wait time after adding chemicals -

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Jackie Pualani Johnson

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Aug 10, 2014
5
Hilo, Hawaii
How safe is it for the kiddos to swim with the following levels? I will be releasing water and refilling to lower the cyanuric level, but what about the meantime?
FC 13.2
CC .6
pH 7.6
TA 300ppm
Cyn 200 (or higher --because black dot disapeared well before the 100 mark on the Taylor K2600 Test!)
(Also, not testing for Cal Hardness because pool is vinyl)
 
We say it is safe if the FC is greater than the minimum and less than the shock FC level as listed in the FC/CYA Chart. AND you can see the bottom of the pool.

You should do the CYA dilution test to find out what your CYA actually is (see the Extended Test Instructions). If your CYA is VERY VERY high, then your current FC level may not even by high enough since the minimum FC is 7ppm for a CYA of 100ppm
 
Aloha. I've had many months of nearly care-free pool maintenance because of the information on the Pool School site. So, mahalo for all the tips! Today, however, it seems like my pool went through a transformation since I added borax for the first time a few days ago. I thought I'd better get some advice before trying to re-balance again. Here are the surprising readings from my Taylor FAS-DPD test kit (which has been a reliable tool up until now!):

FA 0--and adding more --lots more-- R-0870 did not make the sample turn pink; I finally stopped
CC --zero, too, of course
pH --less than the lowest 7.0 reading and a bright lime green in color
TA --5 drops of R008 turned it red immediately instead of the green expected
Cyn -- circa 50
Borate -- 30 ppm (LaMotte insta-test)

Pool Math told me to add bleach and stabilizer, but it seems that there are too many unknowns with these results for me to balance in the right way. I'll wait to hear from you before proceeding.
 
I wouldn't raise the CYA until you get the Ph and FC up in their proper ranges and get consistent test results. If you need to SLAM it's easier and cheaper to do it with a 50 CYA level than the 80 or so you want to have with the SWG. Once your Ph is 7.2-7.6 and you have added enough chlorine to achieve an FC of 5-6ppm for CYA of 50 then I'd test for CC. Just my 2 cents.
 

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FA 0--and adding more --lots more-- R-0870 did not make the sample turn pink; I finally stopped
Click to expand...
This doesn't seem like you are doing the test correctly or understand the nature of chlorine. If you add chlorine to a pool and then test shortly after that, you should ALWAYS be able to turn the solution pink.

How much are you adding? How are you deciding that is the right amount?

Have you looked at the videos of how the tests are performed?
 
Aloha: Five days later--and by following the bleach/muriatic acid/borax recommendations of Pool Math--I've gotten a great reading:

FA = 3.8
pH = 7.5
TA = 90
Cyn = 60
Bro = 80

I think the circumstances particular to Hilo, Hawai'i caused the odd no-chlorine readings. We get 200+ inches of rain a year and I often have to drain the pool following a heavy rain or it will create a waterfall that overflows on its own. The pool, no doubt, was full of Hawaiian rain and did not have any trace of the water I used to fill it at the start. In any case, I'll continue using Pool School and Pool Math as I have since beginning in August, knowing that I can rely on the advice to keep things balance. Mahalo for your thoughts along the way..The grandchildren are about to arrive for a jump in the pool on this 80 degree Saturday ....Jackie
 
Jackie,

In your signature you listed your pool as "2822 Gallon INTEX" so I presume it is like this 15' x 36" Easy Set swimming pool. That's a small water volume so can be difficult to manage properly (though still easier than a spa).

When you wrote that "added borax for the first time a few days ago", did you add both 20 Mule Team Borax and Muriatic Acid? I suspect you overdid it with the acid amount which would explain the very low pH (TA turning red right away means pH is 4.5 or lower). I don't think the Hawaii rain is the cause for this unless it replaced nearly all the water and is very acidic rain. At Hilo Airport it rains on average 127" per year and given the 36" pool depth I doubt that a single storm's rain would be enough to replace the water -- to overflow it, yes, but not to get rid of all the TA.
 
I will consider your advice here. Yes, I followed the Pool School borax/muriatic formula when first adding. True, it is the small pool you mention, but I live a ways from the airportin Waiakea-uka where we have gotten 20" of rain in one day! (See this interesting article from January '14: http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/local-news/hawaii-storm-sets-rainfall-records) Problem is, when we have a storm, we'll often see days upon days of heavy showers. We don't always break records, but the wet stuff keeps-on-comin', sometimes up to a week! We do love the moisture, but it proved a challenge this time around, in terms of balancing the pool.

I'll try to stay on top of Pool Math AND the considerations you mention. By the way, my daughter says that most folks get a pet as they head toward retirement, but she points out that I decided on a pool instead! Tee hee.....Mahalo for all the TLC.........Jackie
 
That's funny because I thought one of the members had something like that in their signature but when I tried to find it, ... can't remember who and didn't see it.

It was something about a pool being like a pet. You may not play with it every day but you still have to care for it !! And it's true. ;)
 

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