Can't balance free chlorine - nothing is working

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Texas Splash said:
Lovin' that pool Steve! Keep it up! :goodjob:
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OCLT test was successful :) I lost 1.5 and my CC is down to 0.5. Assuming now it's safe to let it drop...still debating on whether or not I should clean and recharge my DE filter. If I'm not seeing gunk in my pool at all what would the benefit be? Could it be possible some baqua is in the filter still and will lower my FC?

Thanks again to everyone for your help through this process - it's been a long one ;) You should see the smiles on the kids faces (and my wife). Totally worth it! We haven't been able to swim yet but I told them I'm hopeful about this weekend...going to be in the 80s / 90s.
 
Well, the last step of a baqua conversion is usually a full clean of the filter to get rid of any gunk that may be hiding there.

A full cleaning and recharge will allow you to get a true baseline "clean filter" water pressure reading.
 
I agree. You've come so far, the last thing you want is to take a step or two backwards by having any residual goo laying around. But to clarify for my own curiosity ... what did you mean above when you said "OCLT was successful. I only lost 1.5 FC? " Passing the OCLT means to lose no more than 1 ppm, so I didn't know if I misunderstood what you were trying to say. :)
 
Texas Splash said:
I agree. You've come so far, the last thing you want is to take a step or two backwards by having any residual goo laying around. But to clarify for my own curiosity ... what did you mean above when you said "OCLT was successful. I only lost 1.5 FC? " Passing the OCLT means to lose no more than 1 ppm, so I didn't know if I misunderstood what you were trying to say. :)
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That was my mistake...I thought when I read it the OCLT was 1.5 for some reason...so I guess I didn't pass...I was .5 ppm off...I've been letting the FC drift down to normal levels so I hope that's not a mistake...pool looks crystal clear and gorgeous. The FC has been falling quickly...it's been about 9 hours and I've gone from a 12.5 to 8.5 but my pool get sun ALL day and it's been sunny all day...my CC is at 0.5.
 
scoobasteve1982 said:
Thanks, Tex ;) I'll post some pics and stats tomorrow...
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Did an OCLT again. This time only lost 1ppm over the evening and CC is near 0. So I think that's good :) Still testing often however just to measure how fast I'm losing FC during sunny days and how often (and much) liquid chlorine I'll need to add daily. Am I right in my thinking that if, for example, I'm losing 4ppm a day I can increase my CYA a bit to bring that down to 2? This would only require me to add half a jug of liquid chlorine daily which would save me some money (and trips to Walmart) on liquid chlorine. Not sure things work this way - I'm still a noob ;) At work now but will post some pics when I get home...

I'm basing my calculations off of this with the liquid chlorine: On the back of the jug the instructions say 13oz per 10K gallons of water to bring the FC up 1ppm. So I figure with a 24K gallon pool one whole jug should bring my FC up 4ppm (1/2 jug = 2ppm).
 

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Steve, you are correct in that once this is all behind you, you can increase CYA to help reduce FC loss. But I would wait until you have completed the "2 consecutive OCLTs" and had a chance to look one more time in that filter. Once you get past those two items, you should be guaranteed to be "goo-free" and can increase CYA as needed for the summer sun. Sound good?
 
The calculations aren't always that clear cut. You will learn your pool's Cl behavior over time. But yes in your premise that if you raise CYA a touch, you will consume less Cl due to sun loss. Stay within the recommended CYA range (and corresponding FC levels) and if you choose to increase, do so in stages. You don't want to overshoot that and go through another drain/refill fiasco.
 
Texas Splash said:
Steve, you are correct in that once this is all behind you, you can increase CYA to help reduce FC loss. But I would wait until you have completed the "2 consecutive OCLTs" and had a chance to look one more time in that filter. Once you get past those two items, you should be guaranteed to be "goo-free" and can increase CYA as needed for the summer sun. Sound good?
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Does sound good! I'm not going to increase CYA at all any time soon...certainly going to wait at least a week or two before I start messing with that...really just trying to plan ahead here is all...
 
scoobasteve1982 said:
Does sound good! I'm not going to increase CYA at all any time soon...certainly going to wait at least a week or two before I start messing with that...really just trying to plan ahead here is all...
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Well folks...things are looking good over here...I think it might be time to finally close the thread. I know I'll have more questions for sure down the line but I'll save those for new threads for info I can't find.

I really want to thank everyone for their help during this process. It was very frustrating but I honestly think it was for the best :) I learned a TON so that makes it worth it for me. Here's a final picture of the pool. Until next time :)

pool_final.jpg
 
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