Pool store - can't do water analysis with FC over 3

[gavin123]

Hi everyone. What a great resource this is. First time post. Just getting starting. I just bought house 3 months ago. Pool is 20+ years old.

I've continued with previous owners pool service but will transition to DIY. I'm paying $150 a month and they spend 5 mins per week at the pool (literally). I started testing water with Taylor K-2006. I wanted to verify with a pool store that I am getting correct readings. They said they can't test unless FC drops below 3. Here are my current levels:

FC 6.5
pH 7.4
TA 90
CH 340
CYA 60

Is the pool store giving me Bull or are accuracy of other tests dependent on FC being 3 or below?

The pool service currently uses a float dispenser with tabs. I have read about issues with high CYA. I wanted to continue with tabs and hoping CYA would drop over Winter with California rains. If CYA doesn't drop I will look at switching to SWG as I can't do daily liquid chlorine adds due to regular travel.

Thanks

Gavin

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum! :handshake:

You have a quality test kit. There is absolutely no need to get a pool store test. The fact they stated they could not test TA, CH, or CYA with FC above 3 ppm shows how little they know what they are doing.

The only test in your kit that is effected by elevated FC is the pH test. And that is only when FC is above 10 ppm.

I would stop your puck use right now. Use liquid chlorine. Your CYA at 60 is as high as you want to go if you are not using a SWCG.

I suggest you read Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Trouble Free Pool School book.

 

[Richard320]

Welcome!

As you suspect, the pool store is giving you Bull and the accuracy of other tests is not dependent on FC being 3 or below. The pH test may read falsely high if FC is above 10. The TA test may shift from green>pink to blue>yellow with really high FC, but the results are still valid.

 

[Spa Owner]

Hi everyone. What a great resource this is. First time post. Just getting starting. I just bought house 3 months ago. Pool is 20+ years old.

I've continued with previous owners pool service but will transition to DIY. I'm paying $150 a month and they spend 5 mins per week at the pool (literally). I started testing water with Taylor K-2006. I wanted to verify with a pool store that I am getting correct readings. They said they can't test unless FC drops below 3. Here are my current levels:

FC 6.5
pH 7.4
TA 90
CH 340
CYA 60

Is the pool store giving me Bull or are accuracy of other tests dependent on FC being 3 or below?

The pool service currently uses a float dispenser with tabs. I have read about issues with high CYA. I wanted to continue with tabs and hoping CYA would drop over Winter with California rains. If CYA doesn't drop I will look at switching to SWG as I can't do daily liquid chlorine adds due to regular travel.

Thanks

Gavin

This is a joke surely Shirley? Any pool store staff would know if they cant get a reading due to testing limitation on their tablets (this could be the issue in some photometers) they can dilute the sample in half with distilled water and double the testing outcome. How do I put this...if any pool store anywhere said that to me I would uhmmm run out the door laughing

 

[gavin123]

OK thanks. This is kind of what I suspected. I'll have my wife run the same tests on the Taylor kit to make sure I didn't screw it up