BBB / Having to add 64 oz of bleach everyday - normal?

[AB]

Hi,
I have a 10,000 gallon plaster pool (12 years old) I inherited this year. I converted to the BBB method and take readings each day with the TF-100 kit - ph around 7.8.

I am having to add about 64 oz of bleach (6%) each day to keep the chlorine level up at an acceptable level (5-10). It seems each day the chlorine is almost completely used up, sometimes I can go 2 days w/o adding the bleach but it likes its daily dose.

Is this normal? How often do others have to add bleach? I was hoping to only add every 3-4 days or so...any help is GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks, Aaron

 

[duraleigh]

Is your pool 10k or 15k?

 

[JasonLion]

While it is possible to set things up to add bleach every other day, it is very difficult to stretch that out to once every three or four days and will require using much more chlorine than you otherwise would. We recommend adding chlorine once a day.

 

[AB]

@Duraleigh - thanks for pointing that error in my sig! I have corrected, pool is 10K.

Thanks for the reply - I guess it is normal to add the bleach every day then? Chalk it up to my lack of knowledge!

Thanks again.

 

[257WbyMag]

That actually sounds about right. I add around 42 oz. per day. Not sure what your CYA is but if it is around 30, you might consider raising it some for added protection from the UV rays of the sun burning off your FC.

 

[JamesW]

64 ounces per day in a 10,000 gallon pool is 3.1 ppm per day, which is slightly high, but not unusual. You can do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to see if you have excessive chlorine loss due to organics. Test the FC once the sun goes down at night, and then again in the morning, to see how much FC is lost overnight. If it is more than 1 ppm, then you might have something in the water that is consuming chlorine. Higher water temperatures tend to use up more chlorine, so if you have the water heated, then it could use slightly more than an unheated pool.

 

[zea3]

Hot days and low humidity in our area also means a higher than normal evaporation rate. Even though my water temp hovers around 80, I am using a little more chlorine now than I usually do during swim season.

 

[XsAllOverIt]

Convenience vs work - an SWG although an upfront expense is such a great convenience. I was adding 64 oz. each day prior to starting up the SWG this spring. Now, it's simply turning off the pump once in a while because my chlorine level is slightly higher than what it should be. I would consider an SWG if you can do it within your budget. More importantly, you don't have to get up at 10:30PM from the couch and realize you forgot to dump your daily chlorine in the pool. Unfortunately, until I get a timer, I do have to remember to turn the pump off at night and turn it back on in the morning which is my current schedule. The timer I'm getting shortly will certainly make it more convenient.

 

[AB]

Any idea what a SWG system would run for my pool? Sounds like a great idea!

 

[JasonLion]

SWG prices vary quite a bit. If you install yourself, you should be able to do something for around $600, having someone else install it usually means prices closer to $1000.

 

[Purcy2000]

What SWG can you get for $600? Do you have a link?

Thanks,

 

[JasonLion]

Prices on CompuPool units are very reasonable, see for example here.

 

[mdhwoods]

I live in Sw Florida and add around 36oz of 12.5% a day. My pool is also a 10k gallon. Family like the temp around 86 so that causes a bit more chlorine usage. You are using about the same as me.