Basic test and CYA?

[Caroline.Walker]

New to maintaining my own saltwater vinyl pool in full sun South Carolina. Got the TF100 Pro Salt kit. 12k ish gallons. Pool company has been monitoring it until this week.

-Photo of the PH and Chlorine both seem to be high? Am I reading that right?

-TA 80

-Tried the CYA test but water looked clear (only a little cloudy) the whole time, could always see the “black dot” at the bottom of the test tube. Maybe I did something wrong or I don’t have CYA in the pool?

- salt 3800ppm though my ichlor30 salt cell registers 3400 (running at 80 for around 10hours)

- FC 4
- TC 4.5
- CH 200

Do I need to make any changes? Maybe turn the salt cell down?

 

[Texas Splash]

Maybe I did something wrong or I don’t have CYA in the pool?

Correct. If the dot never disappears, your CYA is a bit low. Normally we recommend a CYA of about 70 for a salt pool as it helps preserve the FC a bit better. But before we recommend how much stabilizer to add, how does your water look? If it absoluteltly crystal clear to the bottom? Any quesitonable signs of algae anywhere? If in doubt, only add about 30 ppm of stabilizer then perform an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to ensure you have no algae.

Yes, the pH look a bit elevated which can lead to scaling, especially in the salt cell. Muriatic acid if the product of choice to lower the pH. The PoolMath APP can help with the dosage amount, but let us know if you still need help. You want to try and keep the pH form going over 7.8.

By the way ...... welcome to TFP!

 

[Texas Splash]

Is that FC number (4) from the actual FAS-DPD powder & drops testing? If so, it's fine. We predominantly use the powder & drops for FC testing as it's much more accurate. The OTO viewer (yellow) only tells you about how much "total" chlorine is present.

 

[bobloblaw42]

Quick reminder that if you were to increase your CYA to 70, FC of 4 would be low (risking algae or other mishaps). You'll want to monitor your FC levels after increasing CYA and adjust your SWG once you've tested at your higher CYA levels and see how its holding. The FC target range at 70 CYA is 5-10 and you'd want to target higher end of the range until you get comfortable maintaining it yourself.

Recommended reading (includes CYA section):

Recommended Pool Chemicals

Which should I buy? TFP's recommended pool chemicals are cheap, easy, and won't unbalance your pool water.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Caroline.Walker]

Correct. If the dot never disappears, your CYA is a bit low. Normally we recommend a CYA of about 70 for a salt pool as it helps preserve the FC a bit better. But before we recommend how much stabilizer to add, how does your water look? If it absoluteltly crystal clear to the bottom? Any quesitonable signs of algae anywhere? If in doubt, only add about 30 ppm of stabilizer then perform an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to ensure you have no algae.

Yes, the pH look a bit elevated which can lead to scaling, especially in the salt cell. Muriatic acid if the product of choice to lower the pH. The PoolMath APP can help with the dosage amount, but let us know if you still need help. You want to try and keep the pH form going over 7.8.

By the way ...... welcome to TFP!

Thank you! Happy to be here. No sign of algae and pool water is clear, should I still add something to get the CYA up? The pool company was backwashing and rinsing weekly, should I continue to do it weekly or only when the pressure gauge increases?

 

[Caroline.Walker]

Is that FC number (4) from the actual FAS-DPD powder & drops testing? If so, it's fine. We predominantly use the powder & drops for FC testing as it's much more accurate. The OTO viewer (yellow) only tells you about how much "total" chlorine is present.

Correct, the 4 was from the powder and drops. Then the second chlorine measurement to get “total chlorine” was only 1-2 drops so 4.5/5 CC according to the test kit directions

 

[Texas Splash]

Good, then I would add 40 ppm worth of stabilizer via the sock method. 40 may not get you to 70, but best to be safe and not go too high. You can always add more later. Place stabilizer in a tube sock or similar item and let it soak in the pool water for about 30 minutes. Let it get really soft. Then take that sock over to the return jets and start squeezing under water. It should all dissipate in just a few minutes with rigorous squeezing. Then you can re-test the CYA in a day or so to see where you're at.

 

[Texas Splash]

For backwashing, we typically advise to backwash when the filter pressure increases by about 25%. In other words, do a backwash and make note of the clean filter pressure. If the needle shows no pressure on a low speed, you may have to record the reading when on a high rpm. Then resume normal pump speed and operations and monitor the psi gauge. When it increases by about 25%, it's time to do a backwash. Hope that helps.

 

[Caroline.Walker]

Good, then I would add 40 ppm worth of stabilizer via the sock method. 40 may not get you to 70, but best to be safe and not go too high. You can always add more later. Place stabilizer in a tube sock or similar item and let it soak in the pool water for about 30 minutes. Let it get really soft. Then take that sock over to the return jets and start squeezing under water. It should all dissipate in just a few minutes with rigorous squeezing. Then you can re-test the CYA in a day or so to see where you're at.

Very helpful! Is there a certain brand or type of stabilizer or conditioner you would recommend I get? Or brands to stay away from?

 

[Texas Splash]

Is there a certain brand or type of stabilizer or conditioner you would recommend I get?

I usually grab a bag from either Walmart or Home Depot just because it's convenient, but just about any store pool section should have stabilizer. Usually in 4 lb bags. The major ingredient should say "Cyanuric Acid" and you want it to be 99%-100% CYA. Many folks also order it online if that's easier for you.