Help me! I'm trying but failing:)

[Texas Splash]

Okay, so you'll definitely need to lower the pH with muriatic acid. I would set a pH goal of about 7.5 for now. Be mindful of the wind direction and potential splashing of the muriatic acid. If you do that, it will go fine. Re-test the pH in a couple hours to ensure the color in in the mid-7s - something like an orange shade. Not the dark/deep purple for sure.

 

[sheridc]

Theres a check mark on the top right corner when you’re done filling out all the info.

Got it! I was clicking that but I had to select my actual city to move on. Thanks!

 

[sheridc]

Those are pretty good numbers. Your CYA is on the high end. This is a non-salt (liquid chlorine) pool correct? Be sure to NOT use any powdered chlorine products or tablets. Only use liquid chlorine from this point forward. If this is a salt pool let us know.

You didn't list the pH. That's an mportant one. The TA will get bright Barbie pink, that's it. 140 is a bit elevated, but not the priority right now. CH is on the low end, but is okay for the moment.

Standing by for your pH. How does the water look?

So the TA instructions on the kit say to add drops til it turns "red." Are you confirming that I can stop counting drops when the water turns bright pink? Thanks!

 

[Texas Splash]

Are you confirming that I can stop counting drops when the water turns bright pink?

Common question. Focus more on the color change itself. When the color no longer changes, that's your drop total. I use the term "Barbie Pink" because that's how it looks to me, but that's not the most critical thing to focus on. Once the bright red/pink color stops changing, that's your TA number. Hope that makes sense.

 

[sheridc]

Common question. Focus more on the color change itself. When the color no longer changes, that's your drop total. I use the term "Barbie Pink" because that's how it looks to me, but that's not the most critical thing to focus on. Once the bright red/pink color stops changing, that's your TA number. Hope that makes sense.

Yes it does. Thanks! Added the muriatic acid and will retest in a bit.

 

[mgtfp]

The PH is 8.2 and CC is 5 (both tests were the pinkest pink and the darkest yellow)

The yellow test (called OTO test) tests TC, not CC. It's not a very precise test, hard to compare the yellow shades and it maxes out at 5 anyway.

But it is a very robust test, which is why it is included in the kit. It is kind of a confirmation test if there is any chlorine in the pool, without actually taking the "number" it shows too serious.

If the drop-count test for example shows unexpected results (it may for example look like zero because the pink can bleach out at very, very high chlorine levels, or because the reagents have gone bad), then you could run the OTO test, which will tell you if there is chlorine (and therefore something with the other test is not right), or there actually is zero chlorine in the pool.

You don't really need to do that if you did the drop-count chlorine test anyway. You can just run the pH side of the test on its own.

 

[sheridc]

The yellow test (called OTO test) tests TC, not CC. It's not a very precise test, hard to compare the yellow shades and it maxes out at 5 anyway.

But it is a very robust test, which is why it is included in the kit. It is kind of a confirmation test if there is any chlorine in the pool, without actually taking the "number" it shows too serious.

If the drop-count test for example shows unexpected results (it may for example look like zero because the pink can bleach out at very, very high chlorine levels, or because the reagents have gone bad), then you could run the OTO test, which will tell you if there is chlorine (and therefore something with the other test is not right), or there actually is zero chlorine in the pool.

You don't really need to do that if you did the drop-count chlorine test anyway. You can just run the pH side of the test on its own.

Thank you!

 

[Jennybird]

I am trying to do the TFP philosophy but can't get my water under control to start. The pool looks cloudy but pretty good otherwise. My phosphates are out of control (1710) so I added a phosphate remover and it's down to 1122 but still cloudy. My CYA is 100 and my FC is 5.93. What should be next? I'm getting different info from the pool store, so I'm not sure what to do. Thank you!

Hi!
The very first thing I learned is NEVER follow what the pool store says! There are so many helpful and wise pool people on this forum. I’m still learning, but I was in your exact same place a couple years ago, you came to the right place

 

[JJ_Tex]

With an FC of 11, I would not focus too much on your high pH since that test can read falsely high when your FC is above 10. If you do want to get an accurate pH reading, wait until your chlorine comes down to under 10. If the grey stuff is dead algae, it should not take too long to let your chlorine drift lower.

If it were my pool, I would do this:
1. Do the OCLT tonight to see if you have algae
2a. If you pass the OCLT, let your chlorine drift down and worry about lowering your pH if needed
2b. If you fail the OCLT, start the SLAM process
3. Worry about pH, TA, and other metrics once you are algae free.

 

[sheridc]

With an FC of 11, I would not focus too much on your high pH since that test can read falsely high when your FC is above 10. If you do want to get an accurate pH reading, wait until your chlorine comes down to under 10. If the grey stuff is dead algae, it should not take too long to let your chlorine drift lower.

If it were my pool, I would do this:
1. Do the OCLT tonight to see if you have algae
2a. If you pass the OCLT, let your chlorine drift down and worry about lowering your pH if needed
2b. If you fail the OCLT, start the SLAM process
3. Worry about pH, TA, and other metrics once you are algae free.

Just re-tested my PH after the muriatic acid and it is now at 7.5. Thanks for your input. What is OCLT?

 

[mgtfp]

Just re-tested my PH after the muriatic acid and it is now at 7.5. Thanks for your input. What is OCLT?

Yeah, at FC 11 the pH test should still work as long as you test quickly. If letting it sit for too long, the colour may turn purple due to the chlorine changing the indicator. At higher FC, this change to purple will eventually become too fast to be able to do the test.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Just re-tested my PH after the muriatic acid and it is now at 7.5. Thanks for your input. What is OCLT?

OCLT is Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. Chlorine is burned off by the sun and algae, so you take the sun out of the equation:

1. Test your FC at night, after sundown
2. Test your FC again in the morning, as early as you can before direct sunlight hits the pool
3. If you lose 1 or more FC overnight, your chlorine is fighting algae. If you do not lose 1 FC overnight, then its safe to assume you have no algae.

 

[sheridc]

I did the OCLT last night. FC at 10 p.m. was 8.5 and was 8 this morning at 7:45 a.m.

 

[sheridc]

I did the OCLT last night. FC at 10 p.m. was 8.5 and was 8 this morning at 7:45 a.m.

Any recommendations now? Also, since I'm no longer using the floating chlorine tabs (due to high CYA), what schedule should I follow with adding liquid chlorine?

 

[cznkane]

Chlorine will be burned off by the sun every day, you'll want to test regularly and add liquid chlorine as needed to keep the proper level of FC. The Pool Math app will do the math for you (the right FC number is related to your CYA number). Typically at the start of the season I'll test every other day for a few weeks to get a feel for how the pool is doing...it's a living creature. Once you get into a rhythm you'll start being able to test once a week and probably add chlorine every day or two. Each pool is unique so there's no real set schedule, it all comes down to testing regularly and getting to know what your specific pool needs to stay balanced. You're doing a great job so far, keep it up!

 

[Newdude]

What were the CCs ?

Each pool is unique so there's no real set schedule, it all comes down to testing regularly and getting to know what your specific pool needs to stay balanced

And the target changes throughout the season. You may only lose 1 ppm a day now, buy 4 or even 5 ppm in July. (because sunny CA). Then a slow decrease back down to 1 in the late fall.

The key is to know your recent loss to beat it to the punch tomorrow.

 

[sheridc]

Just retested. The pool is looking pretty good, though I do have some dead algae lingering near the bottom every morning. I also bought the subscription to Pool Math. Can someone share how to share those results here in the thread?

Here are my numbers:
FC: 10
CC: .5
PH: 7.5
TA: 130
CH: 225
CYA: 65

We had some rain this weekend and I've backwashed several times, so the CYA has gone down a bit

Thank you for your help!

 

[JJ_Tex]

For sharing Pool Math logs, go to your settings (gear symbol in the top right) then scroll down and make sure the button is checked for "Link from Troublefreepool.com".

As for your numbers, your chlorine is way too low if you are trying to SLAM. With a CYA of 70 (round up your 65) your FC should be at 28 not 10. If you are seeing dead algae every morning, you have algae somewhere. Get your FC up to 28, test and replenish the chlorine multiple times a day until you pass the criteria to end the SLAM.

 

[Bperry]

Just retested. The pool is looking pretty good, though I do have some dead algae lingering near the bottom every morning. I also bought the subscription to Pool Math. Can someone share how to share those results here in the thread?

Here are my numbers:
FC: 10
CC: .5
PH: 7.5
TA: 130
CH: 225
CYA: 65

We had some rain this weekend and I've backwashed several times, so the CYA has gone down a bit

Thank you for your help!

Your CYA is still 70. Check out the FC/CYA chart and notice how the FC minimum doesnt change for 60-69. Thats why that measurement is always rounded up to the nearest 10.

 

[sheridc]

Here are my recent numbers:
FC: 4.5
CC: .5
ph: 8
TA: 120
CH: 120
CYA: 60

So I realize that my chlorine level has gotten too low, so I am going to add liquid chlorine in the morning, but what else do you recommend? Pool looks pretty good otherwise, so is the total alkalinity something I need to fix?

What would be a good plan for adding the liquid chlorine each week?

Thanks for your help!