Need Advice on how to Stabilize Pool

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R

RecTec

0
Jun 3, 2015
4
Modesto/CA
Hello!

I am new to TFP and am wanting this year to be a successful SWIMMING :swim:year for my family and I!

I was very excited to get my new test kit this evening (The TF-100, along with LaMotte Borate Strips and a SpeedStir) and it felt like was was getting so much more and better information!

Just so you know, my pool was completely full of algae, so I emptied the pool, cleaned it up, and refilled. Since refilling I have been using my left over Cal-Hypo along with liquid Bleach for chlorine, I have tricolor pucks in to maintain chlorine levels, have added borax (Exactly 74 hours ago with pump running continuously for first 48hrs.), 1 gallon of liquid conditioner and then 2lbs of granular conditioner to raise the CYA (Liquid over 72 hours ago and granular are in a sock and still not fully dissolved).

I do not experience Chlorine loss over the evening; however, I believe due to my CYA levels, I am having to add chlorine every afternoon in addition to what the pucks are putting out.

My current test results are as follows based on the TF-100 Kit:

FC 4.5; CC 0.5; TC 5.0
150 CH
130 TA
7.8 pH
<20 CYA

Borates 30-50 (it was kinda in-between these two markers on the bottle)


I am looking at advice as to getting my pool in good shape for easier maintenance over our coming hot summer.


Thanks in advance for any next steps!
 
So you are not following the normal trend I see in my limited time here... Resistance to spending the $$ to buy a good test kit and stop going to the pool store.

Why not adapt the TFP ideology all the way? Get rid of those darn pucks! Liquid bleach all the way!

That one little detail is setting you up for failure down the road...
 
I was just worried with the constant drop in chlorine. I have no problem pulling them out, just don't want a green pool again! I figured since my CH was low, I could use the Cal Hypo to help bring that up a little and chlorinate, so I don't have that just sitting around, but if you think that should go too because it will affect the overall stabilization of the pool, then I am willing to do that.
 
I am new to this all as well, and don't know the negative effects of Cal Hypo, if any. I will leave that to someone else to answer. I do know what constant use of trichlor will do though. Great to use while your on vacation or something. Not for day to day use though.

I know I am too spacey to consistently add bleach to the pool every day. I would flake out and start forgetting in a month. Thats why I bought a SWG!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, btw. Your CYA is your big issue right now. You need to get it up to stop losing all your FC. The trichlor will do this slowly. Just make sure you stop using it once you are at a good level. Or better yet, just add some granular CYA.

- - - Updated - - -

Edit... Nevermind, you added it already and it hasnt dissolved...
 
Welcome, Rec!

Since you're working toward getting CH up to goal levels, plus raising CYA, in this case no real reason not to use the leftover cal hypo, or the pucks for that matter ...so long as you're accounting for the CYA the pucks will add so that you don't overshoot your target.

However, do you plan to make a controlled addition of CH to get up to a protective level more quickly? My pool's vinyl so I'm no expert on calcium but I believe for your surface you don't want to tarry with low Calcium, because so-doing makes your water aggressive. (Check pool school but I believe you need to be around 300 ppm).

I'm assuming you added borates for conditioning purposes. In a perfect world, I'd have suggested you'd done that last, after you had your CH, TA and CYA where you wanted it.

For now, since you've made so many additions close together, you're likely best to let things rest a bit and simply add the calcium, test ph and FC daily, and add enough FC daily to target:

Here's where you might prefer the control you get with liquid chlorine/bleach versus pucks because you immediately get to your target FC and can dose to account for the FC loss from the sun...count on losing about 3 ppm-ish a day, though every pool is different. Be sure to "assume" the CYA is already there in the amount you dosed to, and use that number in the FC:CYA chart for your target range. You'll get a feel over a short time for how much you pool needs each day. I found it helpful to keep a log at first to "see" what baseline normal looked like for my pool.

Bring your ph down as needed using muriatic acid.

Wait a week or so to let everything settle and get a feel for how fast your ph rises, then consider whether you want to actively lower your TA or not. It will lower over time as a natural consequence of lowering your ph with muriatic acid.

With that said, TFP methods include operating with a lower TA level because its more compatible when you're using liquid chlorine/bleach -- so ranges in 60 - 90 ppm are just fine. -- Pucks are acidic and push down the ph, which is why pool stores recommend higher TA than the levels you'll hear here -- they're kinda single-threaded ;)

Cheers to clear ;)
 
RecTec, welcome :wave:. Regardless of what you have added to your pool in the past, the TF-100 results speak for themselves. Good that you got that kit! :goodjob:. So, what to do now? Here's my suggestions:
- Watch your CYA closely for the next 5-7 days! Between 30-50 is ideal; It takes about a week to fully register; You've added quite a bit (liquid and granule) and you do NOT want to over-shoot 50.
- Stop using pucks or anything else that has stabilizer in it until you know your new CYA level in about a week
- Rely solely on liquid chlorine to maintain your FC level (it's pure sanitizer w/ no side effects)
- Remember that Cal-hypo can be used at times, but will also raise your CH; since you are below your CH window it should be okay for now
- PH is right at the top, so don't let it get any higher

Once CYA is good, you will still lose "some" chlorine every day due to the sun in lovely CA. It's normal. But it won't be as much. We TFP'ers always have to feed our pool some chlorine every day to keep them happy and clear.

Maintain the recommended levels for your pool and you should be good. If it ever gets cloudy, read-up on SLAM immediately and stick to liquid bleach to resolve. Best of luck!
 
I would suggest giving it time as you fine tune things, and your CYA comes up your daily chlorine use should come down, unless you have something trying to grow in your pool, maybe algae hidden in a poor circulation nook.
 
Hi, welcome to TFP! Keep a close eye on your pH. It is at the top of the range and you don't want it getting higher. Bring it down to 7.0 and test it daily. If you are right back at 7.8 in a day or two then you will need to work on lowering TA.

Bring the CH up to 250ppm. How much cal-hypo do you still have lying around? It appears your fill water is low in CH, and cal-hypo will keep as long as it is kept dry. Hang on to it to boost your CH level if needed after heavy rain. Get some calcium chloride or calcium dihydrate and bring your CH to 250ppm.

Start squeezing that sock to get the CYA dissolved. You can keep the pucks in until your CYA reaches 30-40ppm, after that save the pucks for vacations or for when you will be away from the pool for an extended period of time. Pucks will keep as long as they are kept dry.

To recap:
1. raise CH to 250
2. lower pH to 7.0 and test daily
3. monitor CYA. If it still reads < 30 in a week adjust as needed.

Use PoolMath to determine how much chemical to add.
 
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