First Taylor Test - Next Steps

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K

Kcity

Member
Oct 9, 2024
18
South Texas
Pool Size
10500
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
New pool owner here in the Houston Area. Pool was filled just over a month ago and the SWG has been running for about 2 weeks.
Got my Taylor K2006C SALT kit today and conducted my first tests.
Obviously I need to get and add things, but would you just recommend doing exactly what the PoolMath app says? Seems like there anre options for each… and yes, the CYA was 0… basically didn’t even get cloudy. Would appreciate your thoughts, and thanks for all your help!IMG_0385.jpeg
 
Welcome! :wave: You definitely need stabilizer (CYA). With a salt pool we normally recommend a CYA of 70, but let's err on the side of caution and go with a CYA of 40-50 for now only because there may be some stabilizer in the water, and if you get algae while the weather is hot, we don't want a high CYA just yet. Do you have some granular stabilizer handy? If so, add using the sock method.

The TA numbers is odd. Double check to ensure you did it right. 25 ml water sample w/ two drops of #7, five drops of #8, then count each drop of #9 solution until the water turns a bright Barbie pink. Each drop is 10 ppm, so your result should be like 120, 140, 150, 180, etc. Make sure you are getting nice full drops. New TA bottles sometimes get some static electricity, so you might wipe the tip every so often with a damp paper towel.

You might also double check the calcium (CH). It's on the low end. It should be no lower than 250 for your type pool. Make sure you are adding drops until the solution turns a very light baby blue color, not purple.
 
Texas Splash said:
Welcome! :wave: You definitely need stabilizer (CYA). With a salt pool we normally recommend a CYA of 70, but let's err on the side of caution and go with a CYA of 40-50 for now only because there may be some stabilizer in the water, and if you get algae while the weather is hot, we don't want a high CYA just yet. Do you have some granular stabilizer handy? If so, add using the sock method.

The TA numbers is odd. Double check to ensure you did it right. 25 ml water sample w/ two drops of #7, five drops of #8, then count each drop of #9 solution until the water turns a bright Barbie pink. Each drop is 10 ppm, so your result should be like 120, 140, 150, 180, etc. Make sure you are getting nice full drops. New TA bottles sometimes get some static electricity, so you might wipe the tip every so often with a damp paper towel.

You might also double check the calcium (CH). It's on the low end. It should be no lower than 250 for your type pool. Make sure you are adding drops until the solution turns a very light baby blue color, not purple.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the insight… I will definitely re-test the TA and CH tomorrow. Much appreciated.
 
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For the FC test, use a 10 ml sample so each drop is 0.5 FC.

For TA, it's highly likely there's testing error.

What's the TA and CH of your fill water?

Are you using a SpeedStir or other type of stirring device?

For the CH test, you can use the 10 ml sample (especially when your CH is higher). Multiply number of drops by 25 to get CH.

Kcity said:
Pool was filled just over a month ago and the SWG has been running for about 2 weeks.
Click to expand...
Plaster should cure for at least 30 days before adding salt.

Plaster Start-Up Guides - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Kcity said:
would you just recommend doing exactly what the PoolMath app says?
Click to expand...
No. PoolMath is just a calculator, nothing more. If given a target, PoolMath will tell you how to achieve it. It's important to not blindly follow its output.

www.troublefreepool.com

ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

There are several items things every pool owner should know about swimming pool water. We share details on the basics of Pool Water Chemistry.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

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Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!
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Texas Splash said:
The TA numbers is odd. Double check to ensure you did it right. 25 ml water sample w/ two drops of #7, five drops of #8, then count each drop of #9 solution until the water turns a bright Barbie pink. Each drop is 10 ppm, so your result should be like 120, 140, 150, 180, etc. Make sure you are getting nice full drops. New TA bottles sometimes get some static electricity, so you might wipe the tip every so often with a damp paper towel.

You might also double check the calcium (CH). It's on the low end. It should be no lower than 250 for your type pool. Make sure you are adding drops until the solution turns a very light baby blue color, not purple.
Click to expand...
So I was able to redo the TA and CH tests today a couple times, and they still come out right around the same. TA is about 420-440, and I also tested the fill water and it’s 420. I know we have some corrosive water in this neighborhood.
CH is right at 240, same as I measured yesterday.
I’m going to get some stabilizer tomorrow… Also, I should say that pH is likely way above 8.0… it was off the scale.. anything else you can recommend for these two numbers above to get them more in check? Thanks!
 
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pjt said:
For the FC test, use a 10 ml sample so each drop is 0.5 FC.

For TA, it's highly likely there's testing error.

What's the TA and CH of your fill water?
Click to expand...
Retested today. TA confirmed (over 400) and I also tested fill water and TA is over 400. We live in a new neighborhood and I know the water is corrosive. CH also confirmed, but I didn’t test CH on the fill water. Also, my pH wasn’t 8.0… it was way off the chart, so likely super high and matches the high TA.
 
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Kcity said:
anything else you can recommend for these two numbers above to get them more in check?
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Start shopping for muriatic acid. You'll use it quite a bit. When the pH hits the 8.0 or above (dark lavender), use enough acid to lower the pH to 7.0. The PoolMath APP can help with the dosage amount. Once the pH hits 8.0 again, repeat. Each time you do that it should help to lower the TA unless you add more fresh water due to evaporation. Over time, continue until you get the TA down to about 50-70. That should help slow the rate of pH rising.

Remember muriatic acid is extremely corrosive. Keep it outside away from pets and kids. Store away from any or products or chemicals. The weather won't hurt it.
 
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pjt said:
You might have the new record for highest TA fill water.

Are you using a SpeedStir or other type of stirring device?
Click to expand...
Not using a speedstir, but going to get one. Looks helpful.
As for the TA… I knew we had some tough water here, but that confirms it.
 

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So I was able to add 2 gallons of Muratic Acid and about 3 lbs of stabilizer. After 24 hours or so the pH got down to 7.2, but as of this morning is back up above 8. TA down, but still too high. Here are the full test results from this morning. Chlorine also quite a bit higher. We did have quite a bit of rain yesterday in case that messes with it. Keep adding acid? Thanks again.IMG_0415.jpeg
 
The pH test is invalid at a FC above 10 ppm.

With that, with a TA of 280 ppm, you can drop the pH by 0.4 without issue. But be careful doing that without accurate pH testing.
 
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For the FC test, use a 10 ml sample so each drop is 0.5 FC. Saves time and reagents.

Kcity said:
Got my Taylor K2006C SALT kit
Click to expand...
Add that to your signature.

Kcity said:
Chlorine also quite a bit higher.
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Turn your SWCG off for a few days and let the FC drift down. I'm losing ~1 FC per day, so it might take you a while to get below a FC of 10.

Consider adding a little bit of calcium to increase your CH to 250 or slightly above.
 
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