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

[farmy87]

I still remember when I first started and was SLAM’ing with 12 instead of 12,000 gallons in pool math. I was literally adding chlorine by the Tbsp haha.

That made my LOL for real

 

[SoCalTFP]

That made my LOL for real

Wow two gallons of this stuff is going to last years even after the SLAM!

 

[Newdude]

@montek, sorry I missed all the fun yesterday while road tripping for 16 hours.

Your pool got funky with the fill because your pool was pristine, and the tap water going though the old hose wasn't. I cringe a little when I can see a foot long stream coming out of the hose whenever I fill my pool. Keep doing what you were doing and it will clean itself up in no time.

 

[monsterman]

Good morning to all. And a great holiday to all. Going to a wedding in albany. Will be back tomorrow. So i am adding some more chlorine now so that what i lose to the sun today will keep me around 11 or so. If u look at my logs. I am at 11 fc now and a stable 8 for ph and a stable 100 for TA and i think a 75 for CYA. When i test for CYA i keep adding drops and swirling the tube i keep my eyes peeled on that black dot. If i even see the faintest back dot i keep adding. So i really think it is about 75. About that mixing white crossed item that swirls the liquids can that be used for both the chorine and TA tests as long as i clean it well. I am attaching a pic this morning. Still a bit aqua but definitely better than last night. Fingers still crossed. Thank u all

 

[monsterman]

A different angle. I just added 42 ounces of chlorine. Do i need to run the filter all day. We r leaving at 1045. It goes on with timer anyway at about 7 am. Looking better as sun shines on it

 

[Newdude]

think a 75 for CYA.

We always round up, so continue to dose from 80. The test isnt linear between the lines, so halfway isn't 5.

You're getting there. No need to rush it 10 more.

 

[Mdragger88]

Count your cya as 80
& yes you can use the speed stir & bar for every test that uses a plastic cylinder just rinse it inbetween.
If it gets stained from the dpd powder you can clean it with alcohol.

 

[Kaylee34]

Looking good Monte! It will look even better tomorrow.
Great job on adding more chlorine to cover what you'll lose today. You're getting to be a pro!
You can just let the filter run with the timer. It should be fine.

Yes, you can use the white cross thing for both tests. Just rinse it off between tests like you do the cylinder.

About testing the CYA, you don't need to swirl that one.
After you mix the water and the reagent, do it this way:
Fill the tube to the bottom line. Hold the tube at your waist. I stick my thumb on my belt buckle for this part.
Then just look down and glance at it. Count one one thousand or two one thousand. No more.
Don't stare or look for the dot. Your brain will trick you.
If you saw the dot, add water to the next line and do the look part again.
Repeat until the dot is gone. That's your CYA level.

Enjoy the wedding today and safe travels!

 

[monsterman]

Hey guys. I just got home and my pool is still a bit aqua. I just brushed the walls and floor and skimmed and now robot vacuuming. The ph is 7.8. The fc is 10 the TA is still 100. And the CH is 50. But the color is still aqua. I am going to add 42 ounces of chlorine now to raise the fc back to 13 with my CYA of 80. I did not test the CYA because I am actually running less than half on that bottle. And I just tested it before I left so I am sure it stayed the same. My main concern now is to keep my fc at or at least 13 with my CYA of 80 and keep everything else stable. The 50 for calcium hardness is?? No heater remember so not too worried about that. But what do u think of the aqua color still?

And is the 50 for ch something to be concerned about for my pool- or NOT?

 

[monsterman]

Currently his cya is very high & he needs to run his fc 10ppm or higher until it comes down via backwashing. Thus the reason for a meter.

Hello again- in reply again to your suggestion for that meter- because I want to have another tool in my arsenal to keep my pH really nice-- I want to make sure the meter is this one-----New Apera Instruments AI311 PH60 Premium Pocket pH Tester Kit
Is this the correct model number? thank you again.

 

[Newdude]

raise the fc back to 13 with my CYA of 80.

Awesome

It's worked amazing so far.

. I did not test the CYA because I am actually running less than half on that bottle. And I just tested it before I left so I am sure it stayed the same

I wouldn't even test it after the next backwash. You need to lose over 10 to see the difference. 10 itself could go either way.

The 50 for calcium hardness is??

Absolutely fine.

But what do u think of the aqua color still?

We have blah skies and smoke again today so it's probably not looking it's best. But when you test frequently and know what the tests are telling you, you can rest assured everything is OK.

I want to make sure the meter is this one-----New Apera Instruments AI311 PH60 Premium Pocket pH Tester Kit
Is this the correct model number?

That's the one. More tools never hurt.

 

[Kaylee34]

I think the pool is looking great Monte. I can see the difference between Friday and today. I think Newdude is right and it's just the blah skies and smoke.

 

[monsterman]

Awesome

It's worked amazing so far.

I wouldn't even test it after the next backwash. You need to lose over 10 to see the difference. 10 itself could go either way.

Absolutely fine.

We have blah skies and smoke again today so it's probably not looking it's best. But when you test frequently and know what the tests are telling you, you can rest assured everything is OK.

That's the one. More tools never hurt.

And just to verify. This meter will be able to give me a pretty precise ph reading even if my fc is over 10

 

[Mdragger88]

And just to verify. This meter will be able to give me a pretty precise ph reading even if my fc is over 10

Yes
So long as you calibrate it as directed.
Be sure to not solely depend upon it & check it against your phenol red test occasionally.

 

[monsterman]

If its 5 days at 2ppm/day thats 10ppm+ a little more for buffer that you would want to add just before departure. So if you’re sitting at 16 ppm you would aim for 26ppm + a few ppm extra.
PoolMath will tell you how much bleach that is.
16 would be your “current” & lets call it 30 for your “target”
Sorry to go backwards. But we r going away for those 5 days and now that my CYA is only 80 i know i can add less liquid chlorine to raise my fc above the target value plus a few more to keep it where it should be when we get home. But let me ask u this. Kaylee mentioned that now might be the time to put those cal hypo Tablets in the floater to keep the pool sanitized and not add any CYA. But i will be putting the solar cover on for those days first to stop debris from falling in pool and second to lose less fc over this period of time. But i was always told NOT to use stabilized tabs with the solar cover because it could ruin the integrity of the solar cover. Is this also true with the non stabilizing tablets? What should i do ? Can i do both the cal hypo tabs and the liquid chlorine. And if i can how do i figure out the proper NEW amount of total liquid bleach and the amount of tabs to now use to keep me well sanitized??

 

[Kaylee34]

The quote thing isn't working so here is Monte's question:

Sorry to go backwards. But we r going away for those 5 days and now that my CYA is only 80 i know i can add less liquid chlorine to raise my fc above the target value plus a few more to keep it where it should be when we get home. But let me ask u this. Kaylee mentioned that now might be the time to put those cal hypo Tablets in the floater to keep the pool sanitized and not add any CYA. But i will be putting the solar cover on for those days first to stop debris from falling in pool and second to lose less fc over this period of time. But i was always told NOT to use stabilized tabs with the solar cover because it could ruin the integrity of the solar cover. Is this also true with the non stabilizing tablets? What should i do ? Can i do both the cal hypo tabs and the liquid chlorine. And if i can how do i figure out the proper NEW amount of total liquid bleach and the amount of tabs to now use to keep me well sanitized??

 

[Mdragger88]

I don’t know about the cal hypo tabs or how quickly they dissolve as I haven’t used them but when I go away on vacation I raise my pool to slam level fc with liquid chlorine then throw some Trichlor tabs in a floater (I can handle the cya increase) & I tether the floater from my handrail so it can’t rest on the liner or get stuck somewhere. I don’t use a cover & I come back to plenty of fc & the tabs are only 1/2 dissolved.
That said, with your use of a cover just raising fc with liquid chlorine as we discussed should be sufficient. Do it right before you leave & check it when you get back.
Oh, & enjoy your trip!

 

[Mdragger88]

The quote thing isn't working so here is Monte's question:

Sorry to go backwards. But we r going away for those 5 days and now that my CYA is only 80 i know i can add less liquid chlorine to raise my fc above the target value plus a few more to keep it where it should be when we get home. But let me ask u this. Kaylee mentioned that now might be the time to put those cal hypo Tablets in the floater to keep the pool sanitized and not add any CYA. But i will be putting the solar cover on for those days first to stop debris from falling in pool and second to lose less fc over this period of time. But i was always told NOT to use stabilized tabs with the solar cover because it could ruin the integrity of the solar cover. Is this also true with the non stabilizing tablets? What should i do ? Can i do both the cal hypo tabs and the liquid chlorine. And if i can how do i figure out the proper NEW amount of total liquid bleach and the amount of tabs to now use to keep me well sanitized??

Monte got stuck in the box - it happens to the best of us! The undo button is the only way I know how to get out!!

 

[Newdude]

I've read that cal-hypo tabs dissolve much quicker, but I'm way outta my wheelhouse here so consider that a rumor.

Personally, I wouldn't want either tab oozing out under the cover.

The cover itself should cut down the daily loss a decent amount (half ?), and dosing to SLAM on your way out the door should get you through the trip.

 

[monsterman]

I've read that cal-hypo tabs dissolve much quicker, but I'm way outta my wheelhouse here so consider that a rumor.

Personally, I wouldn't want either tab oozing out under the cover.

The cover itself should cut down the daily loss a decent amount (half ?), and dosing to SLAM on your way out the door should get you through the trip.

I kind of agree wiyh u. Not sure what cal hypo tabs will do to my cover or how fast they will dissolve. So since i will use 80 as my CYA the minimum fc is 6 and the target is 9 to 11 but the slam is 31. But simce the cover will be on and i should lose less than my before reported of 3 ppm per day lets say only 2 ppm per day i will add 10 ppm plus a buffer so i will raise my fc to about 25 right before i leave so when i get back it should b about or near 15?? How does that sound?