How much chlorine does grass consume?

[Chrissykr]

My lawn guys came on Thursday and apparently my grass is loving all this heat.

There is copious amounts of grass in my pool. I have emptied the pump basket 2-3 times a day and the skimmer twice a day. The main drain keeps clogging and that has to be cleared a couple of times a day as well. I have vacuumed and brushed daily since Thursday and I still see grass floating in the pool. The kids just said the main drain is covered again. The last two mornings I have had to empty the pool blaster twice during vacuuming to empty it. Of course all my neighbors are mowing today and there is a nice breeze blowing more grass my way. I keep sweeping around the pool but it keeps blowing back. I feel like it is a losing battle.

I have been burning through chlorine like I own a chlorine factory. Last night I brought it up to 11 and this morning it was down to 5.5. I added more bringing it back to 11 and two hours later it was down to 8.5 brought it back up to 11 and I just tested again it is down to 5.

The water is clear I can see the screw heads from the diving board on the main drain. Lots of sparkle, no sign of algae. I stopped today and picked up 15 gallons of bleach to do a slam. But do I really need a full slam?

Test results from this morning

CL 5.5
CC 0
Ph 7.3
TA 70
CH 100
CYA 60

TIA

chris

 

[tim5055]

Anything organic in the water is going to increase chlorine demand. I would talk with the yard guys about keeping the grass out of the pool.

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi Chris,
the grass is going to eat up the FC whether its day or nigt.

I dont think you need to do a slam, just keep working on getting the grass out, and your FC up.

 

[Chrissykr]

Thanks, usually they are good about it but we hired a different fertilizer guy this year and I don't know what he feeding my grass but it is on fire! We can see it growing every day and by the time the lawn guys come it looks like it hasn't been mowed in weeks. This week it was really bad I have it tracked all through the house and it has made a huge mess everywhere.

I have the blaster charging and will hit it again tonight after I brush.

I will bring it up to 15 and see how it goes.

Thanks again,

Chris

 

[Wildcat]

I think what we mean is they either need to pick up the clippings while mowing or at least point the lawnmower discharge away from the pool if they do not have a bagging mower.

 

[Chrissykr]

I think what we mean is they either need to pick up the clippings while mowing or at least point the lawnmower discharge away from the pool if they do not have a bagging mower.

They point away from the pool. There is just so many clumps and it blows in to the pool. This lawn company doesn't bag clippings. I guess that is why they have great pricing. I have learned it is always breezy this part of AR. I really want a Solar Breeze for this reason.

The pool is cleaned up and chlorinated to 15 for the night. The hubby just looked at it as said it looked pretty darn nice

 

[tim5055]

Well, if it looks nice grab an adult beverage and take a swim. Unless Rogers is in a dry county, then you may need to take a road trip first

 

[Chrissykr]

Well, if it looks nice grab an adult beverage and take a swim. Unless Rogers is in a dry county, then you may need to take a road trip first

We did have a nice drink thank you I actually enjoy the pool as much if not more in the evening as the kids do during the day!

I lost 5.5 overnight so full slam in progress. Hopefully it will be pretty quick and painless.

 

[Chrissykr]

Something weird is going on. All grass is now out of the pool.

Two weeks ago I brought my CYA up to 60. I am confident in my testing. I received new CYA reagent last Monday. I just tested twice and I am down to 40. I have back washed once for two minutes and a 30 second rinse since then. I have been slamming based on a CYA of 60. I used new reagent for CYA today. I have gone through six bottles of 121 oz of 8.25% bleach since this morning.

The pool is crystal clear and no sign of algae. It is hot here it has been in the mid to high 90's with heat indexes of 100 or more. Today has cooled down to 90 the heat index is 93. The pool is in full sun from 9 am until sundown.

Could the grass have caused ammonia to deplete the CYA? My entire kit was purchased at the end of July last year and stored inside in a cabinet so I am sure the reagents were still good.

H

ere is a photo from just now.

 

[Richard320]

Could be the high FC levels and the high heat. Here's some baffling explanations by chem geek Degradation of Cyanuric Acid (CYA))

 

[Chrissykr]

So I should I get some CYA in there? Or just let the chlorine drop to 40 slam level?

I guess doing an OCLT tonight will help me decide.

I started noticing a chlorine jump again so that is what started this slam.

 

[Richard320]

So I should I get some CYA in there? Or just let the chlorine drop to 40 slam level?

I started noticing a chlorine jump again so that is what started this slam.

I'd SLAM it at 40 CYA and retest CYA and raise it after you're all done backwashing and everything.

 

[Chrissykr]

I'd SLAM it at 40 CYA and retest CYA and raise it after you're all done backwashing and everything.

Thnx,

I just did the CYA again and it is indeed at 40. I will perform an OCLT and see how it goes.

 

[kimkats]

I am guessing that what every is making the grass grow is eating your FC and CYA. VERY interesting. I would have to ask your guy what he used just to let Chem Geek look at it.

Kim

 

[chem geek]

The grass itself will add to chlorine demand as would any other nitrogenous organics dumped into the pool. It's possible that fertilizer on the grass is increasing the chlorine demand from the ammonia in nitrogen fertilizer, but that would normally show up at least temporarily as CC and the CC reported here was 0 so I think the demand is just from the grass itself.

 

[Beens]

I can't imagine not bagging my grass! What a mess. Of course I have a pretty small yard so it's not that big of an issue for me.

I hate when my neighbors who don't bag blow their grass all over my flowerbed!

The only way to solve this problem is to move somewhere with no neighbors! lol

Or pave everything.


I hope you can get through your SLAM quickly!

 

[Chrissykr]

I am guessing that what every is making the grass grow is eating your FC and CYA. VERY interesting. I would have to ask your guy what he used just to let Chem Geek look at it.

Kim

I will call tomorrow and ask. They just came two weeks ago today.

The grass itself will add to chlorine demand as would any other nitrogenous organics dumped into the pool. It's possible that fertilizer on the grass is increasing the chlorine demand from the ammonia in nitrogen fertilizer, but that would normally show up at least temporarily as CC and the CC reported here was 0 so I think the demand is just from the grass itself.

CC was 0 I have never have any. I do the test immediately after doing the chlorine.

I can't imagine not bagging my grass! What a mess. Of course I have a pretty small yard so it's not that big of an issue for me.

I hate when my neighbors who don't bag blow their grass all over my flowerbed!

The only way to solve this problem is to move somewhere with no neighbors! lol

Or pave everything.


I hope you can get through your SLAM quickly!

Even when I lived in Chicago lawn services never bagged clippings. This company I use now specifically states they don't bag so maybe some here in AR do I don't know.

We are at 17 ppm for the night we will see how it goes. It is so funny, I told the kids the pool was closed today so other than a morning brush nothing stirred anything up today and when I turned on the pool light tonight they was zero haze and the light is so brilliant . You would never know something is brewing in there.

I just happend to be down wind and almost to the end of the block so I get everyone's clippings flying my way. I am really debating doing the Solar Breeze kickstarter. I would be emptying that thing all the time.

 

[Wildcat]

Are you getting your lawn cut only every two weeks? Unless you are in a drought that could be the problem. Spent most of my life in the Midwest and lawns need to be cut every week or more often if you are going to mulch (not pick up clippings)
Otherwise the grass is too long to mulch. Golf courses never bag due to the sheer size of the area but they mow 2-3 times per week. Clippings must be short enough to drop to the roots and mulch not be long and lay on top.

Sorry if I am misreading but you said they are coming after two weeks

 

[Chrissykr]

Are you getting your lawn cut only every two weeks? Unless you are in a drought that could be the problem. Spent most of my life in the Midwest and lawns need to be cut every week or more often if you are going to mulch (not pick up clippings)
Otherwise the grass is too long to mulch. Golf courses never bag due to the sheer size of the area but they mow 2-3 times per week. Clippings must be short enough to drop to the roots and mulch not be long and lay on top.

Sorry if I am misreading but you said they are coming after two weeks

Sorry for the confusion. They come every week to mow. The fertilizer guy came two weeks ago. I have no idea how often he spaces it out. I just know he does seven treatments a season. Both the fertilizer guy and the lawn mowing company use different equipment in the backyard because of the pool trying to minimize stuff getting into the pool.

The house was a foreclosure and we bought it last year 7/31 the lawn was a mess. I don't know what this fertilizer guy uses but it is growing like weeds even in this heat. I know Bermuda loves the heat and I only water it twice a week. But mine is out of control the way the grass is growing. None of my neighbors grass is growing like this and they all use the common fertilizer companies and my guy is independent.

I passed the OCLT! No loss overnight yeah! Pool is open today! The kids will be happy temps are going back up today.

I have CYA already going in today. I guess I thought we could test it monthly. I won't make that mistake again. I have been going through so much liquid shock Atwoods is getting snotty with me. They told me last week it is because of people like me who buy it buy it by the case that it causes them to not being able to keep it in stock. I only buy four cases at a time. I was so embarrassed I went to Wally and bought bleach on Sunday lol.

I am off to read the link Richard provided above in more depth. I really want to understand what is happening to my CYA.

 

[Beens]

It's people like you that make them money and it's their own fault that they aren't ordering more cases during the busy season to keep product in stock for all their customers!

Hey Atwoods, you're welcome!