Newb question - What chemicals to buy?

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Great. Once you get the pump up and running, let the pool circulate for a good 24 hours and then run a full set of tests using your proper test kit. Post them here and we can advise.
 
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Me agin. Got the pool open last week, just to get things moving even though it's cold. Vacuumed things over the weekend and took a reading on Sunday.

FC - 5.5
CC - 0
pH - 7.6
TA - 130
CYA - 35

So I realize my alkalinity and CYA need a bit of work. The weather looks to be improving in the coming days and I'm sure the kids will want things to get heated up so they can jump in. I can certainly follow the guidance via the pool math app. Anything else to be concerned about? I believe that by lowering the TA, the pH will also drop? What should I think about there?

Also, I have borates that I'd like to have added at some point. I presume getting the TA and CYA in line first? Should I wait a bit before adding or if added now will that benefit last throughout the remainder of the season?
 
Looks good. Some that add borates prefer to get TA down a bit before adding. Does not make much difference chemically. Just manage pH in the 7's and let the TA fall where it may.

You can gradually raise CYA if you wish. A 50 ppm level by June should be sufficient when using liquid chlorine.
 
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eribble said:
I believe that by lowering the TA, the pH will also drop? What should I think about there?
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Sort of.

By lowering the pH with acid, the TA will drop. The pH should never be allowed to go below 7.0. So just manage the pH and let the TA drift down to where it wants to be. Dont go trying to lower the TA directly.
 
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What's the point in checking the Chlorine value daily but FC every week - Using the TF Pro test kit? All pool math cares about is FC and the directions says to check that weekly. What does a chlorine reading along side a pH check offer for a daily test? Also, weekly seems a bit too long, there is FC Chlorine loss pretty quickly it seems.

Still learning.
 
eribble said:
What's the point in checking the Chlorine value daily but FC every week - Using the TF Pro test kit? All pool math cares about is FC and the directions says to check that weekly. What does a chlorine reading along side a pH check offer for a daily test? Also, weekly seems a bit too long, there is FC Chlorine loss pretty quickly it seems.

Still learning.
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The daily tests are a rough check on the Cl values. They are fast, and cheap, to do. The weekly is more precise, and allows one to also test Combined Cl. Me? I almost never do the quick Cl tests, and do the other much more often. It does take a bit longer, and uses up more chemicals, though....
 
sande005 said:
The daily tests are a rough check on the Cl values. They are fast, and cheap, to do. The weekly is more precise, and allows one to also test Combined Cl. Me? I almost never do the quick Cl tests, and do the other much more often. It does take a bit longer, and uses up more chemicals, though....
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Oh, ok. Now I see. I wasn't sure what kind of chlorine test the daily is meant for. I get it now, super helpful. Thank you!
 

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eribble said:
Oh, ok. Now I see. I wasn't sure what kind of chlorine test the daily is meant for. I get it now, super helpful. Thank you!
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The yellow oto “daily” measures TC (fc+cc) & only up to 5ppm so its only a rough idea of where you stand as most pools should have 5ppm or greater generally.
For accurate fc use fas/dpd (with the powder)
 
So how do you handle the combined chlorine piece? Kids jumped in today and of course measured .5ppm CC. I would assume it's inevitable with skin oils, etc? What's the trick there?
 
eribble said:
So how do you handle the combined chlorine piece? Kids jumped in today and of course measured .5ppm CC. I would assume it's inevitable with skin oils, etc? What's the trick there?
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No real reason to test CC unless you are ending a SLAM Process. You can do the test if you suspect an issue, but typically what makes you think you have an issue means you need to SLAM anyway.
 
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