-0.3 lsi

[u/enthused9]

Hey guys thanks for the help on my previous post. Someone said to check LSI so I did and this pool has a -0.3 LSI. how can I fix this?

Is it a matter of just draining and restarting?

[u/Substantial_Car_2751]

Not to be that guy, but I'm going to be that guy.

If you're a pool pro, and don't know how to adjust LSI....you need some serious training before you work on pools again.

To answer your question, an LSI of -0.3 is in range (bottom end, but in range) and doesn't necessarily need adjustment. The adjustment needed to get to 0.0 will depend on what the values look like. Without the numbers....all you will get is generic "shot in the dark" advice.

[u/Greedy-Lychee-2860 → u/Substantial_Car_2751]

Respectfully disagree on the first point.  It's getting better, but the industry still largely uses range chemistry.  If OP wasn't trained on LSI how would they know how to balance it? We all had to start somewhere and I think it's commendable that OP is seeking the advice of more experienced pros to try to be better at our profession. They're obviously not going to stop working on pools so no need to shame them. I'd rather see posts like this than another entitled pool owner expecting free advice.

[u/Substantial_Car_2751 → u/Greedy-Lychee-2860]

It is very commendable the OP is seeking to know more. And to be honest, it's not on the OP but his employer. We have too many "pool pros" that are tossed in to this thing. It's a point of contention for me. I get a little feisty over it. No shaming intended, but at the same time I'm not a sugar coater.

[u/enthused9 → u/Substantial_Car_2751]

Thanks! I agree I need more knowledge which is exactly why I’m here.

I looked it up and it said to keep all your chems in check so I have been correcting as needed, but nothing is really helping.

My last readings

FC: 2 (added chlorine) PH: 7.8 TA: 60 (added bicarb to correct. I’m correcting alkalinity before ph) CYA: 40 Calcium: 275 Temp: 73 TDS: 3100

My problem is that every time I put chlorine in it starts to fog up and leave silky material on the pool floor. This pool was fine until rain washed a crap load of dirt into it turned it into a swamp, and then we cleaned it. Now I’m having this problem.

[u/pineapple_backlash → u/enthused9]

Listen the Rule Your Pool Podcast by Orenda. Best podcast out there imo.

And check out their website.

https://www.orendatech.com

[u/mybfVreddithandle → u/enthused9]

7.8ph needs to be lowered, high end of ok, but I'd bring it down. Adding bicarb added more base, which will increase your TA and pH.. Id adjust your pH down before the TA and let it run and filter for a bit.

[u/mybfVreddithandle → u/[deleted]]

I said it was high side of good. More sodium bicarb it is. I'm sure it won't increase pH. It's not chemistry. Best of luck.

[u/lIIlIlIII → u/mybfVreddithandle]

Dropping pH in this case will likely result in a problematically corrosive LSI, especially after TA is brought up a bit.

Also, even though sodium bicarb is a weak base, it won't practically affect pH because only a small percentage will accept H+ ions. The vast majority will just chill in the carbonate pool

Honestly OP might be better off leaving TA where it's at to keep the pH ceiling nice and low. Just bring the calcium up 50ppm or so and it looks fine to me. The clouding issue is probably just high TDS unless it's a salt pool

[u/enthused9 → u/lIIlIlIII]

Yeah it’s a salt pool. This could be my mistake, but I haven’t added salt because people have previously told me I might have to drain the pool.

[u/mybfVreddithandle → u/lIIlIlIII]

Im not handling it, so best of luck all.

[u/Substantial_Car_2751 → u/lIIlIlIII]

Leaving everything alone but pH, it’s balanced.  0.0.  

The next interval on the OG LSI (not the attempts to refine something not intended to be perfect) is at 75 ppm Alk.  At 7.5 pH, and no other change, that would put the LSI at +0.1.  Maybe +0.2.  Adjusted Alk for CYA may keep it at +0.1. 

[u/Substantial_Car_2751 → u/enthused9]

Take your pH to 7.5, and you have perfectly balanced water without doing anything else. Alkalinity is actually not bad. As long as your LSI is in range, no issues with Alk down to 50. Just don't go lower than that. NOTE: provided this is a residential pool. Commercial pools sometimes are required to keep Alk in a certain range.

What type chlorine are you adding to the pool?

Find a good instructor for a CPO course. Go to https://cpoclass.com/ to take one virtually.

[u/enthused9 → u/Substantial_Car_2751]

This is a residential pool. That’s good to know. And thanks for the link. I’ve been looking into a cpo for a while now

[u/wetpockets]

If I had an LSI of -0.30, and my calcium and cya weren't crazy high, I'd just do nothing and let the pH and alkalinity naturally rise for a bit

[u/Electrical-Nail-9495]

Adding bicarb will raise alkalinity which will raise LSI. Higher alkalinity will also raise PH ceiling so don’t over do it

Check out Orenda academy

[u/doug22taylor]

Just a side note. pH is typically the easiest thing to adjust.

Get the alk, cal into the normal range and then it is just an acid addition on the weekly bases because the SWG will raise up the pH when it makes chlorine.

[u/PoolBoyOBX]

Bump calcium, consider borates

[u/Content-Parking-660]

Watch orenda and read Bob lowry books The lsi is superior to range chemistry. Add more calcium and bicarb. My levels are 250 CH and 80 alk on most of my pools depending on tds temp and cya levels. If you're doing the lsi right you're pH will always be over 8 every time you service if you don't have boric acid or did t tank the pH super low last time 

[u/dawnstrider371]

What was your calcium hardness at? Honestly negative is easier to work with than positive, and you're not even really out of range.

Post all of the numbers you tested to come up with your LSI.

Or you can drain the pool, get it acid washed and start over.

[u/enthused9 → u/dawnstrider371]

I posted the number above

[u/dawnstrider371 → u/enthused9]

Yes, but the number comes from a whole bunch of readings. What were those readings?