Startup plaster and chemicals

[Poolparty2022]

Adding the gallon of acid lowered your TA too much. 30 is not good.

You need to raise your TA to 60-70.

Add 6 pounds of Baking Soda to raise your TA. Each pound of baking soda will raise your TA by 5 ppm.

Watch your TA as you add acid and keep your TA at 60 or higher.

Don't add stabilizer until you get your TA up. CYA is a mild acid and will further lower your pH.

@mknauss

Should the baking soda be added all at once or over time?

 

[ajw22]

Should the baking soda be added all at once or over time?

You can add it all at once if you are sure about your measurements.

Or you can be more conservative and add 2/3, wait an hour for it to circulate, and then retest. See if it raised your TA by 5 ppm per pound you added.

A variable is whether your pool really is 14,000 gallons. Often what the Pool Builder said is not what it really is. As you see what the actual effects of adding chemicals is versus PoolMath you can adjust your pool size until the predicted pretty well agrees with actual results.

 

[Poolparty2022]

You can add it all at once if you are sure about your measurements.

Or you can be more conservative and add 2/3, wait an hour for it to circulate, and then retest. See if it raised your TA by 5 ppm per pound you added.

A variable is whether your pool really is 14,000 gallons. Often what the Pool Builder said is not what it really is. As you see what the actual effects of adding chemicals is versus PoolMath you can adjust your pool size until the predicted pretty well agrees with actual results.

Good point, I suspect it’s closer to 12.5-13

 

[Poolparty2022]

You can add it all at once if you are sure about your measurements.

Or you can be more conservative and add 2/3, wait an hour for it to circulate, and then retest. See if it raised your TA by 5 ppm per pound you added.

A variable is whether your pool really is 14,000 gallons. Often what the Pool Builder said is not what it really is. As you see what the actual effects of adding chemicals is versus PoolMath you can adjust your pool size until the predicted pretty well agrees with actual results.

4 lbs added. TA at 80

 

[ajw22]

4 lbs added. TA at 80

Good leave it there.

Check FC, pH, and TA daily.

Add your stabilizer on day 4.

 

[Poolparty2022]

Good leave it there.

Check FC, pH, and TA daily.

Add your stabilizer on day 4.

Update from this mornings tests prior to brushing. Note: the spillway is running 24/7 and we didn’t resist the urge to swim last night for 30 mins.

Following test: added 24 oz muriatic acid and beginning brushing.

 

[ajw22]

Following test: added 24 oz muriatic acid and beginning brushing.

Go easy on the MA with a TA of 50.

You should not reduce the pH by more then 0.3 in one dose.

For your 14,000 gallon pool that is 20 oz of 31% MA.

 

[Poolparty2022]

Go easy on the MA with a TA of 50.

You should not reduce the pH by more then 0.3 in one dose.

For your 14,000 gallon pool that is 20 oz of 31% MA.

Go easy on the MA with a TA of 50.

You should not reduce the pH by more then 0.3 in one dose.

For your 14,000 gallon pool that is 20 oz of 31% MA.

I will be out of town for 4 days and my spouse is very busy so I will say thanks now for any support next Friday when these numbers are all over the place! Anything I can do to prep being gone besides putting chlorine tablets in the skimmers?

 

[ajw22]

Do not put chlorine tablets in skimmers. They will create acidic water which will go directly into your equipment and damage it.

Use a floater in the pool if you must use tablets to chlorinate.

 

[Poolparty2022]

Do not put chlorine tablets in skimmers. They will create acidic water which will go directly into your equipment and damage it.

Use a floater in the pool if you must use tablets to chlorinate.

Good call. I picked up floaters

 

[Poolparty2022]

Good call. I picked up floaters

On day 9 of plaster.. I’ve been unable to get FC to exceed .5 with the 4 pucks in each of the two floaters (total 8). pH and TA seem relatively stable with a few cups of daily acid and occasional (twice a week a few lbs) baking soda. Would liquid chlorine help here prior to SWG at day 30?

TA 70
PH 7.5
CYA 0
CH 125
FC .5
CC .5

 

[ajw22]

I thought you using tablets was just for the four days you were out of town.

You cannot control how much chlorine gets into the pool using tablets. For accurate chemical dosing use liquid chlorine and muriatic acid and dry stabilizer as necessary.

 

[Poolparty2022]

I thought you using tablets was just for the four days you were out of town.

You cannot control how much chlorine gets into the pool using tablets. For accurate chemical dosing use liquid chlorine and muriatic acid and dry stabilizer as necessary.

Gotcha. Is it adequate to pour a gallon of 10% liquid chlorine throughout the pool or should I spread out the application? Also not quite at the 2 week mark where stabilizer is recommended, so I suspect the FC will be lowered quickly in the 90 degree sunny weather and pool party tomorrow

 

[ajw22]

Pour the liquid chlorine by a return.

Where did you see you need to wait 2 weeks before you add stabilizer? All the startup guides I have seen say to add stabilizer at day 4. You have been adding stabilizer with your Trichlor pucks

 

[Poolparty2022]

Pour the liquid chlorine by a return.

Where did you see you need to wait 2 weeks before you add stabilizer? All the startup guides I have seen say to add stabilizer at day 4. You have been adding stabilizer with your Trichlor pucks

Been adding since early AM and now finished adding the gallon. Now currently at 2.5 FC and .5 CC.

 

[ajw22]

Check your FC and pH daily and keep FC around 3 and pH in the 7s.

You adding stabilizer?

 

[Poolparty2022]

Check your FC and pH daily and keep FC around 3 and pH in the 7s.

You adding stabilizer?

Startup instructions said no stabilizer until day 14.. FC did drop back to .5 overnight. Added around 40 oz LC this morning and back to 3.5 FC. 1 hr later, down to between 2.5 and 3 FC. Another hr later, down to 1.5 FC

 

[ajw22]

What startup instructions are you following?

 

[Poolparty2022]

What startup instructions are you following?

Traditional

 

[proavia]

Provide a link to the startup instructions you are following.