Are my PH and Alkalinity to low?

[brickladyt]

Oh ok the directions didn't tell me to keep adding drops after turning pink so I stopped. That means my TA is probably higher than I thought. Which means I didn't have to add anything in last night like I did. Oops

I usually add the chemicals and then run the filter for 4-6 hours.

 

[Richard320]

Oh ok the directions didn't tell me to keep adding drops after turning pink so I stopped. That means my TA is probably higher than I thought. Which means I didn't have to add anything in last night like I did. Oops

I usually add the chemicals and then run the filter for 4-6 hours.

Extended Test Kit Directions says

1. Counting the number of drops as you go, add R-0009 one drop at a time, swirling to mix after each drop.
   1. Continue adding drops until the color changes to something more or less red, pink, yellow, or clear. The sample may switch between green, blue, and gray while you are adding drops. That is not the color change you are waiting for.
   2. Continue adding drops as long as the color continues changing. The final drop, that does not change the color any further, does not count.

So let's say you start out green. At 6 drops it starts to look grey. At 7 drops it gets pale pink, then goes back to grey. At 8 it stays pale pink. At 9 it goes Barbie pink. At 10 it stays Barbie pink. The last drop didn't do anything, so subtract it. 10-1 = 9, your TA is 90.

Space your chemical additions 30 minutes or so. You can go less if you brush to help mix things. And thirty minutes after the last addition you can shut off the pump if you want.

Yes, for the slipperiness, I'd jack the chlorine up, and brush any area that feels slippery, so that if it is algae forming, you get it killed fast. The high levels will drop rapidly - you lose a percentage to sun, so at higher FC, it loses more. But it's safe to swim in up to shock level. You can even get in the water to do your brushing if you want.

 

[brickladyt]

Ok great. Thank you for the info. I didn't add any bleach in the morning. I wanted to wait for a reply before going forward. I will do it when I get home in a few hours. I will also recheck my TA the proper way. And yes I was waiting at least an hour before I was adding more chemicals.

 

[brickladyt]

I ran another test just now. Looks like my FC went down to 4.5, PH 7.6 and I ran the TA like you said. It turned pink at 5 drops, a little darker at 6 and 7 and nothing more at 8 so I'm assuming it's 70. I don't understand why it won't raise when I keep adding the baking soda in.

 

[jmbradwell]

I'd stop at 70 and see how stable your pH is over time.

 

[brickladyt]

I did the overnight test. Last night FC was 16 and stayed the same this morning so that's good. I didn't put anything else in last night but my TA went up to 100 and PH 7.8. I had scrubbed it yesterday before slamming it with bleach.

 

[brickladyt]

Is it normal that last ngiht was FC was 16 and at 6:30am it was 16 but then with the sun beating on it till 2:30pm it went down to 11?
Also since I passed the overnight FC loss test, my water looks clear (it didn't seem unclear when I started this) and my CC is .05 do I still have to continue to slam it? My TA was also still 100 at 2:30pm.

 

[Richard320]

Is it normal that last ngiht was FC was 16 and at 6:30am it was 16 but then with the sun beating on it till 2:30pm it went down to 11?
Also since I passed the overnight FC loss test, my water looks clear (it didn't seem unclear when I started this) and my CC is .05 do I still have to continue to slam it? My TA was also still 100 at 2:30pm.

Probably. You lose FC as a percentage, not a fixed amount per hour, so at higher FC, you lose more to sun. It might be worth rechecking that CYA value, though.

Also note the pH test gets messed up with high FC levels.

 

[brickladyt]

Ok should I continue slamming it since all 3 guidelines passed?

 

[mfederwi]

if you passed all 3 tests and no more slime on the bottom you can stop the slam.