Help with Next Steps, Please

[mcolflesh]

My questions are:

Help me interpret this pH test (7.1? 7.2? lower?)

Test Results for today:
CYA: 30-45
TA: 6th drop turned and kept it red so is it 50 or 60?
CH: 5th drop turned blue so is it 100 or 125?
TC: 0

Am I ready to plan and begin my SLAM?
Should I have enough liquid chlorine on hand to bring my 26,700 gallon pool to shock level 4 times based on a CYA of 50?

Please advise and thank you!

For more on my pool and getting to this point see this post (Opening After 3 Year Hibernation)

 

[duraleigh]

pH is 7.0

You continue to add drops to these tests until the last drop you add makes NO further color change.....subtract that drop and that is your result.

I would suggest your start with 15-20 gallons of chlorine. You can use it handily after your SLAM is over.

 

[Texas Splash]

Those pH blocks can be tricky. They are to me as well. I move the viewing comparator against different backgrounds that my eyes seem to adjust to better. My guess is it's right around 7.1 give or take 1. For the TA, once it turns Barbie pink you are done. If you added one extra drop and saw no change, go with the previous number. Same with the CH. I had to train myself to watch that one really close. Mine goes from red/purple to light blue really fast. But again, if the last drop didn't effect the color, use the previous count.

Before doing the SLAM, I would try to get a little more accurate on that CYA so that you are confident of which FC to raise to. For the CYA:
CYA Testing:

Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Taylor recommends standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body. Use the mixing bottle to combine/gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Then, while holding the skinny tube with the black dot at waist level, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. After the first test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate the CYA reading.

If it's not a bright day outside, don't bother with the CYA. It must be a sunny day to get a good (black dot ) reading.

Once you confirm the CYA, increase the FC and you're set! CYA of 40 = FC of 16; CYA of 50 = FC of 20. Don't forget to do all the other little things on the SLAM page to ensure success. Take a pic each day as well so you can see the water clarity change. Hope that helps.

 

[mcolflesh]

Thank you Texas Splash and duraleigh. Should I mess with the pH to get from 7/7.1 to 7.2 before initiating the SLAM?

I have a DE filter with multiport - if I can't stay home until the weekend, would you suggest beginning the SLAM and just set the multiport to recirculate in order to avoid clogging the filter while I'm unable to be present?

- - - Updated - - -

Also, if I just start SLAMming assuming the worst (CYA closer to 50) is it really going to hurt anything?

 

[Texas Splash]

Should I mess with the pH to get from 7/7.1 to 7.2 before initiating the SLAM?

No, leave it for now. It will raise a little anyways once you start the SLAM. As for the filter, if you're going to be gone ... "yes", place it on recirculate. At least the water will still be moving. If you have anyone you trust to add some bleach each day, that would be great too. If you use a CYA of 50 for now (FC of 20), it will work until you get some good sunlight.