Totally lost - PH and TA high, pool green
- Thread starter CoolHome
- Start date
- Jun 8, 2019
- 4,576
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Run all the tests on that little card in the top of the lid and let us know the results 
(Except salt, you don't have that test and don't need it unless you have a SWG).
FC
CC
CYA
pH
TA
CH
(Except salt, you don't have that test and don't need it unless you have a SWG).FC
CC
CYA
pH
TA
CH
So I never had a chance to figure out the test kit yesterday, my family came early. I had tested with the HTH test strip that morning which had shown FC-0 so I'd added 38oz liquid chlorine and then I put in 2lbs of CYA/Stabilizer (in a sock as Richard suggested) based on a goal of 40. I figured I'd shoot for the low-end goal as I'm going to be gone for 5 days next week and am thinking of putting in some of those dissolving chlorine tablets while I'm gone and I know they add CYA so I thought starting low would be good. This morning the test strips were still showing decent FC levels of about 3-4, so it looks like the stabilizer helped. I ignored all the other tests since I don't trust them at all. Read/skimmed through the Taylor test kit manual this morning and now watching some instructional videos. My kids and my Mom are in the pool now so I will wait until tomorrow morning to do these tests after the filter runs tonight. I did end up putting in the metal sequestrant again to prevent stains for now. I did try a method I saw where you put 3 layered socks over the return for a night and that did collect some of the iron, but I just won't have time until after my trip to put the time in to try to clear out all/most of it. The water looks good again. Green tinted, but clear.
I'll report on those numbers tomorrow morning. Thanks for all the input you all have given me so far!
I'll report on those numbers tomorrow morning. Thanks for all the input you all have given me so far!
I decided to give it a try tonight, though I should have waited until morning because everyone chose to come out and talk around me while I did it which wasn't helpful for the first time! Anyway, this is what I got as an initial reading. I was confused about a couple of the tests and will comment next to those numbers.
FC - 5.5
CC - .5
PH - 7.4
TA - 275*
CH - 200 or 210**
CYA - 40***
*TA - The HTH sticks were saying this was super high too, now its confirmed, unfortunately. How can the PH be right on the TA so high?
**CH -I had a hard time with this test, the substances didn't mix well and blue wouldn't seem to "take" it would turn and go back, so I wasn't sure if I was supposed to keep going until it stayed a solid blue or not or stop as soon as it turned blue once. Also my light was beginning to fade. I will do this again in the morning. I was expecting higher calcium.
***CYA - I wasn't sure how disappeared that dot needed to be. Some of my family was debating that by 60, they could not see it, but I still could though it was faint, at 50 is was really faint and pretty much only visible to me because I knew where to look, at 40 it was completely gone to my eye, that was the goal I used to find the amount of stabilizer to add so I'm inclined to think it is that as it only finished dissolving completely this morning.
That's it. I'm too tired now to try to interpret it all tonight but will try and figure out what it means in the morning. I probably won't need to add chlorine tomorrow. I didn't today and it still said 5.5 tonight. I was very surprised.
FC - 5.5
CC - .5
PH - 7.4
TA - 275*
CH - 200 or 210**
CYA - 40***
*TA - The HTH sticks were saying this was super high too, now its confirmed, unfortunately. How can the PH be right on the TA so high?
**CH -I had a hard time with this test, the substances didn't mix well and blue wouldn't seem to "take" it would turn and go back, so I wasn't sure if I was supposed to keep going until it stayed a solid blue or not or stop as soon as it turned blue once. Also my light was beginning to fade. I will do this again in the morning. I was expecting higher calcium.
***CYA - I wasn't sure how disappeared that dot needed to be. Some of my family was debating that by 60, they could not see it, but I still could though it was faint, at 50 is was really faint and pretty much only visible to me because I knew where to look, at 40 it was completely gone to my eye, that was the goal I used to find the amount of stabilizer to add so I'm inclined to think it is that as it only finished dissolving completely this morning.
That's it. I'm too tired now to try to interpret it all tonight but will try and figure out what it means in the morning. I probably won't need to add chlorine tomorrow. I didn't today and it still said 5.5 tonight. I was very surprised.
Ok, redid it this morning. I had made a mistake when doing the TA test last night, so my TA isn't so bad. Yay! My calcium came out better too, the light was starting to fade and I think that affected what I was seeing. Here are my numbers this morning. the Pool Math calculator says to add 2.7oz of muriatic acid, so I'll do that. It's also suggesting to add calcium, but I think I'd like to wait a bit and do the test again before I do that.
FC - 5
CC - 0
PH - 7.6
TA - 120
CH - 90
CYA - 50
Question: What am I going for with Combined Chlorine?
FC - 5
CC - 0
PH - 7.6
TA - 120
CH - 90
CYA - 50
Question: What am I going for with Combined Chlorine?
pH is in the acceptable range. Leave it. TA is also fine. When the pH needs adjusting, the TA will also get reduced. CH is fine for a vinyl pool. Zero is the ideal for CC. Up to .5 is okay.
In short: stop messing with the chemistry and go swimming. Unless you want to wait for the rust to filter out.
Congrats! Welcome to TFP ease, be sure to add your test kit to your sig details
Unless you have foaming or lots of water getting out and ruining concrete, I would not raise CH
www.troublefreepool.com
Those are good numbers, just monitor your PH for rise. You can lower it to a target PH/7.4 when it is PH/7.8/8 (vinyl does not do well with low PH, it weakens it).
You have a vinyl pool
Unless you have foaming or lots of water getting out and ruining concrete, I would not raise CH
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CC = zero! You hope to not have these show up. But usually only have to be concerned if you have multiple readings of +1.
CTFocusST
Well-known member
- Jul 4, 2019
- 224
- Pool Size
- 13500
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Would also suggest adding a speedstir at some point. It helps mix the test reagents and also has a light that helps if testing in lower light conditions (doesn't help for cya test)
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
, thanks Richard, I think I'll take that advice! I might try to filter out that iron at a later time, but no time now.Alright, a speedstir! I'll put it on my list along with additional reagents. Makes sense, my swirling hand got tired. Plus I found I could only "swirl" right-handed.
Thank you all so much. I feel so much better from the beginning of the week!
One more question, maybe it's another thread but I'll throw it out there. We're leaving tomorrow mornng and will be gone until Weds night, so 5 days total. Any suggests. Should I bump up the chlorine a little, covered or uncovered? Keep the pump running? I have no way to change out the filter. I might see if it will work on a timer but I'm not sure it will because when I unplug it now to change the filter I always have to hit the reset button on it so any power interruption might trigger the GCFI.
Raise FC up high (no more than SLAM) and put the cover on. Without any sun, you won't lose any there and you may find all the iron precipitated out so you can just vacuum it up.
Richard, how would the iron separate out? From being heated under the cover? My concern about SLAM is that it will turn the water all brown the sides will be completely stained, maybe it's the lesser of evils though? You're saying definitely don't run the pump though? I suppose I could get some of those floaters with the pucks, but I wouldn't have idea one right now how many, etc and maybe they wouldn't circulate the trichlor without the pump going. Sorry, I've got so much going on my brain has turned to mush!
The iron ions will oxidize and become rust particles. Look at the packaging. Bleach is a strong oxidizer. Will it stain? Maybe. But that Iron has to come out eventually or it will all end up staining the walls.
You won't lose much of any FC to sunlight if ot's covered and if it's well mixed before you leave it should be fine with the pump off. It'll be like closing it for the season but just for a few days. Or try it with the pump on. I doubt it will clog with rust. The circulation isn't that good. Your choice.
When you get back, vacuum up what you can, let it mix, test it and go from there.
You won't lose much of any FC to sunlight if ot's covered and if it's well mixed before you leave it should be fine with the pump off. It'll be like closing it for the season but just for a few days. Or try it with the pump on. I doubt it will clog with rust. The circulation isn't that good. Your choice.
When you get back, vacuum up what you can, let it mix, test it and go from there.