OH NO!!!, my Chlorine test came out orange!

[Hurricane Gio]

This was after one drop!

My Chlorine was a the low side and the pool store that tested the water said to do a Super Chlorinate for 24 hrs to get the level up with my SWG.
I think it was 4.0 after I did that last week.

Now all of a sudden it turned basically orange. I am using a basic kit right now until my TF100 arrives after ordering it today.

But mt kit has been fine so far. Could the reagent have gone bad?

The water feels, smells and tastes normal. I will have the pool store test it as well on Friday.

Edited for language. JasonLion

 

[bk406]

Re: HOLT Crud, my CH test came out orange!

Normally, CH test means calcium hardness. I think you mean chlorine test, or free chlorine (FC), Total chlorine (TC), combined chlorine, (CC).

 

[JohnT]

Re: HOLT Crud, my CH test came out orange!

If you get the chlorine high enough it will turn brown.

 

[257WbyMag]

Re: HOLT Crud, my CH test came out orange!

You just have a higher FC in there than your basic test kit will allow you to read, that's all.

Once your TF-100 arrives, it will be easier since you will merely need to count the drops. That's why the FAS-DPD test is so great. It takes the guesswork out of things.

 

[Hurricane Gio]

OK, but how did the chlorine gets so high? After the super chlorinate it was 4.0. Now its off the charts!

again, it smells and tastes in the "normal range."

 

[Hurricane Gio]

Re: HOLT Crud, my CH test came out orange!

If you get the chlorine high enough it will turn brown.

You could say its so orange its almost brownish.

 

[257WbyMag]

OK, but how did the chlorine gets so high? After the super chlorinate it was 4.0. Now its off the charts!

Is your SWCG running? This could be why.

again, it smells and tastes in the "normal range."

When you are smelling the chlorine smell, what your are smelling is the combined chloramines and not the FC. You likely have no CC in the water right now, hence, no smell. I'll use my own pool as an example right now because I am shocking the pool currently as I have been losing FC overnight. The water is crystal clear, has no detectable chlorine odor at all, and yet my FC is currently 20 ppm. An outdoor pool with a strong chlorine odor generally indicates that the pool water is on the dirty side. I can tell when I have CCs almost by the smell alone.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Or your CC could be really high, because the OTO tests shows Total Chlorine....

If you calculated correctly using the pool calculator and are confident you didn't overdose the pool, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Try the dilution method...3:1 ratio of distilled water and pool water, and then multiply the results by 4.

 

[Hurricane Gio]

Or your CC could be really high, because the OTO tests shows Total Chlorine....

If you calculated correctly using the pool calculator and are confident you didn't overdose the pool, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Try the dilution method...3:1 ratio of distilled water and pool water, and then multiply the results by 4.

I lowered the SWG to 20% from 45% to see if it helps and will retest the water the the pool store and myself all weekend.

Maybe I raised the percentage too much. The store said raise it as I had it on 10%. I will assume I over chlorinated and will keep it down. Once I get it down, I will test daily and mess with the SWG more.

The pool store said it should be up near 80% on the SWG, but this is obviously way off.

It time I really get better with my own testing and with time as new pool owner, I will understand my SWG much better.

 

[duraleigh]

You will understand and enjoy your pool maintenance much better when you get your kit and become familiar with it.

The pool store should never have told you to use the SWG to super-chlorinate....that should've been done with bleach for a couple of reasons.

However, water under the bridge and no real harm. The FC will drift down on it's own