Newbie to Forum...Looking for help

[fairfieldmania]

Ok, got the Talyor test kit yesterday in the mail...I have been in the habit of adding two bags of calcium hypochlorite every other day at night...alternating with 6% bleach....Monday night - two bags...Wednesday night - two 1.42 gallons of 6% bleach...Friday night - two bags...etc...

I added two bags of cal-hypo last night....Onto my results

FC 5.8 (29 drops *0.2 using 25 mL)
CC 0.4 (2 drops * 0.2 using 25 mL)
pH 8.0
TA 90
CH 190
CA N/A didn't register..not sure if I did it wrong
SI 0.35
Temp 82

[Watermom]

Those numbers look pretty good other than the pH being a little high. You can use some muriatic acid to lower it. Read the muriatic link in my signature below.

The way you do the test is to fill the little bottle to the 7ml level with pool water and then fill to the 14ml line with the R-0013. Cap it and mix it and then wait at least 30 seconds. Then, holding the test block at waist level in natural light, slowly squeeze the contents of the bottle into the tube, noting when you can no longer see the black dot. If it doesn't get cloudy, then your CYA level is less than 30.

How long has it been since you used dichlor, added CYA separately and used trichlor pucks? You'll want 40-50ppm of CYA in there. So, you'll need to use one of the three mentioned to bring it up some.

By the way, use the 10ml testing sample instead of the 25ml. It will save on your reagents.

[fairfieldmania]

It's interesting comparing the pool numbers to mine. According to them, the pH was the same, but hardness was lower than I tested, and alkalinity was lower than I tested...enough to make you buy their stuff to bring those parameters up...which I admit...I did before I tested it with the Taylor kit...

A question about adding the muriatic acid to bring down the pH...will it lower the TA as well??...that is main reason I joined this forum...if you read my second entry on this thread...that is what I am confused about....how do I lower my pH without affecting my TA??...at the time back in early July, I thought I had low TA as well, but now I see I am good there...

CYA - I performed the test as instructed in the manual and as you described above...but for some reason, even though the pool company test showed I was good on CYA...the Taylor test did not show enough to register...(I still saw the black hole at the bottom)...I guess I'll add another pound of CYA....I'm nervous about adding too much without allowing what i've added already to fully dissolve...

I only use trichlor pucks and then the combination of cal-hypo and 6% bleach...

I'm going to test the FC level tonight to see if I could back off the two bags of cal-hypo or two 1.42 gallons of 6% bleach every other day....does that seem like too much???

[BigDave]

Lowering your pH will lower your TA. Shouldn't be a problem unless you see your pH moving quickly (couple days) to 7.0 or 8.0. If pH is bouncing, add some Baking Soda to raise TA - pH will go up a little but not much from the Baking Soda.

[PoolDoc]

Don't worry about TA. Adjust the pH, till it's just below 8.0. The reason is not that 8.0 is bad, given your low CH and TA. The reason is that an 8.0 reading -- except with a pH meter proper calibrated using 2 pH buffer solutions -- usually means 8.0 OR HIGHER, and not 8.0 EXACTLY.

After that, we'll need to take a look at your CH level, and then your TA level. But, you'll need to keep your pH below 8.0 the whole time. Just below is fine, but at least a little below.

Also, until you have a significant level of stabilizer (CA, or CYA as we use it here) you can't back off on the chlorine UNLESS you have a completely cloudy day. Given that you have low TA and a low CH, using cal hypo would be preferable to bleach, if you have both.

[fairfieldmania]

wait...I have low CH and TA now??

Or are you saying once I lower the pH with MA, they will come down? The first reply to my numbers was to decrease my pH and everything else was fine...but now are you saying my CH and TA are low?? Based on Taylor's manual and information around the web, TA of 90 and CH of 190 are in range no???

[PoolDoc]

You reported 2 sets of numbers:

alkalinity - 71 ppm
Hardness - 110 ppm

TA 90
CH 190

Both are on the low end of things. They are not too low, with a pH of 7.8, but they are too low for a concrete pool, if the pH is 7.2. I don't trust the pool store readings, but I've learned to be cautious about test results the first few times someone uses a K2006.

So, I want to you to keep the pH low enough so that we know for sure it's not REALLY 8.8, and then look at things again.

[fairfieldmania]

ok, I added the muriatic acid Tuesday night...I winged the amount....I also added a pound of CYA on Tuesday night...I don't feel it is fully dissolved...as I see a bump in my DE filter pressure, but it hasn't come back down....and then added two bags of cal-hypo last night....readings this morning:

FC 8.8
CC 0.4
pH 7.8
Alk 100
CH 200
CYA still didn't register, although it did seem a little cloudier based on memory from the first test
Sat Index 0.5
Water Temp 80

Suggestions???