jeremy said:
Correct, take a sample walk outside, have the sun to your back, hold the vial at waist level, add CYA wait for dot to disappear. You can pour the mixture back into the squirt bottle and repeat test several times to confirm the number.
New (to me) Indoor Pool - how to sanitize?
- Thread starter jeremy
- Start date
Correct, take a sample walk outside, have the sun to your back, hold the vial at waist level, add CYA wait for dot to disappear. You can pour the mixture back into the squirt bottle and repeat test several times to confirm the number.
jeremy said:
Kinda of hard to say without knowing your CYA level, could be algae of some sort. I know you wrote you haven't vacuumed yet to remove it, so we don't know if it's growing back or not yet.
I tried vaccuming myself once, but i am not sure it did much. I am using the prioir owner's equipment, and cant speak to its reliability either.
I will get those CYA levels tomorrow (although it might be raining; can I NOT do it indoors?)
Should I be thinking robot cleaners? I have seen a few forums about them, but don't really know much about them.
I will get those CYA levels tomorrow (although it might be raining; can I NOT do it indoors?)
Should I be thinking robot cleaners? I have seen a few forums about them, but don't really know much about them.
It really needs to be done with sunlight, doing it indoors is part of the reason we suspect so many pool store testers get such variable numbers. I can tell you from my own experience that the reading can change by 10 ppm or more if the sun just goes behind a cloud.
Even if it is partly cloudy it may be worth trying as it will give you a ballpark number which may be enough to know if you have a serious CYA problem
So I just tried the CYA test, and I filled the entire cylinder, but the black dot never disappeared. I tried again (using the same solution) and still, the dot doesn't ever disappear. Whats that mean?
I also tested CH, which came out to about 200ppm. The only thing was the solution was never "red" - rather it was pinkish/purple. Then it took 20 drops to turn bluish.
I also tested CH, which came out to about 200ppm. The only thing was the solution was never "red" - rather it was pinkish/purple. Then it took 20 drops to turn bluish.
It means you have less than 20 PPM of CYA in your pool. Looking at the chart pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock If you current level of FC is still 11 ish then you are above shock level for your pool.
It means you need to buy some stabilizer (CYA) and get it in your pool. Place required amount in a sock or panty hose and hang it in from of a pool return, wait for it to dissolve, it will take some days and up to a week to show up in your testing.
Post the rest of your test results when you get them.
Also be aware of the extended directions for testing extended-test-kit-directions-t25081.html
Add 5 drops of R-0011L and swirl to mix. The solution should turn red, pink, or blue. If the sample turns blue, you are done and your CH level is zero.
It means you need to buy some stabilizer (CYA) and get it in your pool. Place required amount in a sock or panty hose and hang it in from of a pool return, wait for it to dissolve, it will take some days and up to a week to show up in your testing.
Post the rest of your test results when you get them.
Also be aware of the extended directions for testing extended-test-kit-directions-t25081.html
Add 5 drops of R-0011L and swirl to mix. The solution should turn red, pink, or blue. If the sample turns blue, you are done and your CH level is zero.
harleysilo said:
How do I figure out how much CYA is needed? I have somewhere between 0-20 ppm, and I am told an indoor pool should have 20-30ppm. right?
ok, so then I am confused about my next steps. what do I do now with the following test results:
Ph = 7.5
FC = 11
CYA = <20
If CYA is 0, do I have to add CYA? I dont know if its 19 or 1.
Ph = 7.5
FC = 11
CYA = <20
If CYA is 0, do I have to add CYA? I dont know if its 19 or 1.
Since the test kit only goes down to 20 ppm, I'd add some CYA so that the black dot clearly goes away by the time you fill up the tube. In other words, get more solidly to 20 ppm. If you overshoot a little and are still < 30 ppm, that's fine.
If you had zero or very close to zero CYA, then the active chlorine will be too strong unless you were to try and maintain a very low FC which an be impractical.
With an indoor pool, you may find you need supplemental oxidation since you have no UV from sunlight. Some people get a UV system for that reason.
If you had zero or very close to zero CYA, then the active chlorine will be too strong unless you were to try and maintain a very low FC which an be impractical.
With an indoor pool, you may find you need supplemental oxidation since you have no UV from sunlight. Some people get a UV system for that reason.
how much CYA should I start with? Dont want to overshoot/overbuy too much...
What is the point of oxidation?
What is the point of oxidation?
If the water near the top of the tube looks like the "Begin Test" in this link such that the water is still fairly clear, then I'd add 20 ppm CYA. If it looks more like the Mid Test or more obscured, then I'd add 10 ppm CYA. If it looks close to "End Test" and is just barely visible, then I'd just call it 20 ppm and you don't need to add any more or if you did, I'd add only 5 ppm.
In the pool water of an indoor pool, some bather waste can accumulate because chlorine alone does not oxidize everything. Oxidize essentially chemically converts to substances that are either more easily filtered out or that become carbon dioxide and nitrogen gasses and water. Sometimes people refer to this as burning off the chemicals though no literal flames are present. When one burns wood, one is oxidizing the wood using oxygen and heat -- in a pool chlorine does something similar chemically but without the heat.
In an outdoor pool exposed to sunlight, some of the chlorine breaks down from the UV in sunlight and this produces very powerful oxidizers called hydroxyl radicals. These can break down ("burn") more chemicals than chlorine alone so helps to prevent the build-up of bather waste or chemicals that would otherwise smell. In an indoor pool, you don't have the UV from sunlight so depending on the frequency of your use of the pool, you could build up some chemicals from your bather waste that chlorine alone doesn't get rid of quickly and some of these can smell. A UV system will get rid of some of these chemicals by breaking them apart. An ozonator could also do something similar but is less commonly used in indoor pools to avoid risk of outgassing ozone, though a properly sized system and decent air circulation would be OK.
In the pool water of an indoor pool, some bather waste can accumulate because chlorine alone does not oxidize everything. Oxidize essentially chemically converts to substances that are either more easily filtered out or that become carbon dioxide and nitrogen gasses and water. Sometimes people refer to this as burning off the chemicals though no literal flames are present. When one burns wood, one is oxidizing the wood using oxygen and heat -- in a pool chlorine does something similar chemically but without the heat.
In an outdoor pool exposed to sunlight, some of the chlorine breaks down from the UV in sunlight and this produces very powerful oxidizers called hydroxyl radicals. These can break down ("burn") more chemicals than chlorine alone so helps to prevent the build-up of bather waste or chemicals that would otherwise smell. In an indoor pool, you don't have the UV from sunlight so depending on the frequency of your use of the pool, you could build up some chemicals from your bather waste that chlorine alone doesn't get rid of quickly and some of these can smell. A UV system will get rid of some of these chemicals by breaking them apart. An ozonator could also do something similar but is less commonly used in indoor pools to avoid risk of outgassing ozone, though a properly sized system and decent air circulation would be OK.
Thanks for the explanation.
The water in the test is perfectly clear, and the black dot is entirely visible all the way to the top. I guess I will add 20 ppm CYA.
The water in the test is perfectly clear, and the black dot is entirely visible all the way to the top. I guess I will add 20 ppm CYA.
Does adding 1lb of CYA granules per 6,000 gallons in order to increase 20 ppm make sense? Taking a conservative calculation of my pool volume, that would be 4-5lbs of CYA...
EDIT: I am talking about Kem-Tek Stabilizer, which is 99% CYA.
EDIT: I am talking about Kem-Tek Stabilizer, which is 99% CYA.
I added CYA on Thursday and am waiting the week before testing.
In the meantime, is it safe to swim?
PH = 7.5
FC = 3.5
CC = 0.5
In the meantime, is it safe to swim?
PH = 7.5
FC = 3.5
CC = 0.5
Yes, it should be, however with the .5 CC you may want to use some form of supplemental oxidation like MPS based shock to knock it down, note if you do use MPS it will show up on the standard chlorine test as CC for 2-3 days, there is a special MPS test available from Taylor that you may want to buy if you plan to regularly use MPS.
Ike
p.s. around here the cheapest source of MPS shock I have found is at Lowes (orange screw top white canister marked chlorine free shock or something similar to that)
Ike
p.s. around here the cheapest source of MPS shock I have found is at Lowes (orange screw top white canister marked chlorine free shock or something similar to that)
.5 CC might be an overestimation btw. The solution was BARELY pink when I started the test and one drop was all it took to make it crystal clear. Not sure if the level of "pinkness" has any bearing on the test.