Met with a potential customer today... This is a community pool with a high bather load.

Here were their numbers for an 80,000 gallon pool

FC .5
TC .5
PH 7.4
CH 1,000
CYA 0
TDS 7,200
Salt 5,310 (NON SWG POOL)
TEMP 83

Customer was complaining about chlorine levels being all over the chart. They have chlorine injectors and they run around the clock. I happen to meet up with "The Pool Professional" that services the community pool and asked him the last time he he tested for CYA, conditioner or stablizer (I specified all three). No Answer... I told him his CYA level was 0, he said " Zero??? I mentioned that the pool chlorine level was pretty much at zero. He said, "I just checked my levels (In the pool room) and I tested high for chlorine". By this time, I was so amused... when I saw three 50# bags of calcium chloride, one of these bags look like it was just emptied into a bucket and was ready to be dumped into the pool. Did I mention that their calcium hardness was over 1,000 ppm.

After a lengthy discussion with the property manager and pool chemistry education (suggesting TFP for reference), "The Pool Pro" again entered the scene and said my boss says that conditioner is not recommend with their injector system...

Did I mention that they use 165 + gallons of chlorine a week? (maybe this explains the high salt levels)

Did I mention they did a drain and refill one year ago...

Holy Cow!!!

Sell 'em a SWG so all that salt doesn't go to waste.

And who you gonna believe? You, some johnny-come-lately, or those test strips?

Did I mention, they had strips...

A couple of too-late-at-night data points...

Pool calc says 165 gallons 6% bleach in 80k gallons will raise salt by 209. 5000 is not too farfetched.

I just dumped and refilled my hot tub after 6 months; for grins I measured the salt level... 1000ppm. I mention this mainly because the hot tub burns chlorine rather faster than the pool, on a ppm basis, probably not too unlike this pool you're talking about.
--paulr

Some health departments will not allow the use of CYA in public pools, especially indoor pools.

They usually require DPD-FAS testing several times a day and/or ORP monitoring for the injection system.

CH of 1000 means they are using too much cal-hypo. They need to dump/replace a lot of water or they will scale up.

The "Pool Professional" needs to be dismissed for incompetency.

Scott

Holy Cow is right! I'd say if anybody needs your service, they do. They need your advice as much as your service or they'll be right back in the same boat before you know it.

Scott,

San Diego County does not require CYA, but it is allowed.

Good lord I hope that pool is not open to swimmers

About 30 - 40 bathers while I was there... Half were under 10 years old. I was impressed with megaphone and every 60 minute pee call...

Is this what you meant by "pee call"? Based on everything else you've said, I thought it was possible.

Great link Tim! Had me rolling.

water test looks fine to me.... whats everyones problem?? lol