First taylor readings

[SalemCastles]

6ppm is not really that high a chlorine level and you don't want to "get" CC. CC is combined chlorine which is the result of the chlorine doing it's job and giving itself up to kill or oxidize a pollutant. When CC becomes .5ppm or higher you will need to shock the pool with a dose of 15ppm or so to "break" the combined chlorine. When you begin the test you are testing for TC or Total Chlorine, if you then get a CC reading (bad) then you subtract that from the TC to get your FC or Free Chlorine. It's only the FC that is available to work as a sanitiser and is what is important in keeping the water free from germs and algae. PH is important in allowing Chlorine work to it's best potential, bather comfort, and in equipment longevity, as well as preventing other elements from coming out of suspension and clouding your pool water. Total Alkalinity TA is a buffer that keeps the PH levels more stable and resistant to wild fluctuations.

The dot test is for the amount of CYA (Stabalizer), depending on where your pool is located and how much sunlight it gets will determine your target level however that said you should aim for 30 ppm to begin with. The CYA prevents the UV rays of the sun from consuming your chlorine. With no stabilizer the sun can eat all of the chlorine within minutes and leave none left to sanitize the pool. You might as well just throw your money directly in the pool and save the trip to the store Conventional wisdom is to add chlorine at dusk so all of it's energy is used in
cleaning and not in fighting the sunlight ...this is true even after you get the CYA level up. Go slow in adding stabilizer as it takes awhile to dissolve completely ..so aim first for 20-25 then redose as required.

The bubbles won't affect your PH levels when the PH is that high so don't worry about that right now.

Where did get the fill water for the pool? Can you confirm that your CA is 120 and not 1200 as first stated.

Cheers,

[Watermom]

Actually, bubbling water at the return jet is aeration and will cause a rise in pH.

[resp215]

Thx for the information . So this is actually one of those times I should hit the pool store and buy stabilizer. I guess some things can't be substituted.

[aylad]

You can get stabilizer from the pool store, from WalMart, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. It's often labeled as "conditioner", "balancer", but if you'll look at the ingredient label, cyanuric or isocyanuric acid is the right stuff.

Alternately, since you already have a high pH issue, you can use dichlor powder for chlorination, which will add your chlorine, add stabilizer (and very quickly, I might add--generally for each 10 ppm chlorine you get, dichlor also adds 8 or 9 ppm CYA), and also tends to drive pH downward. You won't be able to use it forever, but in this case, for now it would be a good choice.

Janet

[SalemCastles]

Actually, bubbling water at the return jet is aeration and will cause a rise in pH.

hmm ... I understood from a post by Ben that only a PH down closer to 7.0 will rise due to aeration and that at 8.0 it has no affect?

[madwil]

the effect is reduced at higher pH- the lower pH changes the balance equation of the carbonic acid vs CO2 vs... Some will happen higher, just not enough to really matter...
I think the point being made was aeration causes rise, while resp needs to decrease pH.

[SalemCastles]

I think the point is moot as it's "just not enough to matter" which is why I said don't worry about it right now.

[resp215]

So far all is well but I think I may have to look at my filter/pump setup.

There is very low psi as a general rule. I added some de to my sand filter slowly. Only 1/4 cup, and it bogged the output down. Another time I added some stabilizer for the cya and it bogged it Down bad. Both times I had to backwash after a half a day to try to regain some pump filter effectiveness. I don't even know where to bgin on this one and I'm hesitant to call a pool company because who knows how honest they will be.

[resp215]

Ok so I figured the filter issue. The o ring on the pump trap was on wrong which allowed an air leak and lowered the psi. The trap was filled so I cleaned it and it's running great.

Taylor levels
Fc 8.0
Ph 7.2
Cya around 50...ish
I didn't test ta I forgot.

What is ideal fc anyway? With the Taylor it doesn't mention it.

And man the pool clouded up a bit after two days of straight torrential rain. Come on fc and pool filter!

[resp215]

Thx watermom!