New to testing and Balancing... need a touch of guidance

Jump to latest Follow Reply
The eyes are pointing upward somewhat
I will see if there is any more room to adjust

Here are the pictures

Before and after

34323c82ffe73728711edf2b97e0c75b.jpg
ad78c410dc62ce524114608fc7f0f89f.jpg
d3235a76062bfa6f8dbb31df24049498.jpg




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Here are the current numbers...

pool is responding very well, and the water is absolutely crystal clear... almost makes me want to jump in for a dip... but it is pretty chilly

FC - 3.6 (just going to toss a 5 oz of bleach in) to keep it at 4 while the water is being fine tuned
PH - 7.4
TA - 100
CYA - did not test (should be close somewhere around 35) with the amount I added Saturday (I know it takes time to show up) don't want to waste the regent to test
CH - 500
CSI - is sitting at -0.05 (this should be a good range) seeing that the CH levels are high and alkalinity tends to run high in the fill

I will let the PH ride and let it rise over the next day or so to 7.8 and bring it back down

am I missing anything? or am I on the right track with this Desert Oasis that is full of CH (we get very little rain here) so that number will go up and up over the next year, especially when we get into the heat next summer and evaporation rates climb up

my understanding is keep the CSI as close to zero as possible to keep scaling under control... I don't really want to put In any scale inhibitors if I don't have to... they may cause other numbers to get whacky
 
You are SO on the right track! Keep reading about scaling to make sure you really understand the causes and cures just so you have that knowledge under your hat.

Read in the different parts of the forum. Start with one area like Algae and read some of the threads to get a handle on how it works. Move to another area and see what you can learn there. This is what I did when I first started out. It helped me really learn my pool and I got a firm grasp on what to do if this or that happened.

Make sure to ask LOTS of questions. I want you to know your pool inside and out!

Kim:kim:
 
Kim

the water is pretty stable at this point, I am testing daily and it is hovering around 3.6 (I boost the FC a tad each day to maintain over 4)
PH is pretty stable in the range (TA is holding steady at 100) I have been pretty happy with the results

my only question at this point is...

if I go out of town for a long weekend (should I boost the chlorine up to 8 or so to hold it over till I get back?) I don't want to get any algae growing... or should I buy a floater and put some tabs in it while I am gone, and go back to bleach when I am home? we don't travel much

what do most people do here... I am not opposed to daily managing of the pool when I can, just worried that if I am not home for a week or 4 days that the FC level could get low and cause me some work
 
I do a one, two punch when I am going to be gone longer than 2 nights.

1. Push the FC up to SLAM level for my CYA

2. put a floater in open all of the way

If I am only going to be gone for one or two night I just use the floater.

Remember the pucks add CYA so just be aware and know your water and what it can handle. This is why I keep mine on the slightly low side as we do travel quite a bit.

Kim:kim:
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Like Kim, I push the FC up to SLAM level according to my CYA reading. I attempt to stay away from floaters because of the possibility of it adding CYA. Since CYA does not evaporate very quickly from your water and the fact that you live in AZ so very little rain from dilution, I would be cautious about using a floater. Unlike Kim and I who both live in FL with lots of rain to help dilute our CYA, you do not have that same luxury.

What I would do is raise your water to SLAM level while you are home. See how long it takes your pool to go from SLAM level back down to normal FC (you will find that you will lose a certain percentage of FC a day). This will give you an indication of how long you can go away without having to worry about a floater or neighbor. I found in the summer time, I can leave for 4 days without worrying about my pool if I raise it to SLAM level right before I go. If I am gone longer than 4 days, I will ask a friend/neighbor to add some chlorine for me on day 5. Or I could calculate how many pucks I would need in a floater to balance out the SLAM level to last longer than the 4 days.

Hope I helped and did not confuse. :)
 
Actually that is exactly what I was thinking

I like the idea of the SLAM while I am here so I can get an idea of the rate the FC declines

I am very hesitant on the floater due to the rain here

I may only due that in the summer if we travel

Great advice from you both
Thanks for the ideas


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
stodds said:
I'm still waiting on having water in my pool to play with. . . But, I need to make sure I understand. If you raise to shock level and leave, that really isn't a SLAM, right? Just a SL. You're not there to AM.
Click to expand...

You are correct. I am just using the SLAM numbers to have a safe amount of FC in my pool for my CYA.

Great questions!

Great follow up by Holydoc! THANKS!

Kim:kim:
 
Kim

here are the numbers now after 1 week of being filled... (I have to say this is much easier than I originally thought) mostly due to you and this great resource

FC - 4.5
CC - 0
PH - 7.6 (added 10oz of MA to bring it down to 7.4) this will give me a CSI of -0.07... trying to keep it as close to zero as possible (with a TA of 100 and 7,4 PH that seems to be the sweet spot)
TA - 100 (has been holding there pretty steady)
CH - 525
CYA - 45
water temp - 60
CSI - .13

if the TA will start coming down then the PH number will be able to rise up (for now it seems that a TA of 100 and PH of 7.4 with my CH and CYA levels at 60 degrees) that seems to be a good place to prevent scaling

Water is very clear and looks fantastic

am I missing anything?
 
I like how you have figured out how the TA and PH work together. Nice job!

The only thing I will have you adjust is calling the CYA 45. It is better to not "half" it. If you think it is 45 then call it 50 for Pool Math and your FC levels. We have found that works better in the long run.

I am so glad it is easier than you thought it would be! I find it very rewarding as well to know I am in full control of my pool.

Now looking towards the future you have some things to watch for. Watch your pool water temp. as it edges up towards 60. Once it starts getting close you will really need to keep an eye on the FC and keep it up towards the upper end until you relearn your pool in the warmer temps. Each season will have different needs. Keeping a good testing log will help you know what to expect each season.

Kim:kim:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply