New Guy...New House.....Need Some Direction

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chris.snooknj

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Apr 23, 2015
11
Belvidere new jersey
Some back story, We live in NJ and bought a house in December. The pool was closed and covered for the winter. Two weeks ago I took the cover off and the water was blue and pretty clear. I visited a Pelican Pool store and explained my setup. He gave a bottle of algacide and 2 10L of shock/bleach. Took water sample back to this place and had it tested. The FC was 20 and off the chart, and was told it would take time for it to drop. After a about of week of recirculating between 4 to 8 hrs a day I had the water retested at another place and the results are listed below. I have purchased a TAYLOR TECHNOLOGIES INC K-2006 TEST KIT (the only reason I had these places test my water was I would of run out of material while testing my FC levels). I have in putted my numbers in to the PoolMath, but I am not sure what materials to add first or correct first. I don't want to correct one thing and throwing some else way out. I looking for advise as to what steps to get my pool uncontrolled.

FC : 10.4
TC : 10.6
CC : 0.2
PH: 6.6
TA: 21
CH: 86
CYA: 16
Saturation Index : -1.9

Thanks
 
Are these your number from your testing or the pool store? The only results that we care about here are the ones that you got with your test kit. I only say this as the TA, CH and CYA numbers you posted cannot be from the K-2006 test results. Please don't include pool store results, they're meaningless.

That being said, if your pH is indeed 6.6, you need to get that up to the 7.2-7.4 range FIRST. When using Pool Math, underestimate your pool volume unless you know, from chemical testing that your volume is accurate. For you, I'd start with 27K estimated volume. You'll need Borax to raise your pH.

Your TA is also low, need to add baking soda to increase. But... this looks like a pool store result so not until you self-test properly would I do anything with it.

CYA is also low... but... self test first or do nothing.

FC and CC look fine.

Welcome to TFP! ;)
 
Grocery store, Target, WalMart... many places. It's found in the detergent aisle, the most common brand is 20 Mule Team.

300.jpg
 
Borax is probably in the laundry aisle at the supermarket. Or at places like Target or Walmart. Be sure it's Borax, not Boraxo, not Twenty Mule Team detergent. It'll look something like this.
WestSidePool-Borax.jpg


Use poolmath to figure out how much, and work up to it, since your test results are all suspect at this moment. I'd start by reading the How-to on Poolmath.
 
Thanks guys, so the game plan is to go home take a new sample, test it my self. Add the correct amount of Borax and Baking Soda. How long do I wait until I test again. Quick question on the testing method. When testing for FC I believe, you add two tiny scopes of this powder and the water turn pink. Then you are to add drops of this other liquid until it goes clear again, them do a a calculation to figure out the ppm. The scary part for me was I was in drop number 32 and it was still dark pink. That cant be normal and that's what made me go to the pool store for a testing.
 
chris.snooknj said:
Thanks guys, so the game plan is to go home take a new sample, test it my self. Add the correct amount of Borax and Baking Soda. How long do I wait until I test again. Quick question on the testing method. When testing for FC I believe, you add two tiny scopes of this powder and the water turn pink. Then you are to add drops of this other liquid until it goes clear again, them do a a calculation to figure out the ppm. The scary part for me was I was in drop number 32 and it was still dark pink. That cant be normal and that's what made me go to the pool store for a testing.
Click to expand...
Use a 10 ml sample. Then each drop is .5 FC. It saves time and expensive reagents and is accurate enough. You also don't need two full scoops. Easy check if you have enough is if you have one or two undissolved crystals before you start adding drops. They'll dissolve during the test.

The TF100 uses the same chemicals as your kit. Some of the hardware is different, but the testing is the same. Watch the videos if you have doubts. Also check out Extended Test Kit Directions if you have some bizarre readings.
 
You can add them with the pool circulating and then test after an hour of circulating. Borax will raise pH, very slightly raise TA. Baking soda, just TA.

Were you using 25 mL or 10 mL sample volume? At 25 mL sample volume, 32 drops is only 32/5 = 6.4 FC. 10 mL sample is 32/2 = 16 FC. Both are easily achievable. The first time you go from pink to clear is FC, the second time after adding 5 drops of reagent is CC. Chlorine testing at the pool store is terrible because of the sample lag time, pool store result will almost always be low. When doing the chlorine testing yourself, do it shortly after sampling and proceed through the drops quickly. See http://www.troublefreepool.com/thre...Kit-Directions?p=203520&viewfull=1#post203520

I would also recommend some more reading through Pool School, starting with ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
 
chris.snooknj said:
Quick question, currently I have the filter system running in recirculation. Was trying to save on cleaning the DE filter or performing any back washes. Sorry so long winded, but should I put it back to the filter when adding stuff to fix PH & TA?
Click to expand...
Nope. No need. You're after the circulation in the pool. The amount of water inside the filter is insignificant compared to the pool volume. When you resume filtering, it'll straighten out.
 

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Hey guys here is where I am at as of tonight. I added 12 lbs of Borax and 33 lbs of Baking Soda. Tested my water today and this is what I got.

FC : 8.5
PH: 7.8
TA: 150
CYA 80-90 (First Test: 80-90)
CYA 60 (Second Test After Watching video

Just don't get how my CYA jumped so much nothing I added should of changed that. Not sure what to do with my CYA levels now. During the CYA test, do you wait until the black dot totally disappears or is very faint. My TA shot through the roof, how can I lower this? Is it safe to swim in with these readings? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
TA goes up slightly with borax addition, baking soda is all TA. If you overestimated your pool volume, that would raise TA more than expected with baking soda addition.

Definitely safe to swim. You can lower TA simply by adding acid when necessary to lower pH when it goes above 7.8.

# Sent from mobile device. Beware of brevity and spelling errors!
 
Need Some Help Understanding My Numbers

I want to say thanks to everyone for all the help in my other post. Here is some background info I opened the pool two weeks ago and had the water tested my a pool company on May 3rd, (this was before I found this site). Was told my FC was off the charts and only time would lower the number. Weather has been sunny some days and cloudy others, but on May 10th I had the water retested by another pool company (local to my house) and got similar readings overall but my FC had lowered some. Then I found you guys and have been testing myself. I need advise if I'm on the right track. Not sure whats going on with my CYA #s. Please see test results below.

May 3rd - (Pool Company Results)
FC 18
PH 6.6
TA 21
CYA 12

May 10th - (Another Pool Company Results)
FC 10.4
PH 6.6
TA 21
CYA 16

May 11 (Tested by me)
FC 10
PH 6.6
TA 20

May 11 - Added Baking Soda & Borax to adjust PH and TA

May 12 (tested by me)
FC 8.5
PH 7.8
TA 150
CYA 80-90 :confused:

May 14 (tested by me)
FC 5
PH 7.8
TA 130
CYA 60 :confused:

Today I plan on adding some muriatic acid to lower the PH & TA a bit. Do I start trying to add bleach to maintain the FC level or let it drop some more, and do I trust my CYA readings and if so can anyone explain the crazy swing.

thanks guys
 
CYA test is one of the hardest tests to master at first, but only relatively harder, once you get the hang of it, it's reliable. Make sure you follow the directions for the test. It should be done as instructed and viewing of the dot disappearance must be done in full sunlight, with the sun behind you. It's a very light subjective test.

Pool stores are bad at testing and their CYA testing is the worst offender. IGNORE ANY CYA TEST FROM THE POOL STORE. Trust your results. The change in your result is just a reflection of you being new at the test, perhaps being done in different light conditions. Assume your last test, your most educated one is correct. Make sure your FC is ALWAYS above 5, the minimum FC for 60 CYA. See the Chlorine/CYA chart in my signature.
 
Re: Need Some Help Understanding My Numbers

Good for you for taking over your pool. When doing the CYA test the water should be at least 70 degrees and have good sunlight to your back. Was it cloudy hen you did the second test? Or did you add water to the pool?

Do you have any CC?
Is your pool crystal clear?

If you have no CC and pool is clear then you can add bleach to maintain proper levels of FC

- - - Updated - - -

You could have dropped CYA if you have done a lot of backwashing and refilling
 
Re: Need Some Help Understanding My Numbers

I did the CYA test ealy this morning, so not ideal I guess. Will try to perform test in the afternoon tomorrow. Did not test CC today but yesterday it was 0. Pool is crystal clear since I took the cover off two weeks ok. With a FC of 20 at the start nothing was gonna grow in there. I was told on another post to maintain the FC of 7 since my CYA is 60. So I guess I rest tomorrow and if it drops just use the pool calulator to figure out how much bleach to add to get it to 7.
 

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