Newbie... Sorry ;-)

[emkay]

Hi, just “took over” my pool and started diggin into the testing snd balancing... Did a 2nd test today and it seems some values are out of shape:



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Test Results 05-21-2020 @ 05:51 PM
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Free Chlorine: 3.7
Combined Chlorine: 0.1
pH: 7.7
Total Alkalinity: 129
Calcium Hardness: 226
CYA: 38
Salt: 3650
Temperature: 88°F
CSI: 0.07

Seems I have to add acid to get TA down and CYA up, but the amount required will slam my Ph too far. How to handle this??? THANKS!!!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome! :;wave: Looks like you're using the COlorQ which explains why some of your numbers look different from what we are used to seeing. But if you trust those readings as accurate, I'd say this:
- With a salt pool, increase tht CYA to 70
- TA is acceptable, but does have room to fall. No need making it fall quickly since your CSI is fine. The TA will slowly fall with each acid application to control pH.
- Watch the FC and keep it a little higher (the added CYA may help). Always watch the FC/CYA Levels

That's about it.

 

[emkay]

Thanks!! I already saw myself dropping acid and aerating back a couple of times... will add some acid to get to ph 7.4 and see how it develops... ok? cya increase with dry acid will drop ph too unfortunately, is there a way without ph effect?

colorQ was to take my guesswork out of the equation, taylor 2006 salt is on order (well, backorder...)

 

[Texas Splash]

cya increase with dry acid will drop ph too unfortunately, is there a way without ph

To make sure there's no confusion, you'll use granular stabilizer to increase the CYA when you're ready. Instead of using dry acid to lower pH, we recommend muriatic acid.

 

[emkay]

granulated stabilizer for sure, sorry i mixed up things... playing with the calculator in the app it seems granular cya has effect on ph, liquid does not... thats what confused me..

for acid, i have 20* muriatic acid and also sulfuric acid (says less 51%) which dies not fume... whats better?

 

[IceShadow]

Muriatic acid. Sulfuric acid has sulfates and you don’t want those building up in the pool.

 

[emkay]

Thanks!!

One more question: does liquid stabilizer affect ph and alkalinity? app kinda gives me that info... dry sabiliser decreases ph, liquid does not... how can that be? and how can both (either way an acid) nit affect alkalinity?

 

[Texas Splash]

does liquid stabilizer affect ph and alkalinity? app kinda gives me that info... dry sabiliser decreases ph, liquid does not... how can that be? and how can both (either way an acid) nit affect alkalinity?

Stabilizer is cyanuric acid, while liquid conditioner is Sodium cyanurate. But the amount of stabilizer added is generally low which is why it's not enough to effect TA like when you add straight muriatic acid.

 

[emkay]

Taylor 2006 Salt came and I instantly did a first test...

Free Chlorine: 2.8
Combined Chlorine: 0.2
pH: 7.5
Total Alkalinity: 100
Calcium Hardness: 220
CYA: 40
Salt: 4200
Temperature: 84°F
CSI: -0.33

Then brought out my ColorQ (Salt is Hach Aquacheck Strip):


Free Chlorine: 1.6
Combined Chlorine: 0.3
pH: 7.6
Total Alkalinity: 96
Calcium Hardness: 201
CYA: 35
Salt: 3560
Temperature: 84°F
CSI: -0.26

Some values I think are very close:

CH is 10% off but as far as I know ColorQ does total hardiness, so that is weird being lower than Taylor
TA is par
CYA again about 10% off (think 10% is ok)
FCL is quite off (??)
Salt seem to be way off... I dont get it... SWG shows 3750, electronic meter (TDS) is 3630...

I am lost!!??

 

[Texas Splash]

I am lost!!??

Not really. Just stick to the K-2006 results. We trust those more. But get the FC up quickly to about 4-6 ppm for now and see if you can get the SWG to maintain it a bit better in the range noted on the FC/CYA Levels. If your water is crystal clear and no chance of algae, also go ahead and increase the CYA to 70 which will help the SWG work more efficiently to maintain the desired FC level. You can also let the pH rise a bit more on its own to about 7.7 or so. Hope that helps.

 

[emkay]

Ok, will do... I think I will do some more comparative tests between K-2006 and ColorQ to be able to "recalculate" ColorQ results to kinda match the K-2006. Why? Because ColorQ is simly easier to handle on a daily basis.

CYA: I read more and more that there is a "new tendency" to keep CYA lower as higher levels stabilize chlorine but also lower efficiency. Whats your thought on that?
CH: Any need to raise this and if so, how?

 

[emkay]

Side note: See you are in San Antonio, I am there every 2-3 months for business (actually between SA and Austin). Nice area!

 

[Texas Splash]

CYA: I read more and more that there is a "new tendency" to keep CYA lower as higher levels stabilize chlorine but also lower efficiency. Whats your thought on that?

Funny thing about articles and stuff is that many who post them aren't really able to substantiate their information. But o changes here at TFP. The elevated CYA is vital to ensuring a SWG can perform as expected without excessive UV burn-off across the various daily SWG cycles. Even some SWG manufactures are finally updating their litereature to recommend the elevated CYA in conjuntion with their product. I know Cirupool does.

CH: Any need to raise this and if so, how?

If your water is soft, then yes. I'd increase it to at least 250. Calcium hardness can be raised with calcium chloride or calcium chloride dihydrate. They are available in some areas as Peladow, Dowflake, Tetra Flake, or Tetra 94, often sold as a deicer by hardware stores, and some big box stores, in colder climates. Pool stores will carry either calcium chloride or calcium chloride dihydrate under a variety of names, including Hardness Plus, Balance Pak 300, Calcium Hardness Increaser, etc. Calcium products should be spread across the surface of the deep end of the pool.

 

[emkay]

Well, its like everywhere and always... ask 3 guys and you have 4 opinions ;-)

So thanks, I highly appreciate you taking time to help and especially educate!!

Added 3 qt liquid stabilizer, check on CYA tomorrow, should be around 70 then...

Will check how i get some calcium cloride. Where do i find a calculation base to see how much i need?

 

[emkay]

Would that be OK?

 

[Texas Splash]

That product, while perhaps a little more costly, should work. Just like all chemicals we add, we use the PoolMath APP or the PoolMath webpage to determine how much product to add. After your pool info is loaded, enter a NOW figure (i.e. 200) followed by a desired GOAL (i.e. 250) and it will tell you how much to add.

 

[emkay]

added liquid stabilizer (2.8 liters) which, according to app, raises my cya to 70 but i have 85-90 depending on test (k2006 twice and colorq ince)... phew, whats that? also fc was merely stable even though I kept my ic40 (quite new) running at 50% overnight...

 

[emkay]

maybe the stabilizer concentration in the app is different than my product?

 

[Texas Splash]

added liquid stabilizer (2.8 liters) which, according to app, raises my cya to 70 but i have 85-90 depending on test

Something seems odd there. If I use a starting CYA of 40 (rounded-up from your previous 35) as the starting point, and 70 as my goal, PoolMath tell me that it takes a 186 ounces (or 5.5 liters) to increase the CYA by 30 ppm. You only added about half that (2.8), so I'm confused at the results as well.

CYA Testing:
Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Taylor recommends standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body. Use the mixing bottle to combine/gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Then, while holding the skinny tube with the black dot at waist level, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. If it helps, pour a little, look away, then look back and pour some more. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. After the first test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate the CYA reading. If you are still questioning your own results, have a friend or two do the same test 2-3 times. Share your results only after everyone is done to see if you came up with the same average results.

 

[emkay]

Some screenshots, somehow I dont see where you get the numbers? thats from my app, either the “adding” function (put my 2.8l in, should do 25) and the option in a log to increase... 40-70 is 114oz