Newbie pool questions

Jump to latest Follow Reply
C

crimsondr

0
Jun 23, 2014
99
Toronto, ON, Canada
Hi all,

I just setup my 12' metal frame Intex pool last weekend. It's been great so far but I have a few questions.

1. I added some cyanuric acid (HTH stabilizer) on the weekend but when I do tests now I still get a reading of 0. Now I'm only using HTH 6 way test strips as I haven't found where to buy more accurate tests in Canada. Could the test strips be wrong? Or do you think I need to wait longer before the CYA shows up in the test?

2. At the moment I have to add chlorine every day. I bring it up to 3ppm each evening (as per my poor test strips). In the morning I did a test and it's still 3ppm. But by the evening it's dropped to 0ppm. Is this normal? Maybe it won't drop so quickly with CYA?

3. I will be away for 1 week in a few weeks. What do I need to do for the pool so it's not a mess on my return? I tried the trichlor pucks in a floater but it doesn't seem to dissolve at all or help my chlorine levels. I don't have a skimmer and I don't think there is anyway to feed the puck via the pump that came with my pool. If I shock the pool before I leave would that be sufficient to leave it for a week?

4. Do you have to cover the pool before leaving it unattended for a week? Would a solar cover work?

5. My local pool store sells 20L 13% liquid chlorine for $12.99. Would you agree that this is a reasonable price?

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
From what to what FC level?
That will only add 3ppm of FC.

How much CYA did you add? What was your target? That determines the minimum you should ever let the FC drop to according to the FC/CYA Chart. Which also shows you the shock level you should raise to before you leave ... and then hope that the pool is still clear when you return.

Although, given that the FC keeps dropping to zero, there is likely already stuff growing.
 
jblizzle said:
From what to what FC level?
That will only add 3ppm of FC.

How much CYA did you add? What was your target? That determines the minimum you should ever let the FC drop to according to the FC/CYA Chart. Which also shows you the shock level you should raise to before you leave ... and then hope that the pool is still clear when you return.

Although, given that the FC keeps dropping to zero, there is likely already stuff growing.
Click to expand...

Why do you say that? She reported that FC is 3 at night and 3 in the morning. Sounds like she is just losing chlorine due to sunlight burn off and needs to raise CYA.
 
Well, you admittedly use test strips ... so I am not sure how you can tell if you lost any FC overnight or not.

Again, how much CYA did you add?

- - - Updated - - -

No, don't tell me what the strips say. Tell me how much of what product you added. I trust PoolMath at calculating the CYA level more than what the strips say ... and 30-50ppm is a HUGE range.

- - - Updated - - -

If you are letting the FC drop to 0, then you are not adding enough FC. The CYA should help and that is what we need to know to determine what your minimum FC level is.
 
Hi crimsondr.

Welcome to TFP!

You have found the best source of information on the web for pool as well as the best experts!

To answer your questions:

1. CYA can take up to a week to show on tests. As you point out, test strips aren't really accurate. You could take some water to the pool store, but that's not really accurate either. Your best bet is to order a TFTestkit or a K-2006 from Apollo Pools. The first one can'T ship to Canada, but you can get it shipped to the border and go pick it up. The second one charges an OUTRAGEOUS price for their kit, but has the monopoly, so they can do what they want.

2. If your CYA is 0 (which is most likely is), then the sun will burn off your chlorine pretty fast. Once you have some CYA in there and register a good number, use the FC/CYA chart to figure out which FC target to hit.

3. A couple floating pucks should help, but you need to start with a known level for the pucks to 'maintain' that level as they dissolve slowly as you've found out. I agree with the comments above to bring up the FC to shock level, cover it, and shut the equipment off... Maybe run the pump a couple hours a day. But if your FC is at shock level and you have no CYA, it won't stay at shock level for long... If you have a neighbour who can come by and add some bleach mid-week, I'm sure that would help...

4. Anything opaque is good as the sun won't penetrate it. A typical blue solar cover lets some sun through, but if that's all you have, it's better than nothing.

5. Canadian Tire has 5L 10.8% on sale this week for 3.99$, so I'd say your deal is better... Stock up unless it's always at that price.

Good luck!
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
jblizzle said:
Well, you admittedly use test strips ... so I am not sure how you can tell if you lost any FC overnight or not.

Again, how much CYA did you add?

- - - Updated - - -

No, don't tell me what the strips say. Tell me how much of what product you added. I trust PoolMath at calculating the CYA level more than what the strips say ... and 30-50ppm is a HUGE range.

- - - Updated - - -

If you are letting the FC drop to 0, then you are not adding enough FC. The CYA should help and that is what we need to know to determine what your minimum FC level is.
Click to expand...
The better test kits are quite expensive and I haven't convinced myself to purchase from appollo yet.

For the CYA, I did use pool math and added approximately 6oz hoping to bring it up to 30ppm.


Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk
 
Well, if you added 6 oz, then assume your CYA is 30ppm. Which means you should never let the FC drop below 2ppm ... ever. And if you need to SLAM, you will have to maintain a FC of 12ppm.

Realize if you continue to use the tablets, they are also adding CYA and thus raising the required FC levels.

- - - Updated - - -

Time for a road trip to Buffalo ;) ... know anyone there you can have the TF-100 shipped to?
 
The test kit itself costs as much as my pool! :p

I already stopped using the tablets and returned the bottle to walmart (with one tab gone lol). Now I have 10L liquid chlorine that I will be using.

Last night when I did my reading before adding chlorine it came in at 1ppm. But it was a cloudy day and we didn't use the pool. So I'm not sure if it's due to the conditions or the CYA is starting to work.
 
You can not let the FC drop that low. The CYA should protect the FC and make it not be lost to the sun. Since your minimum is 2ppm. You should raise the FC to 5ppm in the evening and verify the next evening that it is still above 2ppm.

Although none of what I am suggesting is even remotely possible with test strips.
 
If you are going to go cheap ... then at least get the HTH 6way drop kit so you can test the CYA. But honestly differentiating a FC from 2-5ppm is almost impossible with those color match tests. The FAS-DPD chlorine test is just so much better.

Have you read the seasonal pool article in Pool School? Might be something to consider which would help you squeak by with a simple test kit: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/155-guide-for-seasonal-temporary-pools
You have already done the first part with getting your CYA in range, now just have to be sure to keep the pH and FC high enough.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply