What do I add to my routine next? New in ground concrete owner.

[Skenn81]

In ground concrete pool, Florida, aprox. 15,000 gallons, variable speed pump.

I use the K-2006 test kit recommended here.

My routine now is to check the FC levels twice a week and add the appropriate amount of liquid chlorine to get it up to the proper target, which for me is 12. I also test the pH once a week, I have it at the target 7.4 which was accomplished by adding acid. My CYA is completely out of whack from the previous owners, as in it's off the scale 100+ high, but I won't be draining anything as the Florida rain will eventually bring it down on it's own.

In the pool there is a Polaris that swims around and scrubs the bottom 4 hours a day. I empty out it's bag once a week. I also empty out the skimmer bucket and filter bucket once a week as well. When we first moved in we checked the cartridge in the filter, used some acid to clean it and then sprayed it down, it looked in very good condition and it was put back in.

That's it.

This test kit has a whole lot of vials in it that I don't use and I am not sure what other things I need to do.

Right now it seems to simple so I want to make sure I do what's need to keep it from going green.

 

[JesseSchmidt]

Welcome! You're in the right place!

Make sure you read through Pool School (link at the top of the page). You have a concrete pool so you need to make sure your CH is correct. But run a full set of tests FC, CC, pH, TA, CH and CYA. We'll need to know all of that to get started.

 

[DeanP66]

You've pretty much got a handle on things. However, if I were you, I would test FC more often than only twice a week. Once the heat really picks up, you will be losing more FC daily. Checking twice a week will put you in jeopardy of your FC getting too low and it could invite an algae outbreak. I would check FC at least every other day and redose back to 12.

Also, with your CYA being 100+, it would really be in your best interests to do a diluted test. The CYA test only goes to 100. If the dot disappears before you even get to 100, it means that it is definitely more than that. How much more? We don't really know. By running the diluted test with 50% pool water and 50% tap water and adding your cya solution, you will get a more accurate number (once you double the results of the test).

 

[Skenn81]

Oy. Every other day???

How could I ever go on vacation for more than one night if it requires that much work??

I will try your diluted test method next time I do the cya.

On my current 4 to 5 day test schedule: the pool is dosed up to 12. When I do the test if is at 7 or 8. It has been keeping to this level of dropping and adding for the past several weeks I have been at this.

 

[JimMarshall]

Oy. Every other day???

How could I ever go on vacation for more than one night if it requires that much work??

I test and dose my pool nightly.

As far as vacation, family? friends? neighbors?

The guy that takes care of my dog and cats for us does mine for me while I'm away. Give him a pre-measured amount to pour in on days x, y, and z.

 

[DeanP66]

Or you can use chlorine tablets just for this occasion if you have no other options. CYA will go up a little, but as long as you're aware, you can account for it.

 

[JasonJoel]

I would second that. Use liquid chlorine whenever possible, use the tablets when you absolutely have to and have no other choice. It will be okay, Life Goes On.

But if you do start using tabs a lot you will eventually run into cya problems, and need to do a partial drain and refill to get it lower.

But throwing some pucks is in while on vacation is certainly a better option than doing nothing letting the FC get too low and growing algae.

 

[Skenn81]

I checked the calcium hardness this morning, is this the color that is considered red? It looks more like a pink to me.



If so, then the hardness is near the 300 mark when I started added the drops waiting for a full blue conversion.

 

[Skenn81]

FC: 12
pH: 7.4
CH: 300
TA: 90

 

[DeanP66]

That looks purple to me in the picture. You want to keep adding drops and mixing until it turns to a true shade of blue. Keep going until the next drop doesn't change the blue shade. Then, don't count that last drop.

 

[SummerTimeGirl]

I actually watched a video where a guy said that when doing that specific test, if your color goes from pink to purple and NOT blue as it should, then that means you have metal in your water. Does anyone know if there is some truth to that? I know when doing my own test my water color also went from pink to purple and NOT blue and I was told I do have metal in my water so I'm thinking there could be some truth to it.

Metal in Pool Water, How to Treat and Eliminate Metal - YouTube

 

[mknauss]

Pool School - Calcium Hardness

Look at the Notes section. Fading End Point.

 

[DeanP66]

It generally goes to purple first, then turns to blue as you get closer to the end of the test. Try it again and keep going this time.

 

[Skenn81]

Let me clarify the picture, what I posted was after I added the first reagents. This is when the test kid said it would turn "red". I didn't get a deep red but what was in the image. I then added the next reagents as instructed until I got to the full blue color, which I did not post, and calculated it out to be 300 for my CH reading.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Skenn81]

So, now what?

Pool isn't green yet.

 

[DeanP66]

Can you post a picture of the pool? Is it cloudy at all? How about an updated set of numbers?

FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

If the numbers look good, I'd say just make sure you keep that FC in the right range with your high CYA and work on getting that lowered with the upcoming rains (drains). It will be much easier to manage if you can get the CYA down to 60 or less. Your FC level will come way down and testing your pH won't be a problem like it is now with FC above 10 (which makes the pH test read abnormally high).

 

[Skenn81]

Here are pool pictures. Updated numbers I will do the chlorine later again this week as always but I don't think anything will change. pH hasn't budged since I added acid weeks ago to bring it down to 7.4 and the CYA will sit at 100+ for a while. The numbers posted above were from this past weekend so pretty accurate from what I have been reading over the past month of living here.

The water is clear and it's not cloudy, at least not what I would consider cloudy. The wall of the pool is old, we know that, but I don't have the $6,000 to replace it so we are going to just leave that be for another year or two.

 

[Skenn81]

Is that clear enough for now?