how are my levels?

[GuinnessPhish]

pH - 7.6

FC - 8

CC - .5

TA - 110

CH - 120

CYA - 42




This is a fiberglass pool, so is my CH level ok? How about the TA?

 

[fritz614]

you need to shock with a CC of .5

see pool school on how to shock

 

[Richard320]

Go swimming and stop worrying!

CH is a little below recommended levels. If you have soft water from the faucet, raise CH to about 200. Pool Calculator says about ten pounds of Calcium Increaser. I, personally, wouldn't worry about being too exact; if it comes in a 4 lb package, buy two. Close enough.

And .5 CC is fine, unless you just finished clearing a swamp. Mine goes up and down all the time. One day zero, next day, .5; it may show .5 for 3 days in a row and then go back to zero.

 

[GuinnessPhish]

So, my FC levels seem to be dropping fast, as of yesterday....

When I posted those results yesterday, I had a FC level of 8, right around 2 in the afternoon. After swimming (four adults and three small children) for a few hours, I tested the level around 10 pm, and the FC was pretty much zero....(when I added the powder to the 10ml water sample, it didn't turn pink at all).

I added some 6% bleach, and about an hour later, tested again, and the FC was about 5.

I just tested the water about 30 minutes ago, noon.....again, zero FC.


I just added 182 oz of 6% bleach.

That should dissipate in about an hour, right? I guess tonight I should be conducting the Overnight FC Loss Test? Even if my CC level is only .5?

 

[anonapersona]

Yep, something is going on. I suggest bringing it up to shock level, see if it holds overnight.

CC is just an end product of chlorine usage, can be carried away on wind and sun, so low is not diagnostic though high can be.

How small were those kids, any diapers?

 

[Richard320]

[center:2e1fyjri]You lost 5 ppm overnight - not good. I wouldn't wait for tonight.
Run it up to shock level and check it again in a couple hours.
How'd you get that CYA level - your own drop testing, test strips, or pool store?

[youtube:2e1fyjri]uijLXS-IJZM[/youtube:2e1fyjri][/center:2e1fyjri]

 

[Suziqzer]

If you're not holding chlorine like you should... and overnight test will help you determine if you need to shock or not.

If you're pretty certain you are going to need to shock, I would take the chlorine up to shock level at dark and then check in the morning to see if you've maintained it ... if you haven't, continue the shocking process and you've got a good start by starting at night. If it maintained, wait for it to come off of the shock level and enjoy swimming again knowing it is safe.

 

[GuinnessPhish]

Yes, two of the three kids had swim diapers.

I got the CYA level from the TF 100 test kit.

As far as shocking, my pH is 7.5. Do I need to lower pH to 7.2 before shocking?

 

[GuinnessPhish]

I just vacuumed, brushed, and skimmed the pool.

Just tested and now the FC is at around 11.5 - 12.

CC is still basically .5, perhaps a little higher, but not 1.

Based on a CYA of 42, I'm going to now add 6% bleach to bring FC up to 17.

 

[GuinnessPhish]

I brought FC up to 17 around 1:45.

At 2:45, I tested FC and it was 17.

I waited until 5 P.M. to test again....and now FC is 14.

At this point, I should add bleach to bring it back up to FC 17?

CC tested at .5

 

[frogabog]

Yes, remain at shock level till you pass the OCLT (and other 2 criteria). 3ppm in 2.25 hours is a lot to lose, even with sun. Chances are you caught it quickly, and the OCLT will pass but you'll have to raise it back to shock level overnight to know. CC will go up and down throughout the shocking process.

How's the water look?

 

[GuinnessPhish]

Yes, remain at shock level till you pass the OCLT (and other 2 criteria). 3ppm in 2.25 hours is a lot to lose, even with sun. Chances are you caught it quickly, and the OCLT will pass but you'll have to raise it back to shock level overnight to know. CC will go up and down throughout the shocking process.

How's the water look?

The water looks absolutely fine, totally clear.

I just tested the water again....FC was at 14 again (3.5 hours since last adding enough bleach to bring it back to FC 17, according to the pool calculator). Just added another dose of bleach to bring it back to FC 17. In about 90 minutes, I'm going to test the water again, now that the sun has completely set.

 

[GuinnessPhish]

This is frustrating!

I tested the water around 10:30 last night, and FC was 19.

Just tested again this morning, before sun hits the pool, and FC is 12.5.

 

[257WbyMag]

This is frustrating!

I tested the water around 10:30 last night, and FC was 19.

Just tested again this morning, before sun hits the pool, and FC is 12.5.

Keep working on it.

 

[GuinnessPhish]

I'm working on it....

just added 3.5 more quarts of 6% bleach....brushed the pool and skimmed.

Checking the FC level every 90 minutes....is that a good amount of time, or should I check exactly 1 hour after dumping more bleach in?

 

[257WbyMag]

Every 90 minutes is good. Just stay on it and every 90 minutes, bring it back up to shock level until you have finished the process as evidenced by clear water, a CC of 0.5 or less, and holding to within 1 ppm or less of FC loss overnight.

 

[GuinnessPhish]

I assume I should keep my pump running 24/7 until the shocking process is complete?

 

[Butterfly]

I assume I should keep my pump running 24/7 until the shocking process is complete?

Yes, it is recommended that the pump run 24/7 during the shock process.

 

[GuinnessPhish]

There are a few small leaves floating around in my pump strainer basket. Could these be causing the high chlorine usage? Should I empty that basket, even though it's just a tiny bit of debris in there?

 

[frogabog]

The leaves aren't causing the large chlorine loss, but go ahead and remove them because they are a small factor at this point. Best to get all debris out of the water, the shocking process will go faster without them.