Extreme learning curve Please HELP!!!!

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Beerfloater

Beerfloater

Bronze Supporter
Feb 18, 2020
161
North Carolina
Ok so I decided to open my pool for the first time since buying the house last fall. The pool had a mesh safety cover on it, and has not been opened since the summer of 2018. So it is very green. I have been running the pump since yesterday at about noon. I vacuumed to waste yesterday, and back-washed 3 or 4 times. I put 5 gallons of liquid chlorine in yesterday. Back-washed filter this morning at 6:00am, and poured in one more gallon of liquid chlorine. So that is a total of 6 gallons, and I have 3" chlorine tabs in the chlorine dispenser with the dial turned all the way up. So my TF-100 test kit came today. So I was all excited to test. First thing is the R-0870 powder is hard as a rock is it supposed to be that way? So I scraped enough out to do the Chlorine drop test. I have attached photos so you can see my dilemma. I did the drop test as directed, and added all the way up to 50 drops of the R-0871 liquid and it never got clear. Then I decided to try the daily test and as you can see it shows there is chlorine in the water. It looks like its between 1 & 2 to me, but i am afraid to add too much chlorine. What am I doing wrong or is because the powder looks like it may have gotten wet. I have also took pics of the cards that were with the Kit I bought off amazon. Does anyone know these people? I mean you think they will send me more powder if that is what I need?
 

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"Beer", until you receive that new batch of powder, I would proceed with caution and keep it simple. Continue to brush, scoop, and remove any material still in the water. Chlorine - sure. But how much? First thing you should do is test the CYA to see how high your FC can go based on the FC/CYA Levels. That chart is your reference for those two items (FC & CYA). Using PoolMath, I see that a 24K pool needs one gallon of 10% strength chlorine to raise the FC by 4 ppm. You can't get accurate without the new powder, but that should give you an idea of how much you can use (ballpark).

Also check the pH and adjust it down to about 7.2 before starting the SLAM Process. Once you get the new powder, you can test the FC accurately. OT will expedite it to you.
 
Well that brings me to another issue that I did not ask about. so I did the CYA test as instructed. The instructions say to hold the tube at waste level so you can look down into it. I did that and slowly filled the tube with the solution of pool water and R-0013 liquid. I filled it all the way to the top and could still see the black dot in the bottom of the tube. Does that mean I have no CYA at all?
 
Texas Splash said:
"Beer", until you receive that new batch of powder, I would proceed with caution and keep it simple. Continue to brush, scoop, and remove any material still in the water. Chlorine - sure. But how much? First thing you should do is test the CYA to see how high your FC can go based on the FC/CYA Levels. That chart is your reference for those two items (FC & CYA). Using PoolMath, I see that a 24K pool needs one gallon of 10% strength chlorine to raise the FC by 4 ppm. You can't get accurate without the new powder, but that should give you an idea of how much you can use (ballpark).

Also check the pH and adjust it down to about 7.2 before starting the SLAM Process. Once you get the new powder, you can test the FC accurately. OT will expedite it to you.
Click to expand...

I have attached a photo of the PH test. It looks to be between 6.8 and 7.2 to me. Is that good to SLAM?
 
Beerfloater said:
Does that mean I have no CYA at all?
Click to expand...
Correct. To be sure though, CYA testing is a bit tricky. Take a look at the following to help ensure reliable results:

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.
Click to expand...
 
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One more thing ..... since it appears your CYA is very low, don't add any just yet. Wait until you get the new powder for your FC test. Once you receive it, do the following since your pool has sat for so long:

1. Begin a SLAM using a SLAM/Shock FC of 10. Do not add additional CYA at this point. Retest FC at 10-minute intervals.
2. If FC loss is greater than 50%, add FC to bring back up to 10 and continue retesting FC @ 10-minute intervals until it starts to hold.
3. Once the FC looks to be holding after 10 min (6-10 ppm), then you can add stabilizer for a CYA goal of 30 ppm.
4. Now increase the FC to "12" as a new SLAM level and maintain it as best as you can.

Continue SLAM Process as directed until the 3 SLAM Criteria are met. Test FC only as needed to ensure you are maintaining the SLAM level of 12 a best as possible throughout the day. Good luck!
 
Double check that you are using the R-0871 reagent (bigger bottle) and not the R-0003 with the yellow top. The yellow top threw me one time as I associated that with FC and not CC.
 

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Beerfloater said:
Well that brings me to another issue that I did not ask about. so I did the CYA test as instructed. The instructions say to hold the tube at waste level so you can look down into it. I did that and slowly filled the tube with the solution of pool water and R-0013 liquid. I filled it all the way to the top and could still see the black dot in the bottom of the tube. Does that mean I have no CYA at all?
Click to expand...

See here for the way the CYA dot should look during the test...

CYA Testing - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
Texas Splash said:
One more thing ..... since it appears your CYA is very low, don't add any just yet. Wait until you get the new powder for your FC test. Once you receive it, do the following since your pool has sat for so long:

1. Begin a SLAM using a SLAM/Shock FC of 10. Do not add additional CYA at this point. Retest FC at 10-minute intervals.
2. If FC loss is greater than 50%, add FC to bring back up to 10 and continue retesting FC @ 10-minute intervals until it starts to hold.
3. Once the FC looks to be holding after 10 min (6-10 ppm), then you can add stabilizer for a CYA goal of 30 ppm.
4. Now increase the FC to "12" as a new SLAM level and maintain it as best as you can.

Continue SLAM Process as directed until the 3 SLAM Criteria are met. Test FC only as needed to ensure you are maintaining the SLAM level of 12 a best as possible throughout the day. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the help Texas... I will keep at it and keep you posted here.....I am sure I will need more help along the way
ajw22 said:
See here for the way the CYA dot should look during the test...

CYA Testing - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...
Nope...mine was not cloudy at all....I dont think there is any CYA in there
 
Turn it off until you do the test that Texas indicated. You dont want any outside influences on that. After that I would look towards the mods to give you that advice.
 
Beerfloater said:
Ok thanks for telling me that, because I would have added more. Should I turn the dial on the dispenser to the off position so it will not use the tabs right now?
Click to expand...

I would remove the tablets and dispose of them safely. Even with the chlorinator in OFF the tabs will continue to dissolve and create highly acidic water in the chlorinator which will eventually be no good for your pool and equipment.
 
I am still at work..... but my wife just sent me this pic of the pool today. Looks like we are trending the right direction, compared to Sunday when we opened it. Does anyone know what all the white bubbles are?
 

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