Need some salt and swg help, new to this

[PuppyLove]

Hi, I'm new to this. I've been reading and learning but I'm still having some issues. I grew up with a pool but haven't had one since I was a teen. I'm almost 50 and we just put one up a couple of weeks ago and I've never done saltwater.
The pool is a 15' round 52" high and holds 5,300 gallons.
On 5/21 we filled the pool.
On 5/23 I took a sample to the pool store to see where I was starting. I added 1# of baking soda and 1 gallon of bleach to start.
On 5/24 I added 3 bags of salt.
On 5/25 I started the swg at 50% for 6 hrs a day, filter is running 12 hrs a day. (My swg only tells me % and high or low salt, it's not fancy).
On 5/30 I took up another sample (I didn't have my test kit yet) and added 2# baking soda and another gallon of bleach.

I received my Tayor K-2006C test kit and on 6/3 I tried doing the tests myself. The chlorine part was confusing so I did it twice.
Once with a 10ml sample, came up with .5 for both free and combined. Did it again with the 25ml sample and came up with .2 for both.
Ph was 7.6
TA was 90
Salt was 2800
I need to retest the calcium because I didn't get the right colors and saw after the fact how to fix that.
I did not test the CYA as I hadn't yet put any in.

Took another sample up yesterday to see if they came up with same thing I did, They said I had no chlorine, salt was 2800, PH was good.
Came home and vacuumed the pool. Added 2 gallons of bleach and half of a bottle of CYA into the skimmer (about .75#). Got in and finally enjoyed the pool. The filter has been running since yesterday morning. Swg ran longer yesterday, and is on again today, still at 50%.

My water is crystal clear, but we are starting a stretch of 90 heat and the pool sits in the full sun all day and I know that can change quickly. I understand that the SWG wont run correctly until the levels are not right.
Should I bump up the % or run time until I get everything to the right levels? I'm still really confused by most of this as I've never done saltwater before.
Any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! The bottle of CYA, was it liquid or granules?

 

[PuppyLove]

Welcome to TFP! The bottle of CYA, was it liquid or granules?

Granules

 

[Mdragger88]

Welcome!
That’s only about 17ppm of cya, you’ll need at least 60ppm to prevent the sun from depleting your fc.
Use PoolMath to calculate additions.
We recommend the sock method to add stabilizer as dumping it (or any chemicals) in the skimmer is risky & if you backwash/ clean the filter too soon you lose most of it. Do this in stages so you don’t over shoot your target.
Sock method = Get a sock or knee high etc, put the granular stabilizer in it, tie a knot & hang it infront of a return. (I Use a binder clip to secure it to the top rail). Squeeze the sock every now & then until it dissolves.
U can/should Use liquid chlorine immediately to bump the fc up to the associated level for your newly added cya while it’s dissolving.
FC/CYA Levels
A salt water chlorine generator isn’t really designed to go from zero to target - it’s designed to maintain a normal fc demand (roughly 2-4ppm/day). So always use liquid chlorine to bump it up & then allow the swg to maintain the level.

 

[PuppyLove]

So you're saying to add the rest of the CYA?
How long do I run the filter for? And the swg?
Do I need to add more chlorine also?

 

[Mdragger88]

So you're saying to add the rest of the CYA?
How long do I run the filter for? And the swg?
Do I need to add more chlorine also?

Yes, sort of your end goal is 60 or 70 ppm but you want to go in stages so you don’t over shoot cya.
You already added approx. 17ppm (calculated) so add about 20 ppm more or so via the sock method- that should put you around 40 -50 ppm so your new fc target would increase.
As cya increases the level of fc that u need to maintain also increases.
We follow this chart FC/CYA Levels
Use the liquid chlorine portion of the chart to be on the safe side while you’re figuring things out.
Re test cya in a day or so & see where u landed. W/ the sock method you just need to run the pump until its completely dissolved into the water (sock is empty) & has circulated a bit.
You will just have to see if your swg will maintain the proper target while u go through this process - if not you would need to supplement w/ liquid chlorine.
You haven’t added your equipment to your signature so I am not sure what your swg is capable of based on your pool size.

The bottom line is that chlorine is paramount & must always be maintained according to the fc/cya chart lest algae & other nasties will grow.
You need to test fc daily & supplement if necessary to ensure you never go below the minimum listed for your current cya.

Here’s some more important reading
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

 

[PuppyLove]

Thank you! This is all so confusing and I appreciate any and all help.
I have not had a chance yet to re-test anything since adding it in on Saturday. We also have a lot of rain coming in the next few days and the pool is getting over full, I'm not sure what to do about that either. Salt was already at the lower end at 2800.
I think I need to run up and grab some chlorine since I am out of bleach.
Thank you for the reminder to finish filling out the signature.

 

[PuppyLove]

My biggest question is, should I even be bothering to run the swg until l get the levels right? If so, should I bump up the percentage or run time? Doing 6 hrs at 50% at the moment.

 

[Mdragger88]

Yes- run the swg & test EVERY Day to see if it’s keeping up to target. If not supplement w/ liquid chlorine to reach target & adjust the swg accordingly. You never want fc to go to/below minimum for your cya as that is asking for trouble.
6hrs @ 50% is just as good/same as 3hrs @ 100%. Really Just Depends on how long u want to run your pump & what is the simplest for you. When you get it figured out then you can space testing out to every couple days or so.
When you anticipate a heavy bather load or lots of debris dose to a little higher than target for your cya w/ liquid chlorine & check again to see where u are when the party’s over. The swg is designed to create chlorine slowly over an extended period so for a quick rise liquid chlorine is the way to go.
Better to have a little extra fc than not enough.

 

[PuppyLove]

Thank you! I just ran a sample up to be tested thinking that I may need to buy some chlorine. They said everything is perfect, so I'm going to test again myself and see if I can replicate the results.
Now I have a new problem... bees! Off to look at more posts for this issue....

 

[Major_in_MS]

Now I have a new problem... bees! Off to look at more posts for this issue....

I just happen to be a beekeeper.

If you are talking about honeybees, do you know which of your neighbors keeps bees? If so, you can have a conversation with them, there are easy ways for a beekeeper to provide a closer and attractive water source for their bees. The bees will use the water source closest to their hive.

If you don't know the source of the bees. Bees don't like to fly when it is raining, so you can simulate rainfall with a simple water sprinkler. I'm talking about the ones like this.
You can run the sprinkler around your pool when the bees are active and it will encourage them to find another source of water. Once they start using another source, they will usually stick with it. You can run the sprinkler for an hour of so before using the pool also to help.

You could also set up a simple recirculating fountain in another area of your yard, put some pea gravel in it to prevent the bees from drowning and even pour a bucket of your pool water into it to attract the bees to it. For some reason they like the salt and chlorine and calcium that is in our pools.

 

[Mdragger88]

I just ran a sample up to be tested thinking that I may need to buy some chlorine. They said everything is perfect, so I'm going to test again myself and see if I can replicate the results.

What’s “perfect” by the pool store standards may not be/ is probably not completely cohesive with TFP’s Recommended Levels
Trust your testing.
It’s reliable, repeatable, & available on a daily basis.

 

[PuppyLove]

What’s “perfect” by the pool store standards may not be/ is probably not completely cohesive with TFP’s Recommended Levels
Trust your testing.
It’s reliable, repeatable, & available on a daily basis.

I came home and did my own testing to compare and everything was pretty good except the cya, either I'm doing something wrong or it's nowhere near it should be yet. They said it was fine, and I'm afraid to go over, so I'm thinking I should take the other posters advice and add the other half bottle tomorrow?

 

[Texas Splash]

Just in case ..........

CYA Testing:
Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Use the mixing bottle to gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Recommend standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body at waist level. Then, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. To help the eyes and prevent staring at the dot, some people find it better to pour & view in stages. Pour some solution into the viewing tube, look away, then look back again for the dot. Repeat as necessary until you feel the dot is gone. After the first CYA test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, gently shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate your own CYA reading. Finally, if you still doubt your own reading, have a friend do the test with you and compare results.

 

[PuppyLove]

I just happen to be a beekeeper.

If you are talking about honeybees, do you know which of your neighbors keeps bees? If so, you can have a conversation with them, there are easy ways for a beekeeper to provide a closer and attractive water source for their bees. The bees will use the water source closest to their hive.

If you don't know the source of the bees. Bees don't like to fly when it is raining, so you can simulate rainfall with a simple water sprinkler. I'm talking about the ones like this.
You can run the sprinkler around your pool when the bees are active and it will encourage them to find another source of water. Once they start using another source, they will usually stick with it. You can run the sprinkler for an hour of so before using the pool also to help.

You could also set up a simple recirculating fountain in another area of your yard, put some pea gravel in it to prevent the bees from drowning and even pour a bucket of your pool water into it to attract the bees to it. For some reason they like the salt and chlorine and calcium that is in our pools.

Thank you for all of the ideas! I actually happened to talk to the neighbor tonight who I *think* they belong to, he told me there are also several other people nearby that have bees. He said he's had bees for a long time and never knew that bees like salt water. So he's going to come over tomorrow after work and we're going to put our heads together and see what we can come up with. But I very very much appreciate your other suggestions, and just may try the sprinkler one or get one of those things that float in your pool like a solar powered fountain.. thank you!

Just in case ..........

Thank you! I actually have had my back to the setting sun and doing it in the shade, so I've got that part right! The mixture just doesn't get cloudy at all, but I will try letting it rest 30 seconds and see if that helps. It did not say that in the directions but I will try that. I was getting the solution all the way to the top and still seeing the dot perfectly so maybe there's just not enough in there yet? Someone else had stated that half of the bottle wasn't going to be enough so I was surprised that the pool place said it was good.

My salt seemed to increase this time which I thought was odd since I haven't added any more. In fact I was worried about it being diluted with all of the rain. I will get this! You all have been so helpful!

 

[Texas Splash]

If the CYA test continues to appear weak in the viewing tube 24 hrs after adding stabilizer, you might have to add about 10-15 ppm worth of stabilizer to be sure the dot disappears where you want it to. Best to go in stages so that you don't over-shoot y our desired CYA goal.