Got Schooled by my Taylor K-2006C - Big thanks to TFP!

[Oli77]

Second season over here and last year was uneventful, was going along with those strips, thinking I had things under control, boy was I wrong:

CC 0.2 ppm
FC 13.5 ppm (my Cell is on 90% power output and tests were taken at 9AM). Chlorine has been dropping to ~1 ppm by sun down (measured with strips).
pH 9.1!; added 83 fl Oz of Muriatic acid
TA 230 ppm!
CH 190 ppm
Salt 3100 ppm (reading from Hayward box)

and for the drum roll.....
.
.
.
CYA= 0! So now I know why my FC has been doing the yoyo thing for the past weeks! Little did I know about stabilizers! and needless to say, I am DONE with these stupid things telling me CYA was ~30-40 BS.

Of course my saturation index is near 2! and yes, I have white scale at the bottom of the pool.

Thanks to TFP for emphasizing the need for a solid testing kit! I feel I have things under control, or at least a basic understanding of what is currently wrong with the pool.

Plan (please correct me, and thank you for taking the time to do so).

Gonna add water, do a back wash and get cranking on the TFP app to calculate lbs of cyanuric acid to add to raise that number to ~70!

I will test again tomorrow and report back.

Thanks again!

 

[Wolfepack88]

Go slow on the CYA, if you overshoot you have to remove water so I use the app but lets say it says 4lbs I would start with 3 and wait a few days and then test again, just in case you don't have your water volume precisely calculated. Plus the CYA test is the one test that isn't drops so its a visual test and you might read 60 and I might read 70. You can always add more easily. Yes this site is the way to go. I was brand new last year to pools totally and started with TFP to begin with. Test kit AND SPEEDSTIR (that will make it so much easier!!!).

 

[Texas Splash]

If you are 100% sure you have no algae problems, then increase your CYA to 60-70. If you go for 60, you can always add more later. Right now be sure to get that pH down to the 7-range. It won't hurt at all to use 7.2 as your goal when calculating in the PoolMath APP. So when the pH hits 8.0, lower it to 7.2. Each time you do that it will help lower the TA. Don't be surprised if you see white flakes on the water which would be scale releasing form the SWG cell plates.

Adding CYA:
To increase CYA via granular stabilizer, place the required amount as calculated by the PoolMath APP into a white sock and place in the poolside skimmer basket. For those concerned about suction flow to the pump, suspending the sock near a return jet or from a floating device will also suffice. Best never to allow undissolved granules to rest directly against the pool surface. After about 30 minutes of soaking, squeeze the sock continuously to help it dissipate. Once dissolved, consider your CYA adjusted to that programmed (target) level. CYA test readings should show a rise in 24-48 hours, however some pools may experience a longer delay to fully register. Best to confirm final CYA in about 5-7 days before adding any more stabilizer/conditioner.

 

[Oli77]

Yes, I will add slowly with white sock in front of return.
According to poolmath and assuming my pool is really 10K gallons, I expect my addition of muriatic acid this morning will:

Lower my pH to 7.2
Lower my TA to 100 ppm
And drop my CSI from ~2 to ~ 0.6. Will need to be better!

93 oz of CYA (solid) is what poolmath recommends. Will add 50 or so later today.

I am not seeing algae but the pool water did turn a bit less transparent since the muriatic acid was added the AM.

 

[Oli77]

Today's numbers going in the right direction I think.

CC 0.2 ppm
FC 4.5 ppm
pH 7.8; adding 11 fl Oz of Muriatic acid to go to 7.6
TA 190 ppm
CH 190 ppm
Salt 3100 ppm (reading from Hayward box)
CYA still <30 but I can now see the water has some evidence of cloudiness when I add the reagent and shake for 30 s.

So adding another 1.5 lbs of CYA...
Not adding chorine just cause I want to see if there will be some left over at sundown today.

My saturation index is at 0.55, getting there....

 

[mknauss]

Thanks to TFP for emphasizing the need for a solid testing kit! I feel I have things under control, or at least a basic understanding of what is currently wrong with the pool.

We are glad you have found our information helpful. Please, if you can, consider making a donation to TFP. We are staffed by volunteers and are registered as an IRS 501 (c) (3) charity and donations are what keeps the forum operating without advertisements.

Support TFP!

 

[Oli77]

You bet Marty!
Happy to contribute and continue learning.
Donated $30. I'm bronze baby!

CYA retested tonight and still did not make to 30 ppm.
Added the last of my 4lbs bag. Getting another bag tomorrow.

Holding chlorine though!
So I lowered my SWCG output to 50%.

Will continue to post my results here. Unless there is a better place?

 

[mknauss]

Will continue to post my results here. Unless there is a better place?

Sure -- or enter them into the Poolmath app and share your data.

 

[Bperry]

You bet Marty!
Happy to contribute and continue learning.
Donated $30. I'm bronze baby!

CYA retested tonight and still did not make to 30 ppm.
Added the last of my 4lbs bag. Getting another bag tomorrow.

Holding chlorine though!
So I lowered my SWCG output to 50%.

Will continue to post my results here. Unless there is a better place?

The CYA can take a couple days to read on the test so be careful testing it so fast after adding it. I’d personally give it 3 days to a week to avoid overshooting.

 

[Oli77]

Thanks for that. Today I am barely at 30 ppm. I will wait a couple days and retest.

FC at 11
CC at 0.2
pH at 8. Added 1 quart of muriatic acid.
TA at 190

Will reduce the SWCG output...

 

[Oli77]

Big rain over the past couple days, so much so, that I had to drain 2-3 inches.

Checked CYA again, and it is barely 30 ppm still. So I added more (~ 1.5 lbs) because it will rain for the next couple days.
Raising my Chlorine to accommodate the increase in water I am expecting, and I have the output on my cell at 60%.

TA 150 ppm (slowly dropping)
pH 7.8 (this will lower with the CYA I assume)

Slowly put surely...

 

[Oli77]

I feel like I have arrived! My CYA was 50 today! I have seen the little black dot disappear for the first time (in my life)!
BTW, is it normal, that if you wait 30 s or 1 min, the little dot comes back? I think the precipitation is settling and clearing the water above?

Chlorine holding high (13 ppm) so I am lowering my output on the SWCG to 30%.

TA 160 ppm.
pH still hanging a bit high at 8. Adding more muriatic acid.
Will work on raising my CH next.

Will wait to see how chlorine and pH behave without any more CYA for now.

 

[Bperry]

I feel like I have arrived! My CYA was 50 today! I have seen the little black dot disappear for the first time (in my life)!
BTW, is it normal, that if you wait 30 s or 1 min, the little dot comes back? I think the precipitation is settling and clearing the water above?

Chlorine holding high (13 ppm) so I am lowering my output on the SWCG to 30%.

TA 160 ppm.
pH still hanging a bit high at 8. Adding more muriatic acid.
Will work on raising my CH next.

Will wait to see how chlorine and pH behave without any more CYA for now.

What’s you’re CSI measurement? pH may be ok depending on that and what your calcium level is.

 

[Oli77]

Good point. With today's data and according to pool math I am at +0.19. Now trying to raise CH as this will have a significant impact on CSI. Thanks for that Bperry.

Don't mind me as I put in some more data and I play with my Taylor K-2006C kit, while I still have bunch of reagents to play with this summer! This is fun, and might as well use it up this year, learn the steps... getting faster with the kit and the drops and the swirling.

FC 13; so I lowered my cell to 10% output. It has been overcast for 4-5 days with rain.
CC ~0.5; was doing the 10 mL on the kit, so min resolution is 0.5 ppm
pH 7.8
TA 160
CH 180; added 5.3 lbs CaCl should go up 57 ppm...
CYA ~40
Salt 3100 (surprised with all this rain)

My choline is now holding real well, so I am happy about that.

 

[Bperry]

Good point. With today's data and according to pool math I am at +0.19. Now trying to raise CH as this will have a significant impact on CSI. Thanks for that Bperry.

Don't mind me as I put in some more data and I play with my Taylor K-2006C kit, while I still have bunch of reagents to play with this summer! This is fun, and might as well use it up this year, learn the steps... getting faster with the kit and the drops and the swirling.

FC 13; so I lowered my cell to 10% output. It has been overcast for 4-5 days with rain.
CC ~0.5; was doing the 10 mL on the kit, so min resolution is 0.5 ppm
pH 7.8
TA 160
CH 180; added 5.3 lbs CaCl should go up 57 ppm...
CYA ~40
Salt 3100 (surprised with all this rain)

My choline is now holding real well, so I am happy about that.

If the pH reads 7.8 with the chlorine over 10ppm, wait until it dips below 10 to check the real pH and go from there.

 

[Oli77]

Thanks, I will.
I had read on here that high chlorine during slamming would make pH measures untrustworthy but did not realize chlorine over 10 ppm would do that.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Oli77]

More data points.

That 5.3 lbs of CaCl2 raised CH to 230 so not quite the 57 ppm promised by pool math, but 50 ppm. I added another couple lbs trying to hit 300 ppm.
CyA steady between 50 and 60, so I added another ~1 lb tonight to try and hit that recommended 70.
FC has steadily been decreasing, now at 6 ppm.
CC is <0.5 ppm

It has been wet and grey for a few days and my SWCG has been set on 10% output.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Oli77]

And on we go...
Last night after typing the above, I raised the SWCG output to ~25% to see if I could raise chlorine levels.

Tonight:
FC 7
CC <0.5
pH 8 Added 1.7 pints Muriatic acid, should slowly drop my TA
TA 150 will add water soon to get ready for a back wash.
CH 300
CyA 60 (I am still learning to get that reading right and it might increase further)
Temp has been 87 F pretty much since the beginning of the thread.

 

[Oli77]

FC 8; So I lowered my SWCG to 12%
CC <0.5
pH 8! I can't make a dent in that pH. My TA is still too high.
TA 150. It is supposed to rain for the next couple days hoping that will drop alkalinity some.
CH 300
CyA 70
NaCl still reading 3100-3200 at the Hayward SWCG.

I am almost there!

 

[Oli77]

On August 14th, came back from a week away:
FC 2.5 so I raised SWCG output to 25%.
CC ~0.5
pH 8, added a quart of muriatic acid
CyA 60, added 0.6 lb in a sock
TA 130
CH 325
Salt at 3100 reading of the box.

On August 15th
FC 4.0
CyA ~60