Just moved, have pool, need HELP!
- Thread starter glitter_girl
- Start date
Ok sounds great!
Thank you again for all of your awesome advice and help!
I am sure we'll come back to something...maybe it will be nothing, but you haven't heard the last from us newbie pool owners!
Thank you again for all of your awesome advice and help!
I am sure we'll come back to something...maybe it will be nothing, but you haven't heard the last from us newbie pool owners!
I think I would be prone to add one more jug, but it is a borderline call, you are likely close to being finished shocking, either with or without 1 more jug it should drop enough FC by the time you get back to be at safe swimming chlorine levels (it certainly would with the cover off).
Ike
Ike
I'll put one more in when I get off work (before we leave) just to be safe. Thanks everyone!
What would you guys recommend? We still have another 2 jugs of liquid chlorine at 12.5% and we also have 1 gallon jugs of regular bleach 6% and the oversized jugs of 6%. (we stocked up a bit)
Any suggestion as to what we should dump in before leaving?
Any suggestion as to what we should dump in before leaving?
Shock level should do it - test the FC level and then use the pool calc to figure out how much to add to bring it up to 30.
have a great time
have a great time
frustratedpoolmom said:Shock level should do it - test the FC level and then use the pool calc to figure out how much to add to bring it up to 30.
have a great time
Thank you!!!
Hello! Happy Tuesday!
Just wanted to report that are back from our trip. Our pool stayed covered with the solar cover while we were gone. I dumped in a jug of liquid chlorine right before we left on Thursday evening. Last night these were our numbers:
FC: 26
CC: .5
CYA: 70 (rounded up...it was between the 60 and 70 line...so maybe it's like 67 or something?)
Do we now just start to monitor it and keep it at an FC level of above 5?
Just wanted to report that are back from our trip. Our pool stayed covered with the solar cover while we were gone. I dumped in a jug of liquid chlorine right before we left on Thursday evening. Last night these were our numbers:
FC: 26
CC: .5
CYA: 70 (rounded up...it was between the 60 and 70 line...so maybe it's like 67 or something?)
Do we now just start to monitor it and keep it at an FC level of above 5?
Hi and welcome back!
Confirm shocking complete:
1. You'll want to do an overnight FC loss test tonight to make sure you don't still have any organics in there consuming FC. Dont add anymore today. Test after dark, leave pump running. Record FC. Before its light tomorrow morning, test FC again. If it's less than 1ppm loss overnight you are good to go.
2. The CCs should burn off in the sunlight when the cover is off. If they don't and go above .5 then you'll need to continue shocking.
3. Is the water still crystal clear and sparkly?
Once you confirm shocking is complete, then just let the FC come down. It will take a couple days, but monitor each night.
According to the CYA chart, at CYA 70 you will want to maintain FC between 5 and 8. Never let it get below 5. So, each evening the goal is to test FC. Add enough to get to 8.
Alternatively, you can use pool calculator's daily FC goals which are just slightly different, at a range of 5-10, and use 10 as your goal each evening.
Both are fine and are there to suit different situations. I consistently lose 3- 3.5 ppm daily due to bather load and the amount of sunlight I get each day. I use the higher nightly target because if I used the cYA chart one, I'd end up below 5 each day.
Happy Swimming!
Confirm shocking complete:
1. You'll want to do an overnight FC loss test tonight to make sure you don't still have any organics in there consuming FC. Dont add anymore today. Test after dark, leave pump running. Record FC. Before its light tomorrow morning, test FC again. If it's less than 1ppm loss overnight you are good to go.
2. The CCs should burn off in the sunlight when the cover is off. If they don't and go above .5 then you'll need to continue shocking.
3. Is the water still crystal clear and sparkly?
Once you confirm shocking is complete, then just let the FC come down. It will take a couple days, but monitor each night.
According to the CYA chart, at CYA 70 you will want to maintain FC between 5 and 8. Never let it get below 5. So, each evening the goal is to test FC. Add enough to get to 8.
Alternatively, you can use pool calculator's daily FC goals which are just slightly different, at a range of 5-10, and use 10 as your goal each evening.
Both are fine and are there to suit different situations. I consistently lose 3- 3.5 ppm daily due to bather load and the amount of sunlight I get each day. I use the higher nightly target because if I used the cYA chart one, I'd end up below 5 each day.
Happy Swimming!
poolgirl22 said:
Thanks PG22!
I will test again tonight. The water is still very clear and blue! I think we will take your advice and go with a little bit more of a higher goal so we don't fall below.
Looking forward to swimming on Thursday! It's overcast today here, and I have too much to catch up on at home. Tomorrow we have plans, so we won't be home to swim. So Thursday is a swimming day! YAY!
Good plan on the higher goal. I also then don't worry if we have a surprise guest or two.
Now, when we KNOW we will have extra people, I bump it up a couple more ppm that morning.
Now, when we KNOW we will have extra people, I bump it up a couple more ppm that morning.
Glad you came home to a clear pool... hope the vacation was nice and the weather cooperated
Tested tonight:
FC - 20
CC - .5 to 0....I say this because it turns maybe the slightest hint of pink, if I add a drop it instantly goes clear, but it only has a hint of pink after adding the drops, it's not like bright pink.
Will test in the morning
FC - 20
CC - .5 to 0....I say this because it turns maybe the slightest hint of pink, if I add a drop it instantly goes clear, but it only has a hint of pink after adding the drops, it's not like bright pink.
Will test in the morning
WE ARE DONE SHOCKING!!!!
FC: 20
Yay!!!!!!
Can we use that other little test kit (the blue one) now? Do we just do it daily or as we are using the pool and we just need to make sure it is at the top 5 dark yellow (or a shade darker) since we are aiming for about an FC of 8 to 10?
FC: 20
Yay!!!!!!
Can we use that other little test kit (the blue one) now? Do we just do it daily or as we are using the pool and we just need to make sure it is at the top 5 dark yellow (or a shade darker) since we are aiming for about an FC of 8 to 10?
I, and this WON'T surprise you, use the FAS DPD every nite but I only test the CCs every couple days or after heavy load, etc. I use the blue kit if I want to monitor during the days swimming activities. It's just too hard to decide between 5 and 10 ppm and for me, it's crucial I stay above the 5....
I would recommend for the next week or so, testing every evening, and recording your FC level and the amount of bleach you add each night to get to your target (either from CYA chart or pool calc). It may take a day or two for the 20 to come down and require an addition, so the trending won't really start until you are regularly testing/adding in a non shocking situation. Make sure you keep the skimmer cleaned out and wiped down..I love the miracle erasers for this, and I break them in half to get extra uses out of them.
You will start to notice a trend and then if you don't want to test, just add the trend amount or somewhere between them. I was short on time last night and it was going to storm. I usually add 3 -3 1/2 quarts a night. So last night I added a gallon without testing...it will be fine.
Happy Swimming!
Yep, what pg22 said 
You will soon get to know your pool's maintenance levels and understand how much chlorine it needs each evening
You will soon get to know your pool's maintenance levels and understand how much chlorine it needs each evening
Since your CYA is so high at 70 it is hard to get much practical use out of the OTO chlorine test (the chlorine side of the OTO/pH blue one in the TF100) for now, you may want to invest in a cheap DPD/pH test kit (I hear Wal-Mart has one around $10-$15) for daily readings, it is easier to make out the color than on the OTO kit, and its top range will usually be 5, it is easier to tell the shades of purple apart than the shades of yellow. This way you can save your FAS-DPD test for precise measurements every few days.
Ike
p.s. of course the real solution is to get that CYA level down by water replacement
Ike
p.s. of course the real solution is to get that CYA level down by water replacement
I can't read that darn OTO test so I don't use it. I use the FAS-DPD test daily/every other.
Now when you guys say to test every evening this week and maybe next, we just need to test in the evening, not in the evening and in the morning, right?
Pg22, I will probably be nuts about it as well, and I can see myself, maybe not daily, but every other day using the more detailed test (I am guessing that is the FAS-DPD test). I don't know all my terms off hand just yet.
Ike - we will do our best to get that CYA level down as much as possible this season. We'll try to splash a bunch out and hope that rain every once in a while helps. I am sure at some point we'll be having to refill the water a bit every now and then. I promise to work on it.
Pg22, I will probably be nuts about it as well, and I can see myself, maybe not daily, but every other day using the more detailed test (I am guessing that is the FAS-DPD test). I don't know all my terms off hand just yet.
Ike - we will do our best to get that CYA level down as much as possible this season. We'll try to splash a bunch out and hope that rain every once in a while helps. I am sure at some point we'll be having to refill the water a bit every now and then. I promise to work on it.
You got it Colleen.
No need to test in morning unless you are trying to figure out if you have a FC loss overnite. I plan to do this if my daily usage increases again past what it is for no apparent reason or just randomly a couple times a month. Easier to test and head off a problem before it gets too bad than wake up to a surprise some morning.
Ike is right about the CYA, but I understand your position and water fees, etc...Mine is a bit higher than I want it to be, but I'm living with it. So long as you aren't adding CYA in the form of dichlor shock or pucks, it at least won't go up any higher.
No need to test in morning unless you are trying to figure out if you have a FC loss overnite. I plan to do this if my daily usage increases again past what it is for no apparent reason or just randomly a couple times a month. Easier to test and head off a problem before it gets too bad than wake up to a surprise some morning.
Ike is right about the CYA, but I understand your position and water fees, etc...Mine is a bit higher than I want it to be, but I'm living with it. So long as you aren't adding CYA in the form of dichlor shock or pucks, it at least won't go up any higher.