I'm a failure for father's day

[DorsalSpine]

Your CYA is on the low side. I suppose with enough sun and a lot of debris blown into the pool you would see a rapid loss. With a lot of organics I would expect to see a high level of CC. I'd clean the kit, recheck your CYA and FC levels and see if anything changes.

 

[Bille]

I added what felt like 30% of a gallon, didn't measure just poured what was left in bottle when it was at 10.5, waited 10 mins and retested, now its at 11.

 

[DorsalSpine]

How strong is the bleach? 40 oz of 10% should raise FC by 2 - 2.5 depending on a 12k or 15K pool. Buy a plastic quart measuring cup. No guessing.

 

[Bille]

Its liquid shock that is 12.5%. Guess what!!! I went up to the pool store and bought a new R-0871 and R-0870. I did tests with the old and new using the same water:
old: 11
new: 18

So it was the reagents!!

 

[DorsalSpine]

Glad you figured it out. I didn't think they could go bad that fast. I usually keep mind in the house since my detached garage can get pretty warm in the summer.

 

[Bille]

Mines been outside for a week lol. My kids were in charge!
I just did one last double test with water about an hour older then the last test:
old kit: 11
new kit: 14

 

[DorsalSpine]

It's either the reagent or one of the bottles is not dropping the correct drip size. Since it was outside for the last week my vote is the reagents are bad. We have had 80 and 90 degree weather lately.

 

[Bille]

Of course kids are asking if they can swim. Is 15fc to high for them to get in?

Edit: ok it was me that wanted to get in...its soooo hot.

 

[PieterS]

Advice I've always seen around here is that if you're at or below the SLAM FC level for your particular CYA concentration - it's safe to swim in.

 

[Bille]

Advice I've always seen around here is that if you're at or below the SLAM FC level for your particular CYA concentration - it's safe to swim in.

My slam FC is 12, but I keep it at 15 because someone said it can never go below 12 for slam.

 

[Bille]

I have a feeling I didn't need to slam it, I think the reagents screwed me. But now that I started, I'm going to continue and do a over night test tonight. It's supposed to rain tonight, is that going to mess up my test?

Edit: I take it back, still losing FC....but that might be because I let my CYA slip, or a combination.

 

[Bille]

FC loss has stopped since the sun went down. I think I let my CYA slack.
9:30pm: 17 (I thought it was at 15), CC is 0.5 or less.

 

[Bille]

4:30am - FC is 11, guess I'm still slamming

 

[Mdragger88]

4:30am - FC is 11, guess I'm still slamming

Love the dedication!

 

[Bille]

Still slamming, day 3, water still crystal clear. Today so far (I take it back to 15 each test)

8:30am: 13fc

I just got my tfp replacement in the mail, so I'm doing two tests, one with taylor kit I bought a few days ago and one with the tfp one. They give different results so I go with the lowest.
9:30am
tfp test kit: 12
taylor test kit: 13.5

 

[setsailsoon]

Wouldn't hurt to test a few times per day and raise back up. "Maintain" is the key. Usually you can back off after a day or two of more frequent tests/FC addition. Don't test more than every 4 hrs as that just becomes a waste of test reagents with no real benefit.

I hope this helps.

Chris

 

[Bille]

Wouldn't hurt to test a few times per day and raise back up. "Maintain" is the key. Usually you can back off after a day or two of more frequent tests/FC addition. Don't test more than every 4 hrs as that just becomes a waste of test reagents with no real benefit.

I hope this helps.

Chris

I've been testing every 1-2 hours and just catching it before it drops below double digits, depending on which test I believe.

 

[setsailsoon]

I've been testing every 1-2 hours and just catching it before it drops below double digits, depending on which test I believe.

If it were me, I'd back off to every 4 hrs and raise to SLAM level. It's important to catch up to SLAM level not just double digits. Also, don't go over to maintain since this can cause damage.

 

[Bille]

If it were me, I'd back off to every 4 hrs and raise to SLAM level. It's important to catch up to SLAM level not just double digits. Also, don't go over to maintain since this can cause damage.

I'm getting conflicting information. Others have told me since my slam level is 12, I should never allow it below 12 or I'm not slamming.

For example, if I take it to 12 right now and check it in 4 hours and it's 8, I'm not slamming, right?

And If I'm losing 3ppm every hour, after 4 hours it would be 0 fc?

 

[setsailsoon]

Others have told me since my slam level is 12, I should never allow it below 12 or I'm not slamming. If 12 matches the SLAM level on this chart that is correct

For example, if I take it to 12 right now and check it in 4 hours and it's 8, I'm not slamming, right? Yes, that's correct. From a practical point of view our experts advise every 4 hours to sort of optimize reagent consumption with SLAM effectiveness. If you're not concerned about the reagent consumption it doesn't hurt to do it more often. But in most cases every 4 hours is plenty.

And If I'm losing 3ppm every hour, after 4 hours it would be 0 fc? If the loss is completely from algae and organics yes. Sunlight degradation is reduced as FC level reduces.

I hope this clears up the confusion. We have a lot of people here that try to help all with best of intentions. Some based on their experience and some that are qualified as experts. When I was new and got conflicting information I deferred to experts and understanding everybody was doing their best to help.

You've made great progress since I saw your earlier posts and it was very nice to see the kids enjoying the pool! They're very fortunate.

Chris