Water Lab Results / Newbie Questions!

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Not sure how to target a level without the ability to measure CYA. I entered my Cl, pH and Alkalinity levels into the Pool Math app and it said to put in 3 or 4 liters, thought I'd start with around 2ish ... never used Acid of any type before so figured I'd err on the lower end.

Here is the kit I'm referring to...

https://www.taylortechnologies.com/en/Image/GetDocument/571

The Cl colour was much more purple and I couldn't tell how to read it.
 
Well, I am just suggesting setting the SWCG at a number to make up for FC loss each day.

As for CYA, if you believe the pool store number as I stated at the start of this thread, and you added 900 grams, you can calculate what your currrent CYA level is. Do that.

The link would not open. The issue with pH is that most basic kits are not accurate when measuring pH when TC is above 5ppm. The K1000 we get in our recommended kits is good to 10 ppm FC.
 
mknauss said:
So you were targeting 70 ppm CYA?

What does your tester test FC to?

- - - Updated - - -

Your SWCG needs to run at 100% setting for 13 hours per day to add 3 ppm FC to your pool.

I would start there.
Click to expand...

I think the guy who installed my pool dropped it to 25%. Are you saying to put it to 100% and leave it there?
 
That's fine. Not sure what the 30% means but I assume it relates to rpm.

So with that, set your SWCG to 50% for 24 hour operation. That will create just under 3 ppm FC per day in your pool. That should be enough to cover your daily loss.
 
mknauss said:
That's fine. Not sure what the 30% means but I assume it relates to rpm.

So with that, set your SWCG to 50% for 24 hour operation. That will create just under 3 ppm FC per day in your pool. That should be enough to cover your daily loss.
Click to expand...

Thanks, set the Pool Chlorinator to 50%.
 
So pulled out the K1004 test kit again.

For Alkalinity, it says to add R-0009 until the green mixtures turns from green to red. It turned from green to a light pink around 11 or 12 drops, added a few more but it never turned to red, so not sure how "red" it needs to get?

For pH, results were between 7.2 to 7.5.

For FC, once again, it was too purple for the scale which I think caps out at 5? I.e., shows Cl and Br, with a 5 and a 10 on the same bar, I assume the 10 is for the Br reading?

Stuck with just these tests for now and have no way of reading CYA until my 2006C comes in.

Should I be adding or doing anything you think to the pool, or just keep maintaining the Cholorinator at 50% for now and not add anything?

Don't get my 2006C likely for another week I would guess. Water looks fairly clear and there is a tad of a chlorine smell, nothing overly offensive (FWIW!?).
 
Alkalinity is no concern.

pH test is probably compromised by your high FC.

Since your FC test shows well above 5 ppm, lower your chlorinator setting to 30%.

The 'chlorine' smell is CC's. That is what you get when FC is consuming organics. Sunlight on the pool helps them disperse.
 
Got my k-2006C.. Still struggling with the FC test. Filled to 25ml,put 2 dippers of 870 and instead of pink the sample turned a dark red.

Took 70 drops of 871 to become mostly clear which would be a 14... Which seems super high.

Then tried adding 5 drops of R0003... But water stayed the same colour.. Didn't turn pink again... Stopped there as I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong here or if I just have way too high FC?
 

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pbc said:
Got my k-2006C.. Still struggling with the FC test. Filled to 25ml,put 2 dippers of 870 and instead of pink the sample turned a dark red.

Took 70 drops of 871 to become mostly clear which would be a 14... Which seems super high.

Then tried adding 5 drops of R0003... But water stayed the same colour.. Didn't turn pink again... Stopped there as I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong here or if I just have way too high FC?
Click to expand...

No need to do the FC test with a 25 ml water sample. Save your 871 reagent and do the FC test with a 10 ml pool water sample. An +/-0.5 FC accuracy will be sufficient to get your pool water balanced. (Please note an FC above 10 ppm renders the pH test invalid.) The sample turning dark red is an indication of high FC but 14 isn't a ridiculous, or unsafe, number. Try adding only 1 heaping dipper of DPD powder in a 10 ml sample.

When you add the R0003 reagent to your sample you're checking for Combined Chlorine (CC). If the sample doesn't change to pink, your CC is 0 (zero) which is good! :cool:
 
Did it again and used the 10ml mark

FC 14.5
CC 1.0
PH 7.7 (invalid per your note above?)
TA 90
CH 130
CYA 35
Temp 84F
3200 salt (per hayward system readout)
CSI 0.37

The k-2006C I received doesn't have any R-0630 or R-0718 to test salt even though testing salt is in the guidebook sticker on the top case. Not sure if it is missing or just doesn't come with it.

Thought on the above? Concerns?

- - - Updated - - -

Ha.. Guess it would have been easier had I just copied the results...

Test Results 2018-08-25 @ 10:37 AM
------------------------------------------
Free Chlorine: 14.5
Combined Chlorine: 1.0
pH: 7.7
Total Alkalinity: 90
Calcium Hardness: 130
CYA: 35
Salt: 3200
Temperature: 84°F
CSI: 0.37
 
pbc said:
Should I shut off my pool chlorinator to reduce FC and add stabilizer to increase CYA?
Click to expand...

If you leave your CYA at 35 and the pool gets some sunlight, the "excess" FC will burn off. However, with a CC of 1.0 there may be something organic, e.g., algae, trying to get a "foothold" in your pool. Is your water crystal clear or a bit cloudy? I suggest you read (if you haven't already) these articles from Pool School:
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
 
Water seems to be crystal clear. Read most of that.. Odd thing to me is having such a high FC, basically seems to be at a shock level?

I had a green tinge to the water a few weeks ago the first weekend the equipment was turned on by the pool builder. He came by the next day and added MA and some sort of shock pouch. Has been clear since.

Haven't done much to it myself outside of putting in more CYA and maybe a gallon of bleach.
 
pbc said:
Water seems to be crystal clear. Read most of that.. Odd thing to me is having such a high FC, basically seems to be at a shock level?

I had a green tinge to the water a few weeks ago the first weekend the equipment was turned on by the pool builder. He came by the next day and added MA and some sort of shock pouch. Has been clear since.

Haven't done much to it myself outside of putting in more CYA and maybe a gallon of bleach.
Click to expand...

You are correct that, with a CYA value of 35 (normally we round up the CYA measurement as the tube is only graduated in 10 ppm), an FC of 14 is at shock level. How long ago did you add CYA? It can take several days (4-7) for the CYA to fully dissolve and register in the test solution. As you know the higher your CYA the higher you should maintain your FC.

Since your water is clear but still you're measuring a CC >0.5 I'll bet there's something organic in your water trying to grow. I'd keep the FC near 14 for a few more days and re-test in the early morning before the sunlight hits your pool water. You said the pol builder added..."some sort of shock pouch." Any idea what chemicals were in the pouch?

I just noticed you said the pool builder just "turned on the equipment". Is this a new pool?
 
Let's get your figures straight, first pool volume so that your dosing is more accurate, your pool is 16x32 how deep is it? At a 4' depth, your volume would be 15300 gallons.

Before you can tweak the settings on your SWG to dispense the proper amount of chlorine, you need to get your CYA level correct.

Your CYA needs to be 70 because you have an SWG. You need to add 80 oz. or 5 lbs. to raise it to that level if your pool volume is ~15K.

Please use this method to add the CYA:
Solid/granular cyanuric acid (CYA) should be placed in a sock and the sock suspended in front of a pool return. Squeezing the sock periodically will help it to dissolve faster. After adding CYA you should leave the pump running for 24-48 hours.

Note that the pool store testing said you had a CYA of 35ppm 3 weeks ago and you added enough CYA to raise it about 15ppm, which means your CYA should be 50ppm, but your test now says 35. Unless your partially drained and refilled your pool the CYA would not have dropped that much. That's why we don't trust pool store results!

Test and dose chemicals in your pool assuming the amount of CYA added is in the pool according to PoolMath. CYA can be tested the day after it is fully dissolved from the sock, but can take up to a week to fully show up on a test. When you do test CYA always round up to the closest 10.

Test your chlorine daily and adjust the settings on your SWG for a target level of 5ppm.

Once your chlorine level is below 10ppm, test your pH and adjust.

Good Luck!
 
pbc said:
Should I shut off my pool chlorinator to reduce FC and add stabilizer to increase CYA?
Click to expand...

Don’t turn off your SWG. Just reduce the % output and let your FC drift lower.

But first get a few days of FC tests, all at the same time of day. See if your FC is rising or falling or staying the same.

You want to find the SWG % output that keeps your FC the same day to day. Once you determine that % output then if your FC is higher then target lower your % output by half and monitor your FC level. When your FC gets close to target raise the % back to the original value.

Your CYA of 40 can be okay for Toronto at this time of year. How much longer will you keep your pool open for?
 
Plan on keeping the pool open until likely end of October. So I should or shouldn't raise CYA to 70?

As for depth, it's about 15,000 gal per my sig give or take 500 gallons, starts at 3.5 deep and goes to 5 deep.
 

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