I've been slamming for 4 days. my Ph is extremely low. Should I try to raise Ph during slamming? Pool school says Ph is inaccurate during slam. How innacurate? Should my ph be way below 6 when I started slamming it was 7.4
during slam ph question
- Thread starter mark2013
- Start date
pH test usually reads high at high FC, so that might be a problem.
What are your latest numbers? It might not be a bad idea to let FC drift to 8 or 9, check pH and adjust, then continue the process.
What are your latest numbers? It might not be a bad idea to let FC drift to 8 or 9, check pH and adjust, then continue the process.
I am using bleach 8.25% but started off using shock product in bag and chlorine granules. I have 10lbs shock plus, 10lbs granular chlorine and 8 gallons of bleach to keep my fc above 10. Ph is below 6.8 how low I don't know
You should not be using dichlor or trichlor powders as that is what crashed your pH and has now made your CYA higher ... what is your current CYA?
How much of each product have you used? And please confirm the ingredient in the "shock" and the granular chlorine.
How much of each product have you used? And please confirm the ingredient in the "shock" and the granular chlorine.
Oops.mark2013 said:
Hopefully you still have the bags and can see what exactly "Shock plus" and "granular chlorine" were. If they're Cal-hypo, no foul. But Dichlor or Trichlor will not only add FC, they'll raise CYA - which means the shock level you need to maintain is even higher than it was before - and lower pH. You can get a pretty close estimate of what a pound of each does by entering your pool volume at the top of http://www.poolcalculator.com/ and scroll way down to Effects of Adding Chemicals and plugging in the numbers.
ok as of 8pm on 7-16 test levels were FC over 5-10 ph under 6.8 TA 110-111 (slowly falling over past three days by 1.5 total it was 112-113) CYA 32 Today had a major decrease in amounts of chlorine/shock added compared to the previous three days.
Total chemicals added to pool since it was black black black smelling of death and rot...
15lbs shock.. 58% sodium dichlor-s-triazinetrione 48% other
(says does not increase ph)
15 gallons of 8.5% bleach (i thought I had 6% was wrong before)
13 pounds of granulated chlorine" 71% trichlor+triazinotrione 8% boron soium oxide and 20%other
28lbs of alkaline up 100% sodium hydrogen carbonate
4lbs baking soda
6lbs Cyanuric acid
2 quarts of algaecide
Right now the pool looks much better. I think I am on the right track as long as I don't screw it up from here. My filter is taking forever. Yesterday it looked more greyish-foamy and today the surface foam is gone and it is a blue green/white color like the ocean. (not algae green) Visibility is poor as it is still cloudy about 16-18". I feel like I am ahead of the curve as I have brushed and brushed and no chlorine lvls drop. I got in the pool and scrubbed the stairs and walls with the brush head vacuum running into my skimmer and I had to backwash about 1/2 way through the pool. Visibility really did not change with me doing that so I feel like it didn't stir anything laying on the bottom.
When do I need to start worrying about the PH level? in the past my pool ran well at TA 120. I had financial problems and had to let the pool go is why I ended up with a black pool. No money for chemicals. As soon as I could afford I started this slamming but didn't count on needing to buy another $75 test kit on top of $350 worth of chemicals. I've read the pool school suggestions on T100 /K2006
Total chemicals added to pool since it was black black black smelling of death and rot...
15lbs shock.. 58% sodium dichlor-s-triazinetrione 48% other
(says does not increase ph)
15 gallons of 8.5% bleach (i thought I had 6% was wrong before)
13 pounds of granulated chlorine" 71% trichlor+triazinotrione 8% boron soium oxide and 20%other
28lbs of alkaline up 100% sodium hydrogen carbonate
4lbs baking soda
6lbs Cyanuric acid
2 quarts of algaecide
Right now the pool looks much better. I think I am on the right track as long as I don't screw it up from here. My filter is taking forever. Yesterday it looked more greyish-foamy and today the surface foam is gone and it is a blue green/white color like the ocean. (not algae green) Visibility is poor as it is still cloudy about 16-18". I feel like I am ahead of the curve as I have brushed and brushed and no chlorine lvls drop. I got in the pool and scrubbed the stairs and walls with the brush head vacuum running into my skimmer and I had to backwash about 1/2 way through the pool. Visibility really did not change with me doing that so I feel like it didn't stir anything laying on the bottom.
When do I need to start worrying about the PH level? in the past my pool ran well at TA 120. I had financial problems and had to let the pool go is why I ended up with a black pool. No money for chemicals. As soon as I could afford I started this slamming but didn't count on needing to buy another $75 test kit on top of $350 worth of chemicals. I've read the pool school suggestions on T100 /K2006
forgot the 8 lbs borax
So here is where pool calculator is telling me my levels are actually at when adding them up for CYA and PH
Cya is 116 PH is 2.71 I am going to attempt to build a fountain /sprayer out of pvc for one of the returns as I read this will slowly help PH.
So here is where pool calculator is telling me my levels are actually at when adding them up for CYA and PH
Cya is 116 PH is 2.71 I am going to attempt to build a fountain /sprayer out of pvc for one of the returns as I read this will slowly help PH.
So how are you getting those test results? No test is as accurate as seeing a 1ppm changed in TA and your FC had a huge range and the CYA is not believable and the pH is 2.7? ? ?
If you would have gotten the right test kit, you would not have spent so much money on chemicals that are not helping.
If you would have gotten the right test kit, you would not have spent so much money on chemicals that are not helping.
Yeah no kidding on the kit. Well the pool store doesn't sell T100 test kits or Bleach or Borax so 99% of us normal pool owners have never heard of any of the things that are on this website. I've hit up everyone I know they all think I am crazy talking about bleach and borax in the pool.
I got those test results as suggested by using pool calculator and my Dpd test kit. Here is what I did. I will use the trichlor example from above. I multiplied 16oz per 1lb used and then multiplying by the % strength of the chemical to get the a 100% strength oz figure. For example 13lbs x 16oz = 208 oz times .71 = 147 oz 100% trichlor which lowers PH 3.37. I then added each chemical into the pool caculator page and then adding each of the chemicals together to get the net CYA & PHs
I use a DPD test kit. It measures .5-1 , 1-2 , 2-3 , 3-6 , 5-10 PH is way below 6.8 (don'to truly know how low other than using pool calculator it was at perfect 7.4 when I started) So according to how much dichlor and trichlor PH is now at 2.5-3??
For TA change of 1 -1.5 I meant 10-15ppm (1 drop) Upon retesting it is between 1-2 drops so 1.5 drops or 15ppm roughly
I got those test results as suggested by using pool calculator and my Dpd test kit. Here is what I did. I will use the trichlor example from above. I multiplied 16oz per 1lb used and then multiplying by the % strength of the chemical to get the a 100% strength oz figure. For example 13lbs x 16oz = 208 oz times .71 = 147 oz 100% trichlor which lowers PH 3.37. I then added each chemical into the pool caculator page and then adding each of the chemicals together to get the net CYA & PHs
I use a DPD test kit. It measures .5-1 , 1-2 , 2-3 , 3-6 , 5-10 PH is way below 6.8 (don'to truly know how low other than using pool calculator it was at perfect 7.4 when I started) So according to how much dichlor and trichlor PH is now at 2.5-3??
For TA change of 1 -1.5 I meant 10-15ppm (1 drop) Upon retesting it is between 1-2 drops so 1.5 drops or 15ppm roughly
You can not really do the math the way you described because some chemical levels change.
All that was suggested was to try to calculate the amount of CYA in the pool based what you added because the CYA diss not go away.
PH, TA, FC are affected by outside sources.
All that was suggested was to try to calculate the amount of CYA in the pool based what you added because the CYA diss not go away.
PH, TA, FC are affected by outside sources.
I should also mention that when doing my ph test, I ad 5 drops of r-0014 as called for and then attempt to match color. I can then add 10 more drops and the color will not change to orange/red/pink hue at all. it stays bright yellow. The reagent is absorbed almost instantaneously without swirling.
mark2013 said:
You can stop right now... You added so much dichlor, trichlor, and stabilizer that your CYA is over 150. You are not going to be able to get the pool cleared at this level. You need to change about 60% of your water to get back in to range :|
I understand the sticker shock of the test kit, but owning and using and understanding it would have saved you probably $300 in this whole mess, and a significant water change. You didn't know that then, but you do now. Please consider it an investment for the future. And of course the pool stores think you are crazy, they don't want to lose hundreds of dollars of business!
All that Dichlor and trichlor as crashed the pH and TA. You need to raise them before everything is damaged. You also need to replace water to lower the CYA.
Stick with bleach since it did not have the side effects.
Stick with bleach since it did not have the side effects.
Ok, that makes sense actually for the chemical counter. I was trying to answer you and Richard 320. That is why I plugged in the lbs numbers into calculator.
I don't know what to do from here. Should I even try to mess with PH at this point? Should I have my wife take a sample to leslies for a test and post those tomorrow? I never really trusted their testing but I have no choice until I purchase another kit or additions to the two kits I already have. (Taylor DPD and Bioguard 1200v)
Will I be able to read any PH on the t-100? better than my current kits that only shows me 6.8 to 8.2? I can buy a CYA test kit online for around $10 and maybe buy a better chlorine tester for use in emergencies until my ranges get back to where I can use the regs up on these other kits.
I don't know what to do from here. Should I even try to mess with PH at this point? Should I have my wife take a sample to leslies for a test and post those tomorrow? I never really trusted their testing but I have no choice until I purchase another kit or additions to the two kits I already have. (Taylor DPD and Bioguard 1200v)
Will I be able to read any PH on the t-100? better than my current kits that only shows me 6.8 to 8.2? I can buy a CYA test kit online for around $10 and maybe buy a better chlorine tester for use in emergencies until my ranges get back to where I can use the regs up on these other kits.
The Taylor pH tests are the same. Which DPD kit do you have? Is it only missing the FAS-DPD? Oh I see you are also missing the CYA.
The only better chlorine test is the FAS-DPD. And once you add the cost of the CYA test, you may as well be getting a full kit for the price.
They longer you leave the pH so low, the more damage you are doing.
The only better chlorine test is the FAS-DPD. And once you add the cost of the CYA test, you may as well be getting a full kit for the price.
They longer you leave the pH so low, the more damage you are doing.
Ok im going to go backflush and fill for the rest of the night.... TA is at 110. what does it need to go up to? I thought at least that was ok reading.
As for PH... Question: once I backflush and fill, then I add 16lbs of borax then PH should increase 1.75 Is that a decent starting point for tomorrow night?
I will resume the chemical cleaning tomorrow night after flushing filling tonight.
As for PH... Question: once I backflush and fill, then I add 16lbs of borax then PH should increase 1.75 Is that a decent starting point for tomorrow night?
I will resume the chemical cleaning tomorrow night after flushing filling tonight.
That TA is fine, but surprising that the pH is so low with the TA that high. There is no way to know how low the pH is. So you have to add borax, circulate an hour, then retest. Repeat until you are in the 7s.
Maybe the PH is not as low as I suspect. The test could be flawed by a huge amount of CYA? I dunno just thinking. After draining for a day or so I will retest and get back to you. I've got plenty of bleach for now.
Thanks for all the help! draining and filling is easy fix compared to what I have already been doing for 4 days
Thanks for all the help! draining and filling is easy fix compared to what I have already been doing for 4 days
