Accidental conversion to bromine pool, What now?

[Cybernurse]

Before I found this site, I did a mustard algae treatment on my pool using sodium bromide. I added a total of 24 ounces of granular 99% sodium bromide in two dose (12 oz) 12 hours apart then shocked with cal hypo 1 lb after each dose. Both the pool store and the company, Poolife, tell me it does not convert my pool to a bromine pool.
However, Chemgeek and other knowledgeable experts on this site inform me that is not true. I trust this site and Chemgeek.

So i have a few questions.

1) I have read here that the chlorine I have been using is converting the bromine and the only way to get rid of it is to drain the pool. I have also read that the bromine will eventually go away, especially in full sunlight. I am confused, which is it?

2) how do I test to know whether or not I really DO have bromine in the pool. My Taylor 2006 will test for both chlorine and bromine but does not tell you which it is. I am assuming that I need to first confirm there IS bromine in the pool.

3) if I do indeed have bromine, what does this mean as far as balancing my water? Should I be adding bleach? What level should I keep the bromine at? Am I also testing for FC/CC.?

4) how can these pool chemical manufacturers get away with no warning on the labels that you are converting your pool to bromine? Isn't this a safety issue if I think I'm maintaining a free chlorine level that is actually a total bromine level, which is entirely different for sanitation purposes?

heres my current test results:

FC 5.5 or if it's bromine 11
CC 0
pH 7.2
TA 100
CH 450
CYA 40
CSI -.13

I do not want a bromine pool! Does this mean I need to drain and refill?
Thanks for all your help, as always, love TFPC and appreciate your time and expertise.

 

[JVTrain]

There is some good discussion in this thread about treating mustard algae with bromine. High CYA Levels, Shocking, Yellow/Mustard Algae There is some mention of the bromide/bromine dissapating over time with a higher chlorine demand until that occurs. The bromine will go away eventually and you did not add that much, considering your pool volume. The drain/refill is more pertinent for hot tubs where the volume is less (easy drain and fill) and they get less sun exposure.

There are methods to determine whether you have bromine in your pool or not, but I would just maintain your FC (FB) levels as normal and report if you're having abnormal chlorine demand that's higher than usual.

 

[chem geek]

24 ounces of sodium bromide in 14,580 gallons would generate (if fully oxidized) 19 ppm Total Bromine (about 8.5 ppm FC equivalent). This will eventually outgas as bromine or get filtered as combined bromine, but it may take some months. What you will notice in the meantime is that you may have a higher than normal chlorine demand during the day from bromine breakdown from sunlight. You probably just need to wait this out and when you see the daily demand return to normal you'll know that you've got chlorine back again.

 

[Scoop]

Cybernurse

I had a similar bromide issue in 2012 when I had an issue with "Pink Algae" which is really an organic/bacteria issue (not algae).

This was before I switched to Bleach, discontinued Trichlor tabs, etc, before using the "Pool School" methods for pool care.

I tried many cures with professional consultants. I finally found the answer online because someone had posted about the same problem with this Pink "Algae" issue. I used a product called "Pink Treat" which, according to the label, temporarily converts the pool to a bromide pool for a brief period of time.

The product worked great and eliminated my original issue with the Pink Algae. However, the pool didn't return to normal CH testing mode after about 2.5 months. During that time, I wasn't able to test for CH as the bromide was blocking the test from detecting CH. I wasn't using the FAS-DPD test at that time, just the local pool store drop test with the R-0001 and R-0002 reagents (pink dye test).

I tried using OTO testing but was only detecting very small amounts of CH.

I drained the pool and refilled. That returned my pool back to normal conditions with normal CH testing results.

Before draining the pool, I contacted the founder/owner of the company that manufacturers the "Pink Treat" product and we had an imformative conversation about bromide and its effects in a pool.

The only part about the product that disappointed me was the definition of "brief period of time" regarding the bromide presence in the pool. I imagine that my pool would have dissipated the bromide through evap/water top-offs, but after almost 3 months of waiting for that to occur, I decided to drain the pool.

 

[Cybernurse]

Ok, I will just wait it out. That is good news actually. Thank you so very much.

Just when I thought I had my water balanced, we have been getting a lot of rain. Today I have a CC of 2.5. I guess I need to SLAM?

FC 2.5
CC2.5
pH 7.4
TA 100
borates 30
CH 450
CYA 40

up until now CC was always 0. Is it the rain that is causing it?

thank to everyone for all the information!