Pool Newbie Chlorine Question

[jshbkr]

Phoenix, AZ
13,000 gal pebble tech

Hello

I am renting a house with a pool and never owned one before. I don't want to put too much effort into it, because I will be moving out after the summer hopefully.

The pool was very dirty/cloudy to start with so I drained it and replaced with tap water. After filling and starting the pump pool became dirty/cloudy again, so backwashed pump and seems to be fine now, but still not clear. Added pool store Ultra Bright which seemed to help. Now I have 4 3" Trichlor tabs added and small amount of dry acid for pH. Spiked the pool once to about 7ppm. With the 4 tabs the chlorine levels stays very low, tested by a walmart kit, to maybe 1ppm at the most. If I just add CYA and don't touch the chlorine should the chlorine level increase? Testing in the morning should show higher level, but does not seem to. Pool is still not as clear as the neighbors... doesn't sparkle. I'm running the pump for about 4 hrs a night currently, but there is some air in the system and the jets will bubble upon starting the pump every night, but then disapear.

Sorry for the long post... thanks much for any advise.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Just CYA alone won't raise the chlorine level enough to help your situation. Since the water is still a bit cloudy, you might have organics. One time "spiking" to 7 is probably not good enough - Shocking the pool is a process, not a one time event. Read "How to Shock your Pool" in Pool School for more details.

If you post a full set of results we can advise you better.

4 hours is not very much - did someone tell you that's all that's needed? Can you please give more info about the pump/filter equipment? You can put that in your signature.

Welcome to TFP!

 

[jshbkr]

I'm not sure about "full set of results". I'm just using a walmart test kit: FC, CC, pH, TA. TA seems very high around 200ppm, but the pool store stated it was a good level... don't know how accurate the test kit is, or my eyes for viewing colors. 4 trichlor tabs seems high per the pool calculator, but by organics are you suggesting the chlorine is being used up? I will properly spike the pool and then report back. thanks for your help.

 

[Noggin]

Full set of results being what a pool store would do for you. They often do testing for free or for very little.

 

[zea3]

The trichlor tabs dissolve slowly, so the chlorine may be consumed too rapidly for the tabs to be effective. How long has it been since you drained and re-filled the pool? Also the cloudiness may be fine debris that are in suspension while the pump is running. If you let the filter run longer and vacuum the pool that should help clear the water. Take the water to the pool store to test the CYA since your kit doesn't test CYA. Post that result and the results of the tests you have and that will help us help you. If you have trouble reading the colors take a picture of the test and post it here. You can continue to use a stabilized chlorine product like the tabs or powdered shock until your CYA reaches the 30-50 range. Once the CYA is in that range you will want to use liquid chlorine or bleach for chlorination.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

You can continue to use tabs if you want - I know you are looking for "very little effort" - just keep in mind that as Zea mentioned, the tabs may not give you the appropriate level of chlorine - which is dependent on your CYA level - refer to the chart. Overtime, if the CYA level gets too high (above 50) you'll need to replace some of the water with fresh to reduce the CYA level. Many folks simply pour in a little bleach each evening. About 5 minutes a day if you don't mind that.

Tabs also are acidic, and longterm use means you must monitor PH and TA in addition to CYA.

The Wal-mart kit - is it a drop test kit? If so, the PH/TA tests are accurate enough for your needs - 200 is high for TA. More on that in a minute.

If it's the yellow OTO chlorine test in the comparator tube that looks like this?

That will tell you total chlorine, but you really need to know Free chlorine, that's the good stuff. Your test could be showing you CC and you won't be able to tell the difference.

You should probably supplement your kit (if it's the drop test) with an FAS-DPD test - which tests FC and CC up to 50 ppm with .2 accuracy, and you count drops till you see a color change, like the TA test - you aren't comparing colors. It's very easy to use and ideally every pool owner should have one.

IF the test you have is strips those are basically worthless, and you really need a K2006 or TF100.

So on the TA - high TA simply means it may cause problems with your PH levels - also if your CH is high, it can cause scaling and cloudy water. Muratic Acid lowers TA and PH. Tablets being acidic will also lower these levels, but very gradually.

Yes, when I say organics - there can be organic stuff in the water that you can't "see" that are consuming the chlorine as the tabs dissolve.

The best way to rule out organics is the Overnight Test, but you have to have an FAS-DPD test to perform it.