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RTR Deuce

Active member
Jul 1, 2021
35
North Alabama
Pool Size
36000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Greetings all,

I purchased the Tayloy k---"c" kit regrettably before finding this website. It is due-in Wednesday. I didn't feel like I could wait that long to have the water tested so I took it to a local pool company. Here are the results:

  • FC: 0.8 (uh oh?)
  • pH: 7.3
  • TA: 54 (* has been adjusted due to the effect of CYA on tested Total Alkalinity, whatever that means)
  • CH: 99
  • CYA: 60
I plan on following the advice given by the PoolMath calculator and will reconcile the FC first with the 345 oz of household bleach at 6% concentrate. I will wait 10 minutes and add the borax required to raise the pH, and repeat the process for the baking soda required to fix the Alkalinity. I haven't had much time to read over the entire wealth of knowledge here so I need quick answers before I mess something up. I have a waterco sand filter that normally operates around 12 psi if that matters. Also, there is no main drain at the bottom of the deep end, only one skimmer. It is a vinyl inground pool 18x36 ~24000 gallons by my best estimate. Being a vinyl liner, should I be concerned that the calcium hardness is only at 99 out of the recommended 300? In addition, the CYA is high (previous owner used pucks), but not out of tolerance. I imagine I will leave that alone and let backwashes and water changes correct that. Local pool company says the phosphates are elevated but not crazy and TFP says not to worry with it, so I won't but will continue to monitor.

Glad to have found the place and look forward to managing my very first pool with the help of you fine folk.

Thanks!
 
Welcome to TFP! :wave: Don't worry about adjusting much until your kit arrives, although adding the chlorine sounds like a good thing. No worries about just a skimmer (me too), and no, vinyl doesn't need calcium so money saved there. CYA probably good for summer, so just keep the FC balanced as noted on the FC/CYA Levels. We'll watch for your K-2006 test numbers when teh kit arrives. :swim:

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Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!
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Texas Splash said:
Welcome to TFP! :wave: Don't worry about adjusting much until your kit arrives, although adding the chlorine sounds like a good thing. No worries about just a skimmer (me too), and no, vinyl doesn't need calcium so money saved there. CYA probably good for summer, so just keep the FC balanced as noted on the FC/CYA Levels. We'll watch for your K-2006 test numbers when teh kit arrives. :swim:

www.troublefreepool.com

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...

Thanks you for the reply, sir. So, based on the reading of 60 for my CYA and bouncing it off of that chart, I should aim to have my FC at a minimum of 5 and ideally withing 7-9?
 
RTR Deuce said:
Thanks you for the reply, sir. So, based on the reading of 60 for my CYA and bouncing it off of that chart, I should aim to have my FC at a minimum of 5 and ideally withing 7-9?
Click to expand...
You got it - aim for the higher end of the range to be safe. A pH in the 7's is fine - it'll naturally rise with time and aeration (splashing.)

You'd really benefit from a SWCG to maintain chlorine levels and also benefit from the higher CYA.
 
Quick update. I added the recommended amount of bleach yesterday. I poured it slowly in front of a jet, took about 1:15 per gallon or so. This morning I noticed the psi was around 20 so I backwashed it and it dropped down to 8 psi. Is it safe to assume that 8 psi is the normal operating pressure level? I'm fairly confident in my ability to read, understand, and apply chemical fixes. What I am not comfortable with is hardware. I'm thinking about asking a local small business guy to come out, check everything out for me and give the run down. Would you suggest that?
 
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A backwash isn't always effective - a full deep clean is necessary to really understand the clean PSI.
You don't mention your type of filter, nor how long it's been in use. It could be totally wrecked or pretty clean - no way to know without cracking it open and cleaning.
 
Reggie, I did mention in the original post that it is a Waterco sand filter. I have no idea how old the filter is but I can guess ~13 years?

Would it be wise to clean the filter following the "deep cleaning a sand filter" guide posted here?
 
RTR, if your filter is ~13 years old and never been deep cleaned or inspected, I would do that now before your kit arrives. Below is the link to show you how that's done.

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Got the kit in and ran the test.

PoolMath Logs

troublefreepool.com

Not sure if that works. I never could get a reading on the FAC... I stopped at 6 scoops of reagent. I put a drop of the same bleach I put in the pool last week and it lit up pink quickly. Shall I follow the recommendations of the app?

Also, pool pump went out yesterday. I cleaned the impeller and she fired up, kinda proud of that!
 
That looks about right. For additions that large I usually add half the amount. Wait 15 - 20 min and test again. Especially if you don't have a lot of experience with the tests. Not so critical when you are adding LC since it's hard to go wrong. A lot more critical for big swings in PH, TA or CYA.
 
DorsalSpine said:
That looks about right. For additions that large I usually add half the amount. Wait 15 - 20 min and test again. Especially if you don't have a lot of experience with the tests. Not so critical when you are adding LC since it's hard to go wrong. A lot more critical for big swings in PH, TA or CYA.
Click to expand...
So I was unable to follow up test after adding last week, but I'm kind of shocked to find no chlorine available after adding almost 3 gallons? Does that seem OK?

I will amend everything as suggested by the app. We are getting a ton of rain, however. Should I wait for that to clear up?
 
You need to test daily until you get a feel for typical usage due to swimmer load and the sun. Rain doesn't affect the FC much. Under normal circumstances it just doesn't add that much water. Double check your CYA level as well. It doesn't change much unless you are removing a lot of water.

I have kept a daily log for the last eight years or so. It's just a small (4" x 4") ring binder that stays with my test kit. Now I only check it every other day or so since I have a good idea of what has happened in the past.

The three gallons just got you up to a normal level. You might need to add a 1 - 2 quarts per day depending on consumption. Like I said, check daily rain or shine until you have a track record.
 
Right on. I paid for the unlimited logs for 7 bucks a year and will use that for record keeping. The pool water is very high, so I'll have to drain some off before fixing the chemistry. This did make me think, though. What benefit does waste have over backwash for a multivalve pump? If I have to lower the level, should I always take that as an opportunity to backwash? Is it possible to backwash too frequent?
 
FAC is confounding me. I made a couple of applications to bring the FAC up to 5.4 as I went to bed. This morning, without testing, I added 121 oz of 7.5 and to my surprise, when I tested after work, I received a 3.6 when I expected an 8.5.

I think something is eating my chlorine faster than I can replace it? CYA is a little elevated at 60 and the pH should be 7.7 now.
 
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