Now Colorado Pool Owner

vwremglx · Jul 3, 2013

Here we go! We bought a house with a 10,000 gallon vinyl pool. Our neighbor has a 20k+ gallon and this is his first year with a pool as we'll. We are learning together, good stuff. I was using test strips for a while with pool store chems and it is time for a real test kit and BBB method. Just got the Taylor K-2006 eith a speedstir and I'm ready to do it the right way.

Pool looks great, but all levels are low (and the wife says she is turning green :shock:

) I figure the first step is to get the Alkalinity and PH up then the Chlorine. Used the kit to determine my TA was 10ppm and the pool calculator for Baking Soda. I will test her again in the morning. Hopefully PH and Alkalinity are up and I can work on Chlorine. I have some liquid CYA on order so that will have to wait until it gets here for that.

Excited to become a part of this community. I'll get my signature set up soon along with some picts. There will be plenty of questions.

Cheers!

duraleigh · Jul 4, 2013

Welcome to the forum. :lol:

You have that great test kit but you don't post your test results!! Let us know where you are so we can help you get where you want to be. Do not raise pH with baking soda.

Richard320 · Jul 4, 2013

Welcome!

Be aware that the TA reagent, R-009, is susceptible to static electricity particularly when new, so wipe the tip with a damp paper towel when you do that test.

Also, when calculating doses, pay close attention to the results and compare them to Effects of Adding Chemicals down near the bottom of http://www.poolcalculator.com/. Your volume may be higher or lower than you think, and you may need to fine-tune the volume you enter on http://www.poolcalculator.com/ to get the desired results. Otherwise you'll spend the summer like a yo-yo, constantly trying to correct when you overshoot or undershoot.

vwremglx · Jul 4, 2013

Thanks for the tips guys! I think the biggest thing that I need to learn is to take my time and do the right steps.

I put in a gallon and a quart of baking soda as recommended by the poolcalculator to raise the alkalinity before my first post. I will test in the am and post my numbers. I hope the baking soda was not a bad move.

Everyone in the USA have a great 4th!

SkyKid · Jul 4, 2013

I use baking soda to raise my TA
To raise PH you can aerate the water by turning up the return jets to break the water surface or swimming
to lower your PH use muriatic acid(be careful with it)

vwremglx · Jul 4, 2013

OK.. whew first time doing the tests took me about an hour. That stirrer is awesome! Here are my numbers. Looks like the baking soda and aeration really helped overnight.

I'll throw these numbers into the poolcalculator, but I'll wait to see if anyone has any insight before I put anything in. Looks like a great day for a swim here in Colorado!

FC 0.5
CC 2
PH 7
Alk 110
CH 200
CYA 120

10,000 Gallon - Vinyl

Richard320 · Jul 4, 2013

vwremglx said:
OK.. whew first time doing the tests took me about an hour. That stirrer is awesome! Here are my numbers. Looks like the baking soda and aeration really helped overnight.

I'll throw these numbers into the poolcalculator, but I'll wait to see if anyone has any insight before I put anything in. Looks like a great day for a swim here in Colorado!

FC 0.5
CC 2
PH 7
Alk 110
CH 200
CYA 120

10,000 Gallon - Vinyl

Are you sure of those numbers? Did you take multiple CYA readings (same sample, just pour it back into the mixing bottle, give it another shake, then try again several times until you're happy) because that 120 is awful high. And if so, you ordered the liquid CYA for nothing.

pH is still a bit low. Some serious aeration should fix that. Aeration includes kids' splash fights.

The immediate problem is the low FC. If CYA is really 120, your minimum is 9, and you should target about 12 when adding bleach.

vwremglx · Jul 4, 2013

I tested for CYA twice. One would not read as the level was over 100 (cloudy in just a 1/2inch or so) so I did the test where you use half pool/half tap then using 50% of that do the original test and multiply by 2.

I was very surprised at this high level and will test it again later today.

I'll add in the gallon and a quart of 8.25 bleach as the calculator says to get FC up to 12. (then I'm out of bleach!

)

duraleigh · Jul 4, 2013

No point in testing CYA again. It won't change.

Get more chlorine. You are going to need a lot of it.

At some point, you will need to lower the CYA but enjoy the pool for a bit first as you learn more about what you need to adjust.