Good morning! I tested the water first thing this morning. FC is 30, CC is 0. I guess bringing that FC all the way up to 33 did the trick, eh? I didn't test anything else because I remember reading that pH will be skewed with the FC so high. I need to get to working on my calcium. Should I be trying to do that today? I can retest the water when I get home from lunch after church. I guess I'm just to let the sun do its thing on the chlorine to get it back down to normal range, yes? Thanks for the guidance. Oh and if someone can read the message where I asked about that draining in the spa, that'd be awesome. Thanks!
Slight algae problem and CC is at 0.5
- Thread starter DanaSC
- Start date
Well, I suggest you wait a day or two on increasing CH.
Wait 'till the FC is back in the normal range and you test/confirm pH and TA.
Adding calcium is something we suggest you do on a day that you are not adjusting anything else with your pool.
Wait 'till the FC is back in the normal range and you test/confirm pH and TA.
Adding calcium is something we suggest you do on a day that you are not adjusting anything else with your pool.
Sounds great. I'll get back to you all after it gets back down to normal range. Thanks!
I just retested our water at 3pm.
FC: 16.5
CC: 0
pH: 8
TA: 180 (light pink) or 190 (darker pink) - does it matter which "shade" of pink?
CH: 190 or 200
CYA: 50
I know I'm not supposed to test pH when FC is crazy high or in shock range. Was it ok for me to test it at FC 16.5? pH is really high so I'm hoping that I needed to wait until FC gets to my target level of 6. Same with TA. That number is through the roof! Seems CH is still about what it was the other day. If I wasn't supposed to test the other levels, will you let me know at about what FC level it is okay to test again?
FC: 16.5
CC: 0
pH: 8
TA: 180 (light pink) or 190 (darker pink) - does it matter which "shade" of pink?
CH: 190 or 200
CYA: 50
I know I'm not supposed to test pH when FC is crazy high or in shock range. Was it ok for me to test it at FC 16.5? pH is really high so I'm hoping that I needed to wait until FC gets to my target level of 6. Same with TA. That number is through the roof! Seems CH is still about what it was the other day. If I wasn't supposed to test the other levels, will you let me know at about what FC level it is okay to test again?
When FC is 10 or less you can retest pH and trust it. There's no damage done, all you did was waste 5 drops of reagent, a small fraction of a cent.DanaSC said:
The TA is 190. On that test (and the CH) you keep adding drops until you get to the drop that makes no difference, then deduct 1. So at 18 it changed to light pink, at 19 it went darker, 20 should have made no difference.
One more note. I found some paperwork from 1999 that previous owners had given us. It's test results from the local pool store. It says that the pool is 13,500 gallons. Same pool store now has the pool at 22,000. Not sure why. At any rate, we're going to measure that sucker. I did calculations on poolcalculator and if the pool is 13,500, it makes sense why we went up to FC 33! I'm kind of hoping it's 13,500...that will cost less on everything overall!
22000 is a pretty big pool, that's for sure!DanaSC said:
My pool is a freeform, sorta kidney shaped. Extreme width and length is 12 x32 feet, average depth is 5'. With the spa, It comes out to 16000 gallons. The pool guy I inherited told me it was about 15000 gallons; my calculations were somewhere in that neighborhood. After several weeks, maybe months, of getting different results than I should be when using the pool calculator, I kept upping the gallons until I got the results I should be getting -consistently - using 16000. It'll just take time to get it dialed in.
It's always easier to add more to a pool, not so easy to remove stuff.
heehee - that was a big little mistake on gallons, huhDanaSC said:
And as you said, that explains it!btw, what Richard said above + here's a link to Extended Kit Directions:
extended-test-kit-directions-t25081.html
Thanks Richard! Wow. So maybe that 22,000 number really is off the charts. Wonder where the pool store got that number. Think it could be inflated so they sell more? Guess I'll never know. I appreciate your input on it. I'll keep you posted as we figure out a more solid figure on what we think it really is.
A question for you about TA. Is my number of 190 horribly bad to the point where I should even be concerned about lowering it? I know I still need to wait to see what pH is for sure, but just wondering. And thanks for the info on the drops. That makes sense to add a drop until there is no change in color and then subtract one. Smart!
Oh, and seriously, Butterfly! Big little mistake for sure! And thanks for the directions! I'll look them over now.
A question for you about TA. Is my number of 190 horribly bad to the point where I should even be concerned about lowering it? I know I still need to wait to see what pH is for sure, but just wondering. And thanks for the info on the drops. That makes sense to add a drop until there is no change in color and then subtract one. Smart!
Oh, and seriously, Butterfly! Big little mistake for sure! And thanks for the directions! I'll look them over now.
Sorry, everyone. You guys are like my new BFFs - I have to tell you everything! Was reading those extended test kit directions and read the "why" on wiping the TA test reagent with a damp cloth. I didn't do that when I did the test...just didn't see why that was important. Maybe that's why my TA# is so high?! Crossing fingers and hoping so! I'll do it the right way next time and see if it makes a difference!
TA is something you worry about when everything else is set and you're bored. Each time you lower pH using acid, you lower TA a little. Down near the bottom of Pool Calculator there's a thing that says "Effects of adding chemicals" that will show you how much. If you maintain pH, TA will come down. High TA does tend to make pH rise faster, so if you find yourself adding acid daily and are getting tired of it, then you can get aggressive with it. There's an article in Pool School on how to do it. But it's a very low priority. Once people start swimming and splashing, they'll drive pH up, and when you add acid to lower it, TA will go down.DanaSC said:
On the plus side, you've got lots of room to maneuver there, TA is a good way to reverse calculate pool volume. If it tells you that adding this much acid will lower pH by .4 and TA by 10, and you don't see that much drop, you'll know the volume is greater than you thought.
Thanks Richard!
For the OCLT do I need to leave my pump running? We've gotten rid of CC per my last test results. But I figured I should do the OCLT still, right? Just need to know if I do that if the pump has to stay running. Thanks!
For the OCLT do I need to leave my pump running? We've gotten rid of CC per my last test results. But I figured I should do the OCLT still, right? Just need to know if I do that if the pump has to stay running. Thanks!
You can do this evening's part of the OCLT and then shut the pump off. Turn it back on about 30 min or so before you do the AM test.
Here's the latest on my pool:
FC: 9.5
CC: 0
pH: 7.8
TA: 110 (whew!)
CH: 180
CYA: 50
A few questions:
1) Is there another test for pH other than the color matching one in the TF100? There's a note on those instructions for pH that says to not record those, and since there is another test for FC, I thought I'd see if I'm just missing something or if I should have a different test for more accurate results.
2) Considering getting calcium for the pool today since all other numbers seem great. I'm going to base calculations on 13,500 gallons just in case that is really what we have. I'd much rather add too little than too much. Should I do calculations based on raising it to 220? Thoughts?
3) Called two pool stores for pricing. Now that I know what I need, why not shop around a little more? Leslie's has Hardness Plus (calcium chloride) in 4# ($15) and 8# ($20.99)...don't need more than those. Griffin has Balance Pak 300 (calcium chloride) in 5# ($9.99) and 12# ($24.99). Any thoughts on which is better to go with? I don't know if one over the other has added ingredients that aren't necessary for my pool.
I think those are all my question for the moment (or the minute!).
FC: 9.5
CC: 0
pH: 7.8
TA: 110 (whew!)
CH: 180
CYA: 50
A few questions:
1) Is there another test for pH other than the color matching one in the TF100? There's a note on those instructions for pH that says to not record those, and since there is another test for FC, I thought I'd see if I'm just missing something or if I should have a different test for more accurate results.
2) Considering getting calcium for the pool today since all other numbers seem great. I'm going to base calculations on 13,500 gallons just in case that is really what we have. I'd much rather add too little than too much. Should I do calculations based on raising it to 220? Thoughts?
3) Called two pool stores for pricing. Now that I know what I need, why not shop around a little more? Leslie's has Hardness Plus (calcium chloride) in 4# ($15) and 8# ($20.99)...don't need more than those. Griffin has Balance Pak 300 (calcium chloride) in 5# ($9.99) and 12# ($24.99). Any thoughts on which is better to go with? I don't know if one over the other has added ingredients that aren't necessary for my pool.
I think those are all my question for the moment (or the minute!).
I'm hoping someone can answer my above questions mainly about the calcium so I can go ahead and purchase and add it today. I'm a little worried about our plaster since it's only a year old.
Thanks Butterfly!
I got the 5lbs of calcium chloride today. My husband is going to put it in the pool later this evening. I read that it should be dispersed in the deep end of the pool and the pool brushed after. Only thing I didn't read anywhere (pool school or on the label of product) is how long the pump should run after dispersing. Any ideas on that? Also when do you think I will get an accurate read on how this has raised my CH? I'm anxious to know but not sure it doesn't take a day or more.
One more thing - should I be trying to lower my pH from that 7.8 or just make sure it doesn't go any higher?
Thanks again for the help!
I got the 5lbs of calcium chloride today. My husband is going to put it in the pool later this evening. I read that it should be dispersed in the deep end of the pool and the pool brushed after. Only thing I didn't read anywhere (pool school or on the label of product) is how long the pump should run after dispersing. Any ideas on that? Also when do you think I will get an accurate read on how this has raised my CH? I'm anxious to know but not sure it doesn't take a day or more.
One more thing - should I be trying to lower my pH from that 7.8 or just make sure it doesn't go any higher?
Thanks again for the help!
DanaSC said:Thanks Butterfly!
You're welcome
I got the 5lbs of calcium chloride today. My husband is going to put it in the pool later this evening. I read that it should be dispersed in the deep end of the pool and the pool brushed after. Only thing I didn't read anywhere (pool school or on the label of product) is how long the pump should run after dispersing. Any ideas on that?
After/during broadcasting the CH in the deep end, brush the pool to make sure it has dissolved.
Also when do you think I will get an accurate read on how this has raised my CH? I'm anxious to know but not sure it doesn't take a day or more.
I'd say one complete turnover of water should do it. Or, if you run the pump 24/7, probably tomorrow.
One more thing - should I be trying to lower my pH from that 7.8 or just make sure it doesn't go any higher?
Each time the pH hits 7.8, you should just lower it back to about 7.4ish.
Thanks again for the help!
Once again, thanks! Does a complete turnover generally take about 24 hours? Can I do both the muriatic acid tonight as well as the calcium? If so, does it matter which I put in first? If I shouldn't do them together, which would you recommend I do tonight, and then should I just do the other tomorrow?