Yup, in the overwhelmed phase as i feared!

[houston_tink]

New build is complete and builder is "managing" pool (insert hysterical laughing) until the decking is complete as the whole place is just a disaster. I bought the TF-100 test kit to start educating myself on how to do all this once it is turned over to us. So forgive all the ignorance that is about to spill forth. I promise I have read pool school, ABC's of chemistry and hundreds of other posts but seriously this is trial by fire!

Here are my first ever readings:
FC-I will assume 0 since the solution never turned pink with the Chlorine Drop test
PH-brighter fuchia than the 8.2 the kit reads up to (so 8.4?)
TA-90
CH-225
CYA-I guess 0 because the black dot in the tube never disappeared

1. Please tell me all this testing gets easier. It took me 45 minutes just to run all those tests
2. once i run all these tests where do i dispose of the water?
3. can i put the tubes back in my box and close it while they are still damp?
4. I bought a speed stir-seems tedious to have to take out the mixing stick after each test and rinse it for the next test....do people buy multiple little sticks so you can run tests quicker and wash everything at the end?
5. Could someone direct me to the link that explains which of my above tests to fix first and proceed in which order. I see the page on what to do if each component is off but surely there is an order in which to correct things.

 

[tim5055]

1. Please tell me all this testing gets easier. It took me 45 minutes just to run all those tests

Yes, each time you will gain cinfidence and it will go quicker. Plus, once everthing is up and balanced you will generally only run FC & pH "daily"
CH & TA every few weeks or so and CYA only a few times per season.

2. once i run all these tests where do i dispose of the water?

I test at teh sink and just dump/rinse there.

3. can i put the tubes back in my box and close it while they are still damp?

I don't seal the top of my box and they dry out fairly quickly. Some folks invert the tubes on a papertowel.

4. I bought a speed stir-seems tedious to have to take out the mixing stick after each test and rinse it for the next test....do people buy multiple little sticks so you can run tests quicker and wash everything at the end?

I did buy extras, but only because I felt I would wash one down the drain..... My procedure is to conduct a test, pour the sample in the sink and then rinse the tube & spinner together in fresh water. Dump the fresh water and rinse the tube & spinner together a second time in pool water. After a few times it goes quickly.

5. Could someone direct me to the link that explains which of my above tests to fix first and proceed in which order. I see the page on what to do if each component is off but surely there is an order in which to correct things.

There really isn't one. They can be done in almost any order, but again seldom will you be messing with all of them at once.

I have a Stenner Pump adding my chlorine, so I seldom need to mess with that. Usually the only thing I'm adding is a little muratic acid (which you need by the way) to bring the pH down.

 

[Richard320]

Here are my first ever readings:
FC-I will assume 0 since the solution never turned pink with the Chlorine Drop test

Yes.

PH-brighter fuchia than the 8.2 the kit reads up to (so 8.4?)

Could be even higher. Use 8.2 in poolmath and if you haven't hit the target, do it again until you do

TA-90
CH-225
CYA-I guess 0 because the black dot in the tube never disappeared

Yes. Unless you added CYA, there won't be any. If the solution got at least a little cloudy when you mixed it, there's some, just not enough to register. Work up to your target. Start with 30 and if PB already added some, it'll show up when you test again

1. Please tell me all this testing gets easier. It took me 45 minutes just to run all those tests

Yes, lots easier. I can do everything in less than 10 minutes. And just so you know, you don't have to do it squatting poolside. Scoop up a big cup full of water and go do the tests at the patio table.

2. once i run all these tests where do i dispose of the water?

I have a weed patch I just dump it out on, and then do the first rinse with the leftover sample cup there, too. Or down the sink.

3. can i put the tubes back in my box and close it while they are still damp?

I like to let things dry off

4. I bought a speed stir-seems tedious to have to take out the mixing stick after each test and rinse it for the next test....do people buy multiple little sticks so you can run tests quicker and wash everything at the end?

I bought a bunch of 8mm*25mm stirbars off ebay. The two bottles the kit came with plus the CYA bottle plus the vial with the speedstir lets me run all my tests before I have to wash dishes.

5. Could someone direct me to the link that explains which of my above tests to fix first and proceed in which order. I see the page on what to do if each component is off but surely there is an order in which to correct things.

It all depends on the results. In your case, you can do chlorine or pH first, then go to CYA and by the time that is rigged, do the other chemical. Bleach works better at a lower pH, but the half hour or so it spends at higher pH is no big deal.

 

[Demegrad9]

Whether or not you are in control of the pool yet, you should insist more chlorine is added to the pool in the meantime because you are right about the FC test

- - - Updated - - -

Also getting pH down asap is important.

 

[houston_tink]

Whether or not you are in control of the pool yet, you should insist more chlorine is added to the pool in the meantime because you are right about the FC test

- - - Updated - - -

Also getting pH down asap is important.

Being that he only puts chlorine and muriaric acid in it once a week could I just have them put in a chlorine tab especially since my CYA is zero? At least that way I would be building up some cya and getting a steady stream of chlorine.

Thank you to above poster who mentioned getting a big cup of water to do all my testing from! I was walking from pool to sink each time....oh man, such a learning curve!!!

 

[Pyrodav]

Thank you to above poster who mentioned getting a big cup of water to do all my testing from! I was walking from pool to sink each time....oh man, such a learning curve!!!

Buy a condiment bottle from the dollar store. More precise squeezing the water out than pouring. I also use a 3' piece of PVC pipe to extract the water out of the pool by holding my thumb over the end to create suction then pour into the condiment bottle.

Lots of little tricks out there to make testing easier and more enjoyable.

Oh yeah, order some hairnets (100 count for $6.99) on Amazon for skimmer socks...your filter will thank you.

 

[happipoolguy]

Something like this works really well

 

[Demegrad9]

Being that he only puts chlorine and muriaric acid in it once a week could I just have them put in a chlorine tab especially since my CYA is zero? At least that way I would be building up some cya and getting a steady stream of chlorine.

Thank you to above poster who mentioned getting a big cup of water to do all my testing from! I was walking from pool to sink each time....oh man, such a learning curve!!!

Don't worry testing gets very easy, plus you basically only measure a lot of that stuff once a month or so.

How long before the PB hands over the pool to you?

But for your current situation, I would think that a few Trichlor pucks in floater is a good way to go as it seems like you needs A) Chlorine, B) Reduced pH, and C) More stabilizer. Trichlor pucks should get all those things going in the right direction. I would have this conversation with the PB first, but that approach certainly seems reasonable.

If you do in fact use a few Trichlor pucks, I would make sure they are 99% Trichlor. Recently I learned that someone was using Clorox Xtra blue 6in1 type Trichlor tabs which are only ~92-94% Trichlor which have, according to the MSDS, 3-8% of 'trade secret 002'. This secret ingredient must contain something to counterbalance the acidic nature of Trichlor because his pH would gradually increase using these pucks. Obviously if you're water is 8.2 that would be counter productive.