Hey everyone. Recently bought a house with a pool and just opened it. So apologies if I'm asking something already asked 100 times. I took the water to get tested at a local store 24hrs after opening. Among some other things, they called for adding 125lbs of salt to the pool. But the salinity reader on the generator is already telling me it's at 3300ppm right now. I'm having trouble reconciling those two things and want to avoid damaging anything by pouring too much salt in the pool. Curious if I'm just misunderstanding the assignment here. Any insight is helpful!
First Opening Salt Question
- Thread starter nodnarb481
- Start date
- Jun 24, 2021
- 16,379
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Welcome to TFP!!!
Pool store testing is not accurate. You need your own kit to maintain the pool. We give chemical advice when you have your own test results. Link-->>Test Kits Compared
Why do we insist on your own testing? We know pool store testing is not accurate. Giving advice on bad test results, we could do more harm than good, or do damage. (like adding 125lbs of salt when your salt is fine).
If your salt is happy, leave salt alone (don't add more).
When you get your kit (make sure it has salt test like the TFPROsalt) post up numbers and we can help you get square.
Pool store testing is not accurate. You need your own kit to maintain the pool. We give chemical advice when you have your own test results. Link-->>Test Kits Compared
Why do we insist on your own testing? We know pool store testing is not accurate. Giving advice on bad test results, we could do more harm than good, or do damage. (like adding 125lbs of salt when your salt is fine).
If your salt is happy, leave salt alone (don't add more).
When you get your kit (make sure it has salt test like the TFPROsalt) post up numbers and we can help you get square.
^^^^^ all that. But also this :
Welcome to TFP.
You have never once asked it, so please go right ahead. If it doesn't click right away, ask it again, what's one more ?
Welcome to TFP.
Appreciate the insight and glad I asked! I just ordered the TF-Pro Salt kit. So I'll report back when I have received it and run the tests. Thanks again!
Alrighty I took my tests. Did each twice to be sure and it was consistent. Here's what I got:
FAS-DPD
FC: 1
CC: 1.5
CYA: dot never obscured. I assume that means I have none in the pool at all.
TA: 130-140
CL: 0.5
BR: 1
ph: 8.2
CH: 450
Salt: 2,800-3000.
For the salt, my meter is reading 3300 or so. So I think I need to rinse off the sensor.
FAS-DPD
FC: 1
CC: 1.5
CYA: dot never obscured. I assume that means I have none in the pool at all.
TA: 130-140
CL: 0.5
BR: 1
ph: 8.2
CH: 450
Salt: 2,800-3000.
For the salt, my meter is reading 3300 or so. So I think I need to rinse off the sensor.
And off we GO !!!!
When did you last add chlorine ? (Or is the SWG on?)
How does the water look ?
0 CYA can be normal after winter or a red flag.
And the FC block test isnt very accurate and is vague. Skip that too and do the powder test exclusively. Basically we need the block for the Ph side. Mess with it down the road one day maybe.
When did you last add chlorine ? (Or is the SWG on?)
How does the water look ?
0 CYA can be normal after winter or a red flag.
For the block test its either or, not CL and Br 5-10. Its CL 5 BR 10. (Etc) disregard Br entirely.
And the FC block test isnt very accurate and is vague. Skip that too and do the powder test exclusively. Basically we need the block for the Ph side. Mess with it down the road one day maybe.
SWG has been on since opening last week. It's been reading about 3200 or so pretty consistently. Since opening, the only thing I've done is DE the filter at opening and I put two bags of shock in a couple nights ago because I was worried about algae starting to grow while I got all my stuff together.
Water looks great.
Water looks great.
You are off to a FLYING start. You are already in good hands so follow their advice to the letter. Your pool will soon be SPARKlingly (is that a word?) clear!
The cell uses electrical conductance to calculate the salt level, and that calculation can vary by a huge amount, depending on circumstances. My current drop salt test shows 2200 after over-winter dilution. My SWCG shows 3200 (!). Surprisingly, my SWCG is actually generating CL at that low actual salt level. Likely not near as much as it would when I actually get the proper amount of salt in the pool.
An example of how much an alternative method of testing can give skewed results. Miscalibration, other factors , etc. - similar to why we stress over and over to ONLY believe the results of an approved test kit and not fancy pool store attempts, strips, home electronic devices, etc.
An example of how much an alternative method of testing can give skewed results. Miscalibration, other factors , etc. - similar to why we stress over and over to ONLY believe the results of an approved test kit and not fancy pool store attempts, strips, home electronic devices, etc.
Ok based on the situation you have little red flags (1.5cc) but not honking red flags (ammonia). So there is that.
I'd SLAM Process so you retain the upper hand in the battle. If the 1.5 CC more or less overnight is some sort of fluke, it was still a wise call.
There is a printable checklist in the slam article link (click the blue words above) to keep with you.
Lower the PH 0.4 at a time with muriatic acid per PoolMath. Mix for 30 mins, restest and repeat until Ph is 7.2. The last dose may or may not be a 0.4 correction, dose accordingly for that one.
Get 30 CYA granular hanging in a sock per poolmath. Visual link here. Treat the CYA as added as soon as its soaking. Your target FC will be 12.
slam away.
I'd SLAM Process so you retain the upper hand in the battle. If the 1.5 CC more or less overnight is some sort of fluke, it was still a wise call.
There is a printable checklist in the slam article link (click the blue words above) to keep with you.
Lower the PH 0.4 at a time with muriatic acid per PoolMath. Mix for 30 mins, restest and repeat until Ph is 7.2. The last dose may or may not be a 0.4 correction, dose accordingly for that one.
Get 30 CYA granular hanging in a sock per poolmath. Visual link here. Treat the CYA as added as soon as its soaking. Your target FC will be 12.
slam away.
Thanks for the action list. I'll give it a shot. Your instructions on the pH and the CYA.. should I do that before I start the SLAM process?
Also, I assume that once I'm done with SLAM, I'll still need to address the lower salt levels, yea?
Also, I assume that once I'm done with SLAM, I'll still need to address the lower salt levels, yea?
- Jun 24, 2021
- 16,379
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Doing that is part of the slam process. Read through the entire process. There is also a printable SLAM checklist linked in the "Before you Start" section, that may help too! Link-->SLAM Process
Yep
Got it! Any particular reason we're using dry stabilizer instead of liquid? I have tons of liquid here already.
- Jun 24, 2021
- 16,379
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
If you mean you have tons of liquid stabilizer??
Generally, it is problematic, and is more expensive. That's why we recommend dry (Trouble Free and all)
If you have it, use it. Make sure you rinse the bottle multiple times and ensure you got all the product out of the bottle.
+1. The liquid stabilizer clumps up and if using partial doses, you get not enough, not enough, still not enough, not enough, HOLY COW THATS TOO MUCH.
They use it at suckyyuckypools .com, but we've abandoned it for the troublefree stuff.
They use it at suckyyuckypools .com, but we've abandoned it for the troublefree stuff.
Gotcha. I'll note that for the future. But based on pool math, I'll need 6lbs of dry stuff for this. So I'm going to just work through the bottles of liquid I have here already for this.
So, I showed up to the store to buy 15 gallons of chlorine and I've never seen such confusion. Like, 4 people completely bewildered as to what I was trying to do haha. I wager that's because they're accustomed to just shocking weekly or whatever. But for my own sanity, can someone explain why exactly I'm doing this process right now? What exactly is the data in my tests that's saying, "go for the nuke option first" rather than just bringing up some chemicals to the appropriate levels?
I'm just trying to completely understand it. It looks like a pretty involved process and I don't have a lot of free time right now. I'm half way to paying someone to just set the pool up right for me so I can be on my way and maintain it the rest of the year. But I'm sure I'm missing something here
I'm just trying to completely understand it. It looks like a pretty involved process and I don't have a lot of free time right now. I'm half way to paying someone to just set the pool up right for me so I can be on my way and maintain it the rest of the year. But I'm sure I'm missing something here
- Jun 24, 2021
- 16,379
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
^^^ Indicates that you have bad things being oxidized and creating ammonia.
If you want to COMPLETEY understand it, read Net Chlorine To Breakpoint (Ammonia "Oxidation") or CC elimination here:
Pool Chemistry - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
TL
RYou have contaminants in the pool. Normal chlorination will not clear it up. By raising your FC level and holding it at SLAM level, will complete the CC elimination and kill all the algae in the pool. Then you can go to normal chlorination. If you maintain proper FC for your CYA, you will never get algae.
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You want your CC to be .5 or less, preferably zero. Yours is 1.5 ppm. CC is the chlorine that is working on something organic that is in the water.
Ironically, our way is the surgical precision way based on testing and rooted in science and their way is the arbitrarily nuclear way.
They'll have you come back week after week for more 'dump and pray' advice which just so happens to sell lots of chemicals