New and Chasing Balance

[jgates237]

1245 fc: 11
1345 FC: 10
1445 FC: 7 adding 179oz of liquid chlorine as per Pool Math
1645 FC: 9 adding 107oz as per PM. FC holding better

This morning my FC was 7.5. Added 171 oz. Pool is much clearer so I was able to get the last of the lingering spots of algae that I couldn't see yesterday. I think I'm almost there and anxious to do the overnight test once the water is fully clear.

This site has been excellent. Thanks everyone!

 

[Pool Tool]

Your diligence is paying off. Stay at it and this will be a distant memory soon. Looking at the road you've traveled to get here it is well deserved and your pool will be all the better because of it. Soon you will be bored with your perfect water and posting help to a forum

Great job.

 

[tim5055]

With all the knowledge you have gained, stick around and help others. It won't be too long before there are more people asking questions than there are folks to answer them.

Great job!

 

[jgates237]

I'll certainly help out if I can.

My latest...1330 today: FC:8, CC:.5, CYA:20. Added just over a gal to get it back up to Target FC for 30 CYA however I'm really below 20 as per my test.

The CYA kinda concerns me as it's real sunny out. I added about 2.5lbs yesterday as per PM but the reading is still low today. I also redid the test and practiced pouring into the tube a few times, still less than 20. Does it take awhile for the CYA to take effect? Also, the sock program, do you hold it in front of the return and keep squeezing it until it's all gone or do you just leave it alone and allow it to dissipate over time?

Thanks

 

[Pool Tool]

Cya can take up to a week to show up in a test. Once you add it, just assume it's there for that week. I leave mine hang in front of the return for an hour or so then inevitably go squeeze until it is gone.

 

[mknauss]

CYA takes a little while to show up. You can squeeze the sock to get it to dissolve. You should be able to test for it 48 hours after it is fully dissolved by using the sock method.

Some say it takes 7 days, but that is based on the method shown on the CYA packaging of sprinkling it in to your skimmer. Not a good idea.

Take care.

 

[jgates237]

Just wanted to provide a little bit of feedback after my first rodeo (SLAM) here on TFP. It took a bit of understanding and patience on my part but the end result is more than I ever imagined. I can't believe how crystal clear my pool water has turned out. It is absolutely the clearest I've ever seen it. I just got done with the SLAM and now I'm adjusting the TA and PH to target ppm's but so far it looks unreal. Thanks to everyone who has provided guidance to this point, this website has been fantastic. I'll certainly be around with more questions as I'm sure I'll be needing more assistance in the future.

Thanks again,

- - - Updated - - -

 

[tim5055]

I'm glad you have found our information helpful and have saved money over the pool store and their sales, please consider making a donation to TFP.
We are staffed by volunteers and are registered as an IRS 501 (c) (3) charity and donations are what keep the electrons flowing.

These donations are what keeps TFP free of Ads and allows us to continue to turn away money from companies who don't fit into the TFP system.

 

[Richard320]

Just wanted to provide a little bit of feedback after my first rodeo (SLAM) here on TFP. It took a bit of understanding and patience on my part but the end result is more than I ever imagined. I can't believe how crystal clear my pool water has turned out. It is absolutely the clearest I've ever seen it. I just got done with the SLAM and now I'm adjusting the TA and PH to target ppm's but so far it looks unreal. Thanks to everyone who has provided guidance to this point, this website has been fantastic. I'll certainly be around with more questions as I'm sure I'll be needing more assistance in the future.

Thanks again,

- - - Updated - - -

 

[jgates237]

So despite me being giddy about how clear my pool is I can't seem to keep the chlorine level up throughout the course of the day. Again the pool is crystal clear, the CC is .5, I lose perhaps 1ppm overnight but over the course of the day I lose about 2.5ppm. That said my CYA test is still showing under 20 as I can still see the dot on the bottom of the tub. I've repeated the test several times with the same results and have also added the recommended amount of stabilizer to get to 30ppm, still no joy.

As an fyi is went to the "pool store" the other day to get some liquid chlorine (Big Box stores are more expensive at 10% than the pool store's at 12.5% plus I don't have to deal with all those plastic bottles anymore) so I decided to get my water tested by them. They use a WaterLink DataMate 10 for analysis. Why I bring this up is they came up with a 44ppm for the CYA whereas mine is less than 20. This concerns me and the very reason I'm posting. Given that I'm losing chlorine over the course of the day (6ppm down to about 3.5 but very sunny out) may point to my CYA reading or <20ppm being more accurate than the pool store's of 44ppm.

Any thought on how I should proceed?

tim5055, yes I will definitely donate to TFP!

 

[Pool Tool]

Anywhere from 2-4 ppm FC loss during the day is normal. Pool store bleach - fine, pool store tests - bad. Trust your own testing, they will just make you second guess your own. Give CYA a few more days - when did you add it?

 

[JamieP]

You will always lose chlorine over the course of the day even if you don't have algae simply because of the sun. The goal is to keep your chlorine high enough so that when you lose the normal amount you still stay above your target FC level for your CYA level.

I have only been a pool owner since last spring but I have always found the CYA test to be the most tricky. I ended up buying a second view tube with some standard solution and I mix some standard solution into one tube at the 50 ppm level and use it to compare to my pool water's CYA. I was surprised to find that for me, the standard solution, following the instructions, needed more water in the tube (therefore giving a false high CYA reading) in order to fully obscure the dot. So now I just make the dot in the pool water tube match the look of the dot in the standard tube and then take my CYA reading for the pool water. I shared the same concern as you do.... if you're working off of a faulty CYA reading, especially if you think it's lower than it is, then you will unknowingly be keeping your FC too low for your SLAM.

I hope this explanation helps and doesn't confuse things for you. It's just what works for me.

Good luck with the rest of your SLAM!

 

[jgates237]

I ended up buying a second view tube with some standard solution and I mix some standard solution into one tube at the 50 ppm level and use it to compare to my pool water's CYA. I was surprised to find that for me, the standard solution, following the instructions, needed more water in the tube (therefore giving a false high CYA reading) in order to fully obscure the dot. So now I just make the dot in the pool water tube match the look of the dot in the standard tube and then take my CYA reading for the pool water. I shared the same concern as you do.... if you're working off of a faulty CYA reading, especially if you think it's lower than it is, then you will unknowingly be keeping your FC too low for your SLAM.

I hope this explanation helps and doesn't confuse things for you.

Not sure I understand what you do here? I'm very concerned about inadvertently running my CYA too high after having several tests that show it being under 20.

 

[mknauss]

Unless you have significant water exchange due to backwashing your filter (n/a as you have a cartridge filter) overflow from rain, or other losses the CYA you put in the pool is in the pool. Your water volume may be a bit different than what you think which effects what ppm you test vs how much product you put in it

If the CYA powder you have added equates to a CYA of 20ppm in your pool, then it would be advisable to add enough product to get to 40 ppm CYA. The testing of that level is much easier than at 20 ppm and it will better buffer your chlorine during the summer.

Take care.

 

[drharris]

Not sure I understand what you do here? I'm very concerned about inadvertently running my CYA too high after having several tests that show it being under 20.

I wouldn't worry about running it too high - now that you're dosing chlorine for your FC according to CYA, instead of pucks/tabs, values around 40 are a great place to be. The problems happen when people get higher and higher CYA and only maintain 3ppm FC - then the algae outbreaks occur. Just adjust your FC levels to the proper place for that CYA value and you'll be ok. When you have two results that differ, dose FC to where it will never go below the minimum level of the higher CYA number.

And seriously, don't trust pool store CYA numbers at all. I mean, if it is industrial level equipment that was professionally calibrated just a day ago, then just maybe you can trust it. But I seriously doubt that's the case here.

 

[JamieP]

Not sure I understand what you do here? I'm very concerned about inadvertently running my CYA too high after having several tests that show it being under 20.

Instead of measuring my CYA based on when I see the dot disappear and then checking the water level in the vial, I mix up a sample of the standard solution at put it in one vial at the 50 ppm level. Then I look at that dot (which, for me, isn't as obscured as I would assume it should be based on the instructions) and make the dot in my actual pool water vial match by putting in more or less water. Once they match, I take the reading on my pool sample vial and use that as my CYA.

I think folks are right that you should trust your CYA numbers based on the calculations you used in PM to get to the level you need to be for your pool size. Just start using that number and dose for FC accordingly. The trouble comes when you have to bring your CYA back up after water exchange, you need a reliable way to test your current level. For me, I know I made mistakes last year which I think contributed to my need to SLAM because doing the CYA test until the dot "disappeared" didn't work for me.