Taking over pool care, don't know what I'm doing!

[ping]

The CSI, -.48, is in range with a pH of 7.5. I suggested to lower the pH to 7.5 because she is going away for 6 days and I don't want the pH to go above 8 when she is away.

Right now the numbers are fine. We need to see what's happening with the OCLT and then continue solving the SWG problem when she gets back.

 

[hepmama]

The 7.5 pH target, along with the low water temperature is what is causing the CSI to drop too low. When your water is colder, you may need to maintain a higher pH to keep the CSI in check. As the water warms, you can bring the pH down farther.

The borates and the salt are also lowering that CSI. If you actually have borates in the pool, that's fine, if you don't, follow the "current" column with borates at 0.

There are two schools of thought here - duraleigh feels that keeping your pH anywhere in the 7-8 range is ok. CSI adherents feel that you really need to keep that number in the correct spot. It's up to you. I, personally, use CSI, so during the winter, I've kept my pH higher, near 7.8-8 to keep my CSI in a "good" spot. If you're worried about CSI, allow your pH to stay up around 7.8 and you should be good. Once your water warms up further, you can use PoolMath to see how much farther down you can bring the pH.

I last checked the borates and they were 50. If that helps. I still don't grasp it yet to be honest but I will work on understanding it later. Thank you for taking the time to explain, I will refer back to it!

The CSI, -.48, is in range with a pH of 7.5. I suggested to lower the pH to 7.5 because she is going away for 6 days and I don't want the pH to go above 8 when she is away.

Right now the numbers are fine. We need to see what's happening with the OCLT and then continue solving the SWG problem when she gets back.

Okay, the OCLT looks like it lost 1.5. When I was testing last night I felt it was on the verge of 12 to 12.5, and ultimately went with 12.5. This morning it is 11. Also, last night the pH looked like it was 8.2. I did not end up getting around to acid yesterday because I ran out of time. ETA: I did not think to ask this but was the pump supposed to be running overnight? It was off when I went outside, so I turned it on and let it run a few minutes before getting the sample. Should I have let it run longer?

I should be able to get back out there later on today. PoolMath says to add 80 oz acid to get down to 7.5, do you recommend that much?

Does your advice to raise FC to 24 while I'm out of town still apply given the OCLT results?

 

[ping]

I would add have that amount of acid and retest the pH in one hour. If the pH is still high then you can add another dose of acid. It is safer to ease into this and gain confidence in what you are doing than to overshoot and have to correct for adding too much acid. Your numbers from PoolMath are the same that I get so you are on the right track.

Since the pool did lose more chlorine than what it should have, I would raise the FC to 24 before you leave.

Normally you want to run the pump 24/7 during the OCLT, and I also forgot to make sure to tell you to turn the SWG off during the OCLT. We will get back to the OCLT when you get back from your trip.

Get the pH down to 7.5 and raise the FC to 24 before you leave and enjoy your trip. Don't worry a bit about the pool while you are away, we'll get everything dialed in after you get back.

 

[pabeader]

Just a quick note for all those helping out here: Way back in post #54 she mentioned that the diode in the SWG cell looks to be in bad condition. So the SWG might actually not be working.

 

[ping]

This is a Jandy AquaPure, not a Hayward AquaRite so it doesn't have the same problem as the AquaRites have when the limiter goes bad. As of right now I'm leaning towards 99% the cell needs to be replaced. Those codes indicate a scaled cell or it is a worn out cell, they don't have anything to do with a bad board.

The cell might only be bad in one direction of polarity hence to keep the SWG on at 100%.

 

[hepmama]

pabeader: I do think the salt cell is probably dead. I'll get that replaced in the next month or so most likely.

ping, you were SPOT ON that I should only add half the acid recommended by PoolMath at first. My pH is now at 7.2 after adding 40 oz. I am kind of wondering *why* PoolMath said 80 oz...

Now my CSI is -.66 which looks too low? Corrosion of plaster likely. Do I need to do anything with the pH before I leave town or will it naturally climb up and be okay? I turned the waterfall on for now.

Next I'll be working on the FC to bump it up to 24 before I leave.

Thank you so much!

 

[ping]

Most likely the borate level is closer to zero and not 50. The higher the borate level is the more acid it takes to move the pH down. Make sure the borate level is at 0 in PoolMath next time.

Keep the waterfall running since you want to lower the TA and let it run all night if you can. This is the method to lower the TA that Kim posted the other day. The pH will raise fast enough so no damage is done to the plaster.

 

[hepmama]

Most likely the borate level is closer to zero and not 50. The higher the borate level is the more acid it takes to move the pH down. Make sure the borate level is at 0 in PoolMath next time.

Keep the waterfall running since you want to lower the TA and let it run all night if you can. This is the method to lower the TA that Kim posted the other day. The pH will raise fast enough so no damage is done to the plaster.

Welp, I will consider the borates zero for now then because that makes the math work! I remember that we bought a bunch, around 10-12 boxes, of borax in June 2016 (found the transaction) and added it. I do not know why he added it. I just helped him.

I will try to remember to turn the pump back on to run all night.

Thank you again!

 

[hepmama]

Okay, tested this morning - pool did run all night with the waterfall on.

pH looks like 7.5-7.8. Definitely is raised from the 7.2 of yesterday.

FC is 30.5 - I guess I put too much, although it was about what PoolMath said. I was at 10.5 and PoolMath recommended 240 oz so I put 2 121 oz jugs, so it was 2 oz over the calculation - would 2 oz cause that much difference? It is the HDX stuff here: HDX 121 oz. Germicidal Bleach-23008948211 - The Home Depot. Is this level of FC a problem I need to do something about today?

TA is 80
CYA is 50
Water temp is 66

 

[Mr Bruce]

pH test is invalid when FC is over 10.

That is quite a bit over your SLAM level of 20 but I wouldn't do anything to bring it down. Too high of a FC level can start start bleaching things so I would try not to do that again.


e: I don't think you are using pool math correctly. I put in your numbers and it said to add 169 oz of bleach. Do you have the correct % in there?

 

[hepmama]

pH test is invalid when FC is over 10.

That is quite a bit over your SLAM level of 20 but I wouldn't do anything to bring it down. Too high of a FC level can start start bleaching things so I would try not to do that again.


e: I don't think you are using pool math correctly. I put in your numbers and it said to add 169 oz of bleach. Do you have the correct % in there?

I am sure you are right that I'm not using it correctly - I just need to figure out what I'm doing wrong!

This is the bleach bottle. Do I use the 8.25% number in PoolMath? I put 10.5 for the "Now" and 24 for the "Target" and it says 240 oz of 8.25% bleach jug size 121 oz. 12000 gallon pool. Using Suggested Goal level from TroubleFreePool.com and Bleach as primary source of chlorine, Plaster surface.

What other stuff do I need to change in the calculator? Thank you so much for your help with this. I am sorry to be so much trouble.

Also thank you for the info on pH being invalid - I had no idea!

 

[Mr Bruce]

Well you said your CYA was 50, so that is a SLAM target of 20

Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

But even aiming for 24 (which does match what you added, 2 gallons, so you are doing it correctly). That leaves either

-Testing error, there was more FC in the pool than you thought when you added
or
-You pool is smaller than you think.

I would definitely err on the side of caution and add things in half steps (especially acid!!!) until you get that ironed out

 

[ping]

The pool is fine at the level of FC.

You are using PoolMath correctly as I get the same numbers that you are getting. Your pool might be smaller than 12,000 gallons, you might want to switch it to 10,000 gallons in PoolMath and see if that helps in the future.

When you get back from your trip, test for FC, CC, and pH then post them up and we'll be ready to continue.

You haven't been any trouble at all, we all enjoy helping out when someone appreciates it so much. The pool is good to go for now, enjoy your trip and don't think about the pool while you are away.

 

[hepmama]

Well you said your CYA was 50, so that is a SLAM target of 20

Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

But even aiming for 24 (which does match what you added, 2 gallons, so you are doing it correctly). That leaves either

-Testing error, there was more FC in the pool than you thought when you added
or
-You pool is smaller than you think.

I would definitely err on the side of caution and add things in half steps (especially acid!!!) until you get that ironed out

I would hope I am not messing up the test that badly, but maybe I am! OR maybe the pool is smaller. I even pulled out the plan and the pool builder says it is 12,997 gallons but it is a free form pool, maybe they didn't precisely calculate it?

I will try to remember to use half steps on everything for now.

The pool is fine at the level of FC.

You are using PoolMath correctly as I get the same numbers that you are getting. Your pool might be smaller than 12,000 gallons, you might want to switch it to 10,000 gallons in PoolMath and see if that helps in the future.

When you get back from your trip, test for FC, CC, and pH then post them up and we'll be ready to continue.

You haven't been any trouble at all, we all enjoy helping out when someone appreciates it so much. The pool is good to go for now, enjoy your trip and don't think about the pool while you are away.

Good idea to use 10K for the size in the calculator!

Believe me, I am so grateful for the help! And I won't worry about the pool - thank you for the reassurance that it will be okay for a few days.

Y'all enjoy your break from my questions.

 

[kimkats]

You are FUN to work with and it is very gratifying to help you because you listen and learn! Enjoy your trip and we will be here waiting on you!



Kim

 

[hepmama]

I'm back! I didn't get to do anything with the pool yesterday so today I got out there. Water looks good. Here are my test results as of today:

pH 7.8 (which I guess is invalid since FC is over 10)
FC 12
CC 0.5
TA 80
CYA 50
CH 350
Salt 2800
CSI is -0.06

The water temp is 66. The salt controller says the salinity is 2.4. It is set at 100% still. I last tested FC at 30.5 on 3/10 so after 8 days it dropped to 12. Losing about 2.3 ppm per day.

PoolMath says if I add 40 lbs of salt I can get the level up to 3200 so I will try to get that done this weekend. I have a partial bag (less than half I'm sure) but I need to get another bag. I think I will add a full bag plus whatever is left of this bag and that should get me in the 3200-3400 range.

I also need to do the overnight FC loss test again because last time I didn't leave the pool running all night (I will also turn the SWG to 0% for that).

Since the pH test is invalid I will wait for the FC to come down and test it again.

Before I do anything, do y'all have any input? I'd like to get the salt level up to see if that makes any difference to the SWG functionality although it appears to be dead. Right now I'm just planning to add salt and run the overnight FC loss test in the next night or two.

 

[kimkats]

I want you to read over what you just wrote above then go back and read your first post on this thread. Done? You have learned SO much and come SO far! I am so proud of you and all you have done and learned! WOW!

You can do the OCLT without running the pump all night. It does need to run about 30 mins or so to mix the water up good in the morning before you pull the water. SWG off for sure even though we think it is dead. It is up to you.

you are really getting this pool care thing down!

Kim

 

[bobandsherry]

Those numbers look good and you don't have too much to do.

I would add 3 cups of acid soon to drop the pH to 7.5 but there is no harm being done now at 7.8.

How did you come up with 3 cups? The pool app I use and the pool math calculator only shows 11oz. I'd shoot for 7.6 (only needs 4 oz) and at 7.8 I'd leave the PH as is as 7.8 may be the normal level and just maintain itself at that level. The salt at 2600 is low, 40 lbs needed to get to 3000.

 

[hepmama]

I want you to read over what you just wrote above then go back and read your first post on this thread. Done? You have learned SO much and come SO far! I am so proud of you and all you have done and learned! WOW!

You can do the OCLT without running the pump all night. It does need to run about 30 mins or so to mix the water up good in the morning before you pull the water. SWG off for sure even though we think it is dead. It is up to you.

you are really getting this pool care thing down!

Kim

Kim, thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement! I just was doing some more reading on OCLT and one post mentioned removing floating things from the pool as they are a breeding ground for algae - well, our pool cover has two styrofoam cylinders under it that keep the cover out of the water. I know they have had stuff on them before when we've taken them out so they could cause some trouble. Maybe I should wait to do the OCLT until we take the cover off and those floats aren't in there anymore. I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks or so the trees will be done dropping stuff and I can get the cover off. That will make everything so much easier!

I did add salt today so I'll test that again in the next couple of days. I'm going to contact the pool guy and get a quote on the new salt cell this coming week, too. I'd like that to be working again.

 

[kimkats]

I would wait on the OCLT until you have it open and everything is like it should be for the coming summer.



Kim