First time pool owner

[prometheus2396]

Hello everyone,

We recently bought a house that came with a pool that was not taken care of very well. ( Tons of staining and calcium hardness tested at 800+ ppm). After doing an chlorine + acid wash and refilling the pool, our test results are a lot better but we're having some trouble figuring out where to start. We initially had our water tested at Leslies but also picked up a taylor k2006 that more or less verified the Lesies results. The main issues are low Cl, CYA, hardness, PH, and really high akalinity. My understanding is that lowering akalinity will also lower my pH, so how do I go about balancing pH and lowering alkalinity? Or should I focus on raisin my Cl and CYA levels first? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Texas Splash]

we're having some trouble figuring out where to start.

Welcome to TFP! We'll be glad to help you. You said your numbers are close to theirs, but to be safe, could you post a full set of YOUR numbers please? Based on your signature, you already have a K-2006C which is one of the recommended kits. We never trust pool store numbers. Avoid the pool store like rush hour traffic. Their testing is horrible, products WAY overpriced, and their advice very poor.

Now that you have done a 100% water swap, I would encourage you to take a peak at the articles below. They should help you get started. If you have additional questions that the first article doesn't address for you,. please let us know. We'll be happy to clarify.

Just Filled Your Pool with Water? Here's What To Do Next - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Also bookmark ------> Pool Care Basics

 

[prometheus2396]

Thank you Pat for all the resources! I spent some time reading through them as well as the rest of the site and they are all really helpful.

Here are numbers from the test kit:
FC & TC: 0.5
PH: 7.4 ( I had already added half a gallon of Muriatic Acid prior, maybe that's why the pH went down?)
TA: 180
Calcium Hardness: 180
Cyanuric Acid: I couldn't really measure this accuately since the test kit can't measure smaller than 30 CYA.

From the links you provided it seems like I should focus on the FC and CYA issue first. Being too eager, i've unfortunately already started trying to lower the akalinity by pouring in some muriatic acid, which reflects in the newest numbers above. Is it ok to pivot into balancing FC and CYA first and revisit pH and TA later?

More on that note, if I am planning on using liquid chlorine, does it make sense to use something like Cal-Hypo Shock to raise my CYA and FC levels together till they're within acceptable ranges, and then transition to Liquid Chlorine? Or should I just buy stabilizer by itself? On PoolMath it's telling me to add 83oz of stablizer and 48oz of liquid chlorine to get to a target of 45 CYA and 3 FC. I'm not really sure what that translate into if I use something like Cal-Hypo that has both

 

[Deb04]

CalHypo won't raise your CYA. It will raise your calcium (and Chlorine.) You're thinking of DiClor and Tri-Clor. It's cheaper and faster to buy liquid chlorine and stabilizer (CYA) separately.

Your ph at 7.4 is perfect. It will probably rise bc of the high TA. As it does, when it gets to 8, lower ph to around 7.4 with muriatic acid, which will lower TA. Rinse and repeat. Eventually your TA will be where it's supposed to be and the ph will remain stable, which is different for each pool. Generally, its around 50-80.

 

[prometheus2396]

You're right on the CalHypo, thanks for pointing that out!

As for the TA, doing it in stages makes a lot of sense to me now. I had originally thought it was a one-time chemical addition to fix. Looks like I'll have to keep monitoring the water over the next couple of days until everything falls into an acceptable range.

Can I work on balancing CYA and FC otuside of pH and Akalinity? or should I wait till one set of numbers is good before working on the other set?

 

[Deb04]

FC is the most important. CYA is equally as important with it being less than 30. Add enough liquid chlorine to get FC up to 5 and enough CYA to get it to 30. Put powder CYA in a sock and hang it in front of a return. After it soaks for a hour or so, you can squeeze the sock to make it dissolve faster. If possible, do both of these things today.

How is your water looking? Is it clear or cloudy. Is it green?

 

[prometheus2396]

The water looks clear, no visible cloudiness and not green either.

Looks like i'm off to the store to pick up some stabilizer. Will report back with the results later!

 

[Texas Splash]

Looks like i'm off to the store to pick up some stabilizer. Will report back with the results later!

I would also be prepared to have some liquid chlorine available. It's the easier to dispense and leaves virtually no side effects. Since your FC has been low, I am concerned about organics in the water even though it appears to be clear. I agree the pH is fine for now. Focus on the FC and CYA. Once you get the CYA up to at least 30, maybe even 40 is okay, then keep the FC in the 5-7 range if you can. You might even consider doing an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test this weekend to rule-out any chance of algae trying to form.

 

[prometheus2396]

So I took both of your advices' and raised my CYA to around 30 and also dumped in a gallon of liquid chlorine before performing an OCLT. I had forgotten to mention that I did also add 44oz of muriatic acid twice during the day before, so that's why my TA was lowered by a lot. I'm really grateful to you two for the sound advice and direction. Here are my new test results as of this morning:

pH: 7.5
FC: 6 (night before) 6 (morning after)
CC: 0.5 (night before) 0.5 (morning after)
TA: 100-110? it was hard to tell the difference

Since my FC and CC were the same doing the OCLT, I can let the FC levels drop to around 5 right? and for the TA, just wait till pH goes up higher and then add more acid to bring down TA?

 

[Texas Splash]

my FC and CC were the same doing the OCLT

Fantastic! So yes, now you can simply maintain a regular (ideal) FC level based on your CYA as noted on the FC/CYA Levels. Your TA should fall slowly in time as you treat the pH with acid. No need to expedite the TA lowering process unless you feel the pH rises too quickly. Looks like you're on the right path.

 

[prometheus2396]

That’s awesome to hear, and I really appreciate all of the advice!!

The last thing is water hardness. is this anything to worry about at all? I know the ideal levels are 350-550 and I’m at 184. PoolMath is telling me I need approx 38lb of calcium chloride..