The National Spa & Pool Institute - APSP Association of Pool & Spa Professionals has a limit of 150 ppm as their maximum safe level. They did a study in 1990 of 1,200 Commercial pools in Florida and found many had levels over 300 ppm - bacteria levels were fine and no water quality issues. You probably are okay as long as you don't add anymore. Here we lose about 6 to 8 ft a year from evaporation so new water is added. You can drain some water & add fresh but there is nothing to worry about.
After 1-2 minutes on the chlorine test, does that result give the total chlorine level? Therefore the combined chlorine level would be any difference between the free reading taken within the first few seconds and the 1-2 minute reading? My free reading and 1-2 minute reading are typically the same, which i think means i have no combined chlorine.
The only drawback with Cal Hypo is that they could raise your pools calcium hardness if you don't keep an eye on the pH. I have a video on my Channel on Cal-hypo and I posted the amount of acid you will need to add to neutralize the effect of Cal Hypo. It won't be a problem if you keep an eye on your pH. It is the only shock without conditioner.
Thank you for the video. The color change that you’re looking for is that from blue through to clear them to yellow. Is it the yellow color appearance that tells you to stop titrating
Usually, it goes clear and then another drop will get you to yellow. I think this test is probably not that precise, so it is more like plus or minus 10ppms. Eg, my pool is at 120ppm to clear and if I add another drop to yellow, I'm at 130ppm. I can live with either or in an aboveground pool.
I guess since I do it 20 times a day it is second nature to me. The tubes will fill with color, look for one that matches closely on the color code and that will be your Chlorine and PH reading. it takes some practice. The Acid Demand test: you should see the color change once you start adding Solution 3. Once it shows the color of 7.4 then look at the chart for how much acid to use. Lastly, the Alkalinity test, color should turn clear after adding drops of solution 3. Practice makes Perfect.
It can add calcium hardness to your pool - especially in a salt pool. But if you keep an eye on your pH it is not a deal breaker. I have a video on it. Are you smelling Chloramines around your pool - amonia smell due to high Conditioner levels or is the high level just bugging you?
Many people (& Pool Service Guys) don't know that the 3" tabs have conditioner in them. So they will just use them all year round and fill up the floater or chlorinator. I stop adding them around November (I will sometimes put one in and it last awhile) but switch over to liquid & shock until March or so. I add almost zero stabilizer to the pools that I service with 3" tablets -on occasion I will add 1 Lb. What you are doing should solve your problem & lower the level through evaporation.
What is your chlorine reading? If it is 3.0 or higher you just have aggressive chlorine resistant algae. There are some tricks in that case. You can add Yellowtrine or Yellow Treat directly over the spot - one capful and pour 1 gallon of chlorine directly on top of it. This should kill it. If you have a white plaster pool then you can sprinkle HASA Algi-ban on top - but don't let it pile up in one spot or it will burn the plaster. That should work.
There is a chemical called Melamine - the same chemical used in the Cyanuric Acid turbidity test. One pound will remove one pound of Cyanuric Acid in 10,000 gallons of water (about 12 ppm) However, it will make your water very cloudy and is hard to filter out. If you have a Sand filter it won't filter out at all. A shock with no Conditioner is Cal-Hypo. It has 65-70% active chlorine.They also sell these in tablet form.
First time pool owner. Do you have a video that shows testing and then what to do after. Like, the steps after you get your numbers to bring them to where they need to be?
Great videos, thanks for sharing! One quick question about the PH test. In this video PH was about 8.0 and only needed 2 drops of solution 3 to bring PH down to 7.4. I have the same test, but at 7.8 PH I had to add 5 drops of solution 3 to get a 7.4 result! Does this mean my reagents are old?
I would use liquid chlorine from your local Mom & Pop pool store. Usually it is the HASA brand and is about 16% active chlorine or so. It is also the freshest chlorine since the small pool stores tend to rotate their stock and use it on their own pool routes. Just buy it by the case and exchange the empties. That is your best bet. With your conditioner level the liquid chlorine should hold up well. I say this thinking you live near civilization - I have some people who live in the Boondocks ;)
Bromine is more stable than chlorine, especially in warm water, making it more commonly used in spas, whereas chlorine is more often used in pools. The exception to this is ultraviolet (UV) light, which destroys both chemicals, but bromine breaks down more.
But there is no way to get my CYA which is at 133 right now down without draining half the Pool Water. :-( I need a good bag Shock that has no Conditioner in it. None whatsoever. What do you suggest?
I was wondering when you test the pools alkalinity do you know what alkalinity is when the blue water turns clear or turns yellow? For example, I added 4 acid demand drops and it turn clear and added 4 more and it turn yellow. I'm thinking alkalinity is at 40ppb because it turn clear with 4 drops.
+Swimming Pool Tips, Reviews & How To -MrDgvb1 Thanks for your reply.I have no idea what the name of the yellow chemical is. The kit I used did not have a yellow chemical in it. Thanks anyway.
What kit do you think is best for ONLY Hot Tub Testing? REALLY need some advice to switch from test strips to "Kit" testing method. TOTALLY lost :-) And with test stips going for $3-$5.00 a box of 50 to almost $15.00? NO way.....
Thanks. Yea that's why I intend on doing. Bleach is only 5.7 % Chlorine from Dollar Store. I think Concentrated Clorox is 8%. So back to my question. How many gallons to Shock a 28000 Gallon Pool that has a 133 CYA? I just want to have an idea. I put 3 Gallons in last night & still have Algae growth by Stairs & Ladders. Thanks again for your expertise!
I have the same test kit but when I add the five drops of solution 1 the color automatically changes to a really dark orange and doesn't match the colors on the chart. Is the free chlorine level too high? The ph is in the ideal mark.
No. You would need a Taylor K-2005 or K-2006. But I will use the Aqau-Chek 7-1 test strips. Two readings that come out excellent on those strips are Combined Chlorine and Conditioner Level. The others are more of a ball park readings.
thanks dave I have the 2006 but ran out of the cl. 2 and ordered a refill. I have the poolmaster and I have the strips aquacheck but the strips are about 2-3 years old
With this kit, can you test for a cyanuric acid level? If so how do you do it? I just purchased a house that has a pool and am trying to take really good care of it and purchase a water testing kit that isn't too costly but also will cover all the things I have to keep an eye on and not just make it my pool guys job. I got a list of things to keep an eye on from a friend (chlorine, bromine, ph, acid demand, total alkalinity, cyanuric acid, CA hardness, & Salinity) and the poolmaster kit seems to cross most of them off the list. Do you agree with this list? What changes should a home owner pay attention to? Thanks for your response in advance.
For ease of use and surprising accuracy 7-Way test strips will give you a good Cyanuric Acid reading. If you wanted to try something with less margin of error you can purchase a good stand alone kit like this one. Also, you mentioned Salinity so does that mean you have a Salt Water Generator? Which brand do you have? Here is the stand alone CYA Kit: ruclips.net/video/Cgp_0uMS4rE/видео.html
I don't know if I have a salt water generator, do all pools have one? I know my system is a Pentair System and I am still trying to locate all the identifying information on the pool like model number and tomorrow I am going to use your size estimation equation to figure out how many galloons it is. My pool is kidney shaped. I just had to replace/ retire the old Kreepy Krawly that came with it because it had a bunch of broken parts and pieces. I mentioned Salinity because my friend mentioned it as something he monitors in his pool.
I have that same Test Kit. It does not test for CYA, Free Chlorine, etc..The Taylor K-2005 is able to perform these other Tests. My old Pool guy used that same Test Kit & I have one myself. So he never tested for CYA. That's how I wound up with a CYA of 113. I'd have to empty more than half the Pool to get that down. I'm learning using Chlorine Pucks & a Chlorinator is the cause of this problem. Liquid Chlorine & Bleach is a much better additive.
I'm watching all your Videos. I'm your #1 Fan!!! You have helped me a lot. No bad smell at all. Water looks & smells good. I'm going strictly Bleach & Liquid Chlorine from now on, if I can afford it, since my CYA is 133. I'm seeing a little Algae by Steps & Ladders though. I need to Shock it! Question: How many gallons of regular strength Bleach will it take to Shock a 28,000 Gallon Pool? 5, 6, 8, 10??? I'm going to invest in Clorox! :-)
when I tested the alkalinity it took over 20 drops to change the color from violet to light yellow how can I bring the alkalinity down to acceptable levels
It is a process of adding muriatic acid to lower the pH and ALK, get it to 7.2 and the add Borax to raise the pH up - add acid to lower it down to 7.2 again and then add Borax to raise it up. Over a two week period of doing this the ALK should drop down to 100 (10 drops). Borax raises the pH only and not the ALK. Acid will lower both the pH and ALK.
+Swimming Pool Tips, Reviews & How To -MrDgvb1 can I add chlorine or shock the pool it's a newly filled pool with no active chlorine showing on the test
Ah, I see. I was told my alkalinity was high at 200ppm from my local pool store. I feel better knowing it's probably not the kit and I just need to keep working on lowering my TA. Thanks for the info!
Hello sir I have a big pool, and when I maintain the pH in the normal range 7.2 to 7.6, then tiny insects starts to be seen, and algae starts. So I keep the pH below 6.0, and it worked. Is what I am doing right?
I would raise the pH back up to 7.2 - 6.0 is too low for the pool equipment. You also want to keep the chlorine level high, 3.0 ppm. Do you have grass boarding your pool?
+Swimming Pool Tips, Reviews & How To -MrDgvb1 thank you very much for the quick reply.... And no, there is no vegetation close by.. Only the hot burning sun. My pool contains around 23000 gallons. And I add 5 normal chlorine tablets per week.
Well guess Melamine won't work for me because I do have a Sand Filter. That stinks! :-) That would have been a much easier fix than Draining half my pool water. So they make Cal Hypo in Tabs also. Isn't there a downside even to Cal Hypo? I hear it adds Hardness to water.
Thank you for the Info. I took Chlorine Tabs out of Chlorinator & Turned Chlorinator Off. I had a Pool Guy who never tested CYA, and put 3 Chlorine Tabs in Chlorinator every week. That is how it built up. I am maintaining my own pool now. So I hope to get that down & intend to use Liquid Chlorine or Bleach instead of the Tabs. I'm hoping that will help.
The National Spa & Pool Institute - APSP Association of Pool & Spa Professionals has a limit of 150 ppm as their maximum safe level. They did a study in 1990 of 1,200 Commercial pools in Florida and found many had levels over 300 ppm - bacteria levels were fine and no water quality issues. You probably are okay as long as you don't add anymore. Here we lose about 6 to 8 ft a year from evaporation so new water is added. You can drain some water & add fresh but there is nothing to worry about.
The sides are not marked, but I used a Taylor kit that was and got 7 ml for the Chlorine side and 34 ml for the pH side.
After 1-2 minutes on the chlorine test, does that result give the total chlorine level? Therefore the combined chlorine level would be any difference between the free reading taken within the first few seconds and the 1-2 minute reading? My free reading and 1-2 minute reading are typically the same, which i think means i have no combined chlorine.
The only drawback with Cal Hypo is that they could raise your pools calcium hardness if you don't keep an eye on the pH. I have a video on my Channel on Cal-hypo and I posted the amount of acid you will need to add to neutralize the effect of Cal Hypo. It won't be a problem if you keep an eye on your pH. It is the only shock without conditioner.
I do. It is just a dye. The Reagent is harmless in the water.
Thank you for the video. The color change that you’re looking for is that from blue through to clear them to yellow. Is it the yellow color appearance that tells you to stop titrating
Usually, it goes clear and then another drop will get you to yellow. I think this test is probably not that precise, so it is more like plus or minus 10ppms. Eg, my pool is at 120ppm to clear and if I add another drop to yellow, I'm at 130ppm. I can live with either or in an aboveground pool.
I guess since I do it 20 times a day it is second nature to me. The tubes will fill with color, look for one that matches closely on the color code and that will be your Chlorine and PH reading. it takes some practice. The Acid Demand test: you should see the color change once you start adding Solution 3. Once it shows the color of 7.4 then look at the chart for how much acid to use. Lastly, the Alkalinity test, color should turn clear after adding drops of solution 3. Practice makes Perfect.
It can add calcium hardness to your pool - especially in a salt pool. But if you keep an eye on your pH it is not a deal breaker. I have a video on it. Are you smelling Chloramines around your pool - amonia smell due to high Conditioner levels or is the high level just bugging you?
Many people (& Pool Service Guys) don't know that the 3" tabs have conditioner in them. So they will just use them all year round and fill up the floater or chlorinator. I stop adding them around November (I will sometimes put one in and it last awhile) but switch over to liquid & shock until March or so. I add almost zero stabilizer to the pools that I service with 3" tablets -on occasion I will add 1 Lb. What you are doing should solve your problem & lower the level through evaporation.
I thought cyanuric acid does not evaporate
What is your chlorine reading? If it is 3.0 or higher you just have aggressive chlorine resistant algae. There are some tricks in that case. You can add Yellowtrine or Yellow Treat directly over the spot - one capful and pour 1 gallon of chlorine directly on top of it. This should kill it. If you have a white plaster pool then you can sprinkle HASA Algi-ban on top - but don't let it pile up in one spot or it will burn the plaster. That should work.
There is a chemical called Melamine - the same chemical used in the Cyanuric Acid turbidity test. One pound will remove one pound of Cyanuric Acid in 10,000 gallons of water (about 12 ppm) However, it will make your water very cloudy and is hard to filter out. If you have a Sand filter it won't filter out at all. A shock with no Conditioner is Cal-Hypo. It has 65-70% active chlorine.They also sell these in tablet form.
First time pool owner. Do you have a video that shows testing and then what to do after. Like, the steps after you get your numbers to bring them to where they need to be?
Great videos, thanks for sharing! One quick question about the PH test. In this video PH was about 8.0 and only needed 2 drops of solution 3 to bring PH down to 7.4. I have the same test, but at 7.8 PH I had to add 5 drops of solution 3 to get a 7.4 result! Does this mean my reagents are old?
It’s 2022. Your reagents are definitely expired
Maybe, but I think there are other factors that determine this - the alkalinity level is probably a factor here also.
I would use liquid chlorine from your local Mom & Pop pool store. Usually it is the HASA brand and is about 16% active chlorine or so. It is also the freshest chlorine since the small pool stores tend to rotate their stock and use it on their own pool routes. Just buy it by the case and exchange the empties. That is your best bet. With your conditioner level the liquid chlorine should hold up well. I say this thinking you live near civilization - I have some people who live in the Boondocks ;)
Bromine is more stable than chlorine, especially in warm water, making it more commonly used in spas, whereas chlorine is more often used in pools. The exception to this is ultraviolet (UV) light, which destroys both chemicals, but bromine breaks down more.
Another video someone added 5 drops of solution 5. Does it matter 2 or 5 drops?
It might not. That is just a neutralizer
I have this test and the alalinity test doesn't change color until I add 42 drops I added alcine and still no change.
Test it in a 50/50 solution with 1/2 bottled water. This could mean your ALK is 400 ppm
I have many videos on here and this is the most helpful
But there is no way to get my CYA which is at 133 right now down without draining half the Pool Water. :-( I need a good bag Shock that has no Conditioner in it. None whatsoever. What do you suggest?
I just refilled my pool. Tried the alkalinity test, I dropped 18 drops of solution 3, no change in color. I'm assuming my alkalinity is to high?
Yes. Very high
I was wondering when you test the pools alkalinity do you know what alkalinity is when the blue water turns clear or turns yellow? For example, I added 4 acid demand drops and it turn clear and added 4 more and it turn yellow. I'm thinking alkalinity is at 40ppb because it turn clear with 4 drops.
Yes, that could be the case. 40 ppm is pretty low.
just got this kit today but they sent pills in place of number #1 bottle ??? here in San Diego, is it band ??? they sent 30 tablets .
I'm in Victoria, Australia. I used to have this kit but it seems to have been replaced by many fancy other kits. Where can I get it?
+Marg Kennedy I think they banned the OTO - yellow chemical in this kit. I know it is banned in South Africa and parts of Europe.
+Swimming Pool Tips, Reviews & How To -MrDgvb1 Thanks for your reply.I have no idea what the name of the yellow chemical is. The kit I used did not have a yellow chemical in it. Thanks anyway.
What kit do you think is best for ONLY Hot Tub Testing? REALLY need some advice to switch from test strips to "Kit" testing method. TOTALLY lost :-) And with test stips going for $3-$5.00 a box of 50 to almost $15.00? NO way.....
Thanks. Yea that's why I intend on doing. Bleach is only 5.7 % Chlorine from Dollar Store. I think Concentrated Clorox is 8%. So back to my question. How many gallons to Shock a 28000 Gallon Pool that has a 133 CYA? I just want to have an idea. I put 3 Gallons in last night & still have Algae growth by Stairs & Ladders. Thanks again for your expertise!
In our test kit they put only 5drops in ph its right?
yes.
I have the same test kit but when I add the five drops of solution 1 the color automatically changes to a really dark orange and doesn't match the colors on the chart. Is the free chlorine level too high? The ph is in the ideal mark.
Means it is higher than 5.0 ppm.
David is there a way to test combined chlorine with the basic poolmaster kit?
No. You would need a Taylor K-2005 or K-2006. But I will use the Aqau-Chek 7-1 test strips. Two readings that come out excellent on those strips are Combined Chlorine and Conditioner Level. The others are more of a ball park readings.
thanks dave I have the 2006 but ran out of the cl. 2 and ordered a refill. I have the poolmaster and I have the strips aquacheck but the strips are about 2-3 years old
With this kit, can you test for a cyanuric acid level? If so how do you do it? I just purchased a house that has a pool and am trying to take really good care of it and purchase a water testing kit that isn't too costly but also will cover all the things I have to keep an eye on and not just make it my pool guys job. I got a list of things to keep an eye on from a friend (chlorine, bromine, ph, acid demand, total alkalinity, cyanuric acid, CA hardness, & Salinity) and the poolmaster kit seems to cross most of them off the list. Do you agree with this list? What changes should a home owner pay attention to? Thanks for your response in advance.
For ease of use and surprising accuracy 7-Way test strips will give you a good Cyanuric Acid reading. If you wanted to try something with less margin of error you can purchase a good stand alone kit like this one. Also, you mentioned Salinity so does that mean you have a Salt Water Generator? Which brand do you have? Here is the stand alone CYA Kit: ruclips.net/video/Cgp_0uMS4rE/видео.html
I don't know if I have a salt water generator, do all pools have one? I know my system is a Pentair System and I am still trying to locate all the identifying information on the pool like model number and tomorrow I am going to use your size estimation equation to figure out how many galloons it is. My pool is kidney shaped. I just had to replace/ retire the old Kreepy Krawly that came with it because it had a bunch of broken parts and pieces. I mentioned Salinity because my friend mentioned it as something he monitors in his pool.
I'm the poolmaster 5 kit the same as the Stanley 5 kit? I was told it's made by the same company
+kikokikeniko Yes. Same exact kit
I have that same Test Kit. It does not test for CYA, Free Chlorine, etc..The Taylor K-2005 is able to perform these other Tests. My old Pool guy used that same Test Kit & I have one myself. So he never tested for CYA. That's how I wound up with a CYA of 113. I'd have to empty more than half the Pool to get that down. I'm learning using Chlorine Pucks & a Chlorinator is the cause of this problem. Liquid Chlorine & Bleach is a much better additive.
How do you do the bromine test? I have the same kit, just can't figure it out
It's the same reagent test for chlorine and Bromine. Solution #1
@@SPL yes, same reagent, but how do you read it if there is no color on the Br scale?
My CYA is 113. How do Y I get this down?
cant find operating instructions for SELECTECH SE-PC101
I'm watching all your Videos. I'm your #1 Fan!!! You have helped me a lot. No bad smell at all. Water looks & smells good. I'm going strictly Bleach & Liquid Chlorine from now on, if I can afford it, since my CYA is 133. I'm seeing a little Algae by Steps & Ladders though. I need to Shock it! Question: How many gallons of regular strength Bleach will it take to Shock a 28,000 Gallon Pool? 5, 6, 8, 10??? I'm going to invest in Clorox! :-)
when I tested the alkalinity it took over 20 drops to change the color from violet to light yellow how can I bring the alkalinity down to acceptable levels
It is a process of adding muriatic acid to lower the pH and ALK, get it to 7.2 and the add Borax to raise the pH up - add acid to lower it down to 7.2 again and then add Borax to raise it up. Over a two week period of doing this the ALK should drop down to 100 (10 drops). Borax raises the pH only and not the ALK. Acid will lower both the pH and ALK.
+Swimming Pool Tips, Reviews & How To -MrDgvb1 thank you for quick reply
+Swimming Pool Tips, Reviews & How To -MrDgvb1 can I add chlorine or shock the pool it's a newly filled pool with no active chlorine showing on the test
You can also increase pH only through aeration I believe.
Hi Dave,
Is stabilizer the same thing as acid? Is it necessary?
Two different kinds of acid. For your outdoor pool Conditioner is needed - otherwise the chlorine will burn off quickly.
Can you show the Bromine test?
Same as the chlorine test.
2:53 you should add one by one drops, not 3
My ph Is Little High
But i Put Aqua 25 Ph Decreaser But My ALklinty will Drop
It will drop a little as well
7.6 is good or bad
After you're done with the PH and chlorine test do you pour the chemicals in the vial in the water?
Ah, I see. I was told my alkalinity was high at 200ppm from my local pool store. I feel better knowing it's probably not the kit and I just need to keep working on lowering my TA. Thanks for the info!
Hello sir
I have a big pool, and when I maintain the pH in the normal range 7.2 to 7.6, then tiny insects starts to be seen, and algae starts.
So I keep the pH below 6.0, and it worked.
Is what I am doing right?
I would raise the pH back up to 7.2 - 6.0 is too low for the pool equipment. You also want to keep the chlorine level high, 3.0 ppm. Do you have grass boarding your pool?
+Swimming Pool Tips, Reviews & How To -MrDgvb1 thank you very much for the quick reply.... And no, there is no vegetation close by.. Only the hot burning sun.
My pool contains around 23000 gallons.
And I add 5 normal chlorine tablets per week.
+Swimming Pool Tips, Reviews & How To -MrDgvb1
I also understand your concern about the vegetation, very good point... My respect to ya.
Well guess Melamine won't work for me because I do have a Sand Filter. That stinks! :-) That would have been a much easier fix than Draining half my pool water. So they make Cal Hypo in Tabs also. Isn't there a downside even to Cal Hypo? I hear it adds Hardness to water.
Honey, sugarbug! You did not say what color we were looking for CLEAR? on last test...mine took 16 drops to turn completely clear. Help!!!
Thank you for the Info. I took Chlorine Tabs out of Chlorinator & Turned Chlorinator Off. I had a Pool Guy who never tested CYA, and put 3 Chlorine Tabs in Chlorinator every week. That is how it built up. I am maintaining my own pool now. So I hope to get that down & intend to use Liquid Chlorine or Bleach instead of the Tabs. I'm hoping that will help.
P. S. : the weather is very hot, 48C nowadays.
What is your free chlorine level?
+Swimming Pool Tips, Reviews & How To -MrDgvb1
Normally I maintain it between 1.5 to 3.0, which is the ideal as my test kit says. (chlorine)
best
i love how he keeps neutralizing the chlorine in test samples that have no chlorine