What is 3EC?

[MrBfromNC]

All of the Mods, Experts, and guides on the site are volunteers. There is no schedule we get on when we can and help out where we can be helpful.

Our motivations are simply to help people with their pools and teach them how to have a TFP pool.

Others may have some stuff saved up as a standard response, but me personally I type everything out each time because I sometimes I work harder and not smarter.

I tip my hat to you all, Mr. Chuck. I've seen your ever-present assistance noted time and time again.

 

[JoeSelf]

Marty has to have stuff saved. Always has the right answer. If i was on here more I'd have the stuff saved. All I can manage are Breaks and lunch. Sometimes at night.

 

[Hayseed]

I love how people are actually being helpful on here and actually posting informative responses instead of the usual 'use the search function' response.

can I get an amen here!

 

[tim5055]

Marty has to have stuff saved. Always has the right answer. If i was on here more I'd have the stuff saved. All I can manage are Breaks and lunch. Sometimes at night.

I would say almost all of the mods and many of the Experts/Guides have stuff saved.

I started with a one page document that has grown to about 30 pages. Some I use daily, other stuff is just there because I know I'll need it and it's easier to find.

I'm retired, so I may be on here at any time of the day or night. But, I may also go MIA if we are on a trip with little access to the internet.

 

[Hayseed]

Havent had time to read responses to my questions yet, that you have kindly posted. I have been digging myself to death last night and 8 hrs today with my brother doing a lot of the back hoe work with me. Have the area down to grade I want, now I need to get a bobcat, skidsteer, in their and to do the finish work leveling and smoothing. Have to wait until Monday for that. Still waiting for pool delivery, it is current a week late, I did get the skimmer liner pump and filter. Later tonight I hope to read response, I am old retired and not use to having a little back hoe beat me to death. I do thank you for your help, I am having a problem dealing with some frustration in this chemical aspect, it seems the more information I receive the less I think I know, I have been taking notes on what is posted to me so I will have ready and at my finger tips.

 

[tim5055]

I am having a problem dealing with some frustration in this chemical aspect, it seems the more information I receive the less I think I know, I have been taking notes on what is posted to me so I will have ready and at my finger tips.

Don't worry, we all started in the same spot as you. It may take time, but you will get it.

 

[Hayseed]

First and foremost can you provide a full set of test results? If you're unsure of any of the tests, read Pool School - Extended Test Kit Directions to get more in-depth directions and feel free to post back if you have any questions not answered there. Have you added any CYA or solid forms of chlorine like shock powder or chlorinating tablets? If you haven't added any of these to your pool since it was filled, then your CYA is 0. If you have added any of these, you'll have to wait until its bright outside tomorrow to do the CYA part of the test kit.

Please post your test results like this:
FC:
CC:
pH:
TA:
CH:
CYA:


While you're (hopefully) doing those tests, I'll be writing up a longer post answering the questions you asked.

i have no pool as of yet, will have soon. I am trying to learn now for when the time comes, need a head start because I have no experience.

 

[lightmaster]

You're asking all the right questions and haven't even finished digging yet? Bravo to you! 99% of the new members I've seen on here only come here after they've spent time fighting a green pool and they think this is their last hope since Pool Store had failed them.

Ask any scientist in the world and they will tell you that questions always lead to more questions. The amount of information you don't know is infinitely times more that what you do know, and each question gets you farther down the rabbit hole. But with every question you learn a little more, even if it's just that there's so much more to learn. To quote Einstein: "The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know." So keep asking questions and keep on learning a little more one question at a time. Everyone else has had a moment where they were first getting started with their pool and they knew next to nothing about what they need to do to maintain it, how do you think everyone else learned what they know now?

 

[lightmaster]

I was wondering about something concerning the mods (but about a similar topic) over the past few days. I wonder if all the mods have some type of standard responses saved as a word doc or text file on their computers....

When I was a Moderator and then Admin of a different forum a few years back, I had a Google Doc file of standard responses to welcome new members and for a first response to generic questions that are asked a lot. Follow up posts would be something I wrote on the spot. Generally people would ask a typical question or have some complaint and most didn't give all the details in the first post, so my scripted response was usually asking for more information so I knew what was going on.

 

[Hayseed]

My pool is above ground pool with typical vinyl liner, I think it is a hybrid resin and steel, why they call it resin, I would guess, so they could charge more money. I don't think they make a full resin oval pool because. But don't know.

 

[Hayseed]

So I think now, until I get water in the pool, no need to test this water, because water does not have enough chlorine to register and would soon disappear anyway. I add the 45 oz of 10% bleach, or whatevever it exactly calls for, I'll recheck it. Then wait few hours for the pump to filtrate, then check levels add them, or post them here for you to add to calculator. Then you would post the calculator with my test numbers here for me to see how it was done, and then at that time it will be known, how much CYA to add. I hope this is right so I can say I understand some part of what's going on. I asked a question earlier about, you guys, referring to if PH is to high or to low. Can't remember right now but not important to question I have now. You stated for instance if it were to low you would add muratic acid, and if it were high you would add borax or baking soda, to bring it up. What I don't know is in what increments do you add these chemicals. For instance do you add two ounces of muratic acid then check to see if more is needed. And same with borax. If I have misinterpreted anything please refer be back. Thanks. Was reading through the posts again and noticed something I need to know, never thought about it till then. When adding chemicals and letting Chemicals circulate, with a two speed pump is the pump to be at the higher setting?

 

[Divin Dave]

Long posts .... so just in case it got lost in the noise....

Walmart does NOT sell 10% Bleach. Nor does anyone else for that matter.
They sell 10% Liquid Pool Shock and its found in the pool supplies section.

I agree in that its basically the same thing as bleach, except stronger. But to call it bleach is incorrect and can be confusing to new pool owners and forum members.

 

[lightmaster]

Long posts .... so just in case it got lost in the noise....

Walmart does NOT sell 10% Bleach. Nor does anyone else for that matter.
They sell 10% Liquid Pool Shock and its found in the pool supplies section.

I agree in that its basically the same thing as bleach, except stronger. But to call it bleach is incorrect and can be confusing to new pool owners and forum members.

I was just trying to say that they are essentially the same, just a different concentration of chlorine in it.

 

[lightmaster]

Hayseed, you got the pH backwards. If your pH is to high and you want to lower it, add MA. If your pH is significantly too low and you want to raise it, add Borax. If it's say 7.1 or 7.0, you can just get in and play in the pool and the splashing around will help raise it up. If your fill water is super low like mine (around 4.8 pH or so), you might need to add Borax to bring it up quicker.

If you have not added any water yet (which I didn't realize before) you can already assume your CYA will be at 0ppm since it is not naturally found in water. So you can type in 0 in the first box on PoolMath, and 40 on the second box, and it will tell you how much to add.

Also, when you get your test kit, you can go ahead and test you pH, CH and TA. Whatever the results are will be the same results for your pool once it's filled, so you can already know how much you need to adjust your pH and if you need to raise the TA.

Now about the CH, I somehow missed the fact this is an Above Ground pool, and that it has a vinyl liner. Vinyl pools like ours are lucky, since we really don't have to worry about the Calcium Hardness much at all. I only test my CH once every couple of months and that's just to see if I can get it to 0ppm as I have to drain a little water when it rains heavily. There's no worry about it being too low (mine is at 20ppm). It can be too high, but that can also be managed if it's the case. Best thing to do is go ahead and test your water that you'll be putting in the pool and we can go ahead and tackle those chemicals so you'll already know what to add for them.

 

[tim5055]

Long posts .... so just in case it got lost in the noise....

Walmart does NOT sell 10% Bleach. Nor does anyone else for that matter.
They sell 10% Liquid Pool Shock and its found in the pool supplies section.

I agree in that its basically the same thing as bleach, except stronger. But to call it bleach is incorrect and can be confusing to new pool owners and forum members.

Well, if we are going to get all technical the 10% and higher is a trade weight, not a percentage.

Bleach sold for laundry use is sold by weight percent of sodium hypochlorite. That's 6% and 8.25%.

Liquid chlorine sold for pools is typically listed as Trade % which is really a volume %. That covers 10%, 12.5% & 15%.

The difference between weight and volume percent have to do with the specific gravity of the solution. It changes the FC calculations slightly.

But, Dave makes a good point. If it's not sold on the laundry aisle of the grocery store it probably shouldn't be called "bleach"

 

[kimkats]

Hayseed, You can and should test your house/fill water for pH and TA. That will enable us to tell you want you will need to do right away. I would not bother testing anything else right now.

I am going to give you a small shopping list to get your ready for your pool:

-2 2 cup PLASTIC measuring cups that has the oz. marked on them. One will be for the muriatic acid ONLY and the other one will be all other chemicals. I got mine at the Dollar Store

-muriatic acid-look at Lowes in the pool section (outside) for the 31%. Most of the time it comes in a 2 pack.

-CYA aka stabilizer-I get mine at Lowes or Walmart-Get one bottle for now. It will be on stand by.

Things to look for while you are running around town:

-Chlorine or bleach-check to see if a local, easy to get to pool store offers liquid chlorine (11%). If not then look in Walmart for their "pool shock". This will be inside by the pool stuff.

I think that is enough for right now.

One of us will be ready and willing to go over your two tests. We can/will help you with the tests.

Do you like apps for your phone?

Kim (I DO have some stuff saved like my new pool owner links but on the most part type my posts out on the fly...guess that is why there are so many mistakes )

 

[Hayseed]

I have found out some news that may be not so good. I bought my Taylor test kit 2006c from, a person on Craigslist for a good price 60 dollars. She said it had never been used. But when, just now looking through the Taylor paraphernalia, I discovered that these kits have expiration dates. So I checked in the box and found it had been shipped to the person i bought it off of exactly 1 year ago. It has never been used i can tell, but I never thought to ask about how old it was. So testing with this kit may be totally inaccurate. Is there a way to check for accuracy of test chemicals?

 

[lightmaster]

Tftestkits.net sells some standard solutions that you can test and make sure get the expected result. For instance, the CYA one has an CYA level of 50ppm (i think) and if your test shows a result of 50ppm, then its good. Also, while the reagents are guaranteed to be good for 1 year, its also dependent on how they are stored. Leave the test kit on your front steps in sunlight for a few months during the hot summer, and I'm pretty sure they will all be bad then. On the other hand, keep them inside, in a cabinet away from sunlight and at a decent room temperature, and they will likely last longer than a year. Several of my reagents were purchased last summer and I'm still getting good accurate results.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, I hate to say it, but tftestkits.net sells the TF-100 kit that most people in the States use and the amount of reagents in it our picked specifically for the number of tests most TFP users will need, and that kit is sold for $70 and at least once a year the refill kit is heavily discounted. For instance, the refill kit is marked down to $37 right now. And before you ask, I'm not sure if the TF-100 refill kit is compatible with the Taylor kit's hardware.... I'd like to say that it is, and I'll look up and compare the 2 kits soon as I post this.

 

[lightmaster]

I don't have the Taylor 2006C, so this is all speculation, but looks like from pictures on Google, you use the larger side of the pH test to do all your test. As long as this has marks on it for 10mL and 25mL, you should be able to order the discounted TF-100 refill kit and do your tests in that test tube. I'm not sure about the CYA test though cuz I can't tell from the Google pictures how that test is done and I don't see any long skinny vial in that kit..... If you have a small bottle with a nozzle on it and a long skinny bottle in that kit with a black dot at the bottom, think you would be fine with that too. Using the TF-100 pH test I know is different than the Taylor one, but you can get the TF-100 directions in PoolSchool. Also, the CYA bottle and test tube for the TF-100 is avaliable for $6 combined, and you can get the small test tube that comes with the TF-100 for $2.35 too.

- - - Updated - - -

btw, that sale ends on Sunday.

 

[OTPirate]

Unfortunately you can't use the K-2006C comparator block with the ph reagent (R-0014) in the TF-100. Both R-0004 and R-0014 are phenol red, but in different consistencies. The TF-100 uses the K-1000 comparator block because we found it easier to use simply one reagent, R-0014, to test for ph rather than 3 reagents R-0004, R-0005 and R-0006.
TFTestkits does carry the R-0004-I'll send you a PM.

Cheers, Rebecca