH, the pH test is not reliable given the high FC. I wouldn't test pH until your FC comes down to normal maintenance levels for your CYA. BTW, you will need to know the CYA in order to determine your maintenance FC level and shock FC level.

The water mostly cleared up over night (not green anymore) to where I can easily see the bottom of the pool, but it is far from ready (obviously).

Can you give a bit more description of your water's appearance (e.g., Is it clear but tinted a certain color other than green, is it "milky", is it bluish but a little hazy, is there debris in the water or on the pool surface, etc.)? Basically, something to help us understand why "it is far from ready."

 

[sandycreek91]

sandycreek91: Can you give a bit more description of your water's appearance (e.g., Is it clear but tinted a certain color other than green, is it "milky", is it bluish but a little hazy, is there debris in the water or on the pool surface, etc.)? Basically, something to help us understand why "it is far from ready."

Great info, thanks a ton!

The sky is very cloudy here (dark enough that my dusk-to-dawn light is on at 9:30 am!), so it's a bit hard to tell. I would say clear, no color, but hazy or chalky. There is still sediment on the bottom of the pool that I can never seem to get rid of. I vacuumed to waste last night, but it is so fine that it just stirs and settles, and I can never get rid of it.

I need to figure out a way to test the CYA level. I'll work on that and repost.