Tired of not using the pool

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I love my test kit! This morning's number are: FC=10, CC=2, pH=7.2, TA=110, CYA=30.(Originally FC=0,pH=7.4,TA=100,CYA=0 on 7/23) FC dropped by 3 over night. Water still cloudy. Pool Calculator advised add bleach & baking soda, which I faithfully did, in prescribed amounts. Will continue fighting the good fight :) So thrilled to have found you guys, am telling everyone who will listen & some who don't, about your site. Looking forward to a trouble free pool!
 
Baking soda will increase your TA, which isn't a big problem. Might bring your pH up faster for a while, but as you keep that down with acid it'll resolve itself.

If you were adding borax to get the pH up to 7.5, that's not really necessary - anything within 7.2-7.8 is OK, and most pools tend to drift up over time. So the typical thing is to let it get up to 7.8 then bring it down to 7.2 with acid. With time you'll understand your pool's particular pH dynamics and get a better sense of the optimal way to manage it.
 
I get that you would have been adding 74oz of borax to get the pH to 7.5, and that 74oz of baking soda would have increased TA to about 140. Which is not a big deal. You can retest if you like, but I wouldn't bother personally. Just shrug, chalk it up to experience, and proceed as normal.
 
I'm well aware that in the grand scheme of things this is just a blip on the radar. Pool has been neglected for the past few years, so getting it correct in a week is probably not so important. I will probably test at noon just so I can see what's happening and how quickly. As you said I need to get a sense of my pool's character and how in interacts with our environment. Thanks again, lfk
 
Chlorine is more effective at a lower PH - so 7.2 is great for shocking.

Your TA, PH and CYA look perfectly fine for now. Just concentrate on the chlorine and filtering - that's what will clear the pool.

Congrats on the new test kit! It's a great feeling once it's all cleared up and nothing is scary anymore! When I first got mine I tested and tested and tested to get a sense of how the pool moves over time. Fun stuff!
 
Sounds like you're well on your way! Glad you're enjoying your test kit, maybe a little too much :) I had my brother manage my pool while we were on vacation and asked him to do a chlorine drop test every other day to be sure it was on track (nervous about leaving it to someone else), he couldn't stand it and did the test daily... just too much fun when that's all you have to do to maintain your pool.

If it's driving you crazy, go ahead and test your ph& ta to see what's happened. The test chemicals are inexpensive compared to what you could be spending at the pool store on chemicals. I generally do a ta and ph weekly since I have an salt water generator (swg) and they can make the ph rise. You will get a feel for how often you need to test for them as you learn how your pool responds to the environment it's in.

Have fun!
 

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Hubby in brushing & vacuuming, still getting organic stuff out. Water still cloudy and now grey/green. ARghhhhh! At 5pm FC=10.5,pH=7.2,TA=130,CYA=18. Started out at 6:45am w/CYA=30. Added 1.4 gal Chlorine. At 9pm FC=17,CC=3,pH=7.5,TA=130,CYA=10. I know I need to add stabilizer, will have to be tomorrow. What causes the CYA to drop? Supposed to be hot & humid, no hope of keeping chlorine in w/little or no stabilizer. 2 steps forward, 1 step back, as you guys keep saying "This is a process".
 
I would have to guess a testing error for your cya. The only way to "lose" cya is through draining or splashout and refilling and then it still takes a while. I did lose my cya over the winter, but that's another issue. The test is a little subjective and I think lighting is a factor. The cya reults are usually plus/minus 10 or so. When did you add your cya? It make take up to a week to fully register. Your reading of 18 (?) may have been closer to ten than you realized. I have the same size pool and it took me close to 5 lbs of stabilizer to get to about 45ppms. Hope this helps.
 
pepsiholic, you should meet my husband! He's a kindred spirit. Anyway back to the pool. With no CYA in the pool on 7/23, I added 4 lbs in 2 socks. They completely dissolved today. No loss overnight. Final 2 readings of the day, at 5 & 9pm were done in the house, in what I thought is a well lite bathroom. Perhaps I thought wrongly! Irregardless, I still need to add more, Yes?
 
Well, I have found the best way to test cya is outside, back towards the sun, but still in the sunlight. Does this make sense?...lol..

If they have just completly disolved today it still may be several days before you can get a true reading. If you have already put in 4 lbs, I'd give it a few days, just dose your pool with chlorine like it's already there. We don't want you to overshoot your goal numbers. It's easy to add more, but much harder to take it away.

If you are still shocking, then you don't want your cya too high anyways, about 30 should be right makes the process much easier.
 
Good Morning, Pepsiholic, Did morning reading outside, however it is raining :( They are as follows, FC=15,CC=3.5,pH=7.5,TA=130,CH=160,CYA=30. I guess even cloudy natural light makes a difference. FC dpwn by 2 overnight, better than yesterday, lost 3. Keeping the faith here, gotta get daughter up and ready for the day and myself to work. This pool testing is wreaking havoc with me schedule! Thanks, lfk
 
Still battling. Having a hard time getting the menfolk to brush & vacuum on a daily basis. Why don't I do it you ask? I'm 4'9" and the water comes to just below my neck, it's difficult. Besides this is a "family pool", everyone should help. I digress...Vacuumed & brushed yesterday, added chlorine as per pool calculator. FC has been dropping 2.5-3 every night. Other than this morning, FC has been 9 and above. Not sure about this mornings CYA, the label slipped on the bottle, so I had to eyeball where the new water fill line is. If you have a volume #, I can mark a line. Here are this mornings numbers:
FC=7.5
CC=3
pH=7.5
TA=150
CYA=35
We've had heavy rains several times this past week, including a nearby tornado. Filter has been running 24/7 for 2 weeks. I thought I would run off the filter this morning for several hours to let stuff settle, then have my husbamd vacuum to waste around noon. Does that sound reasonable?
 
For the CYA mixing bottle the ratio is one part pool water to one part test reagent. I forget how much liquid the bottle holds but if you fill it most of the way up with tap water and measure it with one of the graduated vials you can figure out how many ml is 1/2 of the bottle and mark the full and 1/2 full lines with a sharpie.
 

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