Cappy has a new pool and needs help

[PoolStored]

HA HA. Stay out of the pool store. Ask me why I am PoolStored, or click the link to my "I knew I was Pool Stored When..." in my signature. If you are on your phone go to landscape mode to see it.

Make the daily addition I recommended, when the kit arrives, post up results!

The kit you ordered, if one of the recommended kits...is THE gold standard and VERY accurate if the user follows directions.

 

[PoolStored]

Oh, and if you want proof? Link-->How Clear is TFP Clear?

 

[Newdude]

So we got the water tested at an independent pool store and the results look like a different pool....

Ask 10 poolstores get 10 big fat question marks. Now that you've seen it first hand, #neveragain. What good could it possible do to go 'check your numbers' against theirs down the road ? Maybe store 1 is right today not store 2. Or they both get a different half of it right today. Or. Pffffffft. Just don't even, it pointless.

 

[CreedenceTapes]

So we got the water tested at an independent pool store and the results look like a different pool....

Our test kit is scheduled to arrive in the mail on Thursday.

This is not a fluke. If you took it to three more pool stores, you'd get three more inconsistent sets of results. That's why having your own kit and running your own tests is essential to proper maintenance.

It's intuitive for people new to the pool game to think that, since pool-store employees are in the industry, then their tests must be reliable. But nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[Newdude]

It's intuitive for people new to the pool game to think that, since pool-store employees are in the industry, then their tests must be reliable. But nothing could be further from the truth.

I got pool store tested this weekend. I wanted to know if my phosphates were 3 digits, 4 digits or 5 digits and with the slightest whiff of a concern I would have purchased a Taylor kit for a true measurement. I brought 2 samples and tested my 'moms pool' too. (wink wink). They of course didn't match, but both were low 3 digits so I'm no longer curious of all the farm debris blowing in all the time. Maybe in a few more years it'll be 7000 and I'll buy a test kit then.

But it was cringy being talked to by a 19 year old kid. He could read the printout ok, but that was the extent of his knowledge.

 

[CreedenceTapes]

I got pool store tested this weekend. I wanted to know if my phosphates were 3 digits, 4 digits or 5 digits and with the slightest whiff of a concern I would have purchased a Taylor kit for a true measurement. I brought 2 samples and tested my 'moms pool' too. (wink wink). They of course didn't match, but both were low 3 digits so I'm no longer curious of all the farm debris blowing in all the time. Maybe in a few more years it'll be 7000 and I'll buy a test kit then.

But it was cringy being talked to by a 19 year old kid. He could read the printout ok, but that was the extent of his knowledge.

I took a sample to Pinch-A-Penny once not so very long ago to see how they'd do and was encouraged to see that they'd be performing drop tests. The employee *flew* through the testing, almost as though it would lend to his credibility for me to see how quickly he could run through the tests. Of course most numbers were significantly off.

The one that I remember most, though, was the CYA. The employee came up with 80 ppm, when the standard Taylor test at home was off the chart. It looked like whole milk well before the first line in the Taylor block. (The previous owner used trichlor pucks exclusively.)

 

[Acap914]

I just got my TF-Pro test kit and these are my numbers:

Free Chlorine: 1 ppm
Ph: 6.8
CYA: measures below 100 in the tube. I’d guess it’s around 130

What should I do next.

Thank you for all your help.

@PoolStored
@stretchphoto
@newdude

 

[Newdude]

CYA: measures below 100 in the tube. I’d guess it’s around 130

Mix up a 50/50 batch of pool water and tap. Use that as the 'sample' and perform the test as usual. Double the result. We need to know how much to drain and 100+ is sketchy to read. It might be 130, or 230.

 

[Acap914]

@newdude , thank you very much. The new results have the CYA AT 80. In case it’s important, we are on city water (Ellington, CT). What are your thoughts?

Thank you again.

 

[Newdude]

The new results have the CYA AT 80.

Not doubled, correct ? So 160 after doubling ? You'll want to get it down to at 60 at most. Draining a little over 60% will get you there.

With vinyl you have to leave 18 inches in the shallow end to keep the liner in place. You'll have to drain to there twice. You can possibly get to 12 inches but need to watch it that it doesn't start shifting / pulling and stop immediately if it does.

Thank you again.

I know Stretch is GOOD people. Like. Take people into his home who need shelter, good. He vouches for you, so it's an honor to help.

(I'd help anyway but this one particularly makes me warm and fuzzy).

 

[Acap914]

Not doubled, correct ? So 160 after doubling ? You'll want to get it down to at 60 at most. Draining a little over 60% will get you there.

With vinyl you have to leave 18 inches in the shallow end to keep the liner in place. You'll have to drain to there twice. You can possibly get to 12 inches but need to watch it that it doesn't start shifting / pulling and stop immediately if it does.



I know Stretch is GOOD people. Like. Take people into his home who need shelter, good. He vouches for you, so it's an honor to help.

(I'd help anyway but this one particularly makes me warm and fuzzy).

Stretch is an awesome dude! Among the best out there.

Thanks everyone for all your help. Here’s an update from Ellington CT:

I drained the pool this weekend to 23 inches from the bottom of the shallow end. I then filled it back up with our garden hose. We are on city water. I finished filling it at 10pm Sunday and ran the pool pump overnight at 2000 rpm. I ran the tests in the TF Pro test kit at 11 a.m. Monday are those. Here are those results:

Chlorine Drop test:
R0870: water is clear.
R0871: drop makes the water very clear. The second drop does not change the clarity of the water.
R0003: water remains clear.
Calcium, hardness test:
R0010: The water remains clear.
R0011L: the water turns magenta.
R0012: 11 drops x 25 = 275

Total alkalinity test:
R0007: water remains clear
R0008: the water turns a light green.
R0009: on the third drop, the water turned bright red – 30 TA

CYA test (the reason we drained the pool):
100.

Any thoughts? And, thank you again.

 

[PoolStored]

What is your pH?

Do the diluted CYA test again and report the result and the doubled result.

Add 5ppm of liquid chlorine now.

 

[stretchphoto]

Stretch is an awesome dude! Among the best out there.

Thanks everyone for all your help. Here’s an update from Ellington CT:

I drained the pool this weekend to 23 inches from the bottom of the shallow end. I then filled it back up with our garden hose. We are on city water. I finished filling it at 10pm Sunday and ran the pool pump overnight at 2000 rpm. I ran the tests in the TF Pro test kit at 11 a.m. Monday are those. Here are those results:

Chlorine Drop test:
R0870: water is clear.
R0871: drop makes the water very clear. The second drop does not change the clarity of the water.
R0003: water remains clear.
Calcium, hardness test:
R0010: The water remains clear.
R0011L: the water turns magenta.
R0012: 11 drops x 25 = 275

Total alkalinity test:
R0007: water remains clear
R0008: the water turns a light green.
R0009: on the third drop, the water turned bright red – 30 TA

CYA test (the reason we drained the pool):
100.

Any thoughts? And, thank you again.

Hang in there, Cappy. You're in good hands here.

 

[PoolStored]

Also test your fill water for ph and ta.

 

[stretchphoto]

What is your pH?

Do the diluted CYA test again and report the result and the doubled result.

Add 5ppm of liquid chlorine now.

PS, how does he calculate how much LC to add to = 5ppm?

 

[Newdude]

PoolMath effects of adding in the upper left menu.

 

[stretchphoto]

PoolMath effects of adding in the upper left menu.

ah. OK. I went there but didn't see how to get from PPM to amount added, but did the reverse engineering.

One question:

Any idea why quarts isn't listed in the drop down? Seems logically it would go between gallons and fl oz...

 

[Acap914]

PoolMath effects of adding in the upper left menu.

pH of fill water is 8.2

Diluted CYA test is 160 after doubling. That’s the same as it was before emptying the pool.

I’ve added the bleach.

Many thanks.

 

[Newdude]

Any idea why quarts isn't listed in the drop down?

It more or less is. Liters are less than 2oz off.

Or it's super easy to math 2 qts as .5 gallons. (Etc)

Quarts do show up if using the regular FC tab.

Diluted CYA test is 160 after doubling. That’s the same as it was before emptying the pool.

More draining is in your future. Probably twice depending on how far you go each round.

It sucks but clearly the CYA was in the stratosphere and it is what it is to lower it.

 

[stretchphoto]

It more or less is. Liters are less than 2oz off.

AHA!

Thanks for that!