RiverbendPoolSupply.com - Todd's Blog - Episode 71

If you are new to the blog then check out this video;
bit.ly/1GPuAT7
The above video will get you caught up on the Chemical system Todd is using in his 15,000 gallon pool.
I am back on a weekly schedule now to keep the pool nice and clean. Today I had to kill some wasps that were trying to nest in my chemical storage space. Not cool.
The pool looks great other than the excessive amount of leaves and caterpillar pollen (that's what I call those yellow looking pollen/seedlings that get everywhere.)
Free Chlorine - .6 PPM
Total Chlorine - .6 PPM
Perfect, with these chemicals I only need a chlorine level of .5 - 1.0 PPM. I went ahead and added another tab to the feeder even though there was a good chunk of the one I added last week left.
PH - 7.4
This is holding steady.
Total Alkalinity - 70 PPM
That's good enough. I've read many different ideas on what the Alkalinity level should be and so based upon the different standards of pool organizations 60 - 120 PPM seems to be the consensus. Remember though, Alkalinity only serves as a PH buffer - so if your Alkalinity is below 60 but your PH is holding at the proper range I would leave the alkalinity alone.
Calcium Hardness - 275 PPM
Much better control on the calcium content now. It was at 600 PPM last year.
Cyanuric Acid - 25 PPM
Research finds the ideal Cyanuric level to be 30 - 50 PPM. Cyanuric Acid protects chlorine from the UV rays of the sun. Mine is at 25 PPM which is just a bit below 30. We will see if that has a major effect on the chlorine level.
Phosphates - 500 PPB
I have been using CV-700 for over a year but used a Sea Klear mighty pod last week. I don't think the phosphate remover is the Mighty Pod is as effective as the CV-700. I usually add 8 oz of CV-700 but since the Phosphates were higher than normal I added 12 oz.
Borate - 80 PPM
Perfect level for borate in Texas. This pool never clouds up and always stays clear because of the borate. I also never have algae problems as the Pool RX, Borates and PolyQuat 60 all work together to kill algae before it even has a chance, even though my chlorine is less than 1.0
I also added a new PoolRX and got back on my PolyQuat 60 weekly maintenance dose.
The pool looks amazing. I am excited to have another easy and problem free season.