New Pool, odd results?

[bubbles^2]

Completely new to this but have been reading this forum for the better part of a year or so to anticipating managing a pool. And well it's here....

I had noticed that the SWG was caked completely with deposits so I cleaned that off a few days ago.

I have both the recommended Taylor 2006c and the Taylor salt test as well.

Readings thus far are:
7/3/21
FC 9.6 ppm
CC 0.6
CYA 80
pH 7.4
CaCO3 140 ppm
I didn't have the salt test yet during this testing, but assumed it was pretty low

7/7/21
Salt 800-1000 ppm
FC 10.0
CC 0.4
CYA 80

Looking at the numbers I'm struck by how high the free Chlorine is, according the ideal charts I should be closer to 6 with my CYA being so high. The salt numbers is what I expected in terms of being pretty low.

It's not a huge pool, only 12000ish gallons, so the app notes adding about 218 lbs of salt. I plan on adding 50-100 lbs and retesting after a few hours to see how much the salt has gone up.

Beyond that I wasn't going to mess with the others until I get the salt in the right spot along with the FC.

Also just realized, I've spied some chlorine floaties around the spa and pool. I'll have to pull those next time as those are likely skewing my results a bit.

Any advice or cautions?

 

[bubbles^2]

Thank you system, updated signature to list equipment.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum.
Re-do the salt test. Your SWCG will not operate at those levels.
Your CH is way too low. No way you have that unless you filled the pool through a water softener. And your SWCG would not get any scale in it with the data you posted.
Carefully do another round of tests.

 

[bubbles^2]

Welcome to the forum.
Re-do the salt test. Your SWCG will not operate at those levels.
Your CH is way too low. No way you have that unless you filled the pool through a water softener. And your SWCG would not get any scale in it with the data you posted.
Carefully do another round of tests.

Thanks for the reply.

I was actually a bit stunned on the salt test. I repeated it twice, once it came up at 800, the next 1000. I thought it was low, but those numbers were quite low and why I ran it twice. I'm running this on a magnetic stir plate so it's being agitated consistently.

I know that this SWG was replaced "recently" due to it not working, but no clue how recently as when I cleaned off the plates it was caked with deposits. When I had the pump going and the SWG going (30%) it does say it's "chlorinating," but then the pool service has some chlorine tablets floating around as well, so there are multiple factors involved.

You're right though, the CH has got to be a false reading, the water here is very very very hard.

I'll pick up some salt (need some for the house anyways) and retest again tomorrow.

 

[mknauss]

You will have a difficult time controlling your pool water chemistry if you allow a pool service to add things. You need to decide to take control or let them do what they do. Like I said, none of those test data would lead to the results you are seeing of a scaled up SWCG or it generating as your salinity is too low. Slowly re-do the tests following the directions explicitly.

 

[bubbles^2]

You will have a difficult time controlling your pool water chemistry if you allow a pool service to add things. You need to decide to take control or let them do what they do. Like I said, none of those test data would lead to the results you are seeing of a scaled up SWCG or it generating as your salinity is too low. Slowly re-do the tests following the directions explicitly.

Oh definitely, the pool service "shouldn't" be coming by any more at this point. At this point I'm more trying to figure out what they've left me.

I'll have a good amount of time tomorrow after replacing some o-rings on two valves. I'll re-run all the testing tomorrow an get it posted. Thinking I'll pull the chlorine tablet floaties for the time being as well.

Thanks again.

 

[bubbles^2]

7/8
Pulled the chlorine floaties
Fc 8.0
Cc 0.5
PH 7.4
Ta 100 I reported this as CaCO3 in the initial post
Ca 380
Cya 80-90
Salt 800

Swg is at 30% and reporting chlorinating when pump is running. Worried that something maybe off with the swg.

 

[mknauss]

Your salt test cannot be correct if your SWCG is generating chlorine.
Explain your test procedure using the K1766.
Salt Water Test Instructions PROCEDURE: CAREFULLY READ AND FOLLOW PRECAUTIONS ON REAGENT LABELS. KEEP REAGENTS AWAY FROM CHILDREN. For 1 drop = 200 ppm Sodium Chloride. 1. Rinse and fill the plain graduated cylinder to 10 mL mark with water to be tested. 2. Add 1 drop R-0630 Chromate Indicator. Swirl to mix. Sample should turn yellow. 3. Add R-0718 Silver Nitrate Reagent dropwise, swirling and counting after each drop, until color changes from yellow to a milky salmon (brick) red. Always hold bottle in vertical position. NOTE: Do not add enough R-0718 Silver Nitrate Reagent to give a brown color. First change from yellow to a milky salmon (brick) red is the endpoint. 4. Multiply drops of R-0718 Silver Nitrate Reagent by 200. Record as parts per million (ppm) salt as sodium chloride (salt water).

Post a picture of the SWCG control screen.
Are you seeing bubbles out of the returns when the SWCG is chlorinating?

 

[wireform]

Your salt test cannot be correct if your SWCG is generating chlorine.
Explain your test procedure using the K1766.
Salt Water Test Instructions PROCEDURE: CAREFULLY READ AND FOLLOW PRECAUTIONS ON REAGENT LABELS. KEEP REAGENTS AWAY FROM CHILDREN. For 1 drop = 200 ppm Sodium Chloride. 1. Rinse and fill the plain graduated cylinder to 10 mL mark with water to be tested. 2. Add 1 drop R-0630 Chromate Indicator. Swirl to mix. Sample should turn yellow. 3. Add R-0718 Silver Nitrate Reagent dropwise, swirling and counting after each drop, until color changes from yellow to a milky salmon (brick) red. Always hold bottle in vertical position. NOTE: Do not add enough R-0718 Silver Nitrate Reagent to give a brown color. First change from yellow to a milky salmon (brick) red is the endpoint. 4. Multiply drops of R-0718 Silver Nitrate Reagent by 200. Record as parts per million (ppm) salt as sodium chloride (salt water).

Post a picture of the SWCG control screen.
Are you seeing bubbles out of the returns when the SWCG is chlorinating?

The instructions for the K-1766 confused me more then once but make sure you're using 10ml of pool water before the spinner get dropped in.

 

[bubbles^2]

Your salt test cannot be correct if your SWCG is generating chlorine.
Explain your test procedure using the K1766.
Salt Water Test Instructions PROCEDURE: CAREFULLY READ AND FOLLOW PRECAUTIONS ON REAGENT LABELS. KEEP REAGENTS AWAY FROM CHILDREN. For 1 drop = 200 ppm Sodium Chloride. 1. Rinse and fill the plain graduated cylinder to 10 mL mark with water to be tested. 2. Add 1 drop R-0630 Chromate Indicator. Swirl to mix. Sample should turn yellow. 3. Add R-0718 Silver Nitrate Reagent dropwise, swirling and counting after each drop, until color changes from yellow to a milky salmon (brick) red. Always hold bottle in vertical position. NOTE: Do not add enough R-0718 Silver Nitrate Reagent to give a brown color. First change from yellow to a milky salmon (brick) red is the endpoint. 4. Multiply drops of R-0718 Silver Nitrate Reagent by 200. Record as parts per million (ppm) salt as sodium chloride (salt water).

Post a picture of the SWCG control screen.
Are you seeing bubbles out of the returns when the SWCG is chlorinating?

I measure out 10ml of pool water in the tube provided. I drop in a magnetic stirrer and place the tube on a hot plate/stirrer I have. Start stirring. 1 drop of r630 turns the water yellow. 1 drop of r718 it goes cloudy. By the fourth drop of r718 it turns salmon.

I'll post a picture shortly, but meanwhile it says chlorinating 30%. And I do see bubbles.

 

[bubbles^2]

I measure out 10ml of pool water in the tube provided. I drop in a magnetic stirrer and place the tube on a hot plate/stirrer I have. Start stirring. 1 drop of r630 turns the water yellow. 1 drop of r718 it goes cloudy. By the fourth drop of r718 it turns salmon.

I'll post a picture shortly, but meanwhile it says chlorinating 30%. And I do see bubbles.

I have a TDS meter that I'm using to monitor a reverse osmosis system, I know TDS isn't directly correlated to the salt levels, but I think I'll bring it along to see if it can give me some insight.

 

[bubbles^2]

I have a TDS meter that I'm using to monitor a reverse osmosis system, I know TDS isn't directly correlated to the salt levels, but I think I'll bring it along to see if it can give me some insight.

TDS 962

 

[mknauss]

What does the chlorinator show for salt ppm?

 

[bubbles^2]

What does the chlorinator show for salt ppm?

I haven't found a way to get the truclear to show salt ppm, I'm not sure if actually displays a number. It looks like if my salt level is really this low it should be displaying an error message saying the salt is too low.

I have a salinity meter in the mail and should be here by the end of the weekend.

 

[bubbles^2]

I haven't found a way to get the truclear to show salt ppm, I'm not sure if actually displays a number. It looks like if my salt level is really this low it should be displaying an error message saying the salt is too low.

I have a salinity meter in the mail and should be here by the end of the weekend.

Going to check fc and salt again today. The swg ran with the pump last night. If the swg is working salt should be the same or less. If fc falls a bit then I think those chlorine floaties were there for a reason and I guess a call to jandy on Monday is in order.

 

[bubbles^2]

OK....

Fc 6
Salt 800

Going to not change anything and recheck tomorrow. If fc plummets further the swg isn't working or at least isn't keeping up. I'll crank it up tomorrow to 80% and retest again the day after, for further confirmation.

Anyone know if the truclear take fc into account? Or does it just keep cranking away at a low rate?

Also if the swg isn't working is there any reason to dump salt?

Good news is the day counter on the swg notes roughly 500 days so there should be a warranty still.

 

[mknauss]

The SWCG has no idea what the FC is in your pool water.
It creates the chlorine you tell it to via the % setting and pump run time.

I struggle that your SWCG is operating with a 800 ppm salinity.

 

[bubbles^2]

The SWCG has no idea what the FC is in your pool water.
It creates the chlorine you tell it to via the % setting and pump run time.

I struggle that your SWCG is operating with a 800 ppm salinity.

I'm starting to have my doubt's that the swg is functioning. I'm going to be flirting with the floor with fc a bit if it drops again tonight and doesn't do anything when I crank it to 80% tomorrow.

I haven't messed with the pump run time, and from looking at it, I think its enough.

120 GPM for 6 hrs in the evening
30 GPM for 3 hrs in the early am

If anything i thought that could be a bit much as that should turn over the total pool 4 times.

 

[mknauss]

How much salt have you added?

 

[bubbles^2]

How much salt have you added?

None. I picked up 6 bags, but haven't added any. Trying to decide if I should, if the swg isn't working then it makes sense why there was two chlorine floaties in the pool. But with my cya so high, I'm not sure it makes sense to keep them there. If the swg isn't working does adding salt make sense?

Then again how can the swg work if there's no salt to begin with ...

Actually wait, my fc dropped from 8 to 6 overnight with the swg running at 30%. While 6 is likely a better fc than > 8, I think we've established that the swg is not going to keep up.

Anyone see any issue with dumping some salt or all the salt and setting the swg to 80% for tonight and then rechecking tomorrow?