RiverbendPoolSupply.com - Todd's Blog - Episode 68

I've done a terrible and irresponsible thing. I haven't been out to the pool in about 5 weeks.
Miraculously everything was pretty well fine with the pool. No cloudiness or algae. Thanks in part to the cold weather and the power of PoolRX and SupremePLUS.
I tested the water;
Free Chlorine - .2
Total Chlorine - .2
Despite not having added any chlorine in 5 weeks, the pool is still holding a minute amount. I added one 3" chlorine tablet to the feeder. This should last about 3 to 4 weeks given the water temperature.
PH - 8.0
I did an acid demand test which showed I needed about 28 ounces of muriatic acid to bring the PH back in line.
Total Alkalinity - 80 PPM
Perfect.
Cyanuric Acid - 20 PPM
This is a bit low but I am not going to get it back into the 30 - 50 range until mid-march.
Calcium Hardness - 275 PPM
In less than a year I have brought the calcium hardness back down from a ridiculous 600 PPM to a nominal 275 PPM. This is because I am rarely having to shock the pool using calcium hypochlorite. Instead the CV-700 is bio-degrading the contaminants that I would normally have to shock for.
Phosphates - 500 PPB
This is a bit high, but only because I haven't added CV-700 in several weeks. Once I get back on a regular maintenance schedule everything should be fine.
Borates - 80 PPM
Perfect.
Copper - 0 PPM
Perfect.
Nitrates - 2 PPM
Nitrates typically build up over time from leaves and things getting into the pool. 2 PPM is a normal nitrate level. When NItrates go above 10 PPM it can feed serious algae blooms. Nitrates are a super nutrient for plant life.
I'll see you all next week.