Initial Test Results are in. Please comment

[Charles]

Salt water ABG pool. See signature and suggest what else should be in it.

Here are the results with the TF-100.
Salt: Test material has not arrived. Initially added 200 lbs to 8000 gallons of water. SWG does not show as too high or low. Seems okay if a bit saltier than I remember last season.
FC: 0.5 (Should be 3-5, right? I had just shocked the pool late last week and knew the kit was coming today. SWG is on as we speak.)
CC: 1
pH: 7.5-7.8 (Just about right but does tend to rise over time)
TA: 100 (Need to lower to 70-90)
CH: Did not do as I understand it is not necessary with a vinyl pool. True?
CyA: 55 (Should be 60-80?)
Temp: No thermometer. Will pick one up. But the weather has been in the upper 90F's with a brief three days of rain last week.

Suggestions?

This is fun! I have never had a nice test kit before.

 

[Hotrod30]

Just for a starter, your CC is one so your pool is fighting something. I don't know anything about a SWG, so I'll let someone else handle that.

 

[Charles]

I thought a CC of less than 5 was okay. Or is it the ratio of FC to CC?

 

[giulietta1]

I thought a CC of less than 5 was okay. Or is it the ratio of FC to CC?

That's less than 0.5, not 5! You definitely need to shock.

Go ahead and do the CH test. You do need some calcium in a vinyl pool, say 100-150.

Why such a range on your pH result? 7.5 is ok but 7.8 is definitely on the high side.

The TA is a little bit high but you really need to shock and get rid of those CC's before worrying about the other water factors.

Yes, CYA should be 60-80 with a SWG.

It is fun, isn't it? I had to try all the tests when I first got my kit.

 

[JasonLion]

The crucial thing with CH in a vinyl pool is not to let it get too high. In many areas that is easy, but in places with high CH fill water it can be a significant problem. I recommend CH between 50 and 300 for a vinyl pool.

 

[Charles]

I thought a CC of less than 5 was okay. Or is it the ratio of FC to CC?

That's less than 0.5, not 5! You definitely need to shock.

:lol: Whups. A decimal point makes all the difference doesn't it?

Why such a range on your pH result? 7.5 is ok but 7.8 is definitely on the high side.

I hate those color comparison tests. I gave the range since it appeared to be somewhere between those two colors on the test kit. Is there a way to get a more precise pH other than eye-balling it?

The TA is a little bit high but you really need to shock and get rid of those CC's before worrying about the other water factors.

Will do. Heading out to shock now...

 

[duraleigh]

Hey, Charles,

A better pH test involves some occaisionally tricky meters and big, big bucks.

I promise in a few more tests, it'll get much easier for you. Use the same background each time. I simply hold mine up to the sky. The nuances will get easier and easier to detect.

I am in full agreement with everyone that you need to shock your pool. That said (and assuming your water is very clear), don't be too surprised if you don't get your CC's below 1.0 very quickly after you shock.

If the timing works for you, Shock this afternoon and then do a test for FC only after the sun is off the pool.

Then tomorrow AM, before you get sun on the pool, test again for FC and CC both.

Your shock process is complete when....
A. You hold FC loss to 1.0 or less overnite
B. Your CC's test .5 or less
C. Your water is sparkling

 

[Charles]

Okay, I tested and shocked today (could not do it yesterday as something came up at the last moment).

CH = 100
FC = 2 (ran SWG for 3 hours yesterday)
pH = 7.5 (looking at it towards the sky was definitely easier for me than the white paper)
CyA = 70 (added some yesterday)

Added three jugs of Chlorox from Costco before I realized they are 182 oz jugs and not a gallons.

According to the Pool Calculator this should raise my FC by 34.6! That is approaching mustard algae shock levels. Oh well. Guess I won't be swimming for a bit. I will test for FC this evening after sundown and FC and CC in the morning.

Anything else I should be aware of or do?

 

[Hotrod30]

This evening, as long as you tested for FC, you might as well test for CC.


34.6 Now that's HOTROD30 shock.

 

[Charles]

Family and business make it hard to get this testing done. But I just went out and tested (in the sun if that makes a difference):

FC = 11.5
pH = 7.2
CC = NONE!
CyA = 75
TA = 80
CH = 95

Water is cloudy but I think the algae is dead. What will it take to clear the water? Time? Better filter?

 

[duraleigh]

What will it take to clear the water? Time? Better filter?

1. Time

2. The ability to keep your FC at 20+ constantly until the pool clears. Shocking is a process rather than a one time event.....there's a good article in "pool School" on how to shock.

3. Running your pump 24/7 backwashing/cleaning as necessary.

4. Patience

 

[Charles]

Oh! Well, I best shock it some more!

 

[Charles]

Shocked it back up to 40. That should teach it.

The water keeps clearing, but then there is all this dead (hopefully) algae on the bottom. I brush it all loose then have a cloudy pool again. I am thinking this Intex filter is basically a POS. I need a real man's vacuum to get this stuff up until I can buy the Hayward filter...

 

[Swimgirl]

Real Man's vacuum!!!

 

[Charles]

LOL. Yeah, yeah.

I have my doubts about the Intex filter and even the vacuum. I think it does not really filter. I mean, it LOOKS like a filter and makes sound the pump should sound like. It actually even blows some water back into the pool... along with all the the stuff you vacuum off the bottom of the pool. Pull the filter and guess what? Looks fantastic! I mean, this is great. No need to spend lots of money on filters this way.

 

[duraleigh]

Charles, you are not alone.

I have no personal experience with them but there are many, many reports here on this forum and others of the inadequate filtering capacity of Intex pools.

 

[Charles]

I could not take it. I purchased a Hayward XStream 1000 and a side skimmer. Pump/Filter is 80 GPM, 100 sf of filtration. I am gonna get this thing sparkling if it is the last thing I do this summer.

FC = 38 today. Should be down to a reasonable level by the time I get the pump this week (Friday or Saturday). My SWG is indicating too high of a salt content which could be due to the bleach. Pool Calculator said it would raise salt by 80 or so and I was on the high end to begin with. I am getting salt test strips tomorrow to see if it is really high or maybe the SWG just thinks it is because of the chlorine level.

 

[Swimgirl]

I could not take it. I purchased a Hayward XStream 1000 and a side skimmer. Pump/Filter is 80 GPM, 100 sf of filtration. I am gonna get this thing sparkling if it is the last thing I do this summer.

That's what I have. Now that's a real man's (and woman's) pump and filter!

I also found that a regular inexpensive manual vacuum does work really good; I have a Leslie's above ground vacuum head that I often use. My pool bottom isn't all that smooth (due to my hubby not packing the sand correctly before putting the pool up), so the barracuda works only so - so. Anyway, I had some problems with the manual vacuum at first, and I found the key is to make sure that at least most of the suction is through the vacuum. You can have a little bit of 'suction leak' by the skimmer, but not very much at all! :-D

 

[Charles]

I do have a cheapo vacuum that came with the pool. It did the job decently. It was just that the filter system spewed it back into the pool. I will see if the Hayward handles it better. It better.

I cannot wait for it to get here. I am already shopping for PVC. :lol:

Hey, swimgirl, what kind of setup do you have? An Intex pool? If so, what kind of PVC fittings did you get?

 

[Swimgirl]

No, I do not have an Intex pool. I have what's sometimes called "the next generation" of above ground pools. Like my signature says, it's soft side. It has a metal frame, and the soft walls are of a kevlar type material with vinyl, I think 40mil thick. And it uses regular 1 1/2 schedule 40 PVC fittings.

You will have good luck with that filter not spewing dirt back in the pool. It's supposed to trap down to like 2 microns. Even here, with our dust storms, I only have to clean it once every couple of weeks. I use a regular sprayer attachment on a garden hose, and that works really well.