Finally tested my new pool, what to do next

[neiltg]

Hey everyone. Moved into this house 3 weeks ago, and was unable to pay attention to the pool at all because of an emergency trip which i just got back from this weekend. Finally got the chance to do a full test.

I think the pool is around 8,000 gallons, give or take. It's a saltwater pool, with a hayward proseries high rate sand filter.
Salt level is 2800ppm, pool chlorinator is at 50%. (what is this, does it automatically top-up chlorine? and if so, how does it work?)
We're based in north Georgia - Woodstock area.

Ch - 4
Br - 2
pH - 7.7

FC - 2
CC - 0, maybe 0.5?

TA - pink at 50, redder at 60
CH - 100
CYA - did this test twice, it was a long, long way from the black dot being obscured. at 20 I could detect a slight darkening to the water but thats it. probably very, very low?


The previous owners left behind some chemicals - I have on hand:
Leslie's alkalinity up (is this just baking soda? it doesnt say on the packaging but the poolmath app says use baking soda)
Leslie's nophos
Leslie's hardness plus (is this just calcium chloride? weirdly doesnt say on the tub)
Granular Floc (when / how much etc should I use this? we do have lots of tiny particles on the surface and this says it helps with that)

there's a faint tint to the water color - it's not perfectly clear.

Using the poolmath app, am I correct in assuming my next steps are to purchase 4lbs of dry cyanuric acid, and presumably with it being so low it's undetectable, I should add 1-2lb first, test, and then get a more accurate number to know how much I need to add the next day?
Am i correct in thinking I should not be adding any chlorine until this is back in the 40-50 range?
Poolmath also says I need to add 15lb calcium chloride, 1lb baking soda. Presumably I can just do that tomorrow at the same time as the CYA?
The free chlorine section gives the math in bleach - am I supposed to just use regular bleach to up the chlorine level? So I can stock up on some jugs and once the other chemicals are stable, toss that in until the numbers are correct?

I've got no clue what i'm doing, trying to figure this out as I go and it's kind of overwhelming. Presumably, with some numbers so low, should i assume that we should not be swimming in this yet?

Is there anything else I should be doing for general maintenance?

Thanks!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

The previous owners left behind some chemicals - I have on hand:
Leslie's alkalinity up (is this just baking soda? YUP, that's all that is- but at a much higher cost for the pool pic on front.
Leslie's nophos Waste of money
Leslie's hardness plus (is this just calcium chloride? weirdly doesnt say on the tub) Yup - You don't mention what type of pool you have. Vinyl pools need NO calcium, but if a heater is involved it very well may need some.
Granular Floc (when / how much etc should I use this? Never. We only *ever* rec this for ashes from forest fire.

there's a faint tint to the water color - it's not perfectly clear. That means you need to jump on this before it gets worse.

Using the poolmath app, am I correct in assuming my next steps are to purchase 4lbs of dry cyanuric acid, and presumably with it being so low it's undetectable, I should add 1-2lb first, test, and then get a more accurate number to know how much I need to add the next day? Yup... add enough for say, 10ppm per PoolMath. Assume it is there at 30ppm, and act on that with your chlorine addiions. Confirm CYA level about 2 days later if all disolved.

Am i correct in thinking I should not be adding any chlorine until this is back in the 40-50 range? No, add NOW after adding that 10ppm CYA. Assume your CYA is 30ppm then and treat for that.

Poolmath also says I need to add 15lb calcium chloride, Is pool plaster- then yes. Otherwise Nope.
1lb baking soda. No... your TA is fine, as is your pH
Presumably I can just do that tomorrow at the same time as the CYA? Add the CYA and additional chlorine today. Add the calcium tomorrow.

The free chlorine section gives the math in bleach - am I supposed to just use regular bleach to up the chlorine level? It is best to find Liquid Chlorine (or aka Liquid Shock) and use that. It tends to be higher strength. Walmart pool section along with Lowes/HD carry it. Only use bleach if its absolutely free of additives like scents, thickeners, Cloramax Technology...

So I can stock up on some jugs and once the other chemicals are stable, toss that in until the numbers are correct? Yup...but watch those date codes as you ideally only want jugs less than 3 months old, and NOT stored outside in heat/sun. The hardware stores can sometimes do that and ruin the stuff.

Maddie

 

[Newdude]

Salt level is 2800ppm, pool chlorinator is at 50%. (what is this, does it automatically top-up chlorine? and if so, how does it work?)

The SWG turns on X% of the time it has power. It produces chlorine gas from the salt in the pool which turns back to salt as it burns off. It is the BEES KNEES once we clean up the mess. If the daily loss increases like it does the 1st half of the season, you add more runtime (%) to match. For the back half of the season, you'll lower it as needed as the season winds down.

And Welcome !!

 

[neiltg]

Didn't plan to go out shopping until tomorrow but you lit a fire under my Rear and I decided work could wait. Added 1.5lb of CYA - a bit under what I think would get me to 30ppm, but i want to go slow as the pool store woman warned adding too much would require draining the pool. Also added the chlorine and set the filter/pump to run all night.
Presumably, I test again on Thursday afternoon and refine from there? I'll post my test results after I get them.
Thank you for your detailed answer, it's much appreciated!

It's a vinyl pool, sorry I forgot to mention. I guess the calcium isnt necessary?
The previous owner had a pool heater but took it with him - we will purchase one later in the year but this close to summer I think we can do without.

 

[Newdude]

Added 1.5lb of CYA - a bit under what I think would get me to 30ppm

You'll want 30 for now.

You likely will have to SLAM Process to clear the water, and when that is done, you'll raise the CYA to 70 for the SWG.

Presumably, I test again on Thursday afternoon and refine from there?

Test every day. Add liquid chlorine if the FC is low.

When you are ready (somewhat moved in, etc), Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. If you lose FC overnight with no sun / UV burnoff, you have algae growing and need to SLAM Process

Don't worry, we got you.

 

[neiltg]

Ok, here are today's test results.
As a note, added 3 cups of chlorine yesterday around 7pm, and around 1.5lb of CYA directly into the filter intake. Left the pump/filter running all night for the CYA as it instructs. These tests were done at 11am.

Ch - off the chart, super dark
Br - off the chart, super dark
pH - 7.9

FC - 14 (how did this get so high? is it because of the SWG generating even more chlorine overnight on top of what I added when normally it's switched off?)
CC - 0

TA - 60/70
CH - 100
CYA - at 20, it's starting to get a little obscured - so much, much higher than it was yesterday. Still visible though.

salt level 2800

What are my next steps?
From my understanding, the CYA granules that were poured into the intake take a while to dissolve, and there's a chance the CYA number will keep increasing over the next 24 hours, is that right?
Chlorine is insanely high, even higher than the recommended SLAM level for CYA. What should my plan be here? - i'd assume I should now leave the CYA level alone at a low-ish level until the sun can burn some of this chlorine away, then raise the CYA once the FC is in the right ballpark. is that about right? How long would that take? Should I stop running the filter so the salt doesn't generate additional chlorine or will it happen in good time?
(obviously, i'm making lots of assumptions there...)

The color of the water hasnt changed since yesterday - i've attached a picture I just took where this is visible in the steps. I took one yesterday and it's basically identical.

 

[IceShadow]

If you added 30ppm of CYA to the pool, you can assume it's in there. It may take 2-3 days after it dissolves for it to register if you used the sock method to add. How did you add the CYA?

Leave the salt cell off but the pump on and let the FC come down a little bit, either way. The sun will burn it off.

The pool looks pretty clear from the photo - I can see the pattern on the bottom of the liner. You're saying it has a tint - what color tint is it? Hard to see from the photo.

If the pH is in the 7s, your FC is at or below SLAM level, and you can see the bottom of the entire pool, it's safe to swim in. So you'll have to let the FC come down a bit but otherwise it looks OK to swim in, though you may have some tweaking to do on the chemistry to keep it that way.

 

[IceShadow]

Also, you should fill out your signature - see below my post for an example (if you're on a phone, you'll have to turn it sideways to see the signature).

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Go ahead and turn the SWG off. It will be easier to monitor the FC you add/lose without it confusing you.

Next time don't ever pour CYA down skimmer - it get sticky when wet and risks clogging the pipe. Then it can just *sit* at the bottom of your filter and take forever to dissolve and mix in.

Calcium is fine, TA is fine. Next time the FC drops below 10- retest your pH. It often tests incorrectly when the FC is over 10.
You can use Muriatic Acid and Pool Math to drop it down.

You have a pretty pool

Maddie

 

[neiltg]

If you added 30ppm of CYA to the pool, you can assume it's in there. It may take 2-3 days after it dissolves for it to register if you used the sock method to add. How did you add the CYA?

Leave the salt cell off but the pump on and let the FC come down a little bit, either way. The sun will burn it off.

The pool looks pretty clear from the photo - I can see the pattern on the bottom of the liner. You're saying it has a tint - what color tint is it? Hard to see from the photo.

I added it to warm water and poured it directly into the intake under the basket - followed the directions on the container. I have done some reading and will use the sock next time!
The tint is visible in the white stairs - slightly green / blue. I know it's not a strong tint, but it's there and it was perfectly clear when we closed on the house. Good to know we can use it on saturday though!
Thank you.

Thanks for your help on this too Maddie! much appreciated
I'll get the SWG turned off and keep posting my test results for the next few days - just read the manual and I guess I just bump the pool chlorinator down to 0% rather than hitting an off button? It's a hayward aqua plus.

 

[IceShadow]

OK - then the CYA may take a week or so to register. Right now it's sitting on top of your sand and slowly dissolving. Have you backwashed at all since adding the CYA?

 

[neiltg]

OK - then the CYA may take a week or so to register. Right now it's sitting on top of your sand and slowly dissolving. Have you backwashed at all since adding the CYA?

No - I read you're not supposed to after adding CYA. Backwashing is something to tackle another time, although I did watch a video on what it is last night. So much to learn...

I just switched off the chlorinator and did the FC / CYA test again.
FC has dropped to 11 since this morning - I guess that's the sun burning it off quickly as it's such a high quantity?
CYA is still not quite 20, and hard to say if it's any further along from this morning. not a significant change in the last 5 hours.

 

[IceShadow]

Yep, the sun will burn it quickly, especially since the CYA is still sitting in your filter dissolving. Another reason not to add directly to the skimmer without a sock - now you can't backwash until it's dissolved.

 

[neiltg]

I will pick up some socks tomorrow - If it's important to backwash, I could do that this weekend, test, then add more CYA using the sock. the amount I added is definitely way under what I will eventually need to get it to the recommended range so there is more to go.

 

[IceShadow]

OK. Do be careful with CYA. Even adding via sock method it can take 2-3 days to register on the CYA test, and if you add too much, the only realistic way to remove it is exchanging water. But you can go between 30-50 and still be pretty safe with how much you have in the pool.

 

[neiltg]

Small update

Tested yesterday morning at 9am:
FC down to 9
CYA higher, but still much lower than 20

Yesterday at 6pm:
FC at 10 (interesting that it went up - the pool chlorinator is turned off still. it was super cloudy all day yesterday so none burned off)
CYA higher, but still much lower than 20

Today at 9am
FC at 8/9 (the sun is out today, so it should burn off quicker today)
CYA definitely creeping closer to 20, but not there yet.


So my plan is today to keep an eye on the FC and once it hits 6, i'll turn the pool chlorinator back on to maintain it.
I also have some skimmer socks now, so i'll add just under 1lb of CYA to the sock (assuming it's higher than tested at 20) and leave it in the skimmer. that should bring it up close to 30 by the end of the weekend and at least at a level that starts registering on the test kit, and I can add very small amounts through next week to get it up to 45.

pH is back to 7.7, CH is at 100, TA is at 60 - all have remained stable over the last few days so presumably, I don't need to do anything about those urgently. Maybe I could raise the TA next week once i've got the CYA and FC stable.

Does everything here seem normal/like a good idea?

And thanks again for everyone's help in understanding this