Beginner FC level question

[amontgo94]

So I am doing well with my pool so far this year...happy to be using TFP method and understanding A LOT! My question is this: my FC minimum and target levels are 4-6. I have dropped below minimum levels a couple times (3-3.5) and feel like I'm scared to death when I do--waiting for the cloudy water to start. What should be my goal of FC if my pool seems like it loses about 3ppm over a day or so? Is there any reason to NOT target like 9-10 every day so I endure I don't drop below minimum?


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[jblizzle]

What is your CYA?

If the minimum is 4ppm and you seem to be losing (3ppm daily ... seems a little high), then target 7.5-8ppm every day.

If you target too high a level, you will end up having to add more ppm each day.

 

[tim5055]

If 4 is your minimum and you find you routinely loose 3ppm a day, then yes bump up your target. maybe not as much as 9-10, but 7-8 or 8-9.

 

[Texas Splash]

We get distracted and it happens. We check our FC and ..OOPS! A little low. Best thing to do is get it back up quickly, maybe even 2-3ppm higher than normal for a short bit. But unless you have good indication something is wrong, there's no need to just arbitrarily keep the FC high all the time. After all, TFPC is about using the minimal amount of chemicals, so you should be fine. If at some point you are still concerned, you can always do the overnight OCLT and see if there's a huge drop. During the day in the hot sun, losing 3 ppm may be explained by your CYA. Too low and you lose more FC. Without those readings we don't know, but perhaps your CYA needs to go up slightly.

 

[Patrick_B]

Agreed...a few PPM bump is a good thing.

 

[Richard320]

Relax!

A few hours below minimum once in a while isn't going to wreck everything. A pool is like a living thing. As long as a person is ordinarily well-fed and in good health, one day fasting won't cause him to immediately contract beri-beri. It's sustained malnutrition that brings about sickness. Same thing with your pool.

If your minimum is 4 and you lose 3, target 7. Or 7.5. The problem is that you lose a percentage every day, not a fixed amount. If you target 6 and lose 3, that's 50%. Target 8, you'll lose 4. Target 10, you'll lose 5. That's an extra 2 ppm per day. That adds up fast. That's the same reason you can't just say, "I lose 3 per day and I'm leaving town for four days, take it up to 12." It just doesn't work that way. Target just high enough to keep above minimum before you can add again and leave .5 margin for safety or something.

 

[amontgo94]

My CYA is 50. I'll try to target 8 and test daily. I've been testing about every other day but adding enough to account for a couple days loss. Maybe that's my issue--I'm not taking into account it's a percentage. Thanks guys.


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