How much baking soda can I add in a day?

[Watermom]

Any pool place that would test your water and tell you that you have a free chlorine reading of 4.5 and a combined chlorine reading of 5.35 is nuts. And, before I'd feel comfortable suggesting what to add, I think you need to get your numbers tested again. Preferably -- buy a drops based kit and test it yourself.

One thing I can definitively tell you is that with a vinyl pool, you do not need to add calcium. See if you can get some more accurate readings and then somebody here can help you get started. Welcome to the forum!

BTW - We will need a cya reading. Also, how does your water look?

[mwsigler]

I have a test kit and I am very confused.

I had the numbers run a week ago at a different store . I don't have the sheet in front of me, but everything was pretty good except alkalinity was low. So I added some more baking soda. I know it was 50 and the ph was 7.2.

I had it tested there at the beginning of that same week and my alkalinity was 0 and the ph was like 6.6 . So I was able to get it adjusted.

And the iron was a little high, but she said to watch it and see. Well after the kids getting a green tinge to their hair, I figured I better get something for it.

But my test kit didn't match any of the numbers they came up with either.

This is our 4th year with the pool and everything has always been fine. So this is the first time it has really been out of wack and I don't feel like I know what I am doing.

My water looks great. It is crystal clear. You can see the drain from the door to the house which is probably 50 - 60 feet away.

[aylad]

I have a test kit and I am very confused.

I had the numbers run a week ago at a different store . .

If you have a drop-based test kit, I would just test the water yourself and forget the pool store.

Janet

[waste]

Melissa, welcome to posting on the post crash forum!!

You say that the pool is 4 yrs old, how old are the reagents for the test kit, if they are the same age as the pool, it's probably time to replace them - bad reagents may be the cause for the discepency, or as other's pointed out a lot of pool stores couldn't accurately test water to save their lives

[waterbear]

Depending on how the pool store is testing the results they gave you might be accurate or not. If they are using strips and strips reader then I would not trust the readings. If they are using liquid or dry reagents with a colorimeter then I would (assuming they are doing the tests correctly, a BIG if!)

[mwsigler]

I bought a new test kit about 3 weeks ago.

I took my water, to the place I have been taking it and everything was fine except the cooper which I knew was a problem.

The akalinity was a little low - 60 so I will be working on it today.

This place just had their machine calibrated 2 weeks ago, so I assuming their numbers are good.

I had another friend tell me not to take it to the place I went the other day.

So we will go with the first place.

But really how much baking soda can I add in a day? Just curious?

[Watermom]

It's probably going to take somewhere in the ballpark of about 12 lbs. of baking soda to get up to 90 or 100. I would add 3 lbs. at a time and wait about 4 hours to let it circulate. Then, retest and see where you are. Better to do it in small doses rather than all in one shot. As long as you space the doses out by about 4 hours and retest before adding more, I think you'll be OK.