First Time Testing

[f30er]

Testing with a K-2006C (accidently bought the non-salt)
Just bought the house in November and took the cover off for the first time today.
SW Pool ~13k gallons

FC: Wouldn't turn pink after 20+ drops
pH: <7 (barely any color)
TA: 80 (8 drops)
CH: 375
CYA: 75
Salt: No R-0630

Ok. Other than order the R-0630. What do I do?

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum.

Add chlorine. Take FC to 10ppm. Consider doing an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test one night soon.

pH will rise with the cover off. It cannot stay low for long with a TA of 80.

 

[mknauss]

Check your test procedures on F C. The powder turns the sample pink. Drops are used to clear.

 

[wireform]

TA of 80 can also be user error typical with the static issues and non uniform droplets.

 

[f30er]

Check your test procedures on F C. The powder turns the sample pink. Drops are used to clear.

Sorry I meant scoops. I did 10+ scoops and it didn’t budge from clear.

TA of 80 can also be user error typical with the static issues and non uniform droplets.

I don’t know the static issue but I’m pretty sure I got 8 solid drops in there

 

[mknauss]

I did 10+ scoops and it didn’t budge from clear.

Add one scoop. If it does not turn pink, there is no chlorine.

 

[f30er]

Add one scoop. If it does not turn pink, there is no chlorine.

Lol oops.
Ok. How much chlorine should I go and buy tomorrow?

 

[mknauss]

What is the volume of your pool? Filling out your signature helps help you. You can also get the PoolMath app which lets you determine chemical additions.

 

[f30er]

What is the volume of your pool? Filling out your signature helps help you. You can also get the PoolMath app which lets you determine chemical additions.

Ok got the app. So ~2 gallons of 6% bleach. Sounds easy enough to start!

 

[Newdude]

Sorry I meant scoops. I did 10+ scoops and it didn’t budge from clear.

'Heaping scoop' is too subjective on the user, so here is what you do. Play with different large scoops the first few times. If you have one or two grains swirling around that didn't dissolve, it's about perfect and that's your amount for future tests.

Also, the smart stir is the best $35 that you can spend on your pool. It sounds so silly but it frees you up to focus on gravity making perfect, repeatable drops. Sure I can rub my belly and pat my head while jumping on one foot, but I'd SO much rather press a button that makes you do it while I count how many times you do it.

LOOK at you GO !!! You did 12 by the way.

 

[f30er]

OK. Here's round 2. Took the cover off the pool completely and started the new pool robot!
I added 1 gallon of Liquid Chlorine 10% about 3h earlier.
FC: Reagent 871 = 5 drops so my FC is 1ppm right?
Reagent 003 5 drops, no change at all
pH: 7.6
TA: 85
CH: 300
CYA: 100
Salt: (waiting on reagents but SWG screen says 2700)

I bought and used the magnetic stirrer. Wow that made it easier!!
Planning to check the FC in the morning.

 

[Newdude]

FC: Reagent 871 = 5 drops so my FC is 1ppm right?

With a 25 ml sample? Yes. Switch to 10ml and save drops as each drop is then 1/2 FC and not 1/5. It's way close enough to do halfsies.

I bought and used the magnetic stirrer. Wow that made it easier!!

It sounds so simple and stupid but that dang lil fella is AMAZING.

TA: 85

Each drop is 10. So ? Lol. It's ok, it's alot to process at first. Anywho follow the directions here closely. The tip gets static charged in shipping and messes up the drops for the first several times. Wipe the tip with each drop.

Also, for any drop on any test, consistency and repeatability are king. Take your time as saving yourself a whopping 52 seconds won't matter for you but may foul up the test. The bottle goes completely inverted and only the gentlest of squeezes so that gravity makes perfect drops fall.

CYA: 100

Normally this would be a bit high for a salt pool. It will come down soon enough with your crazy wet spring around the corner.

 

[f30er]

With a 25 ml sample? Yes. Switch to 10ml and save drops as each drop is then 1/2 FC and not 1/5. It's way close enough to do halfsies.

It sounds so simple and stupid but that dang lil fella is AMAZING.

Each drop is 10. So ? Lol. It's ok, it's alot to process at first. Anywho follow the directions here closely. The tip gets static charged in shipping and messes up the drops for the first several times. Wipe the tip with each drop.

Also, for any drop on any test, consistency and repeatability are king. Take your time as saving yourself a whopping 52 seconds won't matter for you but may foul up the test. The bottle goes completely inverted and only the gentlest of squeezes so that gravity makes perfect drops fall.

Normally this would be a bit high for a salt pool. It will come down soon enough with your crazy wet spring around the corner.

Ok switched to 10ml this morning.
Lol, TA i said 85 because it didn't seem like it needed that last full drop to change but I guess 90 is most accurate.

For this morning I got:
FC: 2
Combined: 0.5

My FC went up? Ugh. I'm confused.

 

[Texas Splash]

If your FC is actually 2, it's still much too low as noted on the FC/CYA Levels based on your elevated CYA. To be sure of your FC testing: 10 ml water sample with ONE generous scoop of powder. Add drops until clear and the divide in half. Example: 10 drops is an FC of 5.

You might also consider doing a diluted CYA test if you have good sunlight out today. A CYA of 100 might actually be higher, but we don't know for sure. The link below will help with that. Start at Step #8.

CYA - Cyanuric Acid Test

Cyanuric Acid (CYA) is the chemical name for what is commonly referred to as Stabilizer … Read more…

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[f30er]

If your FC is actually 2, it's still much too low as noted on the FC/CYA Levels based on your elevated CYA. To be sure of your FC testing: 10 ml water sample with ONE generous scoop of powder. Add drops until clear and the divide in half. Example: 10 drops is an FC of 5.

You might also consider doing a diluted CYA test if you have good sunlight out today. A CYA of 100 might actually be higher, but we don't know for sure. The link below will help with that. Start at Step #8.

CYA - Cyanuric Acid Test

Cyanuric Acid (CYA) is the chemical name for what is commonly referred to as Stabilizer … Read more…

www.troublefreepool.com

According to poolmath, I needed 1 gallon of 10% to add. I added that and it seems like it went from 0-2. Using pool math again, 2-10 still says 1 gallon. Happy to add it but wanna be sure that’s the right next step to take.
And yup, did the FC like you said.

 

[Texas Splash]

When I run the numbers, one gallon of 10% should increase the FC in a 13K sized pool by just over 7 ppm. Something isn't adding up right.

 

[Newdude]

+1. 7.5 FC to be exact.

What's the date code on the bottle ? There should be a long # on the bottle AAABBxxxxxxxxx. AAA is the AAAth day of BB year. The other #s if they are there are batch codes or factory locations that don't matter. If it's more than a few months old, or sat in the sun at your house or the store, it may be half strength.

But. *this* is EXACTLY why you confirm that any add did what you thought it would do. For many reasons it could be off, and you'd be well below minimum when you tested tomorrow. This lesson always makes more sense, and is cemented into your knowledge once you've experienced it.

 

[f30er]

+1. 7.5 FC to be exact.

What's the date code on the bottle ? There should be a long # on the bottle AAABBxxxxxxxxx. AAA is the AAAth day of BB year. The other #s if they are there are batch codes or factory locations that don't matter. If it's more than a few months old, or sat in the sun at your house or the store, it may be half strength.

But. *this* is EXACTLY why you confirm that any add did what you thought it would do. For many reasons it could be off, and you'd be well below minimum when you tested tomorrow. This lesson always makes more sense, and is cemented into your knowledge once you've experienced it.

Yup good lesson. Can’t find a date code so just added the full bottle and will recheck tomorrow morning.
Other than chlorine for now, anything else I need to be doing?

 

[Newdude]

anything else I need to be doing?

Let's do the dillution test for the CYA that Pat posed above to ensure its really 100. If it's above 100 we will need to drain some and that will likely alter everything else.

 

[f30er]

Let's do the dillution test for the CYA that Pat posed above to ensure its really 100. If it's above 100 we will need to drain some and that will likely alter everything else.

Repeated with diluted.
CYA: 100