Oh, man. Where to begin.....

[nsgNichole]

Hi everyone,

I'm Nichole, in NE Oregon and this is my first week using the methods on this site to try and balance my pool.

I recieved my Taylor test kit and here are my results today:
FC-3.8
CC-0.4
pH-maybe 7.7 (not quite 7.8 and not quite 7.6)
Acid demand test-1 drop
TA-110
CYA 70

My pool is cloudy and has been for a couple of days. We had algae and before I knew better, I used an algeacide and also dumped some bleach in, one bottle, willy-nilly..... My filter has been running continuously for several days now. Yesterday, I added a stabilizer/conditioner according to the package instructions, after my test for CYA yielded 0.

We have a puck in there. I guess I should pull it out? I just DON'T want to get algae again, or those darn bugs that feed on the algae.

I'm feeling overwhelmed between this site (though you all seem to be super-helpful!) and my water chemistry book that came with the kit.

I am ready to get serious about this pool care so that eventually it will be "trouble free" and we'll be able to enjoy it. I'm just not sure where to start given my results and hoped you guys would have a bit of advice.

I'm off to work this eve, but I'll check first thing in the morning!

Thank you so much for reading!
Nichole

 

[linen]

Welcome to tfp, nsgNichole

Great job on getting the test kit

Yesterday, I added a stabilizer/conditioner according to the package instructions, after my test for CYA yielded 0.

How much stablizer/conditioner did you add and what form was it (granuals or liquid)?

Definitely take the puck out, since it is adding more cya and your levels are already above our recommendations (30-50 ppm cya). Use bleach/liquid chlorine to chlorinate with.

Since you are fighting algae, you are going to need to do the SLAM process. However, until we are sure of your cya level we won't know if you need to do a partial drain/refill first.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Your results indicate that you need to SLAM the pool assuming that you're using the 25 ml sample.

You can switch to the 10 ml sample for the FAS-DPD test and save reagent.

Your CYA is already higher than we recommend for a non-swg pool so I'd take the tablet(s) out and go stictly to liquid.

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! Did you add liquid stabilizer yesterday and it registered 70 today?

Go ahead and take the puck out, your CYA is high enough. You can use the Pool calculator to determine how much of each chemical is needed to balance the pool.

For now when you read through Pool School, focus on ABCs of pool water chemistry and the slam process. Since your pool is still cloudy you will need to slam it until it is clear.

 

[nsgNichole]

Thank you guys for your replies! :-D

I added the HTH conditioner/stabilizer, granules. I used the entire box. I was starting out with zero CYA and the pool calculator, plus the box, told me to dump the full four lbs in, which I did into the skimmer, slowly.

I wasn't sure if I should re-check the CYA today, so I haven't yet. I'm almost out of the re-agent already, after only two tests. I wonder if this is easily replenish-able....?

My test results just now (about 1630) were

FC: 2.2 ppm
CC 0.4 ppm
pH 7.6
TA 120

Going to go back to look at the SLAM process to see what I need to do.

The good news is the pool is clearer today, but it's also overcast, so not sure how much of a difference a sunny day would make.

 

[linen]

Next time you add cya, put it in a sock and put the sock in the skimmer or hanging in front of a pool return (my preference). Cya can take awhile to dissolve so you do not want to clean your filter for a couple of days. I would wait a few days to check cya...it can take up to a week to show up in the test.

 

[Charlie_R]

You can get an 8 oz refill bottle of R-0013 from http://tftestkits.net/R-0013-CYA-Refill-8-0z-p52.html