New Pool Owner - First Water Test

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MITBeta said:
How did your CYA go from 40-50 yesterday to 30 today? I wouldn't use any more Trichlor tabs or anything else with stabilizer in it until you're confident in your CYA readings.
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I'm not convinced my CYA reading of 40-50 was accurate. When the new water was delivered, there was no stabilizer in it at all. I added 4 lbs of granular stabilizer, and according to the math on the product, adding 4 lbs to 16,000 gallons of water would raise the CYA to 30 ppm. So I'm thinking I misread the test when I did it. How could it be any higher than 30 ppm if that's how the math worked out in "new" (untreated) water?
 
KBoy420 said:
My k-2005 test kit is showing bromine. I'll be honest, I only have 3 days experience testing pool water, so perhaps I'm doing it wrong, but that's what my comparator block is showing me.
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The block measures chlorine or bromine in the same window. You don’t have both, you test based on whichever chemical you’re using and adding to the water. So assuming you haven’t added any bromine, the chlorine number is the one you want to use. Ignore the “Br” numbers on the block.
 
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magiteck said:
The block measures chlorine or bromine in the same window. You don’t have both, you test based on whichever chemical you’re using and adding to the water. So assuming you haven’t added any bromine, the chlorine number is the one you want to use. Ignore the “Br” numbers on the block.
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Wow - feel pretty dumb on this one lol. Correct, there is no bromine in the pool, only chlorine. Thanka for setting me straight and forcing me to learn more. This really is a great forum and I see why you all say ditch the pool store guys.
 
KBoy420 said:
I can just order the FAS/DPD powder/reagent and use the large vial on the comparator block that came with my K-2005, correct?
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Actually, the FAS-DPD comes with its own "Chlorine Only" tube.
 
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CraigChing said:
If you have any in-between pics of your pool reno, I’m sure the crowd here would find them interesting!
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I'll start a new thread.

Re-Opening a Pool After 10 Years (Pic Thread)

Hi All, Great forum you've got here and learning a ton already. Thank you to those who helped me get squared away with water testing. Several have asked for pics of my pool renovation so thought I'd share them here. This is a 27-ft pool that was initially installed in 1993. It was used until...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Hi All,

I know this thread is getting long but wanted to post new test results and get some advice.

Firstly, I'd just like to ask to understand why the pool store test results are so different than my own. They use some automatic tester that spits out a report - they arent actually using the drop test and reading results like I am. I want to become self-sufficient and not need them to double-check my results, but just curious why they are always different. For example, their test is saying my FC is 2.37 ppm and my TC is 5.39 ppm so I have an issue with my CC at 3.02 ppm. Just curious, and have decided I'm going to learn to handle this all myself with all of your help.

So here are my readings from last night:

FC - 3 ppm
TC - 3 ppm
CC - 0 ppm
pH - 7.8
H - 140 ppm
TA - 180 ppm
CYA - 30 ppm

So my TA is high. pH has dropped a bit since last week. You will also notice my chlorine levels have dropped substantially from last week.

Should I start adding muriatic acid to lower the alkalinity and am I otherwise balanced enough?

Any thoughts on adding more stabilizer to raise that 30 ppm up a bit more? Seems like I could use more based on how fast the chlorine is being used up (going from 15 ppm to 3 ppm in 4 days.

Thanks all!
 
Don't bother trying to understand why/how the pool store does what they do or arrive at those numbers. You'll go nuts. :crazy: Some use calibrated test equipment that may be off calibration, some use drop testing under poor lighting and/or seasonal employees who are in a hurry. The printouts say what the company wants them to say based off of industry standards that do not take into account all pool, equipment, and environmental factors. Always refer to your own home testing. It will always be more consistent.

For the TA, when it's high it can allow the pH to rise too fast every few days. So if your pH is climbing too fast,, then sure, go a head and lower the TA a little. As for the CYA, if your pool gets a lot of intense sunshine and heat, then you can raise the CYA to 40 and that may help the FC hold a little better. Just remember that if you do increase the CYA, make sure to keep the FC balanced accordingly as noted on the FC/CYA Levels.

www.troublefreepool.com

Lower Total Alkalinity

A lower Total Alkalinity level can help a pool owner stabalize their pH increase. We'll explain how to lower TA with a little help from muriatic acid.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Got it, thanks. My pH has actually lowered from 8 to 7.8 so I'm kind of inclined to not mess with the alkalinity. The pool also does get very direct and intense sun for most of the day, so I think I will bump up the CYA to 40 (maybe even 50) and follow the CYA/FC chart to keep my Cl in-line.
 
Just making sure you understand the consumable nature of chlorine. You mention adjust pH, TA, CYA but you never once address the ABSOLUTE most important thing in your pool.......chlorine.

If you move the CYA to 50 (I would) you absolutely must move the minimum FC according to the FC/CYA chart.....I think it's about 5 ppm.
 
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duraleigh said:
Just making sure you understand the consumable nature of chlorine. You mention adjust pH, TA, CYA but you never once address the ABSOLUTE most important thing in your pool.......chlorine.

If you move the CYA to 50 (I would) you absolutely must move the minimum FC according to the FC/CYA chart.....I think it's about 5 ppm.
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Yes, I guess I hadn't originally realized just how much chlorine (and frequency) was required, but can clearly see now by my test results.

Does the forum recommend one type of chlorine over another? Up till now I had just been using generic liquid chlorine (10%) with 3-in tabs in my floater. So I should expect to be adding chlorine almost daily or every other day depending on use, weather, etc.
 
Like a pet, your pool needs to be fed (chlorine) everyday. For non-salt pools, liquid pool chlorine and/or regular bleach is best as those have no ill side effects like chlorine tabs or powders do. The 10% chlorine you see at places like Walmart and Home Depot are good. But check your FC everyday until you see a pattern where it may hold so well that you can check every other day (i.e when it's really cloudy or getting cooler). You'll see the pattern as you test throughout the week.
 
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LQ is the best way to put chlorine in your pool.

That said, the tabs steadily add CYA so if you are going to raise CYA anyway, you can use them. Probably test CYA every 10 days or two weeks (depending on how many tabs you put in at once) and the stop using them when your CYA get around 50 but not over.
 
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