Water Chemistry

Test results, dosing, algae, cloudy water & stains

Water Chemistry Discussions

Dumping and refilling the spa weekly versus just balancing it like the pool Been going back and forth on this all summer. Spa's plumbed to the same pad as the pool but I run it separate chemistry wise since it heats up and eva… Water Chemistry Karen Delgado Oct 29, 2026 2replies CYA reading lower than my dosing math says it should be Running a spreadsheet since May, FC 4.5, pH 7.6, TA 80, CYA 45 as of this morning tested on the K-2006. Problem is my calculated CYA based on what I h… Water Chemistry Priya Raman Oct 28, 2026 0replies Thinking about switching to a digital titration kit, anyone done both I've been doing drop count titration with the TF-100 for years and my eyes aren't getting any younger reading that pink endpoint in the FAS-DPD test, … Water Chemistry Alan Pierce Oct 26, 2026 2replies Finally stopped chasing CH down and just let it ride Had a customer last week fighting calcium climbing every month, kept dumping money into partial drains. Mine's been doing the same thing slow and stea… Water Chemistry tampapoolguy Oct 25, 2026 1reply Finally figured out why my FC kept dropping every afternoon Small one but satisfying. Been chasing FC drop from about 5 ppm down to 2 by late afternoon for weeks, blamed the cell, blamed CYA, even pulled the Si… Water Chemistry Marcus Reed Oct 23, 2026 1reply Didn't realize my spa water chemistry drifts that fast from the pool Ran a test on the spa separate from the pool this week just to check, usually I just test the pool and figure it's close enough since it's attached. N… Water Chemistry Karen Delgado Oct 20, 2026 3replies Calcium creeping up even after a partial drain, what am I missing Drained about a third of the pool in March to get ahead of it, fill water here runs 400 plus straight out of the hose so I knew it would climb back. C… Water Chemistry Karen Delgado Oct 19, 2026 2replies Thinking about adding borates to steady my pH, anybody done it Been reading on here about folks running borates in their water to keep pH from creeping, some kind of boric acid or borax addition. Thirty years I've… Water Chemistry Earl Simmons Oct 14, 2026 2replies Thinking about a peristaltic feeder for liquid chlorine, worth it I've hand poured liquid chlorine into the skimmer for about six seasons now and honestly don't mind it, but my shoulder isn't what it used to be hauli… Water Chemistry Alan Pierce Oct 12, 2026 3replies Ran the overnight FC drop test, turned out my water was fine all along Had been chasing what I thought was a slow FC bleed, losing about 1.5 ppm a day and figured algae starting somewhere I couldn't see. Finally sat down … Water Chemistry Alan Pierce Oct 10, 2026 2replies Considering a UV or ozone add-on, anyone running one long term I've been liquid-chlorine-only for years and happy with it, but a neighbor just put in a UV system and swears his FC holds steadier between doses and … Water Chemistry Alan Pierce Oct 9, 2026 0replies Didnt realize how much sunscreen from the kids party messed with my water Had all three kids plus half the neighborhood over for a birthday thing Saturday and by Sunday morning the water had this hazy almost oily look even t… Water Chemistry Dana Whitfield Oct 6, 2026 4replies Thinking about a digital colorimeter, anyone actually trust theirs I test by hand weekly with the Taylor K-2006 (FC 4.5, pH 7.6, TA 80, CYA 45, pretty steady lately) and cross check with my Ondilo ICO for trend data b… Water Chemistry Priya Raman Sep 30, 2026 5replies Finally tracked down why my pH kept creeping up every week Small one but felt good. Every Sunday my pH was reading 7.8 to 7.9 no matter how much acid I dumped in Wednesday, TA sitting fine at 80. Took me way t… Water Chemistry Marcus Reed Sep 30, 2026 3replies Dosing liquid chlorine every day vs just shocking twice a week been going back and forth on this since i got the swamp cleared up. right now i just dump a gallon or so of liquid chlorine in whenever my FC gets low… Water Chemistry swamp_tyler Oct 2, 2026 1reply FC tests fine in the morning but it's gone by afternoon been chasing this for like two weeks now. i test with my K-2006 around 8am and im sitting at 4ppm FC, feels good. go back out after work around 5 and … Water Chemistry swamp_tyler Oct 1, 2026 2replies Finally saw the FC/CYA ratio hold up through a brutal heat wave We had about ten days straight over 95 here in Marietta and I was bracing for the usual algae scare, but this year I actually kept CYA at 35 ppm inste… Water Chemistry Alan Pierce Oct 1, 2026 2replies Caught my FAS-DPD reagent going bad before it threw off my FC numbers Small one but felt good. Been tracking FC loss overnight and the numbers stopped making sense, losing like 0.5 ppm more than my CYA level should allow… Water Chemistry Alan Pierce Sep 28, 2026 2replies Didnt realize how much a big rainstorm drops your salt level We got hit with a bunch of rain last week and I noticed the AquaRite was flashing low salt a couple days after, went from around 3200 to under 2700. N… Water Chemistry Dana Whitfield Sep 28, 2026 2replies LSI calculator says I'm scaling but water looks fine, what am I missing Ran my numbers through one of those saturation index calculators after topping off. Pool is 84 degrees, pH 7.6, TA 80, CH 380, and it spit out a posit… Water Chemistry Karen Delgado Sep 28, 2026 1reply Thinking about adding borates for pH stability, anyone actually run the numbers Been reading about borates smoothing out pH swings and I'm tempted, mostly because my pH still creeps from 7.6 toward 7.9 within a week even with TA s… Water Chemistry Priya Raman Sep 21, 2026 4replies Thinking about trying a CYA reducer instead of draining, opinions CYA's sitting around 90 in my 15k gallon and I'm sick of hauling water out every season just to watch it climb back up in this sun. Seen a couple prod… Water Chemistry Ray Castillo Sep 23, 2026 1reply FC eating itself faster this week, nothing obvious changed Normally I dose to 4.5 FC and it holds for about three days before I need to touch it again (screen cage, so debris isn't the variable). This week it'… Water Chemistry Priya Raman Sep 19, 2026 3replies Realized my test time of day was skewing my numbers all season Small one but felt good catching it. I always tested FC in the morning before work, 4.5 pretty steady, pH 7.6, figured that was my baseline. Started l… Water Chemistry Priya Raman Sep 17, 2026 3replies Didn't think FC could vanish this fast just sitting overnight Tested at midnight before bed, 5 ppm FC, felt good about it. Tested again 6am before work, down to 1.5. No sun touched that water for six hours straig… Water Chemistry Ray Castillo Sep 12, 2026 4replies Thinking about calling an RO truck before calcium creeps up again, worth it Fill water here tests over 400 before I even add a drop of anything, and every year it climbs a little more from evaporation and topping off. Draining… Water Chemistry Karen Delgado Sep 17, 2026 1reply Water bill jump from topping off finally hit me this week Been doing this 20 years and still wasn't ready for the meter reading. Desert air's pulling close to an inch every couple days off a 15k gallon pool t… Water Chemistry Ray Castillo Sep 17, 2026 2replies Thinking about a digital titrator before I trust my drop count Been running the TF-100 for years and my eyes are good enough for FC and CYA, but the last few CH tests I've second guessed myself right around the en… Water Chemistry Alan Pierce Sep 11, 2026 3replies Dosing chlorine daily vs just shocking it once a week been going back and forth on this since i got the swamp cleared up. right now i just dump liquid chlorine in every couple days whenever it dips, but i… Water Chemistry swamp_tyler Sep 10, 2026 3replies Thinking about a sequestrant before my next fill, opinions Getting ready to drain a chunk of the spa water and refill, and wondering if it's worth dosing a sequestrant before the fresh water even hits calcium … Water Chemistry Karen Delgado Sep 6, 2026 3replies