New to the forum and questions about test results

[astrid]

Hello everybody,
I am new to the forum and very thankful for all the information. I've been reading for the past week and just amazed how "easy and cheap" it could have been for me to maintain my pool for the past three years, that is how long we are having the pool. I used to pour all kind of chemicals in the water and obviously got my water pretty much out of balance. I ordered the TF Test kit and it came today. Out the door I was and started to check my water. I will list the results at the end. There are some questions I do have: I thought the TC is FC + CC, when I used the big test kit the result was 2.0, when I used the taylor kit it read 0.5. I am confused, wich one is the right result, or am I just a bit slow to understand and comprehent??? Should I get rid of my automatic chlorinator or should I keep it on the system? Is there another way to get the CYA down, or since winter is coming, shold I wait till spring and check the CYA again? I am not really looking forward to drain water out , but if it has to be done I will do it.
Looking forward for any advice.
Astrid


38x18 rectangular inground vinyl pool

FC 1.0
CC 1.0
TC ??? see above
pH 7.2
T/A 100
CYA 100
TEMP 75F

 

[Exchemist]

Welcome to the forums. You've come the to right place.

Getting slightly different results from different kits, and even on consecutive measurements using the same kit, is typical. Results will get more consistent as you get experience in using the kits. For now, the variations are not terribly important.

Your TC is 2.0. With 1.0 CC you need to shock. This is not surprising given the CYA of 100. (Note that the test become very inaccurate at high CYA levels. Your CYA could be somewhat over 100.) You probably have a nascent algae bloom.

The high CYA is caused by using stabilized chlorine. From what you wrote, it sounds like you are using trichlor in a feeder. Stop doing this and switch to liquid chlorine -- either from ordinary, unscented bleach or 12% liquid chlorine from a pool store.

Based on the Chlorine/CYA chart http://www.troublefreepool.com/chlorine-cya-chart-t2346.html, you should maintain a TC of at least 7.3 ppm. Shock level would be at least 39 ppm. If your CYA is higher than 100, you will need even higher levels. Use the Pool Calculator http://www.poolcalculator.com/ to determine how much liquid chlorine you will need to add.

Unfortunately, the only reliable way to reduce CYA is to replace pool water. if your CYA is really 100 ppm, you will need to replace around 1/2 of your water. This will bring the CYA down to 50 ppm which is fairly easily managed.

I suggest adding chlorine to get to shock level and while the pool is there do the water replacement.

 

[Butterfly]

Hi astrid and welcome to the forum

Congratulations on ordering the TFTest Kit! That is what will put you in control of your pool! :lol:

Exchemist has given excellent advice!

Should I get rid of my automatic chlorinator or should I keep it on the system?

Keep the auto chlorinator for vacations and other times you are unable to manually dose your pool! But STOP using it for now as it will only increase your already too high CYA.

Is there another way to get the CYA down, or since winter is coming, shold I wait till spring and check the CYA again? I am not really looking forward to drain water out , but if it has to be done I will do it.

I agree the only reliable way to lower your CYA is by water replacement; however, if it was my pool and winter weather almost here, I think I'd ride it out until spring. Sometimes CYA does mysteriously disappear, especially over the winter.

Also, if you decide to ride it out, you will need more chlorine to dose your pool based on your high CYA. Just my .02

Reminder: If you test your CYA levels during the winter, bring the sample indoors and allow it to become room temp BEFORE testing.

When you have a moment, please add all your pool and equipment details in your signature. You can do this by going to User Control Panel (upper left ) & selecting Profile & Edit Signature. This allows members to better answer your questions and you do not have to reenter the info each time you post.

We're glad to have you in our forum.

 

[TizMe]

Welcome to TFP! Where in GA are you ? We are in Monroe ...

You will get lots of great advice here a TFP !

 

[astrid]

First I want to say thank you for your response. I am still trying to get my water straight, it is really out of wack!!! I post my last results:

10/16/08

FC O
CC .5
TC .5
pH 7.2
T/A 80
CYA 100
Temp 80F

added 522 oz of 6% bleach

10/19/08

FC 6.0
CC 0
TC 6.0
pH 7.2
T/A 140
CYA 100

I need to shock the pool but it seem that I can't reach shock level, which is 25 if I understand it right. And why did my T/A came up? Oh my god, I still have to learn a lot. Well I have the whole winter to get it straight!!!
By the way, the water is very clear and it was raining the last weekend, after the rain some black stuff accumulate at the bottom of the pool. I brushed it off and had the filter running and with the help of 3 (174 oz) bottles of bleach it disappeared.
And to answer the question, where in Georgia we are....we live in Hinesville, that's 33 miles from Savannah.
Any suggestions are welcome....

Astrid

 

[waste]

Astrid, welcome to TFP!!

If you are holding the 6ppm fc and not getting any cc, the water has been shocked enough, though you might want to think about adding 60% polyquat for the closing, let circulate for a day and re-up the chlorine.

Exchemist has you on the right track!! Though it's a huge jump in TA - it could just be testing error as you are new to the kit. You might want to think about airating the water to drop the TA a little and bring the pH up to ~ 7.6 for closing, you don't want to be too close to the 'edge' of the acceptable pH range before closing the pool - if something happens over the winter and the pH drops, you could end up with acidic water sitting there for a few months

Ask your questions, get familiar with your new kit, read as much as you can here and know that we'll be here to help you

Hope you have a great winter and the pool is always Trouble Free 8)

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

As a rule of thumb 'round here, we recommend the following standard to determine if one is "done shocking". If you meet all three of this criteria:

Your FC holds overnight or you lose less than 1ppm
Your CC is .5 or less
Your water is sparkly clear (insert appropriate word of choice-I like sparkly)

The fact that you lowered your CC is a good sign. I would do an overnight test and compare your results. If your FC drops more than 1ppm then you should continue to shock for one more night or so until your FC holds with the overnight test. Then you are good to go for sure. If your overnight test shows no loss then you are good to go now, and you are really done shocking your pool!

Be sure to refer to the CYA chart for your minimum/target ranges - never let your FC go below the minimum or you could develop trouble real quick. Good luck!

 

[critterdoc]

]if it was my pool and winter weather almost here, I think I'd ride it out until spring. Sometimes CYA does mysteriously disappear, especially over the winter.

Even though CYA is known to be metabolized by bacteria and fungi to some degree, I'm not sure why waiting until spring to remove water to correct CYA overload would be desirable? The piper must be paid for the required water waste sooner or later, but would not the increase in chlorine demand caused by the excess CYA justify removing a significant volume of water asap?

Astrid should know that I was a newbie to the wonderful world of BBB one short week ago and that my chemistries paralleled hers at that time. After but a few hours of reading these warm, fuzzy and incredibly professional boards and running duplicate tests with my trusty brand new TF100, I had no hesitation in removing approximately 75% of the water from my yard beast which brought her CYA down to very near 40. Extrapolating from my last water bill, the cost of the dump would approximate 17-18 bucks which I assume would more than offset the cost of higher levels of chlorine that would be required between now and spring.

After shocking with 3.5 gals of 6% liquid bleach, I was subjectively amazed at the apparent change in the appearance of the water, but then again I was too involved with the process to qualify as a judge. Within several days I recorded a trace of CC so I slapped her again. I knew the effect was for real when Miss Objectivity, my wife, walked out on the deck the next morning and asked me what I had done to make the water look so good. Up until that time she was mildly aware that I had pumped down the pool and that I was playing with my new "chemistry set." My honey is also blond which makes her observation all the mo'better. :lol:

At this time I suspect that the real test for me will be my willingness to keep up with the repetitive demands of BBB. Cups and pucks arguably make pool ownership easier, but I think the relatively small time requirement for maintaining a properly balanced pool will be well worth the effort even though I am bound and determined to never forgive her for staking a claim to my back yard.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

]if it was my pool and winter weather almost here, I think I'd ride it out until spring. Sometimes CYA does mysteriously disappear, especially over the winter.

Even though CYA is known to be metabolized by bacteria and fungi to some degree, I'm not sure why waiting until spring to remove water to correct CYA overload would be desirable? The piper must be paid for the required water waste sooner or later, but would not the increase in chlorine demand caused by the excess CYA justify removing a significant volume of water asap?

Astrid should know that I was a newbie to the wonderful world of BBB one short week ago and that my chemistries paralleled hers at that time. After but a few hours of reading these warm, fuzzy and incredibly professional boards and running duplicate tests with my trusty brand new TF100, I had no hesitation in removing approximately 75% of the water from my yard beast which brought her CYA down to very near 40. Extrapolating from my last water bill, the cost of the dump would approximate 17-18 bucks which I assume would more than offset the cost of higher levels of chlorine that would be required between now and spring.

After shocking with 3.5 gals of 6% liquid bleach, I was subjectively amazed at the apparent change in the appearance of the water, but then again I was too involved with the process to qualify as a judge. Within several days I recorded a trace of CC so I slapped her again. I knew the effect was for real when Miss Objectivity, my wife, walked out on the deck the next morning and asked me what I had done to make the water look so good. Up until that time she was mildly aware that I had pumped down the pool and that I was playing with my new "chemistry set." My honey is also blond which makes her observation all the mo'better. :lol:

At this time I suspect that the real test for me will be my willingness to keep up with the repetitive demands of BBB. Cups and pucks arguably make pool ownership easier, but I think the relatively small time requirement for maintaining a properly balanced pool will be well worth the effort even though I am bound and determined to never forgive her for staking a claim to my back yard.

There are several variables. In any given area water is a precious commodity and it might be cheaper to use more chlorine than water. Or drought conditions might exist, etc. But mainly in situations where the CYA is very high and several drains/refills are required, it doesn't make much sense to drain out 50% of the water, adjust water balance, only to drain out another third for winterization a few short weeks later, and then you might find yourself having to add CYA in the spring.

 

[critterdoc]

There are several variables. In any given area water is a precious commodity and it might be cheaper to use more chlorine than water. Or drought conditions might exist, etc. But mainly in situations where the CYA is very high and several drains/refills are required, it doesn't make much sense to drain out 50% of the water, adjust water balance, only to drain out another third for winterization a few short weeks later, and then you might find yourself having to add CYA in the spring.

I copy that, but would winterization be necessary in the Peach State? Down here "winterization" is for some hardened types throwing in a cup of warm water and taking the plunge. My far less than experts comments were directed to the specific question of why Astrid would want to wait to spring correct her CYA in Georgia based on the assumption that she would not have to winterize.

My honey, who hails from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin, insists that I would not live through one of your winters. When to you close and open? When you do close, do you threat, drain and cover and simply leave the pool alone till spring? I assume the water freezes. If so, how deep would the ice go?

How much would you estimate that 7-8K gals of water costs in Chicago? When I stated my water consumption charge for 18K gals I neglected to include:
$3.50 Water Service Charge
$22.76 Sewerage Usage
$2.28 Sewerage Service
$18.36 Garbage Service (curbside pickup twice each week)
$3.14 Mosquito Control (p/u that run around randomly spraying mist - laughably called "The mosquito Man"
$2.50 local Parish [=county] Park
$0.00 Curbside recycling [probably D/C'd because of container theft]
For a grand total of $72.10 net or $79.21 if payment is late.

Knowing our local apparatchiks, it may well be that one or more of these other fees, if not all of them, is hijacked by the number of gallons that are consumed so it's hard to estimate the real cost of water. I'd guess my real cost for water here is between $1.20 and $2.70 thousand gallons. How about you?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Last month I paid $98.35 for 5,000 gallons of water (my normal monthly usage). I'm actually in Homer Glen, a suburb of Chicago that no one has heard of but the people here think it's THE place to live. I'm not among them, LOL. Besides exceptionally high property taxes, we have the second highest water rates in the state of crooked politicians.

As for closing, I close in late September, shock, cover and leave it till about early May. I used to wait till Memorial Day but opening earlier means less chances of opening to a swamp. I used to think it freezes solid but now I have no idea (per a recent conversation with Guru Jason) and I've never looked under the cover to see. The water on top of the cover freezes solid by January and stays that way into February/March. We have an Aquadoor and plug for the return so we don't drain, done it that way for the last 5 years and have not experienced any problems from ice so honestly I'm not sure.

Being in Georgia if it's pretty mild and one wouldn't drain/winterize then yup, I'd agree that there's not much reason to wait until spring to adjust. I think the rule would only apply if one were doing a winterizing drain. Then I'd wait.

Have a great day!

 

[critterdoc]

Last month I paid $98.35 for 5,000 gallons of water (my normal monthly usage). I'm actually in Homer Glen, a suburb of Chicago that no one has heard of but the people here think it's THE place to live. I'm not among them, LOL. Besides exceptionally high property taxes, we have the second highest water rates in the state of crooked politicians.

As for closing, I close in late September, shock, cover and leave it till about early May. I used to wait till Memorial Day but opening earlier means less chances of opening to a swamp. I used to think it freezes solid but now I have no idea (per a recent conversation with Guru Jason) and I've never looked under the cover to see. The water on top of the cover freezes solid by January and stays that way into February/March. We have an Aquadoor and plug for the return so we don't drain, done it that way for the last 5 years and have not experienced any problems from ice so honestly I'm not sure.

Being in Georgia if it's pretty mild and one wouldn't drain/winterize then yup, I'd agree that there's not much reason to wait until spring to adjust. I think the rule would only apply if one were doing a winterizing drain. Then I'd wait.

Have a great day!

Well heck woman, come on down here and give the "Big Easy" a try! From what my MIL in Milwaukee and my wife say, this is supposed to be a great place. Our survival gear when weather is at it's winter's worst is usually a sweater or light jacket. Snow? What's that? Mittens? Huh? The problem we have with water is too much of it, too often. The prop taxes on my way to big empty nested 4,400 sf house in one of the nicer suburbs of N'awlins was a grand total of 1,368 bucks last year but we pay more for the natural gas that we send to you than you do because it crosses state lines. So there. :lol: On the other hand if you move here you either pay through the you-know-what for a fair private edu or our public school system will turn your child into a blathering idiot, if he/or she manages to survive the violence that pops up like thundertorms. But OMG do we eat and we have the infamous French Quarter to get wasted in. I suspect that our average politicians are cut from the same ball of wax as yours with thievery running rampant and no sense of responsibility or shame. Actually, the only reason I am here (my birthplace) is because my absolutely gorgeous hard-headed ornery midwest bar-fighter yankee wife put down roots that cannot not be negotiated with. I want New Mexico, she wants right where she is, so I guess I'm here for the duration.

N'Awlins is a strange place. It enchants and it devours. It's unique character might be best defined by one of my 'favorite tings - da Yat culcha ovah dere by da eass of us!' Yats!!! They live in a whole world of their own, partially physically and totally mentally, and they have a dialect and a view of life that I dearly love. Go here to learn how ta tawk rite and have good laugh, Dawlin: http://www.gumbopages.com/yatspeak.html#whereyat

 

[TizMe]

Critterdoc, where in GA are you ?

I think the rule of thumb down here is...... everyone to his own choosing .....

This is our third winter with our pool and the past two I have drained below the skimmer and return, drained the filter (but left it in place at the pool), added the chemicals needed so it would be clear in the spring and covered it witha solid tarp.

Last year, having said that, we didnt do that because we had to do a liner change this spring so i just shut the filter off and drained it. I purchased a "leaf net" cover for last year but because of the liner change and I paid for it this spring when I drained the pool. Tons of leaves in the water ...

This year (weekend actually) I am going to put on the leaf net cover and set my filter timer to run at night for several hours when temps will get the coldest and I beleive he does not cover his but runs his filter at night so his pipes wont freeze. Of course during the day here the temps get above freezing so no need to worry about your lines.

The cover we have (leaf net) allows water through the cover so it wont pool but keeps the leaves out of the water. Its recommeneded once during the winter you remove the cover and get all the leaves off so your not trying to get a whole heap load of wet ones off in the spring .....

Im sure Dave (Duraleigh) will chime in with his winter habits for his pool ....

 

[critterdoc]

Critterdoc, where in GA are you ?

Critterdoc is 510 miles southwest of you, Tiz

This is our third winter with our pool and the past two I have drained below the skimmer and return, drained the filter (but left it in place at the pool), added the chemicals needed so it would be clear in the spring and covered it witha solid tarp. Last year, having said that, we didnt do that because we had to do a liner change this spring so i just shut the filter off and drained it. I purchased a "leaf net" cover for last year but because of the liner change and I paid for it this spring when I drained the pool. Tons of leaves in the water ...

This year (weekend actually) I am going to put on the leaf net cover and set my filter timer to run at night for several hours when temps will get the coldest and I beleive he does not cover his but runs his filter at night so his pipes wont freeze. Of course during the day here the temps get above freezing so no need to worry about your lines.[quote:31qdel3w]I never thought of Georgia as a place where one would close down one's pool for winter. Can't remember ever hearing anyone who lives here say they do that. I think the most common change is reducing the amount that the pump and sweep are running each day. I've never been sure about even doing that. Then again, this makes me wonder if keeping the pool open to "the elements" year-round might have contributed to my plaster problems. I'm surrounded by lots of trees but the trusty polaris and the skimmer keep the pool remarkably free of debris unless we are popped with a 'cane.

I hope Dave does does speak to why and where pools should be closed vis-a-vis not closed.

[/quote:31qdel3w]

 

[duraleigh]

It would be a stretch to call me any sort of authority on pool closing but I believe most of us in warmer climates (i.e. little chance of frozen pipes) have quite a few options.

Some close just as if their pool was in the North. Others partially close.....in various manners. Some, like me, simply don't close at all.

By not closing, I save all that hassle and struggle of trying to cover a very large pool. I simply operate my pool normally with reduced pump run times and reduced chlorine.

However, I pay a price.....LEAVES!! Thousands (maybe millions) of them!! It's simply a judgement call that each of us must make based on your personal circumstances. My circumstances make fighting the leaves seem easier for me but it may not be for you and your pool.

Those of us that live in the warmer climates are lucky to have the options we have.

 

[astrid]

Well my good people, I am back. I maintained the pool over the winter, if we even can call this weather here w i n t e r !!!
I cut my pump and vac down to 50% and shocked off and on. My CYA has dropped by itself to 70 and I read in the forum, that I can leave it right there, since our temperature in the summer is pretty high. Is this true???
My test results of today post shock are:

FC......2.5
CC......1.0
TC......3.5
pH......7.5
T/A....110
CYA....70
Temp...70

I really try to avoid to drain the pool and refill....it's a money thing
Hope that I am on the right track, am I ????
Please let me know.
Thanks , Astrid

 

[JasonLion]

If the water temperature is 70 degrees then you should be keeping the FC level up around 5 to 10, given your current CYA level. When the water is cold, below 60 degrees, you can get away with a reduced FC level. But now that the water is warming up you need to maintain the correct FC level.

Your CC level is above 0.5, which is troublesome. Hopefully raising the FC level up to where it ought to be will take care of that. If the CC level remains above 0.5 for more than two or three days you will need to shock the pool to get the CC level down.

It is alright to have CYA around 70, though lower is better (unless you have a SWG). The CYA level will continue to drop slowly over time. I recommend allowing it to continue dropping till it is down to the 30 to 50 range. I don't see any need to hurry and get CYA down further right away.

It would be good to get a CH (calcium hardness) test result. With a vinyl pool you don't have to worry very much about the CH level being too low, but you still don't want it getting too high. You won't need to test CH regularly, but it is important to check that it isn't getting too high at least occasionally.

 

[Butterfly]

astrid, you did a great job getting thru the winter .....and you saved all that water, too!

Congratulations!

 

[astrid]

Here I am again...now I have a situation and have no clue how to deal with it.
In the last 4 weeks I must have dumped a ton of bleach in the pool, and it seem that something "make it go away" over night. The people at the store, where I buy my bleach are ready to call the cops on me, because every other day I am buying a cartoon of 6/ 128oz bottles of bleach. Here are my numbers as of today:

FC 2.5........after 6 bottles of bleach in the past 2 days
CC 0.5........I can live with this one
TC 3.0
pH 7.8.........still acceptable
T/A 130.......don't know about this one
CH 60..........don't have a SWG...yet !!!
CYA 50.......very proud of this one
Temp 85

tried to shock the baby, but it just will not hold the chlorine for nothing. Frustrated I tried at least to bring it up to par to a chlorine level of 6.....who is snatching my chlorine out my pool water????? Uhh by the way, the water is sparkeling clear, no stuff on the bottom and my son was in last weekend, and his skin had not fallen off....yet lol !!!!!
Please you good people, give me some advise, what in the heck am I doing wrong here?
All the bleach is getting a bit exspensive slowly.
Thankful for any advise
Astrid

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Astrid,

Bleach (chlorine) is consumed in your pool by two things.....

1. The sunlight....that's why you have CYA in there to shield (partially) it from the sun.

2. Organics.....algae, bacteria, etc.

So, the sun does not explain your FC loss because you have adequate CYA so what's left? Organics.

You must get them out by shocking your pool. Your FC needs to go back up to around 20ppm and you need to hold it there by adding more and more chlorine and, soon, your pool will stop consuming chlorine.

It's very difficult to understand just how much chlorine it can take when you shock a pool but that is what you must do. It's the only thing that will keep you from consuming excessive chlorine all summer long. :lol: