Test results and what to do now?

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Sunshine&Water

Member
Mar 27, 2019
10
Arizona
Hi all! We just finished filling our pool yesterday, and I think I did everything correctly on the water testing with the new Taylor 2006 test kit. I attached a screenshot of results. I left CYA blank because the water never did get cloudy or obscure the black dot at the bottom of the chamber, so that would be lower than 30 but I did not want to insert a random guess.

So.....now I am not sure what to do. We definitely need chlorine!
(Still figuring out the app and how to mark off filter and pool cleaning!)

Thank you for any guidance!
 

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Sunshine&Water said:
Good question...and no....because I do not even know what it is! Off to read and add. How much time should I give it before testing again?
Click to expand...

I add mine in a filter sock and put it directly in my skimmer basket. I let it sit for 30 minutes and then squeeze it until it is gone. I have tested within hours of doing this and gotten an accurate reading. Use poolmath to determine how much you need. I use a postal scale to measure the correct amount.

I get my CYA from Amazon it is fairly cheap. Just make sure whatever you get is as close to 100% cyanuric acid as you can get.

https://www.amazon.com/Puri-Tech-Stabilizer-Conditioner-Protection/dp/B011AD536G/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071ZHWNVW/
 
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CYA is usually sold as "Chlorine Stabilizer." You can pick it up from Home Depot, Lowes and other big box stores. You will probably need to raise your pH a bit. For that, sodium carbonate (soda ash) will work. You can use ARM & HAMMER Super Washing Soda Detergent Booster. Pick up some chlorine and you'll be good for now. Use Pool Math to get you to recommended levels. In a warm, sunny climate, target 50 ppm CYA. Use the Chlorine/CYA chart to set your target levels for FC.

Good luck...let the fun begin!
 
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Sunshine&Water said:
Thanks for the replies and help! I am adding CYA and then will test again. How often should we be running the pump? Is there an average or does it depend on weather and chemicals?
Click to expand...

In the beginning I would suggest running it 24x7 until the pool is balanced. I would guess your pump is single speed? After everything is balanced you could drop it to a few hours a day. Someone will come along and be more precise on that. My pump is variable speed and I have a SWG so I run it 24x7 which does not apply to you.
 

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The HTH CYA pods worked pretty well for me when I tried them, and you can put them right in the skimmer one at a time if you want - they dissolved fast for me with my pump set to a higher speed than I normally use. It would be even better to still put them in a sock (or an old nylon) to better control the release of the powder and make sure it dissolves fully. You want to make sure the larger undissolved CYA doesn't sit in your filter getting washed away when you clean the filter. Even worse is having the CYA powder sit on the bottom of the pool causing damage.

As others have mentioned aim for 50ppm of CYA - that is just over 4lbs of CYA according to PoolMath, which just happens to be the entire bag of the stabilizer you have.

Make sure to use bleach/liquid chlorine for your chlorine source. You don't want to add extra unnecessary CYA by using trichlor pucks. Pucks are useful for short vacations and can also be used if needed to top up CYA if you already have a few of them. The only way to get rid of excess CYA is to drain some of your water.
 
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Some info from Pool School on Filter/Pump run times. All pools are different, so no set answer on how long to run your pump. A few hours per day should do. If you're on a Time of Use power plan, you can run at night to save on electrical costs.
 
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Thanks for the help! Can you clarify on ‘in the skimmer’. I have a Waterway FC 100 pump...so there is a pocket of sorts in the vinyl which the hose attaches to, and then down to the pump compartments there is a black skimmer basket inside a locking lid, with a hose that runs to the larger filter cartridge compartment. I added one pod to that black basket- which seems like it would be the skimmer..but it sounds like floating it in a sock in the pool is a better plan, near the hose/outlet/ pocket in the vinyl? I can post a picture if that question is really confusing.
 
The reason we prefer stabilizer to be in a sock is it is slow to dissolve. If the granules don't totally dissolve when the pod melts you don't want the granulates getting sucked into the filter. Getting the stabilizer into the filter makes it slower to dissolve and you may lose some of it if you clean the filter. Big slugs of the undissolved granules can clog your filter.

You want the stabilizer to be where water flows past it and helps in it dissolving.
 
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Okay- the floating basket was not awesome and so I shoved it all in a sock, made a huge mess, hopefully did not poison the entire planet, and now my CYA filled sock is floating peacefully and being mushed occasionally. Lessons being learned at an alarming rate here.
 
Sunshine&Water said:
Thanks for the help! Can you clarify on ‘in the skimmer’. I have a Waterway FC 100 pump...so there is a pocket of sorts in the vinyl which the hose attaches to, and then down to the pump compartments there is a black skimmer basket inside a locking lid, with a hose that runs to the larger filter cartridge compartment. I added one pod to that black basket- which seems like it would be the skimmer..but it sounds like floating it in a sock in the pool is a better plan, near the hose/outlet/ pocket in the vinyl? I can post a picture if that question is really confusing.
Click to expand...

Sorry - that is something most ingrounds have but rarely found on above ground pools. Looks like you have it under control though! Just try to keep it from sitting on the edge of the pool as cyanuric acid can discolor your liner if allowed to sit on a spot for too long.
 
Sunshine&Water said:
So.....now I am not sure what to do. We definitely need chlorine!
(Still figuring out the app and how to mark off filter and pool cleaning!)
Click to expand...

So, for your chlorine you have quite a few places to purchase from. Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s.
I buy mine from Walmart in the 2 gallon case from Pool Essentials. It’s a 10% chlorine, that’s sold in the pool dept. You’ll need to pay attention to the date code on the outside of the box. (Or bottle if you buy a single gallon) The date codes will start with 2 numbers, then followed by 3 numbers. 19 056 (what ever the date may be) So the first 2 are the year it was made, and the last 3 are the day of the year. So in the above number, it was made in 2019 on February 25th.
Try to buy as fresh as possible, store it in a cool dark area, and nothing older then 3 months ago.
If you buy from Home Depot or Lowe’s, be careful, as they tend to store it outside in the heat and sun. (Not good)

As far as the maintenance in the app. If you hit the + symbol on the bottom that says “new log”, in there you will find a maintenance selection, choose that, then simply toggle the switches that correspond with what you done. Once you do that, hit the check mark in the upper right corner to save. :cheers:425D652B-0DF1-47C1-81E4-F44059B74996.png
 
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