First time testing

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PoolStored said:
I would, and do.

Turn your pump down until the SWCG just turns off. Increase speed 200 RPM and run at that speed 24/7. This 200 gives your filter some room (as filter gets dirty, flow will reduce).
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The SWCG is on its own timer circuit so it doesn’t even get power until 8pm. So what RPM would you recommend?

I am going to clean the filters maybe tonight but for sure this weekend.
 
PoolStored said:
See post #61, I explained how to set your RPM....
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I see that.
In post 62 I explained my SWCG does not even receive power outside of its set hours so I don’t know what flow level that would be until then.
Is there another way to figure it out without using the SWCG as a reference?
 
quantumcosmic said:
I see that.
In post 62 I explained my SWCG does not even receive power outside of its set hours so I don’t know what flow level that would be until then.
Is there another way to figure it out without using the SWCG as a reference?
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No, not really. the SWCG has a flow switch. If flow is low, it will turn off, we don't want that. After 8pm, when the cell is on, go out and lower the RPM until the cell shows no flow. Then increase 200 and use that RPM to run 24/7.
 
PoolStored said:
No, not really. the SWCG has a flow switch. If flow is low, it will turn off, we don't want that. After 8pm, when the cell is on, go out and lower the RPM until the cell shows no flow. Then increase 200 and use that RPM to run 24/7.
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So I’ll set it to run that outside of my night time program. I don’t think running that low 24/7 will be enough for the cleaning heads to actually work.
 
quantumcosmic said:
So I’ll set it to run that outside of my night time program. I don’t think running that low 24/7 will be enough for the cleaning heads to actually work.
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Perfect. yes, you need to consider all your equipment. I need to run 1700 for my heater, when 1400 would work for my SWCG. You are correct to consider your cleaning system.
 
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Alright so I have no idea what is happening at this point.

I also want to clarify with @PoolStored that I want my SWCG to be running constantly? Once it shows no flow, increasing by 200RPM would turn it on, correct?

Today I cleaned the filters. I’ll save myself the embarrassment of posting photos but they looked good after. I will replace them In a few weeks, though, as they have never been replaced.

So after cleaning them up and washing out the enclosure I adjusted my pump schedule to run 24/7. And after running for about an hour with the SWCG running I did all the tests again.

FC - 1
CC - 0.5
CH - 150
TA - 250
CYA - <30, even less than before as the black dot was actually back not gray.

I did the tests with the intent of adding the CYA via sock but after getting those readings I figured I should post here.

I don’t have any chlorine on hand so will go tomorrow to get some as well as whatever others might suggest here before hand.

Currently I have ~1.5gal muriatic and 4lbs CYA on hand.
 
Shame to see that FC falling so rapidly. Yes, definitely add some liquid chlorine to get the FC up until we can figure out what's happening. It's very possible that part of it may be the low CYA. I would add about 20-30 ppm of stabilizer (sock method) and re-test. The only reason I don't recommend adding more stabilizer for a goal of about 70 is that I'm still concerned with all of these up & downs of you getting algae. At some point I would suggest another OCLT. If you pass (again), then certainly take that CYA up to about 70. SWGs aren't designed to compete against the sun with a low CYA. But confirm you are algae-free by passing the OCLT before increasing the CYA up to the 70 range. Then it should perform much better.

Are you sure about that CH? You added drops #0012 until it turned a light baby blue? The CH is low for a plaster/pebble pool, but your water is usually hard, so if you need to add some calcium, I would only take it up to about 250. You didn't post the pH, but just be vigilant about it as it's the most critical when it comes to scale.
 
Texas Splash said:
Shame to see that FC falling so rapidly. Yes, definitely add some liquid chlorine to get the FC up until we can figure out what's happening. It's very possible that part of it may be the low CYA. I would add about 20-30 ppm of stabilizer (sock method) and re-test. The only reason I don't recommend adding more stabilizer for a goal of about 70 is that I'm still concerned with all of these up & downs of you getting algae. At some point I would suggest another OCLT. If you pass (again), then certainly take that CYA up to about 70. SWGs aren't designed to compete against the sun with a low CYA. But confirm you are algae-free by passing the OCLT before increasing the CYA up to the 70 range. Then it should perform much better.

Are you sure about that CH? You added drops #0012 until it turned a light baby blue? The CH is low for a plaster/pebble pool, but your water is usually hard, so if you need to add some calcium, I would only take it up to about 250. You didn't post the pH, but just be vigilant about it as it's the most critical when it comes to scale.
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Ok so I tested this morning after the SWCG ran for 10hrs overnight.

I would still like clarification if the SWCG should be running constantly with my pump running 24/7?

pH - 8.6? - photo 1
FC - 6 - photo 2
CC - 0.5 - no photo
CH - 250 - photos 6 & 7
TA - 270 - photo 3
CYA - <30 - no photo - about the same as the first tests, dark gray
SC - 3600/5600 ? Photos 4 & 5 - It was odd this time, 18 drops turned the sample red but not milky, 28 drops is when it turned milky red. This never happened before

Like I said before I’m going to buy a chemical haul today so any suggestions would be great.

Should I still start with 4lbs of CYA or should I add muriatic or chlorine before that?
 

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quantumcosmic said:
I also want to clarify with @PoolStored that I want my SWCG to be running constantly? Once it shows no flow, increasing by 200RPM would turn it on, correct?
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The point of 200RPM over SWCG turning off is to give you some flow room for when the filter starts to get debris and will reduce flow.

quantumcosmic said:
I would still like clarification if the SWCG should be running constantly with my pump running 24/7?
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That is a perfect way to use the SWCG.

You testing looks fine. Yes, pH is high, salt is 3600.

quantumcosmic said:
Like I said before I’m going to buy a chemical haul today so any suggestions would be great.

Should I still start with 4lbs of CYA or should I add muriatic or chlorine before that?
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You only need some dry chlorine stabilizer and some muriatic acid. Would be ok to have a gallon or two of liquid chlorine on hand if you need to raise FC. SWCG is good at maintaining, not so good at raising.

Get the CYA dissolving using the sock method.

Reduce your pH in increments of .4. Test and reduce again if necessary 30 minutes later until you get to 7.4. Because your TA is high, pH will rise fairly rapidly. As you add Muriatic to lower pH it will also lower your TA. pH rise will slow when your TA gets below 100. When you get there, stop reducing pH to 7.4 and only lower to 7.6/7.8 With TA of 60-80, your pH should be fairly stable around 7.9-8.0, which is just fine. When you get to 60-80, don't reduce pH below 7.8.
 
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PoolStored said:
The point of 200RPM over SWCG turning off is to give you some flow room for when the filter starts to get debris and will reduce flow.


That is a perfect way to use the SWCG.

You testing looks fine. Yes, pH is high, salt is 3600.


You only need some dry chlorine stabilizer and some muriatic acid. Would be ok to have a gallon or two of liquid chlorine on hand if you need to raise FC. SWCG is good at maintaining, not so good at raising.

Get the CYA dissolving using the sock method.

Reduce your pH in increments of .4. Test and reduce again if necessary 30 minutes later until you get to 7.4. Because your TA is high, pH will rise fairly rapidly. As you add Muriatic to lower pH it will also lower your TA. pH rise will slow when your TA gets below 100. When you get there, stop reducing pH to 7.4 and only lower to 7.6/7.8 With TA of 60-80, your pH should be fairly stable around 7.9-8.0, which is just fine. When you get to 60-80, don't reduce pH below 7.8.
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Which should I start with adding first? Should I add at the same time? Or how long should I wait between?

I think it was said before but how should I position the sock with CYA? Near the in floor returns seems dubious since it might stain/bleach the plaster, correct? Should I leave the sock in the skimmer basket? So many variables……..
 
Same time is fine.

Tie the sock up and put it in a skimmer, or hang carrot style in front of a return. Wait 30 minutes and start squeezing, it will dissolve quickly...
 
Sock is currently about 20min into the 30 min. I also added ~46oz of muriatic. I only bought a 4lb bag of CYA and only ~3/4 cup didn’t fit into the sock. I’ll buy more to have on hand but I think this is a good start. Pool math said 58oz of muriatic to get from 8.6 to 7.6 and

Once I squeeze the sock and it stops releasing CYA, how long should wait to test?
 
PoolStored said:
What are you trying to accomplish and why?
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Not sure what you’re asking here. I have read about aeration so I just thought I should ask about it.
cwswifty said:
Follow @PoolStored advice and lower your pH in 0.4 increments. Don’t do it all at once.
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I will do so next time based on my next test results. Too late now. Also pool math says double what I added to achieve 7.6 so I feel ok with what I did, but my next tests will show how much I messed up :laughblue:

So the CYA has been fully dissolved for now as well as that previous muriatic addition. I won’t be able to retest until I’m off work tomorrow evening. Will report back then.
 

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