Got my TF100 - Next Steps?

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Basco

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Feb 11, 2008
17
Have a 15 by 30 Pebbletech pool. I have been using tricholor pucks which I know is the cause of my high CYA and shocked recently with the gallon jugs of sodium hypochlorate from home depot (Kemtek) which explains my high FC , but would appreciate some options moving forward. Draining the pool is a slow go process but in the heat not sure if its a good idea at this time. Here are the results:

FC 34
CC 0
PH 6.8 (low because of high FC?)
CH 250
TA 50 (it turned yellow on drop 5 instead of blue, do I stop there?)
CYA 140 - I did the tap/pool water mix to get a more accurate reading- Filled bottle to lower mark with pool water, upper mark with tap water, poured half out and added the solution - Black dot disappeared at 70

I am really concerened with the low PH but is that because of my high FC?

Thanks for any assistance
 
pH is invalid above 10 FC. It generally reads higher than it is with high FC , but in your case, there's a good chance the sample got bleached out. Retest it when FC dips below 10.

TA test goes vblue>yellow instead of green>pink at high FC. The test is exactly the same, only the colors are different.
 
Actually with FC that high your pH should be much higher. The test may be bleached out due to the high FC. Dilute the pool water sample with 1 part chlorine free water and test pH again to see if you get a different result. For the TA your results may also be affected by the high chlorine level. Rule of thumb is you stop adding drops when the sample stops changing color.

Did you use PoolMath to determine your slam level? When I input your test results it shows your slam level is 55. In order to properly slam the pool you will need to raise the FC to 55 and keep it there as often as possible until the process is completed. Plus once the slam is completed your daily FC target range is 11-17 ppm. That is a lot of bleach! If you lower the CYA to 50 ppm your slam level is 20 and your daily target range is 4-8. Your pool will be much easier to manage if you lower the CYA.
 
Thanks, I plan to do partial drains during the night and refill in the mornings before the heat kicks up.. Hopefully I will see some improvement in the CYA numbers.

How much is 1 part of chlorine free water equate too on the OTO testing kit? 1/5?

So you guys think I just should not do anything chemical wise until I get that CYA under control?
 
You will save your self time and money in the long run if you get the CYA down first. No point in adding chemicals just to drain them away and its going to take a couple of days for the 34 ppm to burn itself off. That should keep the problem in a holding pattern until the drain/refill cycles are complete.

By 1 part I mean just use an equal measure of pool water to un-chlorinated water. For example 1 cup un-chlorinated water mixed with 1 cup of pool water and use that mixture fill the test vial and run the test.
 
Ok, started my draining last night, using the hose attached to faucet bib near the filter. I turned off all valves except for main drain to drain the pool. Looks like I am averaging about a 1ft for every 12 hours, slow I know but in this neighborhood and my housing lot, its eaiser for a gradual drain.

I have a 15x30 gunite pebbletech pool(400 SQ ft surface area-80 sq ft perimeter, sports configuration, 3 foot on one end, 5 ft in middle, 4 on other end. I assume I take the average depth which would be 4 ft so a 50% drain would be 2ft from the fill line, does that sound about right?

Thanks for all the help.
 
Basco said:
Well I did about a 55-60% drain and got CYA down to 65-70. Do you recommend a second drain of 40% drain is in order to get it to that magic CYA number of 40?
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Are you planning to do a SLAM, or just trying to get CYA to a manageable number? That magic number depends where you live, really. If you're in Las Vegas or Palm Springs, you might want 60 CYA. Most people are happiest with 40 -50, because that puts the minimum FC at 3 or 4, which is allows for the quick test using the color matching test. Run it higher, and you'll have to use the FAS-DPD test every time.
 
Thanks Richard, I live in the Sacramento, CA area. Yes I plan to do a SLAM since my pool has been much clearer before. JUst wondering. when should you test CYA after a refill, I let the pump run for about 5 hours and tested, is that long enough?
 

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That is long enough. You can test anywhere from a half hour to an hour.

Glad to read you bit the bullet and did the drain refill. If your pool gets full sun all day you may be fine working with 60-70ppm CYA. I would caution you against using Trichlor or dichlor shocks and strictly stick with unscented chlorine bleach as it's not stabilized.
 
Basco said:
Thanks Richard, I live in the Sacramento, CA area. Yes I plan to do a SLAM since my pool has been much clearer before. JUst wondering. when should you test CYA after a refill, I let the pump run for about 5 hours and tested, is that long enough?
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Yes.

What does the water look like? Cloudy? Green? You can SLAM at the higher CYA, it just takes more bleach to get it up to SLAM level. Given the water restrictions we're under, if you can see the drain, even if it's hazy, it might be cheaper to buy the bleach than to pay the excess water use fines.
 
Ok, did another 40-50% drain and my CYA is now 40! I will never use a tricholor puck ever again, that was a painful exercise and I dont have a big pool!. So on to my numbers

FC 3.5
PH 7.2
CC .5
CH 60
TA 50
CYA 40

The pool looked ok, just not crystal clear. Added bleach last night to get to my shock level of 15 and pool looked really clear this morning FC is at 14.5-CC 0, TA and CH still the same. Notice my CH is on the very low side, is that because of the water replacement? THe pool calc recommends 320oz of calcium chloride. WOuld that be my next step? Thanks for everyone's help, things are looking up.
 
Sounds like things are going well!

Question: was that 15 FC last night what you measured after the sun stopped hitting the pool, or is that the calculated value? Because if it was the calculated value, you really haven't passed the OCLT. One more day.

With a pebbletec finish, I would raise CH at least to the minimum. Be aware that adding a bunch of Calcium increaser could cloud the water. It will go away, but it tends to freak people out, so I thought I'd mention that. The alternative is to chlorinate with Cal-hypo powder awhile until CH gets where you want, then switch back to bleach. We're not opposed to using pucks and powders here, as long as you can use the side effects!

Plug your gallonage into poolmath, then scroll down to Effects of Adding Chemicals and see what a pound of Calhypo will do to the CH. Then crunch a few numbers and figure out how many pounds can you safely use. Don't buy any more than that and you won't overdo it. Then just use the powder for your daily chlorine needs until it's gone. Poolmath will tell you how much to use every day, just like it will with bleach.
 
Thanks Richard!

I did the bleach last night but got sidetracked and forgot to take a reading until this morning around 8:30 am which was 14.5 so it was prob higher last night, I plan to do the OCLT tonight.

I will look into the CalHypo route for raising CH. I should do this post SLAM correct?

Thanks!
 
Basco said:
Thanks Richard!

I did the bleach last night but got sidetracked and forgot to take a reading until this morning around 8:30 am which was 14.5 so it was prob higher last night, I plan to do the OCLT tonight.

I will look into the CalHypo route for raising CH. I should do this post SLAM correct?

Thanks!
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Either. Once it hits the water and dissolves, FC is FC and the algae doesn't know where it came from. Just read the labels and be sure it's Calcium Hypochlorite and not something else.
 
Added 25 lbs of calcium chloride over the last few days and got my CH to 260. Pool is looking better each day, first night OCLT I lost 4.5ppm, last night 1.5. One thing I noticed is some brown spots on the bench and one at the bottom. I think they came up over night, I tried brushing it off and using my fingernail, it seems smooth. Here is a picture:


brownstainsv2.jpg


Could this be calcium stains? Although I didn't dump any on that part of the pool
 
It looks like iron stains. I will tell you from experience that even a single iron filing will leave a dot big enough to see clearly overnight. And if someone is pulling nails and tears the head off and it flies into the pool, you'll have a huge spot!

Vitamin C will identify it and remove it. Just set a tablet on top for a few minutes. If it disappears, that's what it was.
 

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