Chlorine not showing up and pool cloudy! Please help!

[RSAnative]

Hi. I have my sons birthday next Saturday and I need help.

Chlorine is not showing and I've had two tablets going for a while now and it's cloudy despite lots of vacuuming and cleaning. Here's the specifics:

14,879 Gallons
Gunite in-ground
Free Chlorine: .1
Total: .1
Combined: 0.0
PH: 7.4
Hardness: 346 ppm
Alk: 67ppm
CA: 48 ppm
Copper: .03
Iron: .01
Nitrate: 10
Borate: 5
Total Dissolved Solids: 500.

Thank you all!!
Robert

 

[MassNerd]

I'm just a beginner myself, but it simply sounds like you need to go through the shocking process. Those pucks aren't going to cut it as organics are consuming chlorine faster then they can supply it. Follow the pool school link on this site to learn how to do it right.

 

[BoDarville]

RSAnative:

Welcome to TFP

CA: 48 ppm

Is this CYA or ? CYA is a critical parameter that you need to know in order to properly dose your pool with FC for maintenance as well as shocking. Also, what are you using to test with?

Is your water "green" cloudy, "grayish" cloudy, "bluish" cloudy? Since your water is cloudy, you very likely have some organic contamination of some sort. And that would eat up the chlorine. Sounds like you need to go through the Shock Process (see link in my sig). You will see that two tabs is not nearly enough FC to clean your pool given its current state. BTW, I would discontinue using the tabs and use plain bleach/liquid chlorine as your chlorine source. Trichlor tabs add CYA, which in large amounts, can be problematic. Bleach/liquid chlorine add FC without adding anything problematic. You can save the tabs for when you are on vacation.

 

[Richard320]

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Massnerd has hit it. You haven't been keeping the FC high enough, which is letting algae get a foothold. Nip it in the bud! You solution is bleach. You don't need anything special (and expensive) from the pool store. Spend a little time (okay, a lot) in Pool School learning about the FC/CYA relationship, the importance of self testing, and the shock process. It's quite possible that you can clear this mess if you nip it in the bud.

 

[RSAnative]

Thanks. CYA, cyanuric. Is not green. It's a hazy cloudiness. So liquid bleach from a grocery store not shock?

 

[mrdgvb1]

I would shock the pool and clean the filter. Try pouring in 2 to 4 gallons of liquid chlorine as it is the fastest acting with the least side effects. Avoid Dichlor shock as it will add to the cloudy water. If you have a D.E. - the kind that has grids in them - check for a leak. Even a small 1/2" cut in the grid will keep your pool cloudy and effect the pools ability to filter out organic matter. Add a cup of D.E to the skimmer and see if it leaks out of the return line (of course if you have a cartridge filter don't do this - this test is only for D.E. and Sand Filters). If there is a D.E. you will need to replace the effected grid or top manifold. It will clear up pretty quickly after that. If there is no leak just do the following:

Add chlorine, clean the filter and a third step if it seems to still be cloudy is add some clarifier to the pool.

 

[Richard320]

Thanks. CYA, cyanuric. Is not green. It's a hazy cloudiness. So liquid bleach from a grocery store not shock?

Yep. The plain stuff - unscented, no special features. It's all explained in pool school. Study the article on how to perform the shock process.

 

[RSAnative]

Thanks. I did read it although it doesn't say how much for my gallonage?

 

[Butterfly]

Thanks. I did read it although it doesn't say how much for my gallonage?

You can use PoolClaculator.com to figure doses for you. Link in my sig

 

[RSAnative]

Couple more question, and thank you all for the help, add chlorine right to pool perimeter?

 

[Butterfly]

We suggest you pour it in front of a return in the deep end.

Bleach should be added to the pool by pouring slowly in front of a return jet with the pump running. You should pour slowly enough that pouring an entire jug takes more than one minute, preferably two minutes. Leave the pump running for at least 30 minutes after adding bleach.

It would be helpful if you added your location, pool & equipment specs in your profile/sig.

 

[RSAnative]

Just to make sure I'm going to do it right....According to the pool calculator, with my CYA levels at 40, to get it to FC to 16, I need to add 1.42 gallons of bleach. Does that seem correct?

 

[Butterfly]

Just to make sure I'm going to do it right....According to the pool calculator, with my CYA levels at 40, to get it to FC to 16, I need to add 1.42 gallons of bleach. Does that seem correct?

What % bleach/liquid chlorine are you using?

On the PoolCalculator, are you using 'now' zero and 'target' 16?

 

[RSAnative]

Now is .1 and traget 16. %6 bleach.

 

[Richard320]

Now is .1 and traget 16. %6 bleach.

I get 3.8 gallons of 6% bleach to get to 16.

 

[RSAnative]

Not sure what I did wrong. Ok, I'll give it a try. Thank you again.

 

[Smykowski]

Did you put in your pool size at the top?

 

[RSAnative]

Yes. I re did it. Looks like 3.3 now.

 

[RSAnative]

Good morning. So I added the chlorine yesterday and it brought the FC up to 6. This morning it's back down to zero. Do I repeat the process? Use more chlorine this time? Why won't it hold chlorine? PH went down a little bit as well. I did not keep the tabs in last night. Should those of been in as well?

 

[rdhetrick]

Yep, the chlorine got used up killing the stuff in the pool. For us, shock is not a product or a one time application, but rather a process. Measure FC, add the necessary chlorine to reach the target shock FC level, wait 1 hour, repeat.

I'd pull the tabs - they're adding CYA, and they're adding an unmeasureable amount of chlorine that will interfere with your ability to accurately see FC trends from test to test.