Chlorine Readings

[pdamron]

Only me second year using chlorine. Had my water tested today and here's what the readings said.

Saturdation Idx -0.1

Tot. Chlorine 0.6

Free Chlorine 0

ph 8.3

Tot. Alk. 29

Tot. Hardness 113

Pool is a 40x20, 27,500 gallon inground plaster. How do these numbers look and how do I adjust them? Any help would be appreciated. thanks,

Patrick

[quantumchromodynamics]

It's odd that your Total Alkalinity is so low and your pH is so high. I'm going to guess that your pH was also low recently, and you added a bunch of pH increaser, right?

You need to get some chlorine in the water as soon as possible or your water will turn green, if it isn't already. Use regular, unscented 6 % bleach.

You are reporting "Total Hardness"; we need to know "Calcium Hardness", not "Total Hardness"

We also need to know the Cyanuric acid level and the water temperature.

What does your water look like now?

What does the plaster look like? What color is it supposed to be, and what color is it now?

Are there any stains, scale or etching? Is there any copper in the water?

Do you have a heater?

As soon as your pH comes down, you are going to have to start raising your TA and your Calcium levels.

[pdamron]

Sorry for the lack of information. Heres what I have.

We also need to know the Cyanuric acid level and the water temperature. Water Temp. is 75 deg.

What does your water look like now? Went on vacation for a week and came back and the water was a little cloudy. After I shocked it and added routine amounts of algecide and chlorine, the water now appears very clear and free from any algea.

What does the plaster look like? Looks good. Its painted light blue but does have some white spots that have appeared over time. What color is it supposed to be, and what color is it now?

Are there any stains, scale or etching? Not any noticeable stains. Is there any copper in the water? Not sure about the copper, they didnt test for it.

Do you have a heater? No heater.

Thanks for your help,

Patrick

[pdamron]

Heres the exact Analysis that was done.

Using a Bioguard water tester:

Conditions

Current Ideal

Temperature 75

Saturation Idx: -0.1 -.3-+.3

TDS: 300 <2500

CYA: 0 30-200

Tot. Chlorine: 0.6 1-3

Free Chlorine: 0 1-3

pH: 8.3 7.4-7.6

Tot. Alk: 29

Adj. Total Alk: 29 125-150

Tot. Hardness: 113 200-275

Optimizer +: 14 30-35

Copper: Not tested

Iron: Not tested

Cloudy: None

Staining: None

Copper Stain: None

Iron Stain: NO

Greeen Algae; None

Black Algae: None

Mustard Algae: no

Quat: Not tested

[pdamron]

Heres the exact Analysis that was done.

Using a Bioguard water tester:

Conditions

Current

Temperature 75

Saturation Idx: -0.1

TDS: 300

CYA: 0

Tot. Chlorine: 0.6

Free Chlorine: 0

pH: 8.3

Tot. Alk: 29

Adj. Total Alk: 29

Tot. Hardness: 113

Optimizer +: 14

Copper: Not tested

Iron: Not tested

Cloudy: None

Staining: None

Copper Stain: None

Iron Stain: NO

Greeen Algae; None

Black Algae: None

Mustard Algae: no

Quat: Not tested

[quantumchromodynamics]

Your TA is too low. You need to raise it. You need to find the correct TA for your pool. If the pH is constantly going too high, then your TA is too high. If your pH is constantly going too low, then your TA is too low. Your TA is just right when your pH stays in the target range. Start with a target of 80 ppm and adjust from there.

Your Calcium Hardness is too low. You need to raise it. It should be at least 200 ppm. You need to test for Calcium Hardness, not Total Hardness.

You need to maintain a positive CSI (Calcite Saturation Index) for a plaster pool to protect the plaster from dissolving. However, you don't want to go too high as that could cause calcium carbonate scaling. I recommend a range of +0.1 to +0.3.

You can use ThePoolCalculator to calculate your Calcite Saturation Index. You need to fill in all of the parameters to get the correct CSI.

You should keep your cyanuric acid level between 30 and 80 ppm with an ideal target range of 50 to 70 ppm.

I recommend a pH range of 7.5 to 7.9 for plaster pools with an ideal target range of 7.6 to 7.8.

Always allow plenty of time between adding one type of chemical and another. Don't add a calcium increaser product on the same day as a pH or alkalinity increaser product.

Optimizer is borates, so be sure to fill that in in the pool calculator. Borates are somewhat helpful but they are not necessary. You can have anywhere from 0 to 50 ppm for borates.

I highly recommend that you get a good test kit. See the link in my signature.