Had my pool for over 10 yrs. chemistry has always been almost perfect every test. Decided to replace my Taylor test kit with a totally brand new one. Now my chlorine levels are way high and have trouble getting alkalinity down. I have my chlorine feeder turned down to almost off. I have delayed shocking. Chlorine still very high! Has the stabilizer in the tablets finally caught up with me? Will I need to partially drain pool to dilute it. Is too much stabilizer what can cause this? What's the harm in just using very little chlorine and leaving it like it is, as long as the water is not irritating to skin or eyes. Water feels fine. Help please.
High chlorine!
- Thread starter tjm5837
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!
Please post a complete set of test results. Cold water and high CYA levels can both slow down the loss of chlorine. What the exact consequences are depends very much on what the specific levels actually are.
Please post a complete set of test results. Cold water and high CYA levels can both slow down the loss of chlorine. What the exact consequences are depends very much on what the specific levels actually are.
Thanks for your rapid reply, Seems like that cya test is highly subjective what with the viewing of the black dot and all. But it looks to be the problem. Do you think I need to partially replace the water?
Temp 79
Tot Cl 5
Free CL 5
Comb CL 0
Ph 8
Tot. alk 90
Ca hard 240
Sat ind. 0.43
cya 82ppm
Pool type is exposed agregate: 13,500 gallons, w/DE filter system.
Temp 79
Tot Cl 5
Free CL 5
Comb CL 0
Ph 8
Tot. alk 90
Ca hard 240
Sat ind. 0.43
cya 82ppm
Pool type is exposed agregate: 13,500 gallons, w/DE filter system.
Naw, you're OK. Just don't add any more CYA. Make sure you use a Cl source that doesn't have any CYA in it, like bleach or liquid Cl.tjm5837 said:
And, that Cl level isn't high, given your CYA level. Might be a bit low. Check the Pool Calculator.
Some people find it hard to manage Cl in a pool w/ high CYA. You do have to stay on top of it, and 3 ppm isn't a good rule of thumb w/ high CYA - you'll need to maintain a higher ppm during normal operations.
Just my opinion, based on my experience. I expect you'll hear some a bit contrary to mine.
With CYA around 80 you should be keeping your FC level between 6 and 11, and never below six. So I certainly wouldn't call your chlorine levels "way high".
You should think about stopping using trichlor tablets in the feeder. Trichlor is constantly adding CYA, but you are already at the highest CYA level we recommend having. If CYA continues to go up you are very likely to run into more serious problems.
Your PH is a little high, I would lower it just a little, say to 7.8.
You should think about stopping using trichlor tablets in the feeder. Trichlor is constantly adding CYA, but you are already at the highest CYA level we recommend having. If CYA continues to go up you are very likely to run into more serious problems.
Your PH is a little high, I would lower it just a little, say to 7.8.
Do you have your own test kit to get these numbers? Do you have the FAS-DPD chlorine test ... or did you post FC 5ppm because that is the max your test shows? If that is the max your test shows ... you need a better test kit.
I am curious why you think your FC is HIGH (although your test may not let you know the true level). If 5ppm is correct, in fact it is too low for your CYA level (which around 80 is manageable ... assuming you stop using pucks ... but a level between 30-50ppm is better). At a CYA of 80ppm (why did you say 82?), the minimum for FC is 6ppm and you want to stay above this at all times.
I suggest you review pool school and Chlorine CYA Chart
Unlike the above post, I think you would be best off doing a 50% water change and throwing the pucks away, but you could manage it at 80ppm (if we believe this level) if you start using liquid chlorine.
I am curious why you think your FC is HIGH (although your test may not let you know the true level). If 5ppm is correct, in fact it is too low for your CYA level (which around 80 is manageable ... assuming you stop using pucks ... but a level between 30-50ppm is better). At a CYA of 80ppm (why did you say 82?), the minimum for FC is 6ppm and you want to stay above this at all times.
I suggest you review pool school and Chlorine CYA Chart
Unlike the above post, I think you would be best off doing a 50% water change and throwing the pucks away, but you could manage it at 80ppm (if we believe this level) if you start using liquid chlorine.
Yes have my own kit, the Taylor complete (high) DPD Cl (0.5-5) not theFAS-DPD chlorine test. Wish I had gotten that one now. But never had any issues with my pool till now. Probably because my old test kit was inaccurate from chemicals that were too old. I agree will be difficult to maintain the chemistry with such a high cya. Should partially replace some water, I guess. What do you guys think it will take? Drain and replace about half the water or more? For the next step I'm gonna take some water into the pool store for them to test. Just to see what the true Cl level is. Thanks for everybody's fast replies.
I would not believe the pool store either ... there are too many posts in this forum where multiple pool stores test the same water with vastly different results.
I would suggest you just buy the FAS-DPD test to add to your current setup.
How much you drain kind of depends on what your plans are going forward ... continue to use the pucks or switch to liquid.
I would suggest you just buy the FAS-DPD test to add to your current setup.
How much you drain kind of depends on what your plans are going forward ... continue to use the pucks or switch to liquid.
Are there any products you can put in the feeder that is not stablized? I think I'm done with the stabilized stuff.
Unfortunately no.
trichlor and dichlor contain CYA.
cal-hypo adds CH which can eventually lead to scaling
there is a lithium product but it is WAY expensive.
The best is to use liquid chlorine / bleach to add only FC. There are methods to have this be automatically injected as well or you can go with a salt water chlorine generator.
The pucks are convenient ... but as you see, eventually lead to problems.
trichlor and dichlor contain CYA.
cal-hypo adds CH which can eventually lead to scaling
there is a lithium product but it is WAY expensive.
The best is to use liquid chlorine / bleach to add only FC. There are methods to have this be automatically injected as well or you can go with a salt water chlorine generator.
The pucks are convenient ... but as you see, eventually lead to problems.
It is unusual to have trouble keeping the pH and TA down while using trichlor pucks. The pucks are very acidic, and most people have a hard time keeping the pH and TA from being too low.
What has been added that could account for the pH and/or TA being so high?
http://www.poolcalculator.com/
What has been added that could account for the pH and/or TA being so high?
The saturation index given is incorrect for these numbers. The correct CSI is +0.29.
http://www.poolcalculator.com/