Replaced vinyl liner in 24,000=/- gal kidney pool 2 wks ago. Cartidge filter, heater not working (gas line issue), inline chlorinator. How step by step, pumps on/off etc Do I lower the pH and alk? I am so confused and and after spending $$$$$ for the liner and heater, I don't want to muck up the pool by screwing up chemicals. I've added about 1/2 gal of muratic acid to deep end and no change in pH.
New vinyl liner, new fresh water - how to get chems right? !
- Thread starter skrichard
- Start date
Used Aqua Check strips
tested just now
tot hardness 500
tot chlor 2 (it dropped down from about 3 yesterday, I turned up chlorinator a notch just now)
free chlor 0.5
pH 7.8
tot alk 180
cya 30/50 approx
I'm going by the closest colors on the strip
tested just now
tot hardness 500
tot chlor 2 (it dropped down from about 3 yesterday, I turned up chlorinator a notch just now)
free chlor 0.5
pH 7.8
tot alk 180
cya 30/50 approx
I'm going by the closest colors on the strip
skrichard said:
Welcome to TFP...when adding MA to the deep end...make sure your pump is running and the main drain is open. Test PH at least 30 minutes after the addition of MA.
If you care about you liner...get rid of the strips. You need a drop based kit and highly suggest the Tf100 from tftestkits.net or alternately the Taylor K2006. As you'll see explained in Pool School, test strip are not very good at yeilding consistent/accurate results.
Thanks for the advice on the strips vs kits.... I have ordered one and hopefully will have it real soon and be on my way to enjoying the pool rather than dreading it.
Learn how to use the pool calculator - it will tell you how much muratic acid you need to get your PH down into range... and also how much chlorine you need to keep above your "min" -see the chart in my sig.
We recommend pouring chems in front of the return with the pump running and leaving it running awhile to make sure everything mixes properly
We recommend pouring chems in front of the return with the pump running and leaving it running awhile to make sure everything mixes properly
UPDATE 6/15
Got the TFP 100 test kit and below are my test results
FC 6
CC 5
TC 11 (kit said add the first 2 #s?? - blue test kit showed 3)
ph 7.5 according to the blue test kit
TA 160 ? pool store test was 100 on Sat but we had had monsoons here every day since then!
CH did not test for this as it is vinyl liner - should I anyway?
cya 25
Pool is clear; water temp is about 80-82 degrees (haven't put solar cover on; waiting for the new heater to be fixed...)
Am I ok or what should I be doing now?
Got the TFP 100 test kit and below are my test results
FC 6
CC 5
TC 11 (kit said add the first 2 #s?? - blue test kit showed 3)
ph 7.5 according to the blue test kit
TA 160 ? pool store test was 100 on Sat but we had had monsoons here every day since then!
CH did not test for this as it is vinyl liner - should I anyway?
cya 25
Pool is clear; water temp is about 80-82 degrees (haven't put solar cover on; waiting for the new heater to be fixed...)
Am I ok or what should I be doing now?
svenpup
LifeTime Supporter
CC is very high and indicates that you need to shock. You may want to double check you testing methods to be sure you are doing it right. If you do shock, read "how to shock" link in my signature. It is a process, not a one time addition.
You should test your CH. Low CH is not a problem for vinyl liners, but high CH can be a problem for any pool (scaling).
CYA is a little low. This is the hardest test to do accurately. Check out http://www.taylortechnologies.com/Chemi ... ntentID=44.
You should test your CH. Low CH is not a problem for vinyl liners, but high CH can be a problem for any pool (scaling).
CYA is a little low. This is the hardest test to do accurately. Check out http://www.taylortechnologies.com/Chemi ... ntentID=44.
svenpup said:
I may not have done tests right, first time using the kit; have relied on the strips and a run to the pool store to have them tests my test strips....duhhhhh.
I wrote " 5" for CC but it may have supposed to be .5? I multiplied 1 x .5 per the instructions. I think i put decimal in wrong place... duhhh. can't do math without a calculator!
It's raining here again in Indy so I will retest tomorrow, or does all this rain matter?
svenpup
LifeTime Supporter
No worries...it will be second nature in no time.skrichard said:
When you say you are using an inline chlorinator I assume you mean trichlor pucks/sticks and not a liquid chlorine feeder. As long as you are using trichlor your CYA will rise. CYA reduces the effectiveness of chlorine, necessitating higher and higher FC to get the same sanitizing power. This is fine for now, but eventually (CYA ~50) you will want to switch to liquid chlorine.
Not sure what you mean by eventually using liquid chlorine? We have a chlorinator that sits between the infloor 5-legged thing-y cleaning sys and the StaRite filter. It says Hayward on it. We put 1-2 3" tablets/pucks in a week. Only have used the liq chlorine when starting up in the first of the season but didn't this year as we put in new liner.
Check out the Pool School link found at the top right of every page. The article titled "Recommended Pool Chemicals" talks about the different types of chlorine (and other chemicals).
Hope that helps,
Gordon
Hope that helps,
Gordon
Ok, if you are using tablets that's fine, just keep in mind some key factors:
They lower PH and TA - so these levels need to be monitored and adjusted with Borax and Baking Soda to keep them in range.
They raise CYA - so when your CYA gets higher than 60 (test this every 3-4 weeks) you will need to replace some of the water to get your CYA back down to 30ish if you want to continue using tablets. Otherwise, once your CYA hits 50-60 you can switch to daily additions of bleach/liquid chlorine. The pool calculator can tell you how much bleach to add each day.
Make sure you are testing the FC daily and maintaining your FC at the recommended range for your CYA.
They lower PH and TA - so these levels need to be monitored and adjusted with Borax and Baking Soda to keep them in range.
They raise CYA - so when your CYA gets higher than 60 (test this every 3-4 weeks) you will need to replace some of the water to get your CYA back down to 30ish if you want to continue using tablets. Otherwise, once your CYA hits 50-60 you can switch to daily additions of bleach/liquid chlorine. The pool calculator can tell you how much bleach to add each day.
Make sure you are testing the FC daily and maintaining your FC at the recommended range for your CYA.