Water testing has my head spinning

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Cybernurse

Cybernurse

0
Gold Supporter
Jun 15, 2015
59
Albuquerque NM
Pool Size
15000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hello, I am new to the forum and have spend many hour reading all the various pool school recommendations and a multitude of posts. On June 6th I opened the pool to find a terrible swamp. After much bleach (about 25 gallons) the water is now crystal clear. Then I could not get it to hold chlorine. Now I am losing 1-2ppm overnight of free chlorine. I cannot really do a SLAM, due to work and time constraints. One thing I should probably mention and am acutely embarrassed to say is that I accidentally bachwashed flocculant into the filter after the algae treatment. I called the company and they thought this would not really present any problems. They recommended a chemical clean WTO be safe which I have not done.I am still concerned as I can find no information anywhere about this particular error of mine. Anyway, the water has remained crystal clear, I bought the K2006 test and am waiting for it to arrive.here is my water chemistry for the last few days. Filter has been running 24/7 for 10 days. Backwashed three times before all of the readings below but only today has the pressure reading changed from a baseline of 19, today for the first time it is 25.


6/15 Tuesday : computerized pool store results:
FC .21
TC 0.4
CC .19
pH 7.4
TA 92
CA 526
CYA 23
Total dissolved solids 500
Phosphates 0
Copper, iron, manganese, nitrates all 0
Sat index .5


My results using k2005 test kit ( I just today received my K 2006 test kit) we basically the same, although I got a CA of 450 and a CYA OF 50. The chlorine at that time with the K2005 test kit in the evening after 726oz of 8.25/7.85 available chlorine ie Clorox, would test 10 but could have been higher since that is the max the K2005 test kit would read. By 5:00 am before the sun, it would test 0 FC and CC. This went on for 2 days then started testing 1-2 at 5 am. This is adding 726 oz bleach every night. The pool is in the sun the entire day, temps around 85-90 degrees.


6/17 Wednesday k2005 test kit
FC 7 at 8 pm added another 726 oz bleach
FC at 5 am 10 or higher
PH 8
TA 40
Added 12 lbs baking soda in 2 doses 12 hours apart and 2cups MA


6/18 Thursday
FC at 5 am was 6
FC @ 8 pm was 5
PH 7.4
TA 90


6/19 today, Friday
FC @ 5 am 10
FC @ 1 pm 5
PH 7.8
TA 110


Same computerized pool store test@ 1pm
FC 1.3
TC 1.51
CC .21
PH 7.8
TA 120
CH 572
CYA 10
Total dissolved solids 500
Phosphates 200
Sat index 1


I Received the k 2006 test kit which gave these results right after the computerized pool store result


FC 5
CC .05
PH 7.8
TA 110
CH 475
CYA less than 20


Questions:
1) what would cause my CYA to drop from 50 to 10 in 4 days. No water has been removed, I did add a small amount of water this morning, hard to say how much water added but the hose was only running for 30 minutes.
2) Any intel on the flocculant I sucked into the filter? It was probably no more that 25% as the vacuum would quit sucking quickly, then I realized my error and vacuumed to waste.


Any recommendation , information, experiences would be greatly appreciated.
I have read everything in pool school,all the posts I could find on CYA, ammonia levels, there is no information on flocculant in the filter.


Sorry for the long post, it's been a heck of a 2 week opening!








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The CYA I would chalk up to testing errors. That's the test the pool stores get wrong the most. Trust your own test. There's no shame in pouring the solution back and forth several times to be sure you're getting a consistent reading. Meaning +/- 5 3 or 4 times in a row. It might take ten or twenty back-and-forths to do it. It gets easier with practice. Also not that lighting is crucial. Full outdoor sun is what I need, on the patio so it's really bright. Indoor lighting tends to make it read higher than actual.

The floc can gum up the filter. Hopefully, your filter has unions and not glued joints so you can open it up for a deep cleaning without having to learn plumbing on the fly.
 
Welcome to TFP!

Why do you think CYA was 50? Did you add 50ppm of CYA? When? If not then it is a test error.

Drop PH to 7.2 with MA
Put 20ppm of CYA in a sock and put it in a skimmer or hang it in front of a return
SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain your pool.
Scoop all debris out of the pool with a leaf rake to make it go faster and use less chlorine/bleach

Phosphates and TDS are not important.
 
Thank you so much for the rapid response!
i have read the deep cleaning instructions several times and watched the video. I am a fair to midland DIY plumber and that should not be a problem.
My filter is located inside a shed with dirt surrounding a concrete pad that the filter is on. Back when I was using a pool service man, they changed the sand about 3 years ago. I didn't think to check the work, but of course now that I have, they just glued the joints back on. I have two glued joints, and one union going into the multiport valve. They just cut them and glued them back together with straight connectors! Lazy, lazy, lazy!

it would make a horrid mess in the shed, and I have been racking my brain to think of a way to achieve the same results without the mess. I read a couple of posts that suggested a shop vac. I'm not sure if I could disconnect the filter and carry it outside the shed, it awful big! I was trying to think of a sump pump solution, but not sure my lil' pump would manage.

do you think it would be easier just to change the sand?

your reply is much appreciated.
 
No, i never added any CYA. I just wanted to compare my k2005 test kit readings to the pool stores. On the day that I did this, my test was 50 with brand new reagents. Then, I took the same sample to three different pool stores.
Store 1 with computerized testing said CYA was 23
store 2 using same drop test kit (k 2005) said it was 43
store 3 with a different type of flask for reading but I think same reagents said it was 60. They had a tube with a stick in it that he pulled up and down to get the reading.
That was all one week ago.
one week later, store 1 got a CYA of 10, they said they tested it twice.
my reading was less than 20, 20 being the lowest my test kit will go, the black dot never disappeared even with the comparator tube full.
i know everyone says to ignore pool store reading over mine but I thought it would be interesting to see my results versus theirs.
If my CYA IS REALLY 10, or even less than 20, I should see the free chlorine drop quickly given the pool is in full sun every day, right? will this also affect CC?
 
Now you see first-hand why pool store testing is not reliable. Always go with your own testing. And yes, if your CYA is low as you believe, then it would not be surprising that FC would disappear quicker, especially if your pool gets lots of sun. If you are confident with your own testing now, you should use poolmath to reach at least 30 and watch it from there. Stick with your K2006 and you'll do just fine.

PS - CC is your trash stuff. So anytime it's .5 or lower that's a good thing. If your FC can't keep-up with sanitizing your water, your CC level will let you know.
 
Ok, just deep cleaned the sand filter. After two hours I could not get it to run completely clear. When I first opened it up the sand looked pretty good,just a small amount of debris,otherwise no gook or gunk. I wanted to see what it looked like after cleaning so I drained it. Do I fill it wit water then put the multiport back on an immediately backwash and rinse? There is some white flaky stuff in the sand, is that calcium deposits?
 
Sorry, I can't help with the sand filter if the tutorial doesn't cover it.

I think you need to add 20 or 30 ppm of cya in a sock and put it in the skimmer.
 
Hello again, I am having trouble lower my TA. The pH keeps rising as well. A week ago, my TA was 40, pH 7.8. Using the pool calculator, I added the recommended amount of baking soda, which was about 17 pounds. I added 6 pounds one day, the TA went up to 60 and pH 8.0. I added the other 11 pounds of baking soda the next day. Also 2 cups of MA. I kept adding MA daily x 3 days to get the pH down to 7.4, but the TA Has just kept rising. I was aerating the water using circulator jets and then learned that this raises the pH so I removed them. Yesterday my readings were :
pH 7.4
TA 150
FC 5
TC 5
CC 0
CH 425
CYA 10 (added granular CYA)

Today my results are

FC 5
TC 5
CC 0
pH. 7.6
TA 200

water is crystal clear, I have tried to get the pH down to 7 but only got it to 7.2 for one day then it went right back up to 7.8 without any aeration.

Do I just keep adding MA? I have added a gallon total in four days time without much effect on the TA.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND KNOWLEDGE.

should I be posting this in a different forum? I just saw a water testing and balancing forum so I was just thinking I am posting incorrectly.
 

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Thanks Richard I have added some water but do not have an auto fill. I'm pretty confident of my testing at this point, brand new k2006 test kit, have read about a many hours of posts here. Have tested spa water too. I am using a blue solar cover thou out the day. I have tried the 10 ml sample and the 25 mil sample and get the same results. I am the kind of person that if it has never happened before, I am the one weird stuff happens to, I've gotten used to that. I do have little brown spots that don't rub off all over the pool, you have to get close to see them. Vitamin C, wire brushing and trichlor puck do nothing to fade them. The pool was built in 1988, I don't know if it has been resurfaced at some point or not. I had a wicked swamp when I opened this year, first year in 10 years that ever happened but we opened later than usual and had a lot of rain for New Mexico about a month before. I have a dark green mesh cover. Could the plaster be failing and causing this? I'll go test the fill water and report back. Thanks again for all your help.
 
Okay, here's the fill water results, TA 125, pH 7.6 FC 0. CH 150.
now, pool water TA 225, pH 7.6, FC 3.


Could it be something in the sand filter? I deep cleaned it for over 2 1/2 hours, never did quite get it clear but it looked good to me. Sand is about 3 years old.
Something else I was wondering about, on my heater, there are copper inlet and outlet tubes, on the outside they are green on about 60% of the surface. Pool store said I had no cooper in the water they tested. I also only used the heater for a day and a half two weeks ago, then it has been off. The water still runs through it though, doesn't it? Could it be something there?
I have a small magnolia tree tha drops a leaf or two occasionally in the pool, but nothing else but grass around the pool deck. I warned my husband about fertizer, which he spreads with a hand spreader, but has not done so since the opening.
I thought about getting a security camera to see just who might be sabotaging my water (haha) just kidding but the thought did cross my mind briefly.
I thought maybe I overdid the baking soda when TA was 50 a week or so ago. I read something about creating a cycle where you are just chasing TA with muriatic acid but wasn't real clear on how that happens.
Should I put the pump on recirculate to isolate the filter and see what effect that might have? Would that even tell us that it is something in the filter?
I keep thinking I am overthinking this problem and missing the simple answer.
Any ideas you have, I am game!
 
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