New pool, first swg

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D

debom

Member
Aug 24, 2023
18
N. Florida
Pool Size
8500
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hello,
This is my first swg and first in ground pool. I'm struggling with the pH and cya (finally down some) and alkalinity.

FC 13.5
pH 8.4
TA. 125
CH 350
CYA 80 (BUT HAS BEEN OVER 90 X 3 WKS)
SALT. 3360

It has been under my control (free from PB) for 4 weeks. pH has been 8.4 every week and CYA has been high until today. All other numbers were WNL. I get pH in check with MA. Today, however, I have these numbers so I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong. Thanks for any guidance.
 
Can you confirm how you're testing your water please?

How did your CYA level get so high? What steps are you taking to lower your CYA level?

The pH test is invalid when FC levels are above 10 ppm. It will show it false high reading. Let your FC drift down below 10 and test pH.

Check out the FC/CYA Levels and...

www.troublefreepool.com

What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
It sounds like you are now using muriatic acid, but have dry acid listed in your pool math logs. Discontinue use of dry acid. It can result in a buildup of sulfates which can damage pool components, including your very expensive SWG cell.
 
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I'm using a Taylor kit. I used the dry until I read on here that dry MA was bad !!! So yes I stopped. IDK how it got high. How did CYA come down? No idea except torrential downpours, maybe? Oh today's pH reading is actually 8.4, even though it said 7.4. I figured out how to fix the values. It says I added dry today, I didn't. idk why it's on there. I figured out how to fix the incorrect values. I also have a gauge that is supposed to read pH over 8. Not sure how accurate it is. But the Taylor kit is only as good as the color chart...so really dark pink.
 
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debom said:
I'm using a Taylor kit. I used the dry until I read on here that dry MA was bad !!! So yes I stopped. How did CYA come down? No idea except torrential downpours, maybe? Oh today's pH reading is actually 8.4, even though it says 7.4.
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It says I added dry today, I didn't. idk why it's on there. I figured out how to fix the incorrect values. I also have a gauge that is supposed to read pH over 8. Not sure how accurate it is. But the Taylor kit is only as good as the color chart...so really dark pink.
 
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Allow your FC to drop below 10 ppm and test pH. If it still reads high, assume pH is 8.2 and add enough MA to lower pH to 7.6, then retest.

If you're having problems setting your SWG runtimes and percentage, go to Pool Math, Effects of Adding and select SWG. Set pool volume and select your 1.4 lbs for 24 hour output. Make adjustments to percentage and hours to generate about 4 ppm of FC daily. Test and adjust for daily loss.
 
Wow, that was interesting. If I did it correctly, and if I understand what I did, running 24 h swg is at 21% to get 4.1 ppm. Here's where I may sound really dumb...does that percentage mean 21% is where I put my flow rate on the pump? Because the PB had it on 50%.
 
For now, shut off swg so FC drops below 10. When you're ready to restart, set it at 20% output. That should give you around 4 ppm FC per day. That may be too much, so monitor and adjust down from there.

1000006094.jpg
 
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CreedenceTapes said:
Florida sun can cook off 10-15 ppm of CYA a month in the summer if your pool gets a lot of sunlight.
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That's good. It should come down in time. I was more curious how it got so high in the first place. I just assumed that the PB overshot the amount of stabilizer at opening.

To Op: make sure you do not add dichlor or trichlor to the pool. These will increase CYA level.
 
Ok. Thank you all so much! It may sound paranoid but I kind of felt like my PB wanted me to have them service the pool. But it's small and in a pool cage so.... I mean, I should be able to handle it.
 
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debom said:
Ok. Thank you all so much! It may sound paranoid but I kind of felt like my PB wanted me to have them service the pool. But it's small and in a pool cage so.... I mean, I should be able to handle it.
Click to expand...

Zero doubt, you can do it, and as @Rancho Cost-a-Lotta implied, you'll do a better job. Pool-care businesses have to operate with profit margins in mind. It's not just them, it's the nature of business in general. This means they do what they can as quickly as possible to keep your water swimmable till their next visit. If that causes long-term issues that could have been avoided with a little more care, that's not really a big deal for them. They can charge you extra for those.
 
Again, thank you. My numbers look better today, although maybe a hair too much MA. I'm sure I'll be back before long!!
 
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