Just ordered tf100 XL and spinstir. Where do I begin?

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rp7777

Well-known member
Oct 10, 2011
130
Plantation Fl
Just ordered tf100 XL and spinstir. Where do I begin?
It should get here in a couple of days and I also read the entire pool school but now it's time to put the concepts into action. Any 1st tips because I will want to put this test kit as soon as it arrives.

My pool is never crystal clear and I'm tired of going to pinch a penny and having them sell me a bag of "shock" of letting them guess there way to a solution.
 
Until the test kit arrives (and yay! You got the Cadillac of kits!) just add a gallon of plain, unscented bleach daily and brush. When you get the test kit just do the tests one by one and write down your results.

I do my tests in this order:
pH (be aware if FC over 10 this test is less accurate. Don't treat high pH if FC over 10)
FC (using the DPD-FAS tester, not the block in the blue box)
CC
TA
CH
CYA (on a sunny day, with the tube held waist high and the sun to your back)

We will help you discover how crystal clear (Gin Clear, some say!) your pool can be!

Maddie :flower:
 
Thank you. I'm anxious to figure it out. Until I start messing with the kit I guess I won't fully understand it even though I went through pool school and randomly read through blogs related to test kits, pool chemistry and algae
 
It might appear confusing at first... it just seems so. One thing that I did was re-arrange the box to suit the way I tested. Each test can have multiple vials of reagents so I corralled them together in their own space in the box. I left a large area for my speed stir and a pen and paper, etc.

This picture was before they color coded the labels. So each test is all the same colored label now. So I start my testing from top left and just move down each section as necessary. Most days I'm just testing the pH and the FC/CC.
 

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Most everyone here got fed up with the pool store's constant "add this potion, ok now add this potion, oops, drain everything" approach. Or noticed their testing was inconsistent. I was a little lucky I started googling after a replaster in a new house. Never had a pool store test.

I will tell you that some people spend more in a pool store visit than I have spent all year. I was going to do a tally at the end of the season as I have been keeping track this year for once, but the final total will be less than $300. That's about 40 gallons of chlorine, 3 gallons of acid and a test kit refill. I spend more on my cats than that and enjoy my pool much more than the cats :D
 
$300 seams a lot but you sure have a huge pool. I have a tiny 9000 gallon pool. I'm even considering resurfacing it myself. My pool is about 20yrs old and I figure now is the time to learn about doing my own pool testing so this way I will understand the procedures well by the time I or hire out to resurface my pool
 
I found this site about 7-8 years ago. I have had a slight cloud maybe twice in that time, and that was in the beginning.
I haven't found a more economical way to keep a pool to be honest. There are people that have been pool $tored to the tune of 300$ in a month, and still have a green pool, by the time they find this site.
I cannot think of an easier method either, once you get that tedious 5 minute a day routine into memory.
Pool School is your friend, I still spend a day a month just re reading pages, and relearning stuff.
I read a bit
I got the kit
My pool was green
And now it is clean
It really is that easy.
 
Start with Pool School - Extended Test Kit Directions

Pay particular attention to the static charge notes on TA and the dilution test on CYA. The rest just needs a skim read, so that you're aware a certain topic has been touched on even if you can;t recall the specifics. This will ensure you start out with accurate test results right away.

And then, if your next step isn't obvious, post the results. Also mention the water temperature and how the water looks. With that information, you can get some good advice.
 

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A few pointers on the CYA test cuz that tends to be the hardest test.

  1. Only do this test on a bright sunny day, outside
  2. Mix up the red tip bottle per instructions that come with the test kit
  3. Stand in the sun and pour some of the sample into the vial
  4. While holding vial at waist level, in the shadow of your body, take a quick glance at the vial
  5. If you can't see the dot, round your result up (if between 30 and 40, result is 40)
  6. If you can still see the dot with a glance, pour in some more and glance again. Repeat until you can't see the dot at a glance.
 
That CYA tests sounds intimidating. I'm exaggerating a bit of course. It's like a scene in a movie when someone is walking someone else to disarm a bomb. "Do it exactly this way or disaster". I'm sure I will manage to blow myself up a couple of times:)
 
It's not really that hard once you get used to it. Also, if you think you messed up, just pour the sample back into the bottle with the little red cap and then stay over pouring into the vial with the black dot. Keep doing it until you're confident in your results.

You can also follow the link in my signature to see more in-depth instructions for all the tests for the TF-100
 
rp7777 said:
Thank you. My tf100 science experiment kit arrives tomorrow.
Click to expand...

The SpeedStir makes it so much more fun, especially if you've got young kids. My 3 year old always pulls his Mickey Mouse chair over so he can watch, and then shouts the colors across the house to Mommy. He really likes the TA test, going from green to hot pink.
 
I am a diy'er at heart and I love getting my hands dirty. My 8 year old seems to enjoy it as well. We'll both have a little fun and learn some science as well. I know she will enjoy learning to keep her pool clean

- - - Updated - - -

And yes I noticed I called it the spinstir instead of the speedstir but I could not change the title. Sorry about that
 
The kit has arrived and I did the FC test. Im at 16.5-18.0 after 3-4 attempts. I have not done the CYA test because it was getting dark. My pool is far from clear, in fact cloudy and a bit green. I poured a bunch of chlorine yesterday which I guess would explain the high #.
 
I just tried the CYA in my garage on a ladder directly under a 4 ft fluorescent. I completely lost the black dot at about 90-100. I will try again tomorrow in the daylight although it is raining in South Florida so not much chance for sun.
FC 16.5-18.5
pH 8.2
TA didn't check
CH didn't check
CYA 90-100
CC .5-1

What is next?
 
rp7777 said:
I just tried the CYA in my garage on a ladder directly under a 4 ft fluorescent. I completely lost the black dot at about 90-100. I will try again tomorrow in the daylight although it is raining in South Florida so not much chance for sun.
FC 16.5-18.5
pH 8.2
TA didn't check
CH didn't check
CYA 90-100
CC .5-1

What is next?
Click to expand...

When you're testing your CYA, always round up whatever result you get if its in between 2 lines. So while we really don't know if this result is accurate since it wasn't done with the sun (I'm sure you see that the sun is much much brighter, lol), if you're results were between 90 and 100, you'd round up to 100. Also, if you do get a result of 90-100, do the extended dilution test listed as step 8 in Pool School under the CYA test directions. A maxed out result that's 90+ is likely higher than that, and this diluted test will give you a more accurate result.

When FC is above 10, your pH will read higher than it really is, so don't[/d] add anything to lower your pH.

When you can, check your TA and CH. As Richard mentioned, when doing the TA test, get a damp paper towel, and before you add each drop of R-0009, wipe the tip of the bottle with the damp paper towel. That reagent likes to build up a static charge, and will cause the drop to fall quicker, making a smaller drop and you'd end up with more drops than you should. Simply wiping the tip of the bottle before each drop discharges that static charge and makes each drop come out the right side. You don't have to worry about this with any other reagent except R-0009.
 

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