Spending a fortune on Chemicals

[JasonLion]

the "good" chlorine and the "bad" chlorine need to strike a balance otherwise they will push into a serious chlorine demand

That really doesn't make any sense. Lots of things pool store people say don't make any sense.

You should start trusting your test results, and not theirs, quite soon. With just a tiny bit of practice a novice with the TF-100 gives better test results than most pool stores.

There are a couple of things about your TF-100 test results that I am curious about. The TF-100 measures FC and CC with the FAS-DPD test (powder turns the sample pink and then drops eventually turn it clear again), and TC with the OTO test (inside the blue inner box). You list FC and TC results, but not CC. Which test did you use and how did you write it down? Also, you list an Adjusted Total Alkalinity value, but the TF-100 measures plain Total Alkalinity, without an adjustment. You should write down the Total Alkalinity result directly from the test kit, and not do any adjusting.

Yes, your PH is too low. You want to raise PH to at least 7.2 fairly soon. This time, add less chemical at a time, give it an hour to mixin, then test again and continue adjusting from there, so you don't overshoot.

 

[Bama Rambler]

As Jason said, practice is the key to getting good repeatable test results. Use your TF-100 and practice the test several times.

The CYA test is hard to read (it's easy to mix, just hard to read) until you get used to it. The good thing about it is that, once mixed, you can pour the sample back and forth from the mix bottle to the view tube several times to get a handle on reading it. I'll usually pour it back and forth a few times just to make sure I'm consistant.

Here's how the results from the TF-100 are normally posted.
pH (using the pH side of the K-1000 block)
FC (using the FAS-DPD test)
CC (using the FAS-DPD test)
TA (using R-0007, R-0008 & R-0009)
CH (using R-0010, R-0011 & R-0012)
CYA (using R-0013)

You can post TC but since FC + CC = TC we normally don't worry about it because it's easy to do in your head and it's a number we don't really need. Having said that, if your FC target is lower than 5 you can use the K-1000 block for daily testing and it is TC. I use the FAS-DPD for my daily testing because my min number is higher than 5 FC.

 

[LoraMae]

Jason, last night my blue box gave me a lower chlorine # than the test tube method. The small blue box chlorine number was 1. With the kit, my free chlorine was 5, CC was 0. With the CYA, I did save the test water and alternated between tubes to see if I could figure out how to read and allow the black dot to disappear. I just can't get the hang of it. Do you stand over it and look straight down into the tube? It seemed to work when I held the tube out away from my body and when I poured, I gradually noticed the black dot disappear, however, I thought that was more of an optical illusion.

As for my adjusted alkalinity, that's how it was listed on the computer printout from the pool store. When I tested, my alkalinity with the TF-100 kit, it was 160. The TF-100 gave me 8.2 for T/A but the small blue kit registered much lower at 6.8. Which is correct...does it matter?

By the way, the pool store is coming out next Wednesday to look at our heater and lighting in the spa because our "service" light is on. I should read about this before they arrive. Which forum should I research in the next few days?

 

[piggyfarmers]

loramae, how are things going?

here's a link to the cya test that might help you.
http://www.taylortechnologies.com/ChemistryTopicsCM.ASP?ContentID=44

 

[anonapersona]

I found that I had to reorganize my test kit so that the order of the bottles matched the order of tests as described inside the lid. There are extra dividers so you can move things around.

It worked best when I started at the lower left, with the "Chlorine Only" tube and the R-870 powder together in one section, then the blue box in the next. Then I went in order like the instructions, R-0871 and R-003 in one section, then the other tube with the R-007, then R-0008. Next row up, with bottles sideways instead of straight up, is R-0009, then 10, then 11, then 12. Top row from left is CYA mixing bottle and long tube with the dot, my Speed Stir with the magnet and a pencil and then R-0013.

With these things in order I can do one test and then write it down and put it back before I do another. It helps to keep the names straight.

 

[JasonLion]

The FAS-DPD chlorine test is much more precise when measuring the FC level. If you have any doubts, clean everything a little extra and do the test again. If you get the same result with the FAS-DPD chlorine test then that is the correct level. The strength of the OTO test is checking for chlorine vs. no chlorine. The FAS-DPD test can once in a long while show no chlorine when there actually is some (and the DPD test does that frequently). If the OTO test says there isn't any chlorine, then there isn't.

Just ignore adjusted total alkalinity. We always use the unadjusted number.

The PH test results are normally quite reliable, even with inexpensive test kits. Once in a while a high FC level can cause some PH tests to read really high, when the actual PH is low. Perhaps that is what happened to you. The PH test in the TF-100 is the most reliable of the pool PH tests that I know of, be even it can be thrown off if the FC level is too high.

For the CYA test, stand outdoors with your back to the sun and hold the view tube at about waist level. Looking down into the view tube, slowly pour the mixture from the mixing bottle into the view tube Continue pouring until all traces of the black dot at the bottom of the view tube completely disappear, even after you stare at it for several seconds, or you fill the view tube.

 

[LoraMae]

Thank you to everyone who has offered advice. We're testing our pool 2x each week with the new kit. I have my 12-year old daughter doing this because she tends to be very precise. She has figured out the CYA test - or so she says. Regardless, we have the pool store check our water every 2 weeks as a backup. I don't completely understand this, but at least I feel like if our pH is inline and our chlorine is in the range, we are doing well. I noticed the socks with the stabilizer were getting low, so we refilled those and our water still looks very clear. I continue to be unhappy with the blackness that appears on the white caulked areas of joints. I've had the kids take toothbrushes and scrub brushes down to those to scrub hard and at least they disappear. I guess this forms when the chlorine gets low. We have a large pool brush on a long handle, but the angle is such that the caulk doesn't get scrubbed well. We run the pump 24 hours a day... Now that the chemicals are somewhat in check, we need advice about how often to run the pump. I'll start a new topic for help with the pump.

 

[Ladeda]

Try using a magic eraser on the chalking. I use them to remove everything that forms on my pool.

 

[duraleigh]

I noticed the socks with the stabilizer were getting low, so we refilled those and our water still looks very clear.

What target are you shooting for? How high is your CYA now? You may already have enough. You need to post test results.

 

[crek31]

I noticed the socks with the stabilizer were getting low, so we refilled those and our water still looks very clear.

What is your current CYA level before adding what you just did to "refill" the socks? If you don't have a Salt Water Generator (SWG), you will want to keep your CYA at about 30 - 50. CYA, once in a pool, typically only leaves a pool via splash out or if you do a partial drain of the pool. Unlike chlorine, it does not get "used up." Thus, you don't need to "refill" the socks with stabilizer just because they have emptied -- unless, of course, you had only put in part of the amount of stabilizer needed to get to your target CYA.

Oops, it looks like duraleigh answered while I was typing. To the extent we differ in what we say, forget mine and listen to duraleigh.