NO FREE CHLORINE

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Kjohnson

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May 22, 2012
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I've had my pool for 10 years- the first 7 having no problems.
The past 2 years I have not been able to keep ANY Free Chlorine- I've add Hundreds of lbs of Super Sol. Cholorine and it wont register. My Ph is ok-Aside from draining and starting over any suggestions? Anyone have good results with liquid bleach?
 
Many many people have had good results with liquid bleach, though that doesn't sound like it is really the core of your issue.

The best place to start is a complete set of water test results. Without that we are just making wild guesses.
 
Adding that much trichlor is going to put your CYA through the roof, making it difficult for your chlorine to control algae.

How are you testing, and can you post a full set of test results?
 
Kjohnson said:
I am using strips- every thing seems in the right Color area but FC shows nothing
Click to expand...

Test strips are a poor choice. They can bleach out at high chlorine levels.

With high CYA you can get situations where you are just barely controlling algae, resulting in high chlorine consumption.

Without good test numbers, chlorine, CYA and pH at least, we are just shooting in the dark.

How do you chlorinate? Floater, chlorinator or??
 
Well, since you don't have one of the recommended test kits, I suggest that you have the water tested at a pool store.

The first guess is that your pool is overstabilized, but that is a guess without test results.
 
I personally use the TF100 test kit from Dave/duraleigh. He also stocks the Taylor K 2006. Link in my sig. Excellent customer service and fast shipping. You can see Test Kit Comparisons in Pool School.

Don't let the pool store sell you a kit that does not have the FAS/DPD kit included. Often the folks at the pool store are not even aware of the extended kits. In fact, I suggest you just order your kit online when you get ready.
 
I went to the pool store to get my analysis:

TDS = 3100

Tot. = 4.7

Free Chlorine = 0

PH = 7.6

Tot.Alkalinity = 325


They said my ammonia was very high-they could shock it but suggested draining the pool-I called the company that put in our pool and they said they never heard of a test for ammonia- they're checking into it. So, all this after I've added 20+ lbs of chlorine granuals and 9 lb bags of shock-plus anything that was added when the pool was opened by pool co. Should I start dumping in bleach and see what happens? Last year I spent about 150-250 ever couple weeks buying their "super soluable" chlorine-it would get pretty clear than cloud up. I'm at my wits end-
 

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Kjohnson said:
I went to the pool store to get my analysis:

TDS = 3100

Tot. = 4.7

Free Chlorine = 0

PH = 7.6

Tot.Alkalinity = 325


They said my ammonia was very high-they could shock it but suggested draining the pool-I called the company that put in our pool and they said they never heard of a test for ammonia- they're checking into it. So, all this after I've added 20+ lbs of chlorine granuals and 9 lb bags of shock-plus anything that was added when the pool was opened by pool co. Should I start dumping in bleach and see what happens? Last year I spent about 150-250 ever couple weeks buying their "super soluable" chlorine-it would get pretty clear than cloud up. I'm at my wits end-
Click to expand...

You don't need to drain, but you do need to shock based on their numbers. Unfortunately, you need to know the CYA/ Stabilizer level to determine your shock level. The key to shocking is getting your chlorine high, and keeping it there. That may require testing every few hours.

Hang in there. You are going through what a lot of members here have learned the same way. Pool stores aren't very good at maintaining pool water. That's why around 32,500 of us own our own test kits so we can take control of our water, save big money and have nicer looking pools with less work. I didn't spend $200 on chemicals last year all season in my 21,000 gallon pool.
 
What size is your pool?
What type pool do you have?

The first thing you should do is get a good test kit.

It's possible that you have ammonia and if you do you won't be able to hold any FC until you've oxidized all the ammonia. Aquarium stores have ammonia test kits but the end result is the same. It takes as much chlorine as it takes to get the FC to hold, no matter what's consuming it.
 
Well, first, you need to get the CYA tested.

Then, I suggest you order a TF100 test kit with the extra FAS/DPD kit. If you indeed do have ammonia (which sounds like it based on your description and their #'s) , you will go thru a lot of FAS/DPD testing.

Also, see if you can find liquid chlorine at a good/better price than common 6% household bleach.
If you can find a deal on the lc, you would only be hauling about half as many bottles.

Pool School has complete instructions of How to Shock your Pool.

If you want to confirm the ammonia diagnosis, you can call around to the pet stores. Some of them do the ammonia test free. Also, wallyworld pet dept usually carries an ammonia test kit. But, as Bama said, regardless of whether or not ammonia is present, the fix is still shocking the pool into submission the correct way.
 
Last year I used BioGuard Maintain Super Soluble-granular stabilized chlorinator-99%Sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione dihydrate-25 lbs buckets, 4 at a time- through the skimmer w/pool on re-cir.
 
or......

You have VERY high CYA and a drain is in store. Let's watch! Either way, I'd wait to shock too. Dave's quick and you'll be testing here soon!
 

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