Test results

[rsalzman]

I just received my tf-100 kit and have run testing twice a week apart. Here are my results:
Last week
Chlorine 5
Ph 7.5
FC 11
CC .5
Calcium 250
TA 160
CYA 40

Today
Chlorine off the chart
Ph 7.8
FC 18.5
CC 0
Cal 275
TA 200
CYA 55

Everything is creeping up. We did have 5.5 inches of rain last Saturday that nearly overflowed the pool. Was hard to keep up with pumping water out! It's been covered a few days this week and not used much. Temps haven't been very warm--75 ish. The water looks beautiful though. Any recommendations or is this all ok?
37,000 gallon
In ground
Vinyl liner
Sand filter

Thanks!

 

[timerguy]

Testing for FC and pH isn't a weekly effort. You need to do it every day (at least do the OTO daily) you must be using solid chlorine for your cya to be increasing. If you continue that, you will end up with out of control cya.

 

[jblizzle]

How are you chlorinating? I am going to guess a trichlor tablet feeder given the CYA creeping up. Your CYA is now just out of the recommended range, so you should only be using liquid chlorine going forward.


How much Pool School have you read? Start with these:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool

 

[timerguy]

Also, I just caught your 2 chlorine numbers 5 and 11 is the first one a cc number by chance?

 

[jblizzle]

Also, I just caught your 2 chlorine numbers 5 and 11 is the first one a cc number by chance?

No, the 5 and "off the chart" is the OTO result.

 

[duraleigh]

Yeah, posting your increased results but not telling us how much and when you are actually adding doesn't help us much.

I will say that there is nothing alarming about your numbers (and you did a nice job of making them legible and recording them) so you have no immediate issue but rather some trends that will need some control.

How does your water look today? Is there any debris in your pool? would you describe it as sparkling or OK?

 

[rsalzman]

I have read all of the pool school, several times. I'm just in my 2nd year with this pool so it's taking me a while to get a good handle on it, and not sure I have yet. I am using the tablet feeder, 3" tabs.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks...I have been going through maybe 4-6 tablets total (3") per week. The water looks beautiful, sparkly and deep blue. I did vacuum some rusty looking stuff off the bottom, and some very light beige, almost white material. I am on a well, so when I do add water, it comes straight from our well. I can tell you that the water leaves rusty stains in the toilets and and tub in the house, so I know there's a high amount of iron in it.

- - - Updated - - -

I do the quick chlorine and Ph tests with the small kit daily and so far they have been ok, with the chlorine being consistently high.

 

[jblizzle]

As I said before:

Your CYA is now just out of the recommended range, so you should only be using liquid chlorine going forward.

You MUST stop the use of those tablets. Clearly the chlorinator is turned up too high since you FC keeps rising, but that also means you are increasing your CYA quickly too.

 

[timerguy]

Like I said before. You really should stop using the tabs. Mine looked pretty blue too until it took about 2 days to turn deep/cloudy (couldn't see the deep end drain) green! I sorta had the same conversations with the experts here and discovered my cya was >350. 44,000 gallons of water later it finally go down to 50.

 

[rsalzman]

Thanks so much! I am taking what's left of the tabs out and will continue to do the daily tests and weekly tests, using liquid instead when needed. Your help is very much appreciated. I felt like I got taken to the cleaners this spring by the local pool store...adding this $25 chemical, then that $30 chemical and nothing changed. The water was so cloudy until I started visiting this site and slammed according to your instructions. Funny, it cleared within a few days after I did that and has stayed clear since. But only after several hundreds of dollars spent at the pool store. Never again. One other question, the pool store sold Sparkle Up, which I used one scoop full diluted and it clogged my filter within minutes so bad that the pressure skyrocketed. I backwashed immediately, but some sand came out with it. Not a lot, maybe 1-2 cups. However, since then, when I do backwash, sand particles swirl around in the glass piece during the cycle. Is that ok?

 

[timerguy]

Please save your money and don't get pool stored again. I have no idea about that sparkle up, but the sand particles are probably going out with the backwash water. Backwash until the glass is clear--hope that doesn't take too long, but that just might get you down to a more reasonable 50.

 

[rsalzman]

Ok, thank you again!