First Testing...UH OH!!!

[goodyFH]

I recieved my TF100 test kit and performed my first set of tests yesterday. It was pretty well as expected and bad. haha. the following are my readings i came up with for my 15,000 gallon above ground pool

FC- 0.5 or less
PH- 8.2
TA - 180
CH- 100
CYA - 0

I have a tub of chlorine tablets leftover from the previous owner so i will use those till i run out but i am planning on going and getting a couple gallons of bleach today to get the fc to where it needs to be.
I ordered a 4lb bag of Poolmate Stabilizer should be here wednesday
I will also get a gallon of muriatic acid today to lower PH

from my understanding from the app, once i lower the pH the TA should be corrected as well right?
is there an order that i should add these chemicals? I read that after stabilizer is added to leave pump on for 24 hrs
any other advice?

thanks!

 

[CrystalRiver]

First is chlorine. Liquid, not tablets, as you need to get the chlorine level up immediately.

Those tablets - what form of chlorine are they? If they are calcium hypochlorite, you don't want that as your calcium is already plenty high and doesn't need to go higher. If they are dichlor or trichlor, you can use them for a bit to increase your CYA, or save them for when you go on vacation and just use dry stabilizer and the sock method.

Lowering pH will also lower the TA. Then the high TA will pull up your pH over time, especially with aeration. Then you add acid again and the TA drops a bit more. It's a long, slow process, even if you are intentionally aerating. Personally I would ignore TA as long as it's over 50, and just pay attention to pH. Whether you help the process along by intentionally aerating, or not, over time the TA will come down.

 

[cowboycasey]

As you lower PH the TA will also lower, so if you drop your pH to 7.2 it will drop your TA to about 174 or so.. it will take awhile to get your TA down..

The most important part is to get your FC up and keep it up there.. Have you been using pucks up till now cause you say the CYA is 0 or is this a new fill? If new fill put enough CYA in a sock on Wednesday to raise it to 30 and call it good..

If you are going to use 3 inch pucks it will also lower your PH..

 

[goodyFH]

that was my plan to buy liquid bleach today to get the fc where it needs to be and then use tablets til they run out and use liquid from then on, strictly from a i already have the tablets standpoint but im not sure what type they are. i know they are clorox but ill run home on lunch and find out for sure. im not opposed to throwing them away if need be but id hate to waste them if i can use them, but like you said if it will raise my calcium then they wouldnt be worth it.

what exactly is aeration in reference to a pool?

 

[Jimrahbe]

G,

I find it very hard to believe that if you have been using tablets that your CYA is not over 100...

Tell us the specific type of tablets you have been using..

Have you just recently drained and refilled your pool?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[goodyFH]

we moved in in january, im new to poolcare, and am not sure how diligent the former owners were. I had to add probably 5000 gallons a couple weeks ago and just put the tablets in a couple days ago. I did the CYA test how it described but i know it said it was the most subjective so i may not have done it correctly, but i filled the entire tube and the dot was still plain as day.

 

[CrystalRiver]

Most pucks are trichlor, then dichlor, then calcium hypo. Calcium being about 5x the price of the other forms, in my area at least. Both trichlor and dichlor add CYA to your water. Cal hypo adds calcium. If pucks have been used at all regularly, either your calcium or CYA (most likely CYA because price) would be through the roof. Your numbers aren't really showing that. That means either testing error, pucks haven't been used like you think, or water has been replaced.

There is one more possibility that hasn't been ruled out yet. Add 10 ppm of liquid chlorine to the water. Let the pump run and test again in 30 minutes. Let us know what that number is.

Aeration is adding air to the water. Splashing from any source: kids playing, lap swimmers, waterfalls and other water features, return jets aimed up so the stream breaks the surface.

 

[goodyFH]

awesome, so i put a couple gallons of bleach in there yesterday and half a gallon of muriatic acid.

the pucks are triclor

i got my stabilizer today, im gonna test the cya again today and see if i did it wrong before adding it, and i will turn the jet so it breaks the surface (had no idea it would be that easy)

thanks!