First numbers

[pwrstrk]

Those numbers look right to me.
What was the PH ?
The FC is .5 above the min for CYA of 20. I would raise that to 3-4 with bleach. You can also use pucks. They will add CYA also. You need some anyhow.

The main thing right now is to keep FC level up so you don't get algae.
Couple of articles for ya if you haven't already looked at.
ABC'S Of Pool Water Chemistry
How To Chlorinate Your Pool
Recommended Levels ?

 

[Chrissykr]

Thanks for your help.

There is pucks in the chlorination tube for now. My plan is to get these a hang of the testing and have him come again this week then take over with this method. I am still trying to figure out the calculator.

 

[pwrstrk]

Best thing to do with pool math is just play around with it. You'll get the hang of it. ?

 

[Chrissykr]

Will do! Thanx for you help. With everything going on right now this pool thing is kinda overwhelming.

I can't believe how fast the CYA is coming up with pucks. It is kinda scary actually.

 

[pwrstrk]

That's thing with pucks. Their the gift that keeps on giving !
At the bottom of the page in pool math, Effects Of Adding Chem's, it will tell you how much each puck raises CYA. ?

 

[gwegan]

Yes they look more normal.

You can ignore the Br on the basic test kit. That is the level of bromine and you have no bromine. So just ignore it. Have you put a puck in the skimmer as suggested? If not do so. If you have then your cya should increase. But it usually won't show on your test for a week after its in the pool so be patient.

Once you get the Cya and chlorine under control then you can use Pool Math to raise you TA level.

Your ch level is low also. You may want to use cal hypo tabs as a sanitizer rather than bleach for a while to get that up. A vacation would be a great time to do that.

Run your numbers through pool math and add the amount of chlorine suggested. With low cya you are going to be adding chlorine daily because the sun will burn more of it off. So check your cya level in a few days.

You want cya of around 40 to 50.

 

[timerguy]

Yelns they look more normal.
If you have then your cya should increase. But it usually won't show on your test for a week after its in the pool so be patient.

That's not true. You must be thinking of the granular. Cya from a pucks dissolving will show up on a test about 30 minutes after it hits the pool. However, the puck takes some time to dissolve, so the full amount of cya in a puck won't show up on a test until the whole puck is dissolved. My pucks would take ~ 4 days to dissolve so I guess 1/4th would show up if I tested every day. But then again, most of my granular cya would show up almost immediately or within a couple hours anyhow-- probably due to my very frequent squeezing of the socks.

 

[Chrissykr]

We pressure cleaned the concrete deck today and a lot of dirt went into the pool. It turned cloudy pretty quickly. I dumped a gallon and a half of Great Value bleach in as well as put on a new skimmer sock and threw a puck in the skimmer. I figured I need to work on my chlorine levels and I am running the pump all night. I tested it with the basic test about an hour after I did all this and the Chlorine was easily a five. There is three small bits of puck in the chlorinator. I am going to have the pool guy stop by this week and make sure I am running the equipment right and I am playing with the calculator and getting ready to take over myself.

 

[Chrissykr]

The pool is clearing up. I checked my CL this morning and I didn't lose any overnight. This has really built my confidence in this whole pool thing. I am thinking of not using the pool guy this week after all. I need to cut the cord and and just take over.

I plugged in my numbers based on my test results yesterday. Pool math is suggesting 18 oz of washing soda to get my PH up and 307 oz of baking soda to get my TA where it should be. Does this sound right? I am letting the pucks already in use run out then will work on my CYA.

 

[jblizzle]

The pH is fine. The TA is a little low. I would just raise the TA to about 80ppm.

 

[Chrissykr]

Ok I will run and get some baking soda.

Now my CH is low do I need to worry about that with a vinyl liner? Mine is 75 and it is calling for sodium chloride.

 

[Abigail K]

Don't worry about the low CH with vinyl.
BTW, even if you needed CH you would add calcium chloride and not sodium chloride.

 

[Chrissykr]

Yes, I know I have been looking online to find it locally. Sorry I typed in the wrong product.

 

[timerguy]

Not with the vinyl liner. Mine has always been low.

 

[Chrissykr]

Just a little update...

Things are going well here thanks to all of your help. The pool is crystal clear and beautiful. I am really proud of my myself for being able to do this.

My CYA is up to 25. There are some small pieces of puck left in the chlorinator. As soon as they are gone I will turn it off, I figure they can help the CYA. I am losing very little chlorine each day despite the pool in full sun and high 90's here. My ph seems to be settling in at 7.2 I did add baking soda to help with the TA and must have used the calculator wrong and it shot up to 150 (yikes) I am using muriatic acid to bring it down but it seems to be a slow process. I installed my new guage yesterday and thanks to instruction found on this site is was a five minute job. Overall, I am very thrilled the with this method. Thnx, everyone for all your patience and help.

 

[jccams]

Be careful with the MA and lowering the TA. You will need to aerate to get the PH up to 7.8 or so then add acid to lower it back to 7.2 and repeat until TA is where you want it. You don't want to be lowering your ph below where it is now and yes lowering the TA can be a slow process depending on how fast you can get the PH to rise.

 

[Chrissykr]

Be careful with the MA and lowering the TA. You will need to aerate to get the PH up to 7.8 or so then add acid to lower it back to 7.2 and repeat until TA is where you want it. You don't want to be lowering your ph below where it is now and yes lowering the TA can be a slow process depending on how fast you can get the PH to rise.

Thanks, the whole adding baking soda thing was a disaster. Now I have too high TA and I am scared to death dealing with the acid. I freak out every time I open the bottle. I am so over this after two weeks I am ready to hire the pool guy back and call it a day.

 

[timerguy]

Have you tested your fill water for TA? Mine is 140, your's could be higher I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[Chrissykr]

My pool looks amazing! It looks like liquid glass. My CYA was up to 38 this morning so I rounded it to 40 and pulled the pucks. My TA is coming down, this morning it was down to 120 from 140. I am taking a very slow approach as I realized it is not a race. All my numbers are looking good. I am getting comfortable with the calculator and learned a huge lesson from the baking soda fiasco. Check, double check and undershoot my goals! This method works and I am happy again. Thnx everyone for all your patience with my questions and the wealth of knowledge on here.

Chris