New Plaster Pool. Test Readings

[starlord83]

At the stage where my salt water plaster pool has cured for 30 days. Per PB been adding a chorine puck every couple days. Pool testing has pretty much been up to us. Not a complete set but our latest results today using the Taylor K-2005 kit are:

FC - 2
PH - 8 or higher
CYA - 110

Wondering what chemical readings I need before adding the salt and turning on SWG for the first time. Is the CYA ok for a salt water pool or do we need to drain some water and refill?

I would add, the 100+ temperatures currently here in Texas are having an impact.

Thank you!

 

[HermanTX]

Welcome to TFP.
Couple of points to address.
The CYA is too high. I am surprized it rose so high in just 30 days using pucks. I think the PB over dosed it.
For salt pool you should be no higher than 80ppm. Please see the chart and go to the SWCG tab. FC/CYA Levels

While the K2005 test kit is good, it lacks the FAS/DPD test you really need to test FC & CC more accurately. You can purchase the FAS/DPD kit separately at tftestkits.net. - FAS/DPD Chlorine Test Kit

You need to lower your pH with MA. New plaster tends to increase pH so keep an eye on your pH levels.
Please read
Pool Care Basics

Suggest you download the PoolMath app to track all your tests and to help calculate how much chemical to add based on your pool volume.

 

[HermanTX]

Forgot to add - you need to purchase the salt testing kit.
See Taylor K-1766 Salt Test Kit
Add salt in increments so you do not overshoot for your target value. Also, have the salt mix well for 2-3 days before turning on SWCG. Brush or swim often to mix it.

Back on your CYA - you may wish to drain and refill if your CYA of 110 is accurate but the test doesn’t go to 110 so it appears you are estimating. Please read up on CYA and do the dilution test.

CYA Testing - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[starlord83]

Thanks for the replies. On the CYA, with my Taylor 2005 kit, you mix up a cloudy solution of water and drops. Then pour it in the smaller tube until you can't see a black dot. The reason I picked 110 as my CYA is because the black dot disappeared before it got up to the lowest level which is 100.

To lower the CYA, we are going to try draining off one foot of water to start with and see how that impacts.

On the PH, we need to get some MA, and will gradually add it until the PH starts to go lower.

Thank you for the specific recommendation for the Tayler K-1766 kits. There are several variations and it helps to know the right one.

Good advice on salt, we are going to wait until the CYA is a bit lower.

I will study the recommended articles on CYA and Pool Care Basics. Thank you again!!!

 

[Texas Splash]

The reason I picked 110 as my CYA is because the black dot disappeared before it got up to the lowest level which is 100.

Estimating on the viewing tube doesn't quite work in equal segments. Instead, you can try a "diluted" CYA test using the link below starting at Step #8. If you do that test and see a CYA of 60 (result times 2), then you can be fairly sure your CYA is around 120. That's just one example. Either way, lowering the CYA is your first priority so that you don't waste too much chemicals. Let us know if you have any other questions.

CYA - Cyanuric Acid Test

Cyanuric Acid (CYA) is the chemical name for what is commonly referred to as Stabilizer … Read more…

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[HermanTX]

Thanks for the replies. On the CYA, with my Taylor 2005 kit, you mix up a cloudy solution of water and drops. Then pour it in the smaller tube until you can't see a black dot. The reason I picked 110 as my CYA is because the black dot disappeared before it got up to the lowest level which is 100.

To lower the CYA, we are going to try draining off one foot of water to start with and see how that impacts.

On the PH, we need to get some MA, and will gradually add it until the PH starts to go lower.

Thank you for the specific recommendation for the Tayler K-1766 kits. There are several variations and it helps to know the right one.

Good advice on salt, we are going to wait until the CYA is a bit lower.

I will study the recommended articles on CYA and Pool Care Basics. Thank you again!!!

The CYA is proportional in water. If you have to reduce it by 50% then you need to drain 50% of your water and replace.

The CYA tube is logarithmic meaning that there are not equal values between the ppm markings. Notice how the distance between 30 and 40 is larger than the distance between 80 and 90. So you really need to do a dilution test which is explaine in the CYA article. I fear your CYA is much higher so it is best to do the test and get a more accurate CYA value before you drain.

 

[starlord83]

My take away from reading the CYA article is to do your best to get an accurate reading. We have been doing the testing indoors. So first thing, we will do the test in bright sunlight with back turned to the sun. Also, will wait a bit longer (1 minute min) before doing the test. I also appreciate that you can pour the liquid back in the bottle and try the test again if unsure of result. Maybe my CYA is not as bad as it looks.

 

[HermanTX]

My take away from reading the CYA article is to do your best to get an accurate reading. We have been doing the testing indoors. So first thing, we will do the test in bright sunlight with back turned to the sun. Also, will wait a bit longer (1 minute min) before doing the test. I also appreciate that you can pour the liquid back in the bottle and try the test again if unsure of result. Maybe my CYA is not as bad as it looks.

This is in the CYA article but for quick reference this helps in CYA testing
Make your mixture as directed. Then pour it to a set known level that is higher then your current CYA. Let’s say it is 80. Pour to the 80 mark and confirm that you can see the dot. Then pour sufficient mixture to the 70 mark. Then look again. If you see the dot, continue by pouring again to the 60 mark. Do this until you do not see the dot. Then use the mark that you last saw the dot as your CYA.

This does 2 things. 1 - you only look in the tube after you pour to the next decade mark so you are not constantly looking at the dot. 2- this maintains that you only report your CYA in decade numbers. You do not want to interpret between the decade lines as it is a logarithm scale, therefore not uniform between the decade numbers.