Chemistry balancing after a new water fill

[Lorena44]

Our pool was recently drained for an acid wash due to plaster blotching (3 yrs old). The PB said it would take care of it and well now we are dealing with a new pool color ( this has been a frustrating situation). I wish they would have better explained it to us. The plaster company is going to be contacting Wet Edge to have someone come out and look at it and see if it was a chemical situation or not. By the sounds of it, it appears it will be a battle to try to get them to warranty the plaster. We used to have pretty blue water, and now it's a light green.

We have now finished filling the pool and are in need to start balancing the chemicals.

Here is what I'm currently testing with the TF Pro test kit.

Gallons: 18,032
FC: 0
CC: 0
CH: 125
TA: 100
CYA: 0
PH: 8.2 ( RED)

My question is, which chemical should I add first?

I appreciate any guidance that I can get.

 

[Texas Splash]

My question is, which chemical should I add first?

I would start as follows:
- New water has no CYA, so add some stabilizer. This time of year I'd start no lower than a CYA of 40.
- Add about 3 ppm of liquid chlorine if you haven't already. Then continue to balance the FC to the CYA as noted on the FC/CYA Levels.
- Use muriatic acid to bring the pH down to 7.8 or slightly below. Try to never let it hit 8.0 or above.
- The CH is low. I'd increase that to at least 250 for now.
- Don't worry about the TA at the moment.

Hope that helps get you going. Let us know if you need more help.

 

[Texas Splash]

In case you need this as well.....

Adding CYA:
To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, place the required amount as calculated by the PoolMath APP into a white sock and place in the poolside skimmer basket. For those concerned about suction flow to the pump, suspending the sock near a return jet or from a floating device will also suffice. Best never to allow undissolved granules to rest directly against the pool surface. After about 30 minutes of soaking, squeeze the sock continuously to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, consider your CYA adjusted to that programmed (target) level. CYA test readings should show a rise in 24-48 hours, however some pools may experience a longer delay to fully register. Best to confirm final CYA in about 5-7 days before adding any more stabilizer/conditioner.

 

[Lorena44]

I would start as follows:
- New water has no CYA, so add some stabilizer. This time of year I'd start no lower than a CYA of 40.
- Add about 3 ppm of liquid chlorine if you haven't already. Then continue to balance the FC to the CYA as noted on the FC/CYA Levels.
- Use muriatic acid to bring the pH down to 7.8 or slightly below. Try to never let it hit 8.0 or above.
- The CH is low. I'd increase that to at least 250 for now.
- Don't worry about the TA at the moment.

Hope that helps get you going. Let us know if you need more help.

I was only able to buy the liquid stabilizer; they didn't have the granules. I added a gallon yesterday and half of another today. I've also added liquid chlorine since yesterday, but the test is reading 0 for chlorine even after adding some. What can be causing this?

 

[Mdragger88]

I was only able to buy the liquid stabilizer; they didn't have the granules. I added a gallon yesterday and half of another today. I've also added liquid chlorine since yesterday, but the test is reading 0 for chlorine even after adding some. What can be causing this?

The liquid cya likes to stay in the bottle so it’s recommended to only use it when you can use a whole bottle & then rinse it in the pool a couple of times to ensure you get the expected rise. 2 gallons should yield you about 40ppm.

For the fc- did you test right after adding? If not it was probably very quickly consumed by the sun. Also, liquid chlorine loses potency over time & with improper storage- check the date codes. It basically turns into just salt water.

Chlorine Date Code Decoder - Further Reading

www.google.com

 

[Lorena44]

The liquid cya likes to stay in the bottle so it’s recommended to only use it when you can use a whole bottle & then rinse it in the pool a couple of times to ensure you get the expected rise. 2 gallons should yield you about 40ppm.

For the fc- did you test right after adding? If not it was probably very quickly consumed by the sun. Also, liquid chlorine loses potency over time & with improper storage- check the date codes. It basically turns into just salt water.

Chlorine Date Code Decoder - Further Reading

www.google.com

I added more liquid chlorine last night and was only able to get it to 2 PPM. I also added some more early this morning before the sun was out to get it to 5 PPM based on a CYA of 20, and I'm back at 0. The only other chemical I added after the chlorine ( 1 hour after) was calcium increaser. Could that have caused the issue?

The CYA is slowly rising, but I'm guessing the sun is absorbing all the chlorine rather quickly due to the low CYA. Do you think I should shock it?

 

[Texas Splash]

One gallon of 10% should increase your FC by about 5 ppm, so I would add 2 gallons now, then test again before bed if you can. Then test again in the morning if possible. This sounds a lot like an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test, but I wasn't recommending that just yet unless you want to do it to ensure algae isn't trying to start. But definitely add 2 gallons now if possible. Once you break the cycle of FC drops, it should hold much better, especially now that you've added conditioner.

 

[an1vrsy]

We used to have pretty blue water, and now it's a light green.

We have now finished filling the pool and are in need to start balancing the chemicals.

In some cases, after a fresh fill of municipal water, the pool water needs to get balanced before the true water color will reveal itself. Take a picture of it now, different angles. After a few days take more pictures with the same angles and compare. After a week of balanced water take more pictures, same angles, you may see a difference. In my case, after my fresh fill, I did see a remarkable difference.

 

[Mdragger88]

“Adding Calcium Chloride May Reduce FC to 0​

Over the years there have been reports of members finding their FC at 0 after adding calcium chloride. There is no chemical explanation for this but the fact is it is happening.

Check your FC often after adding calcium chloride and add liquid chlorine if you see it drop.”

Calcium Hardness - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

This is more common with large additions.

 

[Lorena44]

I appreciate all the guidance that has been provided. Unfortunately, I'm still having issues with the FC.

here are the numbers as of 10 minutes.
FC: 2.5
TC: 3
CH: 300
TA: 80
CYA- less than 30 ( water was just slightly cloudy on the CYA test tube)
PH: 7.9

I added a gallon of liquid chlorine last night, which I tested above 5ppm at 7 am this morning, but now 7 hours later,
it's on the low end again. We had a lot of rain in the past 3-4 days, so I'm not sure if that was a contributor. I took the water to get tested at Leslie's to see if the CYA was rising, and it tested at 28.

We added two gallons of liquid stabilizer last Saturday. Should the CYA be higher than 28? Do you think I should go ahead and add another gallon? If so, is liquid better than granules? According to Leslies, they recommend the liquid. At this point, I've been adding about a gallon of chlorine every evening, which is concerning me.

All and any advice or feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you

 

[Mdragger88]

Average fc loss is 2-5 ppm/day. In sunny/hot Texas with low cya you can expect to be on the higher end of that range. Do an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test at target fc levels before raising cya further incase you have something brewing.
Liquid cya is just more expensive than granular & using less than the whole gallon can give inconsistent results so that’s up to you. One is not better than the other persay.

 

[clambert1273]

Chlorine will not last a long time regardless, you will have to always test & dose even more frequently in season.

 

[Mdragger88]

Did you rinse the cya jugs well & pour all that in the pool too? It likes to stay in the bottom of the jug.

 

[an1vrsy]

+1
I almost asked the same thing. You must type faster!

 

[Lorena44]

I ran the overnight chlorine test last night.

Last night's FC: 3.5
This morning: 2.8

After these results, the water is fine, and the CYA contributes to the low chlorine. However, the more I think about it, I think that I may not have rinsed the 1st gallon of stabilizer as well as I should have.

Should I go ahead and add another gallon of the stabilizer if the CYA is still at around 28, according to Leslie's water test?

Also, the kiddos are eager to swim today. Would it be safe for them to swim if I added the additional stabilizer?

Again, I appreciate all of your guidance. I've learned a lot from this group.

 

[Mdragger88]

If you have the liquid go ahead & use it - 1 gallon should yield 21ppm which will put you around 50 (if you trust leslies, I don’t)
Then see what your cya test says tomorrow.
Btw they recommend it because they make $$$ selling it to you.
You can get granular stabilizer at lowes, Home Depot, walmart & amazon for much cheaper per ppm than liquid.

Once the stabilizer is mixed with water it is safe to swim. This should be fairly quick unless it’s clumpy or something.
As soon as you add it begin chlorinating at the corresponding fc target. Aim for high target so you don’t fall below minimum before you test again tomorrow