New Pool First Time Adding Chem

[schalliol]

Our pool company has cut us free after a three hour pool school and a mountain of documentation. I've been checking out this site and knew that the single Hach strip pack they provided wasn't going to cut it, and I got a TP-100 XL and started off Silver Sponsoring. The pool company hands over the pool with a Pool Frog Leap system with a chlorine pack (chlorine tablets) and an anti-bac mineral pack running (Silver Chloride). I've read that I should switch over to a salt water chlorine generator and ditch the Frog, but we have what we have for the moment.

5 days ago, I received these results (and I turned down the chlorine earlier because it was even higher):

I got these results yesterday, and the pool looks clean and clear for now:

Pool Math Says:

• FC: Add 62 oz by volume
• pH: Add 52 oz by weight of 20 Mule Borax or 26 oz by weight of Soda Ash / Washing Soda
• TA: reduce pH to 7.0-7.2 with acid and then aerate to increase pH
• CH: Add 400 oz by weight
• CYA: Add 40 oz of Dry Stabilizer by weight or 104 oz of Liquid Stabilizer by volume

The pool company provided us with the following chemicals as labeled:

• Alkalinity Plus (Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate) 5 lbs x2
• pH Plus (Sodium Carbonate) 5 lbs
• Algaecide 60 (Poly(dimethylimino) ethylene-(dimethylimio) ethylene dichloride 40%) quart
• Phos Free 67 oz
• Scum-X 32 oz
• Metal Out quart
• Vertex Pool Shock gallon x4
• Muriatic Acid (32% HCL) gallon
• Additional Chlorine Frog Packs x2

Hopefully my signature shows that lists my pool stats, and can anyone provide some recommendations? Pool Math app helps, but it's unclear to me how inter-related the interventions recommended are. I really appreciate it!

 

[CrystalRiver]

What do you mean you "turned down" the chlorine? Do you have a generator or a chlorine dosing pump?

You can ditch the Phos Free, Scum X, and Frog products. You won't be using those in a TFP. The Vertex Shock is just 12% liquid chlorine. Make sure you read the safe handling and storage instructions for muriatic acid in TFP's Pool School.

It is urgent to get your FC up before things start growing. Use Pool Math , 12% bleach, to calculate how much. Add that much of the liquid chlorine (Vertex Shock) you have, in front of a return while the pump is running, and keep the pump on for at least 30 minutes after any additions.

 

[schalliol]

Thanks for the post! I’ve stored the muratic acid separately from the other chemicals and, among other protections.

You asked about turning up/down the chlorine, and that’s from the Frog, which is what I think you’re describing as a chlorine-infusing reservoir (if you ignore the mineral side of it). It has Trichloro-s-Triazinetrone 99% tablets and a dial about how much to release. I’ll run out there shortly and do another set of tests and post. Perhaps that will be infusing the needed chlorine? What about all the other Pool Math instructions, do you think I should be doing all of those as well? Thanks!

 

[Richard320]

The pH is in range and the 100 TA will raise it closer to the midrange if you stop feeding your pool acidic trichlor. No need to add borax or soda ash.

I'd empty all those frog packs.

Yes, raise CYA. Yes, raise FC. Yes, raise CH, but aim low. CH will come up on its own through evaporation. Just get it into acceptable range.

And congratulations on getting a good test kit and figuring out out how to use poolmath and asking before shoveling chemicals (and money) into the pool.

 

[schalliol]

Thanks for your advice!

I just now took a full sample set and got the following:

Interestingly, I just tried the pH pen I got in my TF-100 bundle, and it said that the pH was up around 8.1. I have yet to calibrate it, so I'm assuming the above result is right.

Pool Math Says:

• pH: Add 48 oz by weight of 20 Mule Borax or 24 oz by weight of Soda Ash / Washing Soda
• TA: reduce pH to 7.0-7.2 with acid and then aerate to increase pH
• CH: Add 355 oz by weight of Calcium Chloride or 29 lbs of Calcium Chloride Dihydrate
• CYA: Add 24 oz of Dry Stabilizer by weight or 62 oz of Liquid Stabilizer by volume

Since we're closer on all of these, what would you do? Thanks so much!

 

[PoolNewb2020]

As was mentioned, ignore these warnings, in fact I turned them off entirely in the settings.
PH will come up by itself with aeration and TA is very dependent on fill water.

For now add CYA to 40-50ppm range, just be careful not to overshoot.

For FC you need to add liquid chlorine daily and it's best to target the top range when doing the additions. This way there is less chance of FC dropping below the minimum level.

Soon you will find out that all you really need is liquid chlorine and muriatic acid. Occasionally CYA may need to be bumped up a little.
All the other chemical are simply not needed when using the TFP method.