Do not use your cover while trying to shock. You want sunlight to help burn off the CCs. This certainly sounds like ammonia in your water, but odd as we typically only see this CYA to ammonia coversion over a long period of time, typically over winter storage. Have you added any other types of chemicals to your watre over the course of this season?
confused
- Thread starter btb
- Start date
We have been leaving it open all day. Other than starting the BBB, I think in May or early June, just a little metal remover upon opening.
Should be noted we had a bad algae problem twice last summer, this spring at open(very warm march and april),and 3 weeks ago before we left on vacation and i didnt get to complete the process.
First 4 years had zero problems.
Should be noted we had a bad algae problem twice last summer, this spring at open(very warm march and april),and 3 weeks ago before we left on vacation and i didnt get to complete the process.
First 4 years had zero problems.
Water has been clear for a week. Just today, the FC held at -1 for a full day. Still have 1.5 to 2.5 CC.
current levels: ph 7.2 , cya 70, FC 30+.
This has been a long process. 2 weeks. Am convinced the cya was converted to ammonia and disappeared. Now good.
Questions: 1)is the cc issue normal. 2) is it possible to have algae inside the system. pipes, heater , filter etc.??? cant really scrub those places to loosen biofilm. very dark. if this is possible, will the chlorine eventually get it?
current levels: ph 7.2 , cya 70, FC 30+.
This has been a long process. 2 weeks. Am convinced the cya was converted to ammonia and disappeared. Now good.
Questions: 1)is the cc issue normal. 2) is it possible to have algae inside the system. pipes, heater , filter etc.??? cant really scrub those places to loosen biofilm. very dark. if this is possible, will the chlorine eventually get it?
No, you need to do the shocking process: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/shocking_your_poolbtb said:
Yes, the chlorine held a appropriate shock levels until all three criteria are met (see my sig or the pool school article) should take car of it.btb said:
Do not stop the shocking process until you pass all three criteria!
Thanks for the reply. I am absolutely continuing the process. I didnt phrase my first question properly. Should have asked, is it common to have water clear for a week and FC holding steady for a couple days, yet still showing 1.5-2.5 CC?
I am still learning! Being patient!
I am still learning! Being patient!
It is unlikely your FC is "steady" if you have that much CC.
When you say FC "holding steady", are you referring to the OCLT?
Is you swg off when doing the OCLT?
For that matter, is your swg off during the shock process? We recommend giving the swg a rest during the process and using bleach/liquid chlorine to shock with.
When you say FC "holding steady", are you referring to the OCLT?
Is you swg off when doing the OCLT?
For that matter, is your swg off during the shock process? We recommend giving the swg a rest during the process and using bleach/liquid chlorine to shock with.
Cannot. We do not have a fence. City requirement, cover closed when no one there or fence. Wife went back to school this week and nobody home to watch it during the day. How many days of sun would it take?
Well whenever you are home and it's daytime, have the cover off. I suspect that part of your unusual condition.
Good advice. Will try to get some sun during the week and all day on week ends until the CC is gone.
Been considering a fence so we can leave the safety cover off during the day. It gets very hot under it and we just are not always home. Have a friend with almost identical setup in the country. They leave the cover open alot. Gets dirty more than ours, but they seem to never have the same trouble as we do. Do you agree, that could be a factor?
Should the amount of daylight hours the cover is closed be a factor when determining the cya level? Never have seen that mentioned, just thinking!
Been considering a fence so we can leave the safety cover off during the day. It gets very hot under it and we just are not always home. Have a friend with almost identical setup in the country. They leave the cover open alot. Gets dirty more than ours, but they seem to never have the same trouble as we do. Do you agree, that could be a factor?
Should the amount of daylight hours the cover is closed be a factor when determining the cya level? Never have seen that mentioned, just thinking!
Not exactly sure which factor you are referring too...is it the high CC with little FC lose you are experiencing now? ...then yes. If you are referring to why your pool got algae in the first place, I would guess not. My guess is that your FC level dropped below 2 at some point and algae got started.btb said:
Pools with uv opaque covers that are left on most of the time can usually get by with (benefit from) lower cya since the cover protects the FC from the suns uv light. If this pool was indoors, 20 ppm cya would be appropriate (just there to hold chlorine in reserve). In your case you have a swg, but you keep the pool covered a lot, so it is hard to say. I would probably stay at the 45 ppm you have and make sure the FC level doesn't drop below 4 ppm (a little above the 2 ppm minimum for a swg at 45 ppm cya) for a few days, say testing at least in the evening. You may be able to get by with less cya, but it really depends on how much uv light get to the pool.btb said:
I suggested the 4 ppm above on a hunch that if you run short on times for your swg due to the cover protecting you chlorine, you then may not benefit form the apparent lower FC levels for the swg since much less water would be running through the cell. The going theory (this is just a theory) is the extreme conditions the water passing through the swg sees is what accounts for the lower bulk water FC level still preventing algae as compared to a traditionally chlorinated pool.
What is your typical swg run time?
Was running 14 hours per day at 80% output. Our IC20 went bad earlier this summer and quit making chlorine. I really do not think I ever completly disinfected the pool before we left for 2 weeks. Once the CC is .5 or less, I want to get the FC to alow enough level I can see if the returns are giving higher chlorine. I was told by pool guy that in hot summers, need to run pump 24/7 and adjust IC20 output accordingly. I am not sure, when shocking is done, where i should set it. Will start cooling off, esp nights, and less daylight.
Even though your cell is a little under sized (we reocmmend 1.5 to 3 times the rated volume for swgs), having a pool covered most of the time (i.e. open say less than 2 hours while the sun is on the pool) should not require that much run time. I suspect your previous cell was pretty dead.
By the way, we still recommend daily chlorine testing even when using a swg. Too many people just assume "set it and forget". This testing will allow you to adjust your run times appropriately.
Maybe, maybe not. You need to run long enough so that the swg can put enough chlorine in the pool to maintain you minimum FC level...plus whatever extra time is needed to keep the water crystal clear. Once you have elimated the organics in your pool (and the CC), it is likely the run time should be much less than 24/7 (unless you have a 2-speed pump on low). It is true that when the water is warmer it can require somewhat longer swg run times, but usually not 24/7.btb said:
By the way, we still recommend daily chlorine testing even when using a swg. Too many people just assume "set it and forget". This testing will allow you to adjust your run times appropriately.
.[By the way, we still recommend daily chlorine testing even when using a swg. Too many people just assume "set it and forget". This testing will allow you to adjust your run times appropriately.
Boom! I believe not doing this started our problem. We got lucky first 3 years, then when it got ugly, the closet pool store(40 miles) I now know, was clueless and mainly concerned about selling chem.
Boom! I believe not doing this started our problem. We got lucky first 3 years, then when it got ugly, the closet pool store(40 miles) I now know, was clueless and mainly concerned about selling chem.