Opening my pool and want to do it real nice this time

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I want your pool-- WOW beautiful. That is the sparkle I had last year any wave in pool glistened. But is your liner a darker blue? Mine is much lighter - so it does not have that contrast. And yes for the last few days it has been overcast and gloomy here as well. But do you think I should really try an fc of about 15 instead of 8 to 9 and see what it looks like? Will it be OK to swim in with that amount of fc??
 
montek said:
But do you think I should really try an fc of about 15 instead of 8 to 9 and see what it looks like?
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8 or 9 is minimum FC for your CYA. Minimum is not an OK thing. With one more ounce of sunshine that day, you're below minimum. Algae starts to grow and you cloud up. Algae is harmless but unsightly. It's the stuff you *can't* see that's the danger, and Algae is the canary in the coal mine. If it can grow, bacteria and viruses can flourish also.
montek said:
Will it be OK to swim in with that amount of fc??
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Swimming is safe up to SLAM level, 40% of your CYA.

lc_chart.jpg
 
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montek said:
what should I be on the lookout for with my pH and TA if I raise my fc to 15 ppm?
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Nothing changes. Except you can't test PH over 10, so you have to test it at a low point before dosing 13 to 15 again.

Maybe once a week skip a daily dose, check the PH on day 2, adjust if necessary and then go back to 13 to 15.
 
Ok so I will test tonight when I get home then raise my fc later tonight and see how the pool looks this weekend. Thank u again. Fingers crossed for a really sparkling pool going forward. The liquid chlorine will be used a lot for a day or so then should level off once I get that range constant. And as the year progresses I will try to bring down my CYA more by doing another drain or so.(.NY liberty water utility -is going to love me. LOL)
 
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montek said:
Fingers crossed for a really sparkling pool going forward.
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Keeping the FC free and clear away from minimum is the first step.

The weather will eventually cooperate and give you some big blue sky reflections. Today, all gloom and doom out, my pool isn't sparkling either.
 
montek said:
wish one of you guys lives close to me so they could come over and check up on my progress? :)
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That's the best part about all having the same test kit. It's like we are standing besides you getting results from our kit. We know what to do when our kit says XYZ. You will soon too.
 
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what page or site do I need to go to reorder any supplies especially the chlorine testing powder in that small jar. and does that powder expire?
the reason I ask is because if I am going to raise my fc to 13-15- that cannot be read on the comparator block?- so I would really have to know by using the more specific test.
But if I do also use the comparator block- what color would the chlorine side have to be that would let me know that I am at or near the 13-15 ppm range. I know that once you are over the yellow range on that side it turns orangish-- but that only alerts me to the fact that I am over 5 ppm-- so what would the color need to show to say it is 13-15 ppm(does anyone know that answer)- and that is why I THINK I ay have to use the more specific powder jar and reagent test-- what is your take on that?
 

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Use the powder test exclusively. Use 5ml water samples and one level.scoop of powder. Each drop is 1 FC. In your case we aren't concerned about the half FC. 13.0 is Ok, 8.0 needs 5+ FC stat.

Any of the individual supplies can be reordered at tftestkits.net.
 
I think with the chlorine test tube- and the smart stir- I think the amount of water to be put in that test tube labeled chlorine only is 10 ml? and the directions say- count the number of drops and multiply by 0.5 to get your fc levels-- isn't that correct?(so 26 drops would be 13 ppm)

and if I use the powder test exclusively- do I have to test daily? then I really will spend a ton on that test kit powder?- Until my CYA drops when things get closer to normal (maybe not this year but hopefully next year)
 
Newdude said:
Use the powder test exclusively. Use 5ml water samples and one level.scoop of powder. Each drop is 1 FC. In your case we aren't concerned about the half FC. 13.0 is Ok, 8.0 needs 5+ FC stat.

Any of the individual supplies can be reordered at tftestkits.net.
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I guess 5 ml instead of 10 ml and 1 drop instead of multiplying by 0.5 is exactly the same thing:)? Just following the directions on the laminated paper:)
 
Mdragger88 said:
The first problem- oto test being dark- isn’t actually a problem, that’s a sign you actually have enough chlorine in the pool since for your cya you want 11-13ppm - which will show up dark on that test.
Your oto test should Always read darker than the highest value because 5ppm is not high enough for you.
As mentioned previously don’t make adjustments based on the oto test.
Use fas/dpd for accuracy.

For the ph you just use the highest readable measurement on the comparator block & put that number in
PoolMath as your “current” then 7.5 or 7.6 (mid 7’s) as your target.
Add the amount of acid it tells you & test again in 30 minutes or so to confirm it’s in the 7’s, if not repeat the process.

Note* when fc is above 10ppm it skews the ph test (often showing as falsely higher) so in your current situation (needing fc to be above 10ppm most all the time due to high cya) it is best if you test ph & adjust it before adding chlorine. This is one of the reasons it is impractical to have such a high cya.
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my PH from the comparator block is about 8.2 at the top of the chart- so I am going to add some dry acid now- and from pool math it says since my last TA was about 110- I need to add a little over 1 pound-- is this OK? and then I can add more chlorine tonight t raise my fc to 13 or 15
I also just tested my TA- it still is staying at 110- which I believe is good-- so should I adjust the pH first with the dry acid and then add chlorine later tonight?
 
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montek said:
my PH from the comparator block is about 8.2 at the top of the chart- so I am going to add some dry acid now- and from pool math it says since my last TA was about 110- I need to add a little over 1 pound-- is this OK? and then I can add more chlorine tonight t raise my fc to 13 or 15
I also just tested my TA- it still is staying at 110- which I believe is good-- so should I adjust the pH first with the dry acid and then add chlorine later tonight?
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?? I want to get started with the dry acid- waiting for my experts :)
 
Mdragger88 said:
Is your pool volume 11000 gallons?
If so here’s what poolmath says when I put in your current ph of 8.2 & ta of 110
View attachment 507004
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I get a totally different result-- I put in 8.2 as the current pH and a target pH of 7.6 and my TA as 110 and I am using dry acid. Then I click done and it says 22 oz or 1 lb 2 oz Huh??? My pool is logged in as 11000 gallons but in this equation of pool math it does NOT ask the volume of my pool- so the numbers I put in are as you did yet our values are so far off.
 

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