First TF-100 test results

[gwen227]

pH - 7.2
FC - 11
CC - 0
TA - 120
CH - 160
CYA - 100

pool specs below in sig

I am going shopping tomorrow morning for: bleach, A&H detergent booster & 20 Mule Team Borax.
Is there anything else I need to pickup?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Gwen, glad you got your kit... It's kinda fun huh....

Are you confident on the CYA test?

See the pics here

http://www.taylortechnologies.com/Chemi ... ntentID=44

Because 100 is too high, and you will need to do a partial drain and refill of your pool to lower it to about 50ppm. See the chlorine CYA chart in Pool School and understand that high levels of CYA mean you have to use LOTS of chlorine and maintain a higher level just to keep the pool sanitized, shocking means ridiculous amounts of bleach to have on hand if there is a problem...

BTW, stop using those aqua chem tabs you have, they are adding to your CYA level, and lowering your PH. Don't let the PH drift down any lower....7.4-7.6 is the ideal range.

You really don't need the a & H and borax yet, they serve a specific purpose and I don't know that you necessarily should add them at this time. So for now just get some bleach.

Hope this helps.

 

[gwen227]

I had not emptied the CYA test yet. When I looked again, I ended up at about 55.

So, bleach only at this point?

Floating tabs are out. The only things in the water right now are the ladder, skimmer and dolphin thermometer.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

I had not emptied the CYA test yet. When I looked again, I ended up at about 55.

So, bleach only at this point?

Floating tabs are out. The only things in the water right now are the ladder, skimmer and dolphin thermometer.

I don't think I understand what you mean about "emptied the CYA test yet..." ??? 55 is fine, if your confident in that result. :?:

Yes, bleach only at this point. Soda ash, Baking Soda and borax all raise PH and TA in different amounts. If your PH is low and your TA is high, you can just aerate to raise PH. With your numbers, if you see your PH rise above 7.6 frequently, you may want to consider lowering your TA using the Muratic Acid and aeration process, but right now I wouldn't worry about that.

Borax can also be used to add borates to your pool, which some people have discussed on this forum. You can read the article "so you want to add borates to your pool" or some title like that....

Youre in good shape, water wise, I believe. Like I said, if you experience PH rise you can deal with that fairly straightforward.

 

[gwen227]

3 days of test results

Merged topics:jjparrish

I am on the right track?
I have children who will "DIE" if they cannot go swimming today.
Weather and doctor's appointments have kept them out so far this week.

------Tues--------Wed--------Thur
pH----7.2---------7.2----------7.5
Cl-----5-------------3-----------2
FC---11-----------7.5---------6.5
CC----0-------------0-----------0
TC---11------------7.5-------6.5
TA--120---------360--------320
CH--160---------150--------160
CYA--55----------70----------90

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Re: 3 days of test results

I'm hoping the moderaters merge your threads, its is too hard to follow when you begin a new thread. so in the future keep everything in one thread so people can follow allong better.

Are you confident in these test results? Gwen, how did your CYA get so high?

On your other thread, you never answered my question about your CYA test. First you said it was 100 then you said something that I didn't understand and said it was 55.

It's too high. Already, with a CYA of 90, your chlorine is too low at 6.5 The more CYA in your pool the more chlorine you have to keep in your pool for proper sanitation. 7 is the minimum for a CYA of 90, 10 is your target and shock is a ridiculous number of 34ppm.

If you want to let your kids swim, you need to raise your FC up to 9-10 to keep the water properly sanitized. Then they can swim. Maintain your FC level of 10 level until you can do a partial drain and refill of your water to lower the CYA.

Your TA is too high, so you can begin the process for lowering TA anytime now, that is something that can be done while the kids are swimming.

So yes they can swim, but you are still a tad off track.... :?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Re: 3 days of test results

I think the TA test is inaccurate too, the dropper problem again, other users have reported them. Try wiping the tip with a damp cloth before you do the test, as the problem seems to be related to static electricity. Or swap tips from another dropper bottle in the kit, rinsing between uses. If you email Duraleigh at TF test kits, he will mail you another tip.

 

[gwen227]

Re: 3 days of test results

Sorry about the double post. Wasn't sure.

I have no idea how any result go to the level it is.
I have added nothing to the pool. It has rained here almost everyday since Sunday.
The CYA test I will redo and post pictures as I add water to the tube.

The first CYA test, I got interupted and had to start over.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Re: 3 days of test results

Check this first

http://www.taylortechnologies.com/Chemi ... ntentID=44

 

[gwen227]

CYA test

 

[gwen227]

The pink/red swirl at the bottom appeared after 16 drops. I switched tips on the bottles. The drops were larger this time. However, to get the WHOLE solution to turn, it took 25 drops.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

First of all, great pics....

Okay. Then the above comments about high CYA and high TA still apply. A partial drain and refll of your pool water is really essential to getting control of your water chemistry. Otherwise you will be adding gallons and gallons of bleach trying to stay ahead of the algae.

AFter a partial drain and refill, (you may have to do it twice to get the CYA down to 60 or so...) then you can retest your numbers, and if the TA is still high, you can tackle lowering the TA, see this article category/pool-school/lowering%20total%20alkalinity in Pool School.

Probably not what you wanted to hear....sorry.

 

[gwen227]

I replaced water last night and then added approximately 100 oz of Clorox.
These are my numbers as of 6am today. Faint cloudiness. I can still see the bottom of the pool, but the blue squares are not as blue. Also, replaced filter with a cleaned on last night after the water add.

pH----------7.5
Cl-----------5
FC---------12
CC----------0
TC---------12
TA--------260
CH-------140
CYA-------70

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Morning Gwen.... :-D

What were your chlorine levels last night? You have no cc's so that's great. CYA is down to a much more manageable number, yeah!!! With a CYA of 70, you want to keep your chlorine between 5-8ppm, don't let it drop below 5, cause that's when the algae can take hold. Hard to know without knowing if your FC was 12 last night? When your FC holds overnight you know algae is not present, but you must be able to compare the two tests....

The faint cloudiness...how often are you running the filter?

Your TA. That's your nex step, when you are ready. Your other numbers look great. How do you feel about things?

Things are looking very good.

 

[gwen227]

I didn't test it last night. I will tonight.
Pump 24/7 for almost 2 weeks. How will I go about getting the TA down?
Also, what are ideal levels for my pool? My niece has the same pool and I want to get her started on this method. Her water turned green and my nephew drained and refilled. After scrubbing the pool first.

Thank you for all your help and guidance.
Since I plan on keeping this up year round, this will be a big head start on each pool season to come.

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Gwen,

Before you adjust your T/A, have you seen the posts on dropper tip issues?

I am becoming more and more convinced that problem is static electricity.

So, when you test tonight, wipe the tip of R-0009 with a paper towel or damp cotton cloth before you start the drop count. You may very well see the drops will be larger and, as a result, your T/A will test lower (fewer drops) than you had previously.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

I didn't test it last night. I will tonight.
Pump 24/7 for almost 2 weeks. How will I go about getting the TA down?
Also, what are ideal levels for my pool? My niece has the same pool and I want to get her started on this method. Her water turned green and my nephew drained and refilled. After scrubbing the pool first.

Thank you for all your help and guidance.
Since I plan on keeping this up year round, this will be a big head start on each pool season to come.

See what Duraleigh said about the tips. If you get the same level as before after trying his suggestion then you follow the instructions for lowering alkalinity. The links are above or see the article in Pool School. Its fairly straightforward.

FC 3-7 (remember this directly relates to the CYA level - so confirm on the CYA chart)
pH 7.5-7.8
TA 70-90 (many people with no "aeration" features run with a higher level of TA and don't experience problems. My TA is 110-120 and I have no issues.
CH 50-300 (This is a big range because many people with vinyl pools have varying ranges and report no problems. Make sense?)
CYA 30-50

The filtering is probably the reason for the cloudiness, that's reported fairly often with the Intex filters. You should be okay if you maintain the proper amounts of FC.

I'm glad to help!

 

[gwen227]

Thanks Dave, I will try that tonight.

 

[gwen227]

-------Fri pm------Sat am
pH------7.5---------7.5
FC------7.5---------6.5
TA------240--------200

I didn't do the other tests for CH and CYA. Last CYA Friday morning was 70.
Water is clear and has an awesome texture to it. Not slick like treated municipal water. It reminds me of water you find in creeks that are clear.

Thanks for all the help and advice.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Good morning!

This is good, you sound pleased! Everything sounds good, keep an eye on your levels, add chlorine as needed and if you have any issues, feel free to post. If you notice the water turning cloudy again, up your filtering time and chlorine a bit. IF you notice your PH drifting up above 7.8, then it will be time to lower the TA (and PH) with muratic acid, raising the PH back into range after the TA has been lowered, follow the instructions for lowering TA to the tee!

Always remember to test daily and use the pool calculator for dosing amounts and the CYA chart for your chlorine levels.

Take care, sounds like all is good. But we'll be around if you need us!