Help a new guy with SWG

[PoolStored]

All good!

I would do nothing but add 5ppm of liquid chlorine a day until you get your test kit. Taking action on bad data can make your situation worse.

 

[NJpoolnewb]

All good!

I would do nothing but add 5ppm of liquid chlorine a day until you get your test kit. Taking action on bad data can make your situation worse.

Thanks, 5 ppm should be roughly 195 oz for 30k gallons although I believe my pool is about 28k. A gallon and a half? How often should I be adding a gallon and a half and how long should I be running the filter? Currently its running 12 hrs a day.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

NJ,

Run the pump as long as necessary to keep the pool skimmed. The chlorine will mix within 30 minutes of run time.

Add chlorine daily until the kit arrives. This is a safe amount to ensure your pool remains stable while you wait for your kit.

Did you order the K-2006?

How does the water look now? Do you suspect algae?

I ask because the K-2006 only comes with a 0.75 oz of FC reagent (R-0871). This test should be run almost daily to make sure FC stays in range. If you have algae, you'll be testing elevated FC levels so you'll burn through the reagent quickly. You might want to start looking at refills of R-0870 powder and R-0871 and be prepared to source the reagents when the time comes.

Looking forward to seeing your clear pool.

Best of luck!

 

[NJpoolnewb]

NJ,

Run the pump as long as necessary to keep the pool skimmed. The chlorine will mix within 30 minutes of run time.

Add chlorine daily until the kit arrives. This is a safe amount to ensure your pool remains stable while you wait for your kit.

Did you order the K-2006?

How does the water look now? Do you suspect algae?

I ask because the K-2006 only comes with a 0.75 oz of FC reagent (R-0871). This test should be run almost daily to make sure FC stays in range. If you have algae, you'll be testing elevated FC levels so you'll burn through the reagent quickly. You might want to start looking at refills of R-0870 powder and R-0871 and be prepared to source the reagents when the time comes.

Looking forward to seeing your clear pool.

Best of luck!

Water is perfectly clear, I’ve owned this pool for 4 years but it’s been chlorine and chemicals always seemed to be in line. Only had minor algae the first year, virtually no signs of algae for the last 3.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Test kits are expensive, so here are some testing tips that may help you conserve reagents and achieve accurate results...

• Get a sample bottle with a dropper style tip. Leslie's has nice ones they'll give you for free.
• Always rinse sample vials with pool water before and after use. With small sample size, even a bit of fresh tap water can skew results
• When using droppers, keep the bottle vertical. Squeeze only enough to allow the drops to just fall off the tip
• Go slow between drops (about 1 second between) and watch closely for color changes. On most tests, color hues are less important than determining the "endpoint."
• The endpoint for most "count the drops" type tests is when there is no more color change. Keep adding drops until there is no color change. Don't count the last drop that results in no color change
• For the first few tests, wipe the tip of the R-0009 TA bottle between each drop with a damp rag to eliminate static charge
• Use 10 mL sample size for FC/CC test (R-0870/R-0871/R-0003 reagents)
• Use 25 mL sample for TA test
• Use 10 mL sample for CH test
• For some tests, swirling is critical to achieve accurate results (there's a tool for that). Keep swirling the vial throughout the test.
• Get that tool when your budget permits. You'll be glad you did.
• Try to develop a routine and stick with it. Do the tests the same way each time.

Take some time to review:

Extended Test Kit Directions Archives

www.troublefreepool.com

Know your recommended levels:

What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.

www.troublefreepool.com

ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

There are several items things every pool owner should know about swimming pool water. We share details on the basics of Pool Water Chemistry.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[NJpoolnewb]

Test kits are expensive, so here are some testing tips that may help you conserve reagents and achieve accurate results...

• Get a sample bottle with a dropper style tip. Leslie's has nice ones they'll give you for free.
• Always rinse sample vials with pool water before and after use. With small sample size, even a bit of fresh tap water can skew results
• When using droppers, keep the bottle vertical. Squeeze only enough to allow the drops to just fall off the tip
• Go slow between drops (about 1 second between) and watch closely for color changes. On most tests, color hues are less important than determining the "endpoint."
• The endpoint for most "count the drops" type tests is when there is no more color change. Keep adding drops until there is no color change. Don't count the last drop that results in no color change
• For the first few tests, wipe the tip of the R-0009 TA bottle between each drop with a damp rag to eliminate static charge
• Use 10 mL sample size for FC/CC test (R-0870/R-0871/R-0003 reagents)
• Use 25 mL sample for TA test
• Use 10 mL sample for CH test
• For some tests, swirling is critical to achieve accurate results (there's a tool for that). Keep swirling the vial throughout the test.
• Get that tool when your budget permits. You'll be glad you did.
• Try to develop a routine and stick with it. Do the tests the same way each time.

Take some time to review:

Extended Test Kit Directions Archives

www.troublefreepool.com

Know your recommended levels:

What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.

www.troublefreepool.com

ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

There are several items things every pool owner should know about swimming pool water. We share details on the basics of Pool Water Chemistry.

www.troublefreepool.com

Excellent advice, thank you

 

[NJpoolnewb]

So, took a shot because I still didn’t get the Taylor test kit yet, should be coming tomorrow. I added stabilizer on Thursday, let it do it’s thing for a day, added a gallon of liquid chlorine, seems to be holding fine. From the couple of different kits I have, chemicals seem to be near correct, but I’ll check again when I get the Taylor. Just a side note also for anyone wondering about the Circupool Core 35, I had it at 50%, I’ve actually had to turn it down to 25%, my pool has to be at least 28k gallons and the 35 seems to handle it well at only 25%.

 

[jedigrover]

Don't add anything other than chlorine until you can test.
If the pool store couldn't get your salt test right the 1st time, how can you trust them with the TA and CYA tests? CYA is the most difficult test to learn how to do right (it is the most subjective, aside from pH where a lot of us guys have troubles discerning shades of red).

Don't just go throwing stuff in the pool. That's what the pool store wants you to do & is how they maximize profit from you, always having a "problem" you need them to solve (strangely similar to lawyers/legislators in that respect).

You need reliable test data 1st.

I don't trust the pool store (ANY pool store) to do that. Some can do it right, some can't. But you almost never get the same person running the tests one time to another. You don't have any idea if their reagents are fresh. You have no idea if they know what they're doing. If you do it yourself, you know how it was done.