Help me please

[aretha1075]

Well I have been very happy with pool life until this evening. Here is the back story. Saturday May 18 started filling the pool with well water. I did the chlorine/ph test daily while filling and estimating the gallons. I added 2 pounds of dichlor to get some CYA in the water and kept the chlorine level between 3-8 with bleach. Finished up the fill Sunday and got the pump running. I had skimmed the pool daily but had some pollen, small leaf bits, and fuzzy things from hickory tree in the bottom.

I got the vacuum started and have been vacuuming everyday to get everything out. Just have a bit more to go. I did the full gambit of tests this evening and the numbers are confusing me.

TC- 3.5
FC- 1.5
CC- 2
TA- 150
CH- 150
CYA- 25
Ph- 7.8
Water Temp- 74

I have kept a sock of stabilizer in the pool since it was about a 1/3 full. According to pool calculator I had added enough to bring it to 40. My tests were normal at the 2/3 full point and today the CYA has dropped, CC has gone up, and my FC dropped. This evening is the first day the water has been warm enough to get in. What could have happened?

The water is crystal clear. I used pool calculator to bring the FC to shock level of 12, added enough stabilizer to bring the CYA up to 30, and acid to lower the ph. Any other recommendations on what to do?

 

[duraleigh]

I am not sure what part is confusing.

If your tests were "normal", at 2/3 full, then, when your pool was full, your FC would drop by 33% as would your CYA.

Your CC's have gone up because the chlorine is combining with organics in your pool and chlorine must be COSTANTLY replenish....it is a consumable item.

 

[aretha1075]

I have added chlorine every day. The amount pool calculator told me to. I added enough stabilizer for the full pool amount. I spaced it over 2 socks just to help it dissolve quicker. Is the debris causing the CC's from organics? I guess it just floored me that the CYA would drop like that.

 

[crek31]

Has the CYA actually dissolved, or could it still be clumped in the socks? If the sock is not empty, try kneading it and the saturated CYA will quickly disperse into the pool.

 

[Richard320]

CYA can take a while to show on the test, and that test is especially subjective and difficult. (You're not using strips are you?) I find I need full sunlight reflecting off the white patio and coming in the sides of the tube to get an accurate reading. I just turn so the water surface in the view tube doesn't have glare from the sun on it. If you did it after dinner, or indoors, it will read lower than expected. Also, did you pour the sample back into the mixing bottle and try again a few times? When I was starting out, if I got 3 out of 10 that matched, I figured that was it.

 

[duraleigh]

I have added chlorine every day. The amount pool calculator told me to

You should be shocking the pool. I think it is VERY likely you have not added enough chlorine

I added enough stabilizer for the full pool amount.

If you did your dosage correctly, you can assume the CYA is in there and will show up probably on your next test.

If it doesn't show up on the testing in 5-7 days from the time you added it, there is usually a dosage error.

Is the debris causing the CC's from organics?

Yes, it is certainly contributing. You need to shock the poll. read "How to Shock Your Pool" up in Pool School

 

[crek31]

If you trust the numbers you have posted, it seems like you need to bring the pool to shock level with bleach and maintain it there until the water passes the three-part test:
1. Not more than .5 CC
2. AND no more than 1 FC lost in overnight test
3 AND water is crystal clear

If you have not added any CYA for a week or so, re-test it to see where you are currently and then you can start shocking.

 

[aretha1075]

I made sure to massage the sock to dissolve all the powder. I tested it around 3:00 before the sun fell below the hill. That test is the most difficult. No I am not using strips. I am a good student and had a tf100 in hand before the ground was ready for the pool.

I did not know to put it back in the bottle and retest. I will try that. I am following the shock process because of the CC's being elevated. This is my first time having a pool and I don't want to screw up.

The water is crystal clear. I have already started the shock process as soon as I seen the numbers. I put the first sock in on the 20th and the second on the 22. When I tested at the 2/3 point the CYA was 50.

 

[Richard320]

I made sure to massage the sock to dissolve all the powder. I tested it around 3:00 before the sun fell below the hill. That test is the most difficult. No I am not using strips. I am a good student and had a tf100 in hand before the ground was ready for the pool.

I did not know to put it back in the bottle and retest. I will try that. I am following the shock process because of the CC's being elevated. This is my first time having a pool and I don't want to screw up.

The water is crystal clear. I have already started the shock process as soon as I seen the numbers. I put the first sock in on the 20th and the second on the 22. When I tested at the 2/3 point the CYA was 50.

You're doing excellent!

 

[aretha1075]

Oh and to add, I am shocking at a level of 12 ppm based on a 30 CYA. Is that correct or do I need to go to the next level since I have added more stabilizer?

 

[aretha1075]

Thank you for the vote of confidence Richard. I think I am so worried I will mess up that the numbers today just took me by surprise. I will concur this devil and have a great summer of swimming though! :-D

Thanks to all of you for helping and being available to help!

 

[Richard320]

Oh and to add, I am shocking at a level of 12 ppm based on a 30 CYA. Is that correct or do I need to go to the next level since I have added more stabilizer?

Assume it's in there, even if it doesn't register on the test, and raise FC accordingly. If the water is clear, you might want to try the overnight loss test tonight.

 

[duraleigh]

Yeah, it sounds like your stabilizer you have added should be around a total of 40 ppm so I would shock at that level (16 ppm FC)

 

[aretha1075]

Thank you all for helping. I am now a site supporter because of the great knowledge and support that I have gained over the last few weeks!

 

[Richard320]

Thank you all for helping. I am now a site supporter because of the great knowledge and support that I have gained over the last few weeks!

Excellent!

In a few weeks, when you're an old pro at this and people start to comment on how sparkly clear your water is, you might want to invest in some bling, too.
[center:392r7jq4][/center:392r7jq4]

 

[aretha1075]

Cool. Did not know I could get bling!

I have already handed out the business cards that came with my kit and have referred three other total strangers in the pool aisle to the site! My uncle is moving here from Germany in a few days and is the proud new owner of a pool that will use BBB after the frogs are removed! :lol: