Newbie with Chlorine questions

[newbieForNow]

Hello!

I'm a new Homeowner and Pool Owner as of 3 weeks now. I hired a pool guy but two things are going on, 1. I've always wanted to learn. 2. I don't trust I'm getting the best maintenance because if I don't ask my service guy won't check further. Their service takes less than 10 minutes, which includes (in order): vacuum, brush, throw a cap of a liquid (not sure what) I've also not seen him check the chemical levels unless for that 1 time that I asked).

Anyway, after much reading and buying my Taylor K-2006c and an additional kit for the salt reagents since I own a saltwater pool.

I've always asked my pool guy about chlorine levels and alkalinity since the strips I used always showed TC very high while FC was in the normal range. Alkalinity was always 0 on the strips. After a test with his own strips he said alkalinity was fine since PH seemed fine but that chlorine levels were high so he turned the chlorine generator down to 1%. This was yesterday.

Today, I was finally able to put my Taylor kit to use for the first time.

PH 7.6
Alkalinity 60 ppm
FC 12.5 ppm
CC 1 ppm
Hardness 210~220 ppm
CYA 40 ppm
Salt 3400 (from my test; chlorine generator states 3100)

*The chlorine test was confusing to me, so I did it twice. The first time with 25ml it took FOREVER to turn it clear, but that was unreliable since there was always a very clear shade of pink if looked from the top. From the front, the water looked clear. So I got rid of that test and tried again with 10ml this time. I'm still not 100% sure of when to stop on that test so my number for FC might be wrong. Please advise on how to best do this one.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. I plan to maintain the pool myself after my pool guy's last service next week.



Thanks!

 

[PoolStored]

Welcome to TFP!!!

You look like you are in a good place! FC is a little high, turn your generator down a bit.

Two helpful things for you.

Always follow this...Link-->FC/CYA Levels

And our recommended levels... What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

And of course... Link-->Pool Care Basics

 

[newbieForNow]

Welcome to TFP!!!

You look like you are in a good place! FC is a little high, turn your generator down a bit.

Two helpful things for you.

Always follow this...Link-->FC/CYA Levels

And our recommended levels... What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

And of course... Link-->Pool Care Basics

Thanks for sharing these!

I'll test daily for FC until it gets to the ideal range before turning up the SWG % again.

It seems I also need a little more Calcium and CYA.

 

[wireform]

The cya can come up a bit for this time of the year say 60 and leave the CH alone for now. I suspect your CC is lower but you waited too long to do that part until it starts to turn on it own. For next time you do the FC test have the CC reagent ready so no time is lost. Once the FC part is done move right on to the CC part.

 

[TinFoilHat]

For FC you put one heaping scoop of the 0870 powder into the 10 ml sample and mix. Then add while swirling, one drop at a time of the 0871 reagent while counting drops and stop when the vial is clear. The very last drop that doesn't change the color doesn't get counted. Then divide the drops by 1/2 and that's your FC.

 

[newbieForNow]

The cya can come up a bit for this time of the year say 60 and leave the CH alone for now. I suspect your CC is lower but you waited too long to do that part until it starts to turn on it own. For next time you do the FC test have the CC reagent ready so no time is lost. Once the FC part is done move right on to the CC part.

you're probably right. I took a bit especially with the mixing, since I was doing everything very cautiously

 

[newbieForNow]

For FC you put one heaping scoop of the 0870 powder into the 10 ml sample and mix. Then add while swirling, one drop at a time of the 0871 reagent while counting drops and stop when the vial is clear. The very last drop that doesn't change the color doesn't get counted. Then divide the drops by 1/2 and that's your FC.

I added 2 leveled scoops per the instructions. I can try this tomorrow

 

[TinFoilHat]

I'm going by the TF Testkits instructions which require one scoop per 10 ml. Taylor says two scoops but I couldn't say why unless they have even smaller scoops than TF does because they also use the 0870 powder. Someone else would need to expound on that.

 

[wireform]

You want This as it'll male testing a piece of cake.

 

[sande005]

I'm going by the TF Testkits instructions which require one scoop per 10 ml. Taylor says two scoops but I couldn't say why unless they have even smaller scoops than TF does because they also use the 0870 powder. Someone else would need to expound on that.

The Taylor kit says to use 25ml of water and 2 scoops. You then divide the drop count by 5. Using 10 ml, you only need one scoop, and divide the drop count by 2. The second is a bit less precise (increments of 0.5 vs 0.2) but we don't need that level of precision, and going with 10ml saves test chems. Exact amount in the scoop is not that critical. If we were to be really precise it would be (2/25)*10 or .8 of a scoop - but that is a pain to measure, and doesn't change the end result.

 

[newbieForNow]

The Taylor kit says to use 25ml of water and 2 scoops. You then divide the drop count by 5. Using 10 ml, you only need one scoop, and divide the drop count by 2. The second is a bit less precise (increments of 0.5 vs 0.2) but we don't need that level of precision, and going with 10ml saves test chems. Exact amount in the scoop is not that critical. If we were to be really precise it would be (2/25)*10 or .8 of a scoop - but that is a pain to measure, and doesn't change the end result.

What about the color? Last time I did it, if looked from the front, the water seemed clear, if I looked from the top there was a pinkish hue. At that point should I continue putting drops or stop?

 

[sande005]

Go one more drop, and don't count it if there is no change. But if you look from the top, and it takes one more drop, count it. If clear from the side, but pink from the top - and one more drop doesn't change things, go change out of that red shirt or whatever else is reflecting and fooling the eye....

 

[Griswald]

It's really not the color (clear) that is the endpoint, it's the drop that makes a color change that doesn't change any more. Even if that color is slightly pinkish or slightly whitish.

 

[newbieForNow]

Thank you all!