First PERSONAL Chlorine Test....

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samwestx

samwestx

0
May 11, 2016
105
Weslaco, Texas (DEEP SOUTH TEXAS)
Ok, guys.....PB's cleaner was last here on Thursday....saw him measure Chlorine and water did change color in tube.....no, my TFT has been ordered but not here yet, so I purchased a simple test kit at Academy (trying to put myself in the habit of checking daily), but my water in tube doesn't change after adding drops......checked chlorine feeder (will do away with as soon as I master the TFP method) and it has tablets in there...am I doing something wrong?
 
I would remove the tablets right away. The small amount of chlorine they add is not worth the trouble they do to your CYA level. Just use the regular generic bleach from HEB (Bravo) or Wal-Mart (Great Value). Until your kit gets here, just add 1/2 gallon per day. That's all .... for now until you know your own test readings.

If your small kit has a way to test pH (red reagent) that would be good to verify. That one is pretty common and easy to perform.
 
Ok, I take it this is a new pool and you just took over from the pool builder.. using pucks now is ok, it is adding some CYA at first and you want that.. You can add 1/2 gallon of bleach and see how much that raises your FC.. it should turn yellow on the left side of the OTO test kit.. how does your water look?
 
One of two things is going on

1) You have no chlorine because algae and/or sunlight is destroying it as fast as it enters the pool. If the builder didn't add enough CYA, sunlight will get the FC almost immediately. Since it's brand new, that would be my assumption.
2) Your chlorine level is so high that it's bleaching out the DPD reagent. The DPD is the pink colormatching. If yours is the OTO (yellow) test, superhigh chlorine will drive it into shades of orange and brown.

You can test your tap water and see if you get a color change. There should be some small amount of chlorine in a municipal supply. You can also hold a sample cup up close to a pool return and let it flush a bit and fill with water straight out of the return. It should have some FC in it if it's just come straight from the chlorinator.
 
You will, and you'll continue to get good (fast) advice here at TFP. :) I will say in my first reply I didn't notice in your sig this is a new pool, :hammer: so the use of tablets/pucks is acceptable for a while to help you maintain some CYA and because pucks are acidic, they help to keep an aggressive pH from rising quite as fast.

Because this is a new pool, your builder should be doing their start-up and transfer to the process over to you at some point. In the meantime, it would be good for you to read the TFP Pool School - Start-up New Plaster page, just so you have some understanding of what to expect. But follow THEIR instruction first for your warranty.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
 
Next time you see your PB, I would specifically ask:
- Any restrictions on adding stabilizer (if needed)?
- Any restrictions adding free chlorine to maintain FC?
- Assuming you will need to add muriatic acid to keep pH from getting too high, what is their preferred pH range?

In a new pool, it's important to not get algae to avoid a SLAM. You definitely need to keep your FC around 3-5. You'll end-up brushing a lot in the next month or so, so stock-up on aspirin. :) Once your kit arrives, post a full set of numbers and we can help you from there.
 
On the CYA....i know they put some "starter" bottle in it after filling........they did however backwash on 3 consecutive days after fill.......didn't read bottle or question backwash since THEY have maintenance (i was just beginning my reading here and there on this website)........should i just wait for kit BEFORE doing anything as they are doing what is the norm to them?
 

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Waiting on your test kit would be best. If your weather is anything like mine today (pounded by rain) you won't get a good CYA reading anyways. It needs to be tested outside on a good sunny day. Refer to this when your kit arrives:
Proper lighting is important for the CYA test. You want to test for CYA outside on a sunny day, but keep the skinny view tube in the shade. Taylor recommends standing in the sun 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. 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.
Click to expand...
 
I find it useful to know in the back of my mind that in my pool size, 17 ounces of 8.25% bleach will raise the FC by 1ppm. When ever I want to top off my FC (say before or after a shindig) I can quickly add 17, 34, or 51 ounces of bleach without having to run in to the house and figure it out on PoolMath.

You might want to check at the bottom of PoolMath where it gives you the effects of adding x amount of y chemical..... just a quick trick to have up your pool care sleeve, y'know?
 
Yes, we are getting hit again this evening. Dark & gloomy in SA. I would run an initial set of test results just to get a good practice run under your belt and see where everything is at the moment. If your sky is as dark as mine, you won't be able to do a good CYA test because it's supposed to be done outside on a sunny day. You can still try, or just for this one practice run only, take that same solution inside in a very bright room - just for practice. But you'll definitely want to confirm CYA outside as soon as there is a break in the clouds. That's one of your most critical items.

Knowing where everything else for now is will give you/is an idea of your game plan ahead.... unless we have to build an ark first. :)
 
samwestx said:
performing FIRST preliminary REAL test......question on CYA test......keep dropping drops until can't see black eye completely or clearly......could still see it faintly and was all the way up to the top......partly cloudy situation-is that the problem.....?
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If you mixed up the stuff properly and it got a little cloudy, you have some CYA. If the tube is filled to the top and you can still make out the dot, it's not enough CYA. You don't have enough sun protection for your FC. The builder probably left it low assuming you;d be chlorinating with pucks, which add a lot of CYA.

If you ran the test like this video, the fix is easy. Add more CYA.

 
samwestx said:
it did get cloudy....should i redo the test and measure where it begins to cloud up?
Click to expand...
When you mix the pool water with the R-0013 it should get cloudy. If it doesn't, you have no CYA. If it does, then you dribble it into the view tube until the dot disappears and that's your CYA reading. I hope you didn't accidentally use the wrong reagent to mix with the pool water.
 

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