Super Blue

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pakalrtb

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Sep 25, 2010
35
Roatan - Bay Islands
In the aftermath of a bday party with approximately 50 kids bathing for 4 hours, my pool is not anymore sparkling blue as I've kept it for the past month. The chemicals are all fine but I after 4 days the pool is still a little bit hazy. Do not get me wrong, I can clearly see the bottom, but this forum made a freak out of me and I now want to see it sparking !!!!!!!!
Thanks to this forum I now have a clear idea of the chemistry of the pool and I've switched to a sole BBB regime for my pool.
Next week I'll borate my pool and I will be done.
My question is : I have left, from my previous illiterare pool life, a bottle of Super Blue . Should I still keep it abandoned in a corner or would you use it to gain some clarity ? Is there a reason why I should not use it ? And if not, what would you suggest in order to get my original clarity ? Would you say that a cartride filter may be a better option than a sand filter ?

FC : 3.0
CC : 0
PH : 7.8
TA : 60
CYA : 50
CH : 300

P_
 
After having the pool invaded by kids for any amount of time, you are bound to have some cloudiness.


First off, Super Blue is a clarifier. It is a rare instance that we recommend the use of any clarifier, specifically because BBB works so well on it's own that clarifiers just aren't typically needed. What I see from the get go in your numbers is that your FC is low for a CYA of 50. Your FC shouldn't be below 4 at any time and you should be targeting a FC of 6. So firstly, you need to raise your FC to at least 6. Dropping your pH a bit to say, 7.4 will help smooth things out as well. So basically, you need chlorine and filter time. If you were to go ahead and shock your pool, it would help clear things even quicker. Try these things first and don't use the Super Blue.

With regard to your question about filters, it is true that a cartridge filter will filter finer particles than a sand filter. But for what you are describing, it's not that you don't have a good enough filter to do the job, it's just that you need to adjust your chemistry a bit and run the filter until everything is clear.
 
Your FC is a tad low for a CYA of 50 ppm. Have you done an over night chlorine loss test to make sure you dont have an algea bloom starting? I'd boost the FC to around 6 ppm, do an overnight loss test and see where you are.

If it's not organics, its most likely stirred up crud from such a high swimmer load. It happens to mine too after a big swim party. It takes awhile for my sand filter to clear it too. I have cheated and used a little clarifier. You can overdose it, so if you use it, be sure to only add 2 ounces (read the directions, i think its says 1 oz per 5000 gallons).
Before you use it, confirm that you have no algea with an overnight loss test first.

A long shot cause could be that your pH at 7.8 COULD have caused a little calcium to fall out. Thats a long shot like I said. You can lower the pH a little. 7.8 is ok, but try dropping it to 7.4, do the overnight test, then see where you are. Theres nothing wrong with using a clarifier, per se, just rule out other stuff first and DONT OVER DOSE IT.

Edit, 257 is a faster typer than me :mrgreen:
 
Thanks gyus for your prompt answers .

@257 you say "Super Blue is a clarifier" what do U mean by that ? I am ruling out any algae (I have no CC and the FOT is negative) and my guess is that I just have some "unkwown" suspension in my pool, would a clarifier be used exactly for that ?

@bk406 you say "its most likely stirred up crud" ........ I had to go to wikipedia to read about the meaning (ehh ehh ehh, sorry I am italian) and still I would translate in "unknown" suspension !!!

BTW I'll raise my FC level ( just got a new delivery of 12% Clorine ) and lower the PH a bit
One last thing : would a FC of 6 affect the actual reading of my PH ?

You guys are great,
P_
 
A clarifier is used to suspend particulate matter for removal. That's all it is. You probably don't have algae at this point but you do have organics (skin oils, dirt, lotions, bather wastes, etc.) that need lots of FC and filter time to get rid of. Chlorine breaks these organics down (Super Blue doesn't), your filter traps the stuff that isn't able to be broken down chemically, and in time, your water becomes it's normal self again.

50 kids in a 10,000 gallon pool for 4 hours would be a massive attack on pool chemistry and quite frankly, I am surprised that you had any FC left at all after that. :shock:

The FC of 6 will not affect your pH, given that you are using liquid chlorine products to raise the FC.
 
"I am surprised that you had any FC left at all after that. :shock:" oh no, I did have a FC reading of almost zero at the end of the party . FC = 3 is now ....... actually now if 5.5 , because after your post I immediately added some more liquid clorine.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving , and although I am italian , I will still celebrate it and have a bunch of friends home, maybe not 50 kids, but 1o for sure........... back to square ZERO.

P_
 
If there are 50 kids in for an hour, figure a minimum of 7 ppm FC in 10,000 gallons. It could be a lot more if there is any urination. A very rough rule-of-thumb for bather load in spas that works out well is around 7 ppm FC in 350 gallons per person-hour. For pools, figure it's around half this amount so say 4 ppm FC in 350 gallons per person-hour or 0.14 ppm FC in 10,000 gallons per person-hour. This varies a lot depending on the amount people sweat so heavy swimming would have higher amounts than wading and this rough estimate is for normal activity, not continuous swimming.

Note that this chlorine demand doesn't all show up immediately. Only a portion of it that is ammonia (about 8%) that gets oxidized in hours while most if it is urea (about 80%) that will slowly form monochlorourea that shows up as combined chlorine (CC) over hours to days and is slow to oxidize though is probably sped up in its breakdown when the pool water is exposed to UV in sunlight.
 
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