New pool owner test results

[roc1479]

Hi guys,

Novice here, went to Leslie's after filling up. Below are the results and what I've done so far.

FAC - 0.5
TAC - 0.5
Salt - 200
CH - 90
CYA - 0
TA - 50
pH - 73
Copper - 0
Iron - 0
Phosphates - 600

I just received the Intex SWG, haven't installed it yet.

I added Leslie's 10lb alkalinity up, need to retest in 4hrs or so. The Leslie's associate is advising me to shock after 4 hrs to bring the chlorine level up.

Any suggestions as what to do next and what to use would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Hawk]

Typical of Leslies. Anything to sell their overpriced chemicals.

Alkalinity up = 100% sodium bicarbonate, baking soda...

Best thing you can do is not set foot in their stores and do some reading here- Pool School

 

[pwrstrk]

Welcome to TFP !
An even better step would be getting yourself one of these Test Kits. I use the TF-100 along with many other people. It's the right tool for getting accurate, consistent test results. It's very hard for us to give good solid advice without accurate test results. The pool store isn't up to par with there water testing for us to give good advice on those results. They want to sell you chem's.
Here are some good articles from Pool School to take a look at.
How To Chlorinate Your Pool
ABC'S Of Pool Water Chemistry
Any questions don't hesitate to ask ! ?

 

[roc1479]

Hey Hawk,

I won't be making that mistake again, thanks for the guidance.

I've done a bit of reading, looks like I have to get my cya and c levels up.

 

[Hawk]

Hey Hawk,

I won't be making that mistake again, thanks for the guidance.

I've done a bit of reading, looks like I have to get my cya and c levels up.

I've been there. I was a customer of theirs for 15 YEARS.
You'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to do your own testing and be able to rely on those results.

 

[Richard320]

Welcome!

Hey, you didn't do so bad... you got out of the pool store with only some overpriced baking soda! You got off cheap.

And surprisingly, the advice was right, pretty much, if the test results are to be believed. I would have added the bleach first, and the baking soda half an hour later. You don't need to wait four hours. Taking it to shock is overkill, since the water just came out of the tap.

My advice: add half a jug of Clorox 8.25% bleach to get FC up to almost 3. Add the baking soda. Either one first, just let whatever mix half an hour between additions. And you will need to add stabilizer aka CYA. If you already bought the "shock," read the label so you know which of about 4 possibilities you have. You can use it instead of bleach as long as you know what it is so poolmath can tell you the dosage. And pay attention to how much you added. Dichlor and Trichlor will add CYA, so you'll need to account for it when you calculate the amount of stabilizer to add.

Get your test kit in your mitts and get that pool balanced as a bleach pool, then add the salt, let it dissolve and mix for 24 hours, and turn on the SWG. Consider holding Diamond Day, described in post 5

A lot of this stuff will make a lot more sense once you start doing it. Get your own test kit and stay out of the pool store and you'll recoup your investment two or three times over the course of the summer in savings from not buying all the potions they'll sell you.

 

[roc1479]

Guys thanks for your guidance.

Richard I've added the baking soda and the bleach as per poolmath. Next I'll get the cya level up and take another test. I do have a Taylor K-1004 Test Kit on the way, ordered before I came on here otherwise I would have order a different kit.

One question, since my CH is 90 and I'm a vinyl, do I need to worry about that?

Thanks

 

[Richard320]

Guys thanks for your guidance.

Richard I've added the baking soda and the bleach as per poolmath. Next I'll get the cya level up and take another test. I do have a Taylor K-1004 Test Kit on the way, ordered before I came on here otherwise I would have order a different kit.

One question, since my CH is 90 and I'm a vinyl, do I need to worry about that?

Thanks

Nope.