First test results with TF-100

[Tfloyd]

Admittedly, I was intimidated when I first opened my new TF100 kit today, I’m a corporate tax professional not a chemist, so i had anticipated it was going to be above my abilities, but it actually turned out to be absolutely user friendly. Great step by step instructions guides you right thru the process quiet easily. So here are my results from testing done around 2pm.
FC- 1
CC- 0
TC- 1
CH- 275
TA- 280
CYA- 20
CSI- -0.24
PH- 7.0 (with PH009 Pen Meter)
PH- 7.8 (with Testing Block & R0014)
Salt-4600 (Taylor K-1776)

Drained and refilled 30% of water yesterday in order to install thru wall skimmer.
Have not be operational with a SWG for a week now due to equipment failure but have another ordered & arriving in 10 days. (Salt reading is high due to that machine continuously alarming with low salt light and me adding salt each time, yes my big mistake there was trusting the intex SWG to be correct about the low salt alarm)

I did the pool math app & added a 11 oz of Sodium Dichloro
To bring up the FC.

Considering I will have no SWG to run for the next 10 days, i knew I would need to bring up the FC but other than that I wasn’t sure about what other of these testing results I should attempt to balance and in what order to balance them. CYA, CH, TA all missed their target ranges and I’m not at all clear on why the two PH testing results are different from one another. Can someone please advise me as to what to do and in what order to address them?

Also, I have been running the pool pump 12 hours each day. Should I decrease that time or continue that schedule?

 

[ajw22]

Did you wipe the tip between each drop of the TA and CH test? New kits can get static electricity on the tip which causes small drops and thus higher drop count then designed and high readings.

Test the TA of your fill water. With good PH you don’t need to fool with TA. You only adjust TA if your PH rises too quickly.

Did you calibrate your PH meter with calibrating solutions? Here is an article on PH meter care OFF - Use and Care of a pH Meter | MoreBeer
When in doubt rely on the chemical test.

I don’t think CH matters for your type of pool.

Add CYA to 30-40 now and raise to 70 once you have your SWG operational. Use this chart of proper FC level based on CYA Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

 

[Richard320]

FC- 1
CC- 0
TC- 1
CH- 275
TA- 280
CYA- 20
CSI- -0.24
PH- 7.0 (with PH009 Pen Meter)
PH- 7.8 (with Testing Block & R0014)
Salt-4600 (Taylor K-1776)

Given the TA level, the 7.8 pH is the one I'd believe. I know the digital pH meters need some kind of calibration, but I don't know exactly how that is done since I've never even seen one. Try the search box for that one.

Definitely get that FC level up. Using dichlor isn't all bad at the moment.... you'll raise FC and CYA and lower the pH a little in the process. Just keep track of how much you're adding, because it's almost 1:1 FC:CYA ratio. As in, you boost FC by 3, you also boosted CYA by 3.

Now before we get too far along, how does the water look? If it's green or cloudy, the advice will be a lot different.

If that salt level is too high for your SWG, there's no point in fine-tuning your water if you'll just have to drain a bunch in a week.

 

[Tfloyd]

Thank you both for helping me thru this process. The pool water is clear, sparkling & beautiful and that Hayward pump has created a lazy river effect in the pool, you move steadily around the pool as you float in the circling current and any and all debris on the bottom seem to gravitate to and be deposited in the middle which makes for quick pickup with the vaccume. I will repeat the pool water testing and also test the fill water today and post those results because I failed to wipe the tips between each drop during the CH & TA testing. And thank you for the link to the calibration process the instructions that came with it wasn’t clear on that so I haven’t calibrated it but I will do so and try to see if the results are more similar to the chemical PH testing results.

 

[Tfloyd]

Should I drain some water and refill it to dilute the salt levels down first and then attempt to get the water balanced or get the water balanced first then drain & refill to get the salt right for the SWG and then balance anything that gets out of ranges.

I ordered the intex 26669EG SWG, it states it has a chlorine output of 12 GPH, is for pools up to 15K gallons with a required flow rate between 700-3000 GPH. And that the target salt range should be around 3000 PPM.
The Hayward pump & sand filter I have states it’s flow rate is 45GPM so I’m assuming that’s equals about 2700GPH.
Can someone tell me if this SWG and Hayward pump & San filter filter system is going to work together well enough to keep the FC level sufficiently?

 

[Richard320]

Should I drain some water and refill it to dilute the salt levels down first and then attempt to get the water balanced or get the water balanced first then drain & refill to get the salt right for the SWG and then balance anything that gets out of ranges.

I ordered the intex 26669EG SWG, it states it has a chlorine output of 12 GPH, is for pools up to 15K gallons with a required flow rate between 700-3000 GPH. And that the target salt range should be around 3000 PPM.
The Hayward pump & sand filter I have states it’s flow rate is 45GPM so I’m assuming that’s equals about 2700GPH.
Can someone tell me if this SWG and Hayward pump & San filter filter system is going to work together well enough to keep the FC level sufficiently?

Think logically.... balanced includes raising CYA to 70-80. Why would you want to add all that CYA and then pump 1/3 of it out a week later? Likewise, why balance everything, then unbalance it all with a bunch of fresh water and have to balance it all again?

Do your draining now, then get it balanced and ready, and then it's a simple matter to plug the SWG in and turn it on.

As for sizing... We recommend a SWG rated at least double your pool's size. Why? 1) Margin of safety. When you need to boost FC, you want it to have the ability. 2) So you don't have to run the energy-hog pool pump 24/7 so the SWG has enough time to work.

 

[Tfloyd]

Makes perfect since to me, my husbands theory as well, “do it once and do it right so you don’t have to do it over”. So today the plan will be to address the salt level first by replacing water to get that slay concentration within balance and corrected & Calibrate the new PH meter pen while the pool refills. I’ve way overextended the allowed pool budget for this season so the question now becomes will we be alright to operate on this SWG for the remainder of this pool season and upgrade to a better one before opening the pool next season? And if not do I just abandon the saltwater pool altogether and manually add bleach for the rest of this season? My family truly prefers to swim in a saltwater pool but the budget is completely depleted at this point. again can’t thank everyone enough for walking me thru these steps

 

[SpringPool]

Makes perfect since to me, my husbands theory as well, “do it once and do it right so you don’t have to do it over”. So today the plan will be to address the salt level first by replacing water to get that slay concentration within balance and corrected & Calibrate the new PH meter pen while the pool refills. I’ve way overextended the allowed pool budget for this season so the question now becomes will we be alright to operate on this SWG for the remainder of this pool season and upgrade to a better one before opening the pool next season? And if not do I just abandon the saltwater pool altogether and manually add bleach for the rest of this season? My family truly prefers to swim in a saltwater pool but the budget is completely depleted at this point. again can’t thank everyone enough for walking me thru these steps

From reading your first post it seems that you have the parts on the way for the SWG. So if you are installing them you’ve basically already paid for your chlorine. If you have someone else installing it then waiting til next year can save the install cost.

Either way if the swg is off then yes you could manual dose the rest of the season.

 

[Richard320]

Makes perfect since to me, my husbands theory as well, “do it once and do it right so you don’t have to do it over”. So today the plan will be to address the salt level first by replacing water to get that slay concentration within balance and corrected & Calibrate the new PH meter pen while the pool refills. I’ve way overextended the allowed pool budget for this season so the question now becomes will we be alright to operate on this SWG for the remainder of this pool season and upgrade to a better one before opening the pool next season? And if not do I just abandon the saltwater pool altogether and manually add bleach for the rest of this season? My family truly prefers to swim in a saltwater pool but the budget is completely depleted at this point. again can’t thank everyone enough for walking me thru these steps

Guess what -- a saltwater pool is a bleach pool. The only difference is that you're making the bleach there onsite, rather than in a big plant somewhere. All you've eliminated is a whole bunch of packaging and transporting and warehousing. So if the SWG can't keep up, you can easily supplement with bleach. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Most SWG owners keep a jug or two of bleach around anyway, in case they need a sudden boost, like a swim party or a dead animal or a doody in the pool.

 

[JimMarshall]

Makes perfect since to me, my husbands theory as well, “do it once and do it right so you don’t have to do it over”. So today the plan will be to address the salt level first by replacing water to get that slay concentration within balance and corrected & Calibrate the new PH meter pen while the pool refills. I’ve way overextended the allowed pool budget for this season so the question now becomes will we be alright to operate on this SWG for the remainder of this pool season and upgrade to a better one before opening the pool next season? And if not do I just abandon the saltwater pool altogether and manually add bleach for the rest of this season? My family truly prefers to swim in a saltwater pool but the budget is completely depleted at this point. again can’t thank everyone enough for walking me thru these steps

If you’ve already got the salt in the pool and begin to chlorinate with bleach, it will be no different than swimming in a saltwater pool. I’ll let someone who knows more about SWGs answer the question on using the existing one for the time being

 

[Msch99]

Our swg is undersized due to buying it before the pool. (it was on sale for $25 so my daughter bought it) We just run it when running the sand filter, keep an eye on FC and add small doses of bleach as needed, usually only every other day or 3, depending on swimmer load and uncover time.

We are planning to run it until it dies, then move on to a larger one or who knows maybe a bigger pool by then!

 

[Tfloyd]

THANK YOU THANK YOU AND THANK YOU AGAIN!!! I was almost in tears thinking I had not only blown way over the allowed budget but now going to have to face up to my husband that I’ve ordered insufficient equipment for him to have his desired “saltwater generated” pool. You’ve provided me a saving grace! I now will get the water ready for the new insufficient SWG, hook it up once it’s here and then just manually dose with bleach not if but when the machine can’t produce enough FC to keep up. Seriously after spending thousands of dollars, hours of manual labor and countless hours of research, today I was feeling completely defeated, inept and ready to quit and just give up on owning this pool until I read your reply. Now I feel there may still just be a sliver of hope for this families goal of having a safe sanitized pool.

 

[Tfloyd]

Im grateful I’m not the only person that has found themselves in this situation! absolutely didn’t understand that when the manufacturers stated the machine is for up to your pool size, it is actually undersized or at bare minimum of what is truly needed. With the intex SWG price compared to the other brands, (it was hundreds less) accompanied with us being so far over budget, it seemed at the time like great deal. Like you, I will ride it till it dies then address the issue of obtaining a more sufficient SWG

 

[Tfloyd]

Water is clear, temps here in the 90’s daily with evening thunderstorms. Saltwater generator arrived today and I will install that tonight. I have partially drained and refilled to lower that high salt level, evening thunderstorms helped with the refill. Completed Calibration of PH meter (perfectly matches the chemical testing on PH every time thus far but I’m afraid to just rely on it solely, so I will continue to do both until I know it’s trustworthiness)

Test Results today are:
FC-3
CC-0.5
TC-3.5

CH-150
CYA-20
Salt-3400

PH-7.2
TA-160
CSI-0.42
Water Temp- 84

Refill water from tap TA-280

Thank you all so much for all your help! Any advise as to what needs to be addressed now and in what order to do it in will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Richard320]

Water is clear, temps here in the 90’s daily with evening thunderstorms. Saltwater generator arrived today and I will install that tonight. I have partially drained and refilled to lower that high salt level, evening thunderstorms helped with the refill. Completed Calibration of PH meter (perfectly matches the chemical testing on PH every time thus far but I’m afraid to just rely on it solely, so I will continue to do both until I know it’s trustworthiness)

Test Results today are:
FC-3
CC-0.5
TC-3.5

CH-150
CYA-20
Salt-3400

PH-7.2
TA-160
CSI-0.42
Water Temp- 84

Refill water from tap TA-280

Thank you all so much for all your help! Any advise as to what needs to be addressed now and in what order to do it in will be greatly appreciated.

You'll want to raise the CYA now that you have a SWG running.

Otherwise, :splash:

 

[Tfloyd]

Thank You Richard. Previous to finding TFP, I had purchased from WalMart a bottle of Clorox pool & spa chlorine stabilizer, on the bottle it says it is 100% cyanuric acid & it is small dry granules. Is that what You would use or is there another brand or liquid that you have found to be preferable?

 

[Richard320]

Thank You Richard. Previous to finding TFP, I had purchased from WalMart a bottle of Clorox pool & spa chlorine stabilizer, on the bottle it says it is 100% cyanuric acid & it is small dry granules. Is that what You would use or is there another brand or liquid that you have found to be preferable?

That's the stuff. Probably half this board uses that exact same stuff from that exact same retailer.

 

[Tfloyd]

That’s great news! Again thank you so much Richard. With the sand filter I have Would you recommend the stabilizer be added to the pool by filling a pair of knee high stockings with the granulas, tie the top closed and inserting that straight into the skimmer basket with the pump running until they dissolve (I’m not absolute about it but that may take a few days before it would completely dissolve) or is it preferable To hang in front of the water returning into the pool? And do I keep the pump running continuously until the stabilizer is completely dissolved?

 

[Richard320]

That’s great news! Again thank you so much Richard. With the sand filter I have Would you recommend the stabilizer be added to the pool by filling a pair of knee high stockings with the granulas, tie the top closed and inserting that straight into the skimmer basket with the pump running until they dissolve (I’m not absolute about it but that may take a few days before it would completely dissolve) or is it preferable To hang in front of the water returning into the pool? And do I keep the pump running continuously until the stabilizer is completely dissolved?

Either place works. Less risky in the skimmer; no kids will play football with the sock and if it busts, it'll just end up in the filter and not creating light freckles on the floor. But the other side is that it's easier to give the sock a squeeze if it's hanging there, and there's no chance of things shifting and blocking flow to the pump.

Ideally you'd leave the pump run the whole time. In reality, millions of people have followed the canister instructions and just poured the stuff down the skimmer and haven't eaten holes in their filters. They also never know when it's all dissolved...
If you're worried, pull the socks and set 'em in a bucket when the pump is off. But if it's getting a lot of water flow across it and a squeeze every half an hour pr so, I wouldn't be surprised if it's all dissolved in four or five hours.

 

[Jake124]

I wouldn't worry about your SWG being undersized just yet. I would still hook it up and run it unless you were hoping to exchange it. I run the older model of the same SWG that you got and my pool is the same volume as yours. I've had to turn my SWG down to where I am only running it for 4 hours a day and my cl still likes to sit high around 13ppm. Every pool is different and it may be undersized for your case but in my experience it has been more than enough, though we don't get much sun here in Washington.