New homeowner's first test results from a winterized pool

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fields_g

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2014
171
Rockville, MD
TF-100 arrived yesterday! My wife had a puzzled look on her face as I ripped open the package and headed to the backyard to play with a pool that just had the last ice melt just days ago. Since we just bought the house, I was pretty anxious to see the condition of the water and what I'll be up against.

I pushed back the water bags and the solid cover enough to access the water on one end. Water temperature was 49.5 (close to cover and edge). Using a rinsed container, I took a sample from the pool. However, with the amount of cover I removed, I did not get the suggested 1 foot deep water sample.

The results:
FC: 7.5
CC: 6
CH: 250
TA: 60
CYA: 95

I was not expecting the clorine tests to be so high, especially for a pool that had been winterized since October, but expected CYA to be problematic due to the chemicals left by the previous owner. Could I have tainted my results by not obsessively rinsing the unknown sampling bucket from the pool shed? Could my shallow sampling location affect the results greatly? How bad does it look folks?

Also, I'd like to inventory the remaining chemicals and ask you guys if they will ever be useful while using BBB. Want that in this thread or another?
 
woodyp said:
Biggest question is-------was the water circulated a while before you took the sample?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing it was not since he pushed the water bags in and pulled the cover back. If anything, It's good practice for you in using the kit. Get accurate testing after topping the pool off and running the pump and filter for an hour to circulate the pool water. You will more than likely find different test results.
 
Testing the water while the pool is winterized is often misleading. Once the pool is opened the numbers often change a fair bit. Still, it does give you some general hints about what to expect.

CC of 6 could possibly be a problem. However, CC often disappears rapidly when the pool is opened, so I wouldn't worry about it very much.

CYA of 95 is a little more worrying. Opening the pool will no doubt lower it a little, but it still seems likely you will be doing some water replacement right after opening.

The other numbers look fine for the moment. They will likely need some tweaking once you open, but no big deal.

Regardless of the above, getting experience with the test kit is totally worth it.
 
Numbers you got probably not all that useful other than maybe the CYA, CH, TA.

The CYA looks a bit high but as Jason said, it should come down some when you open and fill up the pool, depending on how much the water level was dropped during closure.

Nice to see that your CH and TA are in good places, assuming they don't change much when you get circulating.

If you want more practice and for good reason, test the water you're going to be filling the pool with at opening. TA and CH levels will be the most useful, letting you know what chemical adjustments might need to be made after filling. Tap water should obviously have 0 CYA so I wouldn't bother wasting reagents on that, but you may have low levels of FC or CC if it's from a municipal supply. pH is likely close to normal but worth looking at as well. Whatever source you test from, collect the sample from the same supply point you'll be filling your pool. Let the water run for a few minutes before collecting the sample.
 
I have my opening scheduled for 4/11. The house purchase contract has a post-closing rider that requires the sellers to pay for issues found with the pool. The pool has to be professionally opened and inspected for us to make use of this rider. I'd be tempted to try myself, but with the rider and being new at this, it won't be bad to have professional help this time around. "Real" water samples coming soon after then.
 
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