Test Results withe new TEST Kit

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new2pools

new2pools

0
May 30, 2007
180
Hampton Roads/Virginia
Okay, the rain stopped a bit ago so I thought I'd go out and test the water with the new kit.

I took water from about a foot under.

Okay, so per my ph strips that I bought from the pool store looked as if my CL went from 3 to 1 so per posting here I added about 9 cups of clorox last night.

Here are the results:
(27' AG pool, brand new,just installed approx 1.5 weeks ago)

FC-5.5 (did it twice, first time it was 7.5 but I noticed the drops came out -mostly- a little bigger thanthe first go round--hmmm, I'm thinking this might be difficult to get accurate??)

CC-0

TA-270???? What? That's alot right? I did add quite a bit of Alk. Increaser when starting the pool since I originally was going to go with Baquacil but then I decided to switch to chlorine just before adding the Sanitizer (thank goodness!) I went to the pool store and they told me to put in decreaser, which I did.

CYA-between 35-40

Per the Blue Taylor box in the kit, the daily tester......
CL-3
BR-6
PH-7.2

Hmm, what do I do now??WHy are the blue kit numbers so different thanthe other?
Should i wait and test again tomorrow to see how they match up? (no swimming today anyway...bad weather)
 
Your numbers seem reasonable. There isn't anything there you need to worry about right away. A little more practice and some adjusting and you will start settling in.

When dispensing drops the bottle should be held vertically, take it slow and let the drops "drop" off of the tip, as opposed to forcing them out quickly. I suggest you read the directions again, double check you are using the correct bottles and try the FC/CC test again. With a little practice you should be able to get consistent readings.

With a CYA of 35-40 you want to keep your chlorine level around 4-6. A little more bleach would be a good idea, even if you can't get a reliable test yet. I would add 4 1/2 cups of bleach if you can't get a reliable test. If the test settles down below 4 then give it another 9 cups. If the test settles at 5 or more then don't worry about bleach.

Your TA is too high. You will need to bring that down, but there is no rush on that. Get your testing technique down and have a couple of similar measurements before you worry about it.
 
Okay, tested again today, twice, and got 3ppm first time and 2ppm second time. I think the second reading was more accurate because I tried really hard to get the drops uniform and they were more uniform on the second testing. (I have some trouble, even holding vertical without much pressure, etc, with small, quick drips coming out instead of the steady larger ones-the second test had 3 larger drips and 2 tiny drips I counted as one)

So, I'm going to go put in 13 cups and 6 oz bleach per the BleachCalc.....to bring it up to 5ppm.
 
Okay, thinking on this a bit more.......a question about the drops, should they be small quick drops or larger, slow building (at the tip) drops? Wow, between the two you can really get VERY different readings. :? :? :?
I'm assuming the slow, larger drops per your post above but just wanted to make sure I'm seeing and doing what you are describing!
Thanks!!
 
Okay, I only put in 10 cups for now....just want to make sure I'm doing this correctly. :? Have some errands to run and will check the chlorine again in a couple of hours. (and check in here as well!)

Thanks so much for helping this total pool newbie! (btw, the water is still sparkling, clean, clear and beautiful --even after much rain yesterday!!) :-D
 
New2pools,

After a call from another kit owner last night, I think I can help with your problem. I believe you have the incorrect tip on your R-0871 dropper bottle.

Apparently, either the supplier or (gulp!) me mixed in some tips that are not conducive to good, uniform drops. I have replacement tips on the way and they will be in my possession Wednesday.

If you, or anyone else experiencing this difficulty, will let me know, I'll get the new tip right out to you.

Just send an email titled "dropper tip" to me. Send it to [email protected]. Put your first and last name on it (I've got your addresses) and I'll take care of the rest.

Been in business 45 days and already have a major recall!!! :shock: :shock: I am committed to getting this thing right so, as long as ya'll show the confidence you have to this point, I'll keep at it until we can get this kit to you "troublefree" :lol: :lol:
 
duraleigh said:
New2pools,

After a call from another kit owner last night, I think I can help with your problem. I believe you have the incorrect tip on your R-0871 dropper bottle.

Apparently, either the supplier or (gulp!) me mixed in some tips that are not conducive to good, uniform drops. I have replacement tips on the way and they will be in my possession Wednesday.

If you, or anyone else experiencing this difficulty, will let me know, I'll get the new tip right out to you.

Just send an email titled "dropper tip" to me. Send it to [email protected]. Put your first and last name on it (I've got your addresses) and I'll take care of the rest.

Been in business 45 days and already have a major recall!!! :shock: :shock: I am committed to getting this thing right so, as long as ya'll show the confidence you have to this point, I'll keep at it until we can get this kit to you "troublefree" :lol: :lol:
Click to expand...

Anyway you could post a picture of a "not good" and a "good" tip for us that don't know?

thanks,
 
Anyway you could post a picture of a "not good" and a "good" tip for us that don't know?
Click to expand...

They're virtually indistinguishable visually (part of the reason for the oops).

If, when you squeeze out the drops, they come out reasonably uniform....not perfect, but nice countable drops.....you're good to go.

The incorrect tips will not do this. They will release the drops sporadically, sometimes two at a time, sometimes a miniscule one. The difference is pretty obvious and, except for a few kits, should only affect the R-0871. Drop a couple of drops of any of the other droppers beside it for comparison.....it's easy to tell.
 

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I would agree with this. When I did the Alkalinity test the dropper on that bottle worked like a charm. The other bottle would do *exactly* as you described......2 small quick drops, one big one, one tiny one, ya just never knew. So glad it's the dropper though and not me. :wink: :lol:
 
Okay, new numbers today.

(on the droppers, I just made the holes a bit bigger on the problematic bottles to help with the drops coming out(I noticed the bottles that had nice uniform drops had much larger holes).....helped a little, enough for me to keep testing to get my water right for now anyhow)

Anyway, here are the #'s

FC- did it twice, first time 2.5, second 3
CC-0
PH-7.5
TA-170 (my other number was 270...maybe I did something wrong the first time?)
CH-didn't test the first time, this time it's 270--- and nope, didn't do this one by accident in place of TA even though they came out same number :wink: )
didn't check CYA this time, was 35-40 the other day

Checked with the Blue Taylor kit as well.....CL was about a 2 on that.

Okay, so with the 3 CL tests I'm assuming it's pretty accurate that my water is around 2-3ppm. How much Bleach should I add today?? Should I aim for the high end of 6ppm per my CYA level? If so, I need to put in basically 13 cups, 6 oz.
(BTW, the rain did raise our water by an inch or 2...drained a bit twice now and still have a bit too much water in the pool :? )

btw, what is supposedly a safe ppm on chlorine in a pool for swimming??? Just curious.
 
There is some debate on what a safe level of chlorine for swiming is. My attitude is to have the chlorine at or below the Max column on Ben's best guess chart before swiming. Other people seem willing to go higher.

It sounds like you are getting the hang of things. I would suggest aiming for a FC of 5, but anything in the 4-6 range should be fine (given your current CYA level).
 
New,

I'm at the high end of the bell curve on Cl level. My thinking is that any test you do prior to swimming will be higher than when you actually go in because of the consumption of the Cl by the sun. If I add Cl in the morning, I will bring it up to a couple of points higher than the max on the best guess chart. That gives me reassurance that I will not drop below the minimum at anytime during the next 24 hours regardless of sunshine or bather load. (I've got 28 kids that will be in there for about 5 hours on Friday...that'll be a significant Cl drop)

My method is neither right or wrong. It's a comfort level I have come to based on the 4 years of experience I've had with my own pool (I tend to consume a little more Cl than others do). You will establish your own comfort level quickly and your own judgement will guide you.
 
Okay, didn't add the bleach until just a few minutes ago.
Checked the water again just before. My FC went from 2.5-3 to a definite 1 on both tests. Wow, is that normal?? The sun is full on from about 8:00 until about now 2:30-3:00.

I just put in a jug of bleach plus 6 cups. Wow, I don't know why I was thinking those jugs were a gallon???? They are only 3 quarts. :? I always hated math. :-D
 
duraleigh said:
My FC went from 2.5-3 to a definite 1 on both tests.
Click to expand...

My full sun pool drops about 2.0 - 2.5 daily with no swimmer load....CYA 40
Click to expand...

Okay, well that sounds just about like what mine is doing. My CYA is about the same as yours as well.


Checked my levels with the blue taylor kit and CL was back up to 5ppm (since adding earlier) (I won't check as much as time goes by I'm sure but right now just want to get a 'feel' for it and I think I finally am!)

The reason I ask about what level ppm is considered too high for swimming is because I have an 8 yr old with friends, etc and I know that they swallow water occasionally. (this is all new to me and I'm a worrywart!!! :shock: :? )
 
Thanks again, everyone, for all the help! I do think I'm catching on to all of this! Thankfully, our water is and has stayed beautiful and crystal clear so far. Sure hope I can keep it that way all summer. :wink:

Here's a few shots of it this morning. :)

27.jpg

IMG_0977.jpg

:)
 

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