Brand New Pool - Testing Results

[beeaton]

So we finally took the plunge and built our first pool here in Houston. It was finally filled up on Dec 4th and was told by my builder to brush twice daily for 14 days, which just finished yesterday (Yay!!!) I finished pool school last Friday the 14th and have been testing almost every day since pool school with the TF100 kit. BTW, using the Pool Math app and loving it!!

Here are my current readings, but I looking for advice on what I should focus on being that it is brand new plaster...

FC 3.0
CC 0.5
pH 6.8
TA 20
CH 225
CYA 3 (Hven't actually tested this using the kit, got this from the pool store)
Pool Temp: 58

2 days ago, my pH was really high > 8.3 and added a gallon of muratic acid which took it down to 6.8 and has been hovering there for 2 days.

I added 3 lbs of Borax to help bring it up.

The app was suggesting 4 lbs, but didn't want to bring it up too much as I believe it will continue to rise with the new plaster.

Really appreciate any feedback on what I have done so far.

 

[Texas Splash]

Your water is very acidic (corrosive) right now which is not good for new plaster. Both the TA and pH need to rise quickly. Your CSI is somewhere around -1.7 at the moment, and you need it closer to zero if not even slightly positive for this first couple weeks or so with new plaster. Depending on when you added the borax, test the pH and TA again. If they are still the same, add some baking soda (use PoolMath) to get the TA up to at least 80-90. The pH can rise and stay in the upper 7s (7.7-7.8) for now. All of this while the water temp is still below 60 and the CH is at 225. Once the water warms up and the CH begins to grow with local top-offs, keep an eye on PoolMath and your CSI.

But for now, get the pH and TA up ASAP. A CYA of 3 isn't possible - to read accurately anyways. So make sure to test it (probably tomorrow) with your TF-100. Let us know if you have any questions. Congrats on the new pool!

On a side note - are you using the Nature 2? You know it added copper right? So if you have a cartridge loaded, you may want to consider removing it and just stick to regular bleach. (HEB's bravo is good). Oh, and while the tab feeder adds some chlorine, it adds stabilizer (CYA) and over time is not good. Tabs are also acidic which may try to lower pH on you. Something to watch.

CYA Testing:
Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Taylor recommends standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body. Use the mixing bottle to combine/gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Then, while holding the skinny tube with the black dot at waist level, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. If it helps, pour a little, look away, then look back and pour some more. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. After the first test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate the CYA reading. If you are still questioning your own results, have a friend or two do the same test 2-3 times. Share your results only after everyone is done to see if you came up with the same average results.

 

[beeaton]

Your water is very acidic (corrosive) right now which is not good for new plaster. Both the TA and pH need to rise quickly. Your CSI is somewhere around -1.7 at the moment, and you need it closer to zero if not even slightly positive for this first couple weeks or so with new plaster. Depending on when you added the borax, test the pH and TA again. If they are still the same, add some baking soda (use PoolMath) to get the TA up to at least 80-90. The pH can rise and stay in the upper 7s (7.7-7.8) for now. All of this while the water temp is still below 60 and the CH is at 225. Once the water warms up and the CH begins to grow with local top-offs, keep an eye on PoolMath and your CSI.

But for now, get the pH and TA up ASAP. A CYA of 3 isn't possible - to read accurately anyways. So make sure to test it (probably tomorrow) with your TF-100. Let us know if you have any questions. Congrats on the new pool!

On a side note - are you using the Nature 2? You know it added copper right? So if you have a cartridge loaded, you may want to consider removing it and just stick to regular bleach. (HEB's bravo is good). Oh, and while the tab feeder adds some chlorine, it adds stabilizer (CYA) and over time is not good. Tabs are also acidic which may try to lower pH on you. Something to watch.

Thanks for the quick reply. I put in the Borax about 2 hours ago and I just put in 5 lbs of baking soda. According to pool math I need 20 lbs total of baking soda, so off to the store to pick up more.

Thanks again for the feedback. Greatly appreciated!!!