Levels off — clear pool

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@mknauss Sorry for the previous misspell.
I just rechecked Pool Math and we actually need to replace 95% of the water based on the probable CH of the fill water. :0 What do you think about doing reverse osmosis? We were thinking of doing that this winter anyway because the Pool water has never been changed to our knowledge since it’s build in 2012. I’ve seen responses that it’s not a good idea to do in the heat of summer due to algae growth. Thoughts? We know it’s pricey but we would rather not waste all that water by just dumping it.

Thank you!
 
Have never heard there was an issue of RO in the summer. They cannot do it if you have algae.
You will still need to add about 25% makeup water. It will cost many times more than exchanging. But if it makes you feel better, do it.
 
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I’m brand new to TFP and pool care in general. I posted yesterday and received some helpful advice BUT now we realize we need to drain our pool/exchange the water. I’m learning about the best ways to do this (and am very unhappy about it) but in the meantime I have some questions.

A little background: When we moved into our home six weeks ago our pool levels (based on pool store tests) were perfect, and continued to be good—until about a week ago. We’re learning about the TFP way and have, since 8/4, switched from Cl tabs to liquid Cl. We’ve also discontinued use of random pool store chemicals. And we’re now doing our own testing with the TF-100.

We had a pool store guy come and review all of our equipment on 8/2, what everything is, and how to properly run it—no talk about chemicals. We may not have needed this but it gave us peace of mind.

He also changed all the settings on the pump. We were hesitant to let him do this, since it’s been running perfectly for years with those settings, but we listened to his advice. It had been running during the heat of day (most expensive) and now it’s running overnight. The speeds and amount of time are different now too.

I’ve read lots of posts that it’s okay to run at night but could this be part of our problem? Or could it be the change in speeds? Why did our CYA go up and our CH go way up? I’ve been really angry with myself for letting this guy change the settings. I have the old settings written down. Should we change it back? I’m so upset about this.

I should also mention that we’ve been cleaning the pool (baskets, skimming, brushing) diligently since we bought the house but we were learning so hadn’t been using Muriatic Acid until this week. Not sure if that would effect CYA and CH? The TA also increased a lot. We’ve used nothing other than Cl. I’ve read through pool chemistry and will read it all again and again. I want to understand why these levels, especially the CH, would increase so drastically so we can hopefully prevent it from happening again. What did we do or didn’t do?

The pool is perfectly clear.

Test from yesterday 8/10 (TF-100)
FC 5.5
pH 7.4
TA 155
CYA 145
CH 1,075

Thanks for reading and offering any advice.
 
Pump speed will not effect CYA or CH or other test results. Neither will using MA effect CYA or CH.

Where did your prior CYA & CH tests come from?
 
ajw22 said:
Pump speed will not effect CYA or CH or other test results. Neither will using MA effect CYA or CH.

Where did your prior CYA & CH tests come from?
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@ajw22 The previous tests were from the pool store. :(

Do you know why my post was merged to this thread? I’m new at the forum and feel that this was a different question. My questions are always going to relate to my readings and current situation. Why can’t I post in the newbie forum? Thank you for your response.
 
Having your whole story in one place is much easier to track responses and your questions. So we like to keep your questions that are generally related in one thread.

There is no 'newbie' forum.
 
Gina, you now see why we say pool store tests are unreliable. Trash and forget about your pool store tests. They are worthless. Trust your own testing.
 
mknauss said:
Having your whole story in one place is much easier to track responses and your questions. So we like to keep your questions that are generally related in one thread.

There is no 'newbie' forum.
Click to expand...
@mknauss Thanks for the response. I just felt foolish because two new posts were added to this thread. I was referring to the “just getting started” forum. How am I ever supposed to start a new thread? Do I always come back to this one? I’m really at a loss for why this is happening to our pool. I thought we were taking such good care of it. Everything shifted so quickly and I don’t understand why.
 
GinaGina said:
@mknauss Everything shifted so quickly and I don’t understand why.
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It sounds like the only thing that shifted was your testing method. From unreliable pool store tests to your own. Your pool water is the same. You just discovered what you really have. Now move forward with the accurate information.
 

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You are discussing your water chemistry in this thread. So all things related to that should be addressed in this thread.

If, for instance, your pump failed, and you wanted advice on a new pump, then you would start a new thread in Pumps, Filter, and Plumbing.
 
mknauss said:
You are discussing your water chemistry in this thread. So all things related to that should be addressed in this thread.

If, for instance, your pump failed, and you wanted advice on a new pump, then you would start a new thread in Pumps, Filter, and Plumbing.
Click to expand...
@mknauss That helps me to understand a little better. I'm used to social media apps which are quite different. I read through the forum rules before posting for the first time and think it would be helpful if there were some basic descriptions/instructions for what's expected. Thank you for explaining.
 
ajw22 said:
It sounds like the only thing that shifted was your testing method. From unreliable pool store tests to your own. Your pool water is the same. You just discovered what you really have. Now move forward with the accurate information.
Click to expand...
@ajw22 I'm still amazed by how inaccurate pool store tests are. I'm relieved, though, that we weren't at fault by letting that guy adjust our pump times and speeds. I'm moving forward with these results and TFP guidance. :)
 
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