Ex Ozone,first test done.Not looking particularly good numbers wise-where do I start?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
AussieConcreteClunker

AussieConcreteClunker

0
Jan 13, 2019
20
Adelaide, South Australia
Ok, so ex Ozone -don't lecture me... at least I've seen the light now ;)
Summer here so pool is 32 degrees C.

FC - nearly 10. The chlorine feeder is obviously quite efficient.. 1" tabs-Trichlor (I had a big tub from my ozone days that I had only just opened so I want to use it first.. it cost A LOT)

CC >2
pH <6.8
TA <50
CH 250
CYA <30

I guess I need to do a slam.. I saw something about doing ph before a slam and it's recommending a LOT of soda (which I do have on hand) so I do this first?

It's hot and definitely swim weather at the moment so taking the pool out of action for a slam is a bit daunting.

The water is crystal clear and very inviting ;)

ps - there is a difference on the mobile phone accessed Pool Math page and the one I access on my laptop which is weird. I put in the same dimensions of the pool (4m x 9m x 1.6m) and the phone one says 59401 and the laptop one says 57600. Which one is correct? I'm not maths expert so I don't know.....

What should I do first? I'd reeeeally appreciate Aussie responders as it's confusing enough with all the metric / US terms and measurements and with all the product brands / names thrown in, my brain is a bit mushy.

I WILL be swapping to liquid chlorine / bleach (what brand in Aus??) when I have used my large tub of Trichlor Tabs.

Lots of questions. Looking forward to some answers. I'm just about to have people over so won't be checking for responses for another 4-5 hours so don't be offended if it looks like I'm not reading stuff.

Cheers TFP peeps

Aussie Concrete Clunker
 
Note that your Trichlor tabs are pushing down your PH & TA while raising your CYA. You will spend money undoing those unwanted effects. Using up your Trichlor is probably false economy and switching to TFPC methods now will save you money.
 
Your first priority should be to get your pH back into the 7's. However the best way to deal with this will depend on a precise number on the TA? I agree that you need to put the trichlor tabs to the side and get your levels back into the recommended range by dealing with each of the parameters separately.

Liquid chlorine and stabilizer are your staples. Local pool shops or Bunnings are best for the these. A bit of shopping around means that you can find out who has the best deals. The liquid chlorine in Australia usually comes in 15 litre bottles at 12.5% sodium hypochlorite.
 
Just had 15 people in the pool for the last 3 hours. It went cloudy almost after the first hour which is not cool-I know I need to get this right.

Yes, ajw22 I can see that I'm just going to have to write off the massive tub of Tri tabs :'(

SOOOO..... If I stop using Trichlor what is my process? How do I make the switch?
Is there a changeover that needs to be followed?

Aussie peeps - what and where are the products I need?

Which levels / in which order do I tackle first?

Cold Turkey on the Trichlor tabs and do a slam with liquid chlor? Do I need to wait for the Trichlor to dissipate?
 
Nothing to change over. Chlorine is chlorine. Just in different packaging. You do need a proper test kit. I will let your fellow aussies fill in the details.
 
AussieConcreteClunker said:
Cool, I can manage that.. Because of the previous ozone set up, there is a "bubble control" I now have that injects air (it used to be ozone) after it's been through the filter, but before it hits the pool so I'll pop that up to it's max too.
Click to expand...

Crank it up and it should raise the pH in a day two at no cost and not affecting other tests.
 
firstly keep the tabs for vacation and when you know how to use them
when you use the drops try to get approximately one drop per second
please post an accurate test results
with a ta of less than 50 i dont feel aeration is going to work quickly
you need your ph and your ta higher so i would use bicarbonate soda from bunnings, to increase ta to 60
most everything from bunnings works out cheaper
use pool math to work out what to add, dont add all at once until you know your pool volume is accurate and how your pool reacts
when your ta is around 60, you can then use borax to raise your ph, if your ta was higher aeration would work best to raise your ph
liquid chlorine from pool shop or bunnings
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
I was hoping the feeder still be able to help me out a bit... yes, I like that idea. Cheers.

It was my first try and one of the droppers was a bit funky - maybe a burr or something on the nozzle..

I will do the tests again more accurately tomorrow. It was a good indicator of pH and a practice for all the others really.

I have added 2kg of bicarb for today and have lowered the Trichlor to just above 0. I don't have the liquid chlorine yet so need to keep something in there for now.

I just tried to adjust the air valve thing but it wouldn't budge. I guess it's just what it is.

I found the Hi Chlor 15 lt exchange (for $20) but I can't see any Cyanuric available from Bunnings? What is the product name?

I have 20kg left of my bicarb so that should be ok for a while.

I was a bit bamboozled by Pool Math when my phone Pool Math page and the laptop Pool Math page showed completely different volume when I put in the same numbers (4m x 9m x 1.6m) I don't know which one to use / which one is correct?

Will try too get it up to 60, thanks, what brand / where do you grab yours from? I see Bunnos has 1kg for $8
 
i would keep the trichlor high for now as your cya is low, until you get some liquid chlorine
cyanuric acid aka stabilizer aka pool sunscreen from you guessed it bunnings, hyclor stabilizer 2kg $13
volume is simple, assuming 1.6m is water level and not top of pool just use centimetres
400 x 900 x 160 equals 57,600,000 divide by 1000 equals 57,600 litres
 
I would hold off on adding any cyanuric acid, or CYA as we call it, if your CC,s are at 2ppm and your pools gone cloudy your in SLAM territory. You’ll use less chlorine, FC, if your CYA is low and your pH is on the low side.

Get a handle on the testing first, go slow, the more your do it the better you get and you’ll soon learn you don’t need to do everything all the time.

It sounds like you’ve already done some reading through the pages of pool school but hears some helpful links;
https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2019/01/18/slam-shock-level-and-maintain-2/
https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2019/01/18/perform-the-overnight-fc-loss-test-oclt/
https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2019/01/18/chlorine-cya-chart/
 
Last edited:
Thanks AUSpool!

yeah.. I think I'll slam it. I have just worked out my stock "shopping list" CYA, soda ash (cheaper and twice the strength of borax?) and calcium chloride.. also getting a grasp on liquid bleach / chlorine differences in strength and pricing etc. Crazy differences for what is essentially the same product. Mind blowing.

Yes, I did some intense reading while waiting for my CCL kit to arrive... and at first it wasn't making much sense but now I've got the gist of the Pool Math page it's all starting to click!

I've read all those pages and they are now making much more sense than a week ago so maybe I can do this tpl thing after all :D
 
Be careful using Soda Ash

Baking Soda = big TA change, small pH change
Borax = Big pH change, small TA change
Washing Soda = big pH change, big TA change. Probably more TA change than you want.

Best to use Baking Soda to raise TA and aeration to raise pH.
 
Hi again all, (gah! I pressed the wrong button and have now added numbers and the rest of my post.. )
Just read the epic saga and massive win that Numb got with his pool. Very awesome.
It made me realise I should post again but on this thread so you can see what has already happened.

I've been testing 4 out of the last 5 days.
I see that some pools will just settle at numbers that may appear a little high or a little low.
Even in my pool's seedy (ozone) past life, the pH was always low. Sits happily around 7.

My 2kg addition of bi-carb on Thurs has thrown my TA up (Yes, I'll be doing borax from now on unless my TA is low-lesson learnt)

Can anyone tell me why my CH has skyrocketed? Could the Calcium possibly have come from my pool paint? It tends to oxidise (you rub the paint and your fingers get a white film) at 6.8 pH and there were lots of people swimming that day before I got it back up to 7.. maybe lots of feet and hands just rubbed off the paint and possibly even was the reason for it going cloudy that day.

I did not end up slamming. On Sat the CC was 1 and then Sunday it dropped to .5 so I will save the slam for another day.

latest numbers are:
FC 2.5
CC .5
pH 7
TA 90
CH 400
CYA <30

I am going to persist with 1' trichlor tabs in the feeder as people have mentioned above, it is not raising my CYA (don't know why but very glad) until the tub is gone - or if I get used to the laziness of the feeder maybe I'll just keep doing it if CYA is happy. I work shift work and some long days so getting a "daily routine" of adding bleach may be a dream I can never achieve anyway...

I'm going to push my FC up to 3 / 4 as recommended.

Thoughts on the pH? Is it just my pool's happy place?

Water is 32 celsius and nice and clear. We are in for a hot week and it will get to 42 Celsius and hover around the mid 30's so I'm running my filter for 12 hours a day out of fear more than anything :O
 
Last edited:

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply