- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,396
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
New to Pools. Very High CYA
- Thread starter Padle
- Start date
- Jun 24, 2021
- 16,252
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Ok thanks!
With that in mind, is there any harm in adding chlorine way above the target (currently 6-11) that way I would be able to add chlorine less often?
With that in mind, is there any harm in adding chlorine way above the target (currently 6-11) that way I would be able to add chlorine less often?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,396
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
My CYA is 80 so the app is given ng me a target of 6-11
If I understand correctly going above 11 will be harsh on swimmers, but currently in the winter, there are no swimmers, is there an issue with adding a lot of chlorine at once, and go above the 11 for the time being? It will come back down well before swimmers will think of swimming.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,396
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
With a CYA of 80 a FC up to SLAM level of 32 is safe to swim.
Most of the chlorine is bound to the CYA.
CYA - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
CYA Chlorine Relationship - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
With that in mind, is there any harm at all raising my pool chlorine to 30 right now? That way I won't have to worry about it for two months (losing .5 to 1 per day)With a CYA of 80 a FC up to SLAM level of 32 is safe to swim.
Most of the chlorine is bound to the CYA.
CYA - Further Reading
CYA Chlorine Relationship - Further Reading
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,396
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
High FC loses more per day then normal FC levels. Test your FC regularly and see how long it lasts and if the convenience is worth the extra chlorine cost. Don't assume it will last 2 months.
- Mar 5, 2020
- 3,221
- Pool Size
- 66000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Astral Viron V35
Chlorine loss is a percentage of the FC level. Let's say (to keep numbers simple) you are loosing 1ppm at a starting level of 10ppm. That means your daily loss would be 10%. At FC 30ppm you would therefore loose 3ppm on day one, bringing you down to 27ppm, then 2.7ppm on day 2, and so on.
With a pool that stays open over winter, I'd suggest to establish a routine where you add enough chlorine to get through a week.
Keep in mind that days are getting longer from now on. Right now the weekly changes are quite small, but from about March the weekly changes will be significant, and it is important to not miss the point where chlorine use starts to get back to summer levels. Investing some time this year to understand how the chlorine usage of your pool develops over the seasons will pay off for future years, and will help to establish reasonable testing and chlorine adding intervals for different times of the year.
With a pool that stays open over winter, I'd suggest to establish a routine where you add enough chlorine to get through a week.
Keep in mind that days are getting longer from now on. Right now the weekly changes are quite small, but from about March the weekly changes will be significant, and it is important to not miss the point where chlorine use starts to get back to summer levels. Investing some time this year to understand how the chlorine usage of your pool develops over the seasons will pay off for future years, and will help to establish reasonable testing and chlorine adding intervals for different times of the year.
+1. Put the work in now, when the daily loss is more forgiving if you miss a little. By the time it counts, it'll be second nature. You want to grasp what the daily loss has been, so that you can dose accordingly and still be free and clear above minimum next time. You have this part down already, now put it into practice. Going a little high is a great way to buy yourself a little more time, but as said above, don't go overboard.
Also remember that a FC of 10+ invalidates the PH test so if you're straddling that line, test PH at a time of day after your daily loss, or the next day once the FC is under 10.
Also remember that a FC of 10+ invalidates the PH test so if you're straddling that line, test PH at a time of day after your daily loss, or the next day once the FC is under 10.
Anyone else have trouble reading the PH test? I wish they had a clearer test like they do for the chlorine, or maybe I'm doing it wrong...
Use your fingers to block off the value above and below the one you want to compare. I find it way easier to say 'is this it' than 'which one of these 3 is it'. You can be wrong by 1 line and it's still plenty fine enough. If you dose too early to lower the PH, your only punishment is next time comes sooner too. If you dose a few days or a week late, no harm is done in the short term.
It seems really tricky but you'll be right way more than you aren't.
It seems really tricky but you'll be right way more than you aren't.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,027
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
My best advice for the ph test is to use a white background so the colors/shades don’t get muttled -
I usually use the instruction card in my kit if outdoors during the day or if I am indoors I use my white cabinets. If it is dark & I am outside (this is generally when I check my hot tub) I open the browser on my phone to a white page & use it as a backlight.
You won’t always get a perfect match to the comparator numbers but you can usually tell if you’re between 2 colors & go with that figure.
I usually use the instruction card in my kit if outdoors during the day or if I am indoors I use my white cabinets. If it is dark & I am outside (this is generally when I check my hot tub) I open the browser on my phone to a white page & use it as a backlight.
You won’t always get a perfect match to the comparator numbers but you can usually tell if you’re between 2 colors & go with that figure.
People talk about the PH finding a good place where it doesn't rise that much. Do I need to lower my pH to 7.2 every time to find the happy TA level, or does lowering it to within range work (for example I'm now at 7.5)
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,027
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
No-
& 7.5 is great
Lowering ph also lowers ta - if you’re ta is where you want it don’t lower ph until it rises again to 8.0 or so & at that time just aim for 7.6 as to not drop ta more.
Your TA is in range (or at least it was) so you can just wait it out and manage the PH with small corrections. Some people have TA of 200+ and need to get aggressive or they won't be at the stable levels by the end of the season. And the high TA pulling up the PH quickly gets old also
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,027
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I just re read your reply & realized i misunderstood what you were asking. I thought you already had your ta at an ideal level & were asking if you still needed to lower ph to 7.2 .
So to clarify-
If you’re actively trying to lower ta then yes, dropping ph to 7.2 will help this happen faster.
Some find it more efficient to do this when ph is in the mid 7’s while others wait until ph is 8.0 or so.
You don’t have to accomplish this with any specific haste, unless you really want to, as all acid additions to lower ph (even small ones) will lower TA over time.
Its really all about your starting ta, how far you need to go to get it lowered & what you wish to accomplish with it (slowing ph rise/reduce scaling etc.)
I personally work on it at opening/upon fresh fill for a few days & then I am good to go with a ta of 60 from there on out.
For those with really high ta (200+) & high ta fill water it can take a while to get under 100 & they may never be able to maintain a ta of 60 or so - that’s ok too
What is your current Ta & your fill water ta?
Ps- sharing your PoolMath logs is extremely helpful & keeps you from having to repost results when asking questions.
So to clarify-
If you’re actively trying to lower ta then yes, dropping ph to 7.2 will help this happen faster.
Some find it more efficient to do this when ph is in the mid 7’s while others wait until ph is 8.0 or so.
You don’t have to accomplish this with any specific haste, unless you really want to, as all acid additions to lower ph (even small ones) will lower TA over time.
Its really all about your starting ta, how far you need to go to get it lowered & what you wish to accomplish with it (slowing ph rise/reduce scaling etc.)
I personally work on it at opening/upon fresh fill for a few days & then I am good to go with a ta of 60 from there on out.
For those with really high ta (200+) & high ta fill water it can take a while to get under 100 & they may never be able to maintain a ta of 60 or so - that’s ok too
What is your current Ta & your fill water ta?
Ps- sharing your PoolMath logs is extremely helpful & keeps you from having to repost results when asking questions.
Is this how I share it?
From everything I have read, it seems like although there is a recommended TA level, every pool will have its own unique happy place. So as you did understand, my question was, do I need to lower it to 7.2 to help me find that happy place?
PoolMath Logs
troublefreepool.com
From everything I have read, it seems like although there is a recommended TA level, every pool will have its own unique happy place. So as you did understand, my question was, do I need to lower it to 7.2 to help me find that happy place?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,396
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
No.
Keep your pH in the 7’s and see what it does. 7.6 is a good target but whatever number you get is fine.
Lower pH when it gets to 8.
pH will seek its own range. It is called pH/TA equilibrium.
PH TA Relationship - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
The only time you want to brute force pH down is when you are trying to force TA down. Which may or may not work as described above.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,027
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
To put it simply - yes, but you don’t need to do it right now unless you want to.
Waiting until ph is 8.0 will show you just how fast ph is rising at your current ta & if it might just hang out at 7.8 a while (which is fine) then you can decide to go to 7.2 & lower ta with your next addition or just aim for 7.5/7.6 mostly keeping ta the same.
Before doing so you should test ta again since it seems you have lowered ph since you last tested ta.
Also, you’re only logging test results not additions.
Switching this to on will allow others to click on your profile avatar & see your poolmath logs without you having to post a link
If you click my avatar (profile pic) you’ll see what I mean.
Here’s a helpful video for navigating pool math