Is it normal to see huge swings in FC/CC?

[UnderWaterVanya]

Is it possible there is a salt water chlorine generator that you didn't know to look for?


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[brian4110]

Is it possible there is a salt water chlorine generator that you didn't know to look for?


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I'm 99.99% sure there is not a SWG. Always the .01% possibility it is hidden in the heater or under ground. Previous owners and PC did not mention it and there is no documentation with the pool discussing it.

 

[SkyKid]

In your video you missed counting the first drop
I watched it 3 times and you always started counting after the first drop

 

[brian4110]

In your video you missed counting the first drop
I watched it 3 times and you always started counting after the first drop

Good catch. Still, my margin of error seems to be much higher than .5.

 

[brian4110]

I ran a test for ammonia and sure enough, the test strip went to the max on the scale which is 6.0. I will dilute the water and run another test later to see just how much ammonia is in the pool.

Until then, I'll go put some chlorine in the water.

Any suggestions? What are my next steps?

 

[Butterfly]

I ran a test for ammonia and sure enough, the test strip went to the max on the scale which is 6.0. I will dilute the water and run another test later to see just how much ammonia is in the pool.

Until then, I'll go put some chlorine in the water.

Any suggestions? What are my next steps?

Good grief. Sounds like a partial drain would be most helpful. Let's see what others say, esp when you post back with the dilution test.

 

[brian4110]

I'm going on 2 weeks almost of trying to shock the pool. Obviously, I wasn't shocking consistently because my test results were all over the map due to the ammonia. We are almost in June...patience is wearing thin. Kids and wife getting tired of hearing excuses...you guys and ladies know the drill!

I've got a vinyl liner so a full drain isn't really in the cards. I'd love to hear the consensus from the expert as to how I can get this pool running.

Thanks as always for the support!

 

[brian4110]

Diluted pool water with tap water...50/50 of each.

Re-ran ammonia test and got about 3.0. So my best guess is about 6.0 on the ammonia. So how much chlorine do I need to beat back the ammonia? 6x10 ~ 60 ppm?

 

[Bobswe]

I have a 16 by 32 vinyl liner pool which is smaller than yours and have never heard of an ammonia problem til my pool was diagnosed the same as yours last week. My ammonia tested at a 3. I had great luck with a partial drain using a pump and 2 garden hoses. I went down to 20 inches in the shallow end before I started the refill and then I shocked and shocked. My wife suggested i shock it prior to the refill but only mentioned it after I refilled. I'm no expert, but water displacement, if you don't go down too far, would be my course of action.

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, brian,

IO didn't have a chance to get to your thread earlier but here's what I see from a brief scan of the thread.

you are over-testing to a fault.

Could you report your CYA test back (I couldn't find it) and I'll have some suggestions that I think will help.

 

[brian4110]

On my phone so short reply...
Cya is about 20

 

[chem geek]

Depending on the ammonia test kit, it measures the sum of ammonia AND monochloramine. Nevertheless, by your adding chlorine, even if you produced monochloramine that means you had ammonia originally. And if this came from breakdown of some CYA by bacteria, then you could have partially oxidized CYA as well and that takes longer to oxidize. The strange thing is that when this happened to me, the CC didn't show up as high, but then I caught the problem early.

 

[duraleigh]

If it was my pool with a CYA of 20, I would shock the pool to an FC value of about 10-12 ppm. It really doesn't matter what your losses are or whether it's caused by ammonia

What matters is the treatment is the same....shock your pool with chlorine for as long as it takes to get your pool clear.

I would test the pool three times daily for FC (Early AM, Early PM and late PM) and I would add the appropriate dose of chlorine to get me back to 12 ppm or so immediately after taking the test.

I think you are getting lost in the details of testing variances and your CC readings. I would simply ignore EVERYTHING except for testing the FC that three times each day and keeping the chlorine in your pool at around 10-12 ppm every chance you get.

Your pool will clear if you follow this simple regimen....I promise.

 

[brian4110]

Thanks Dave. Quick history since you are late to the thread.

Opened my pool (bought the house in December so I did not close and have no idea how it was maintained) May 21. Water was very green and tons of dirt/mulch on the bottom. Not the worst I've seen on this forum, but by no means close to ready. Tested and had zero CYA. Previous owners left some trichlor, cal-hypo and CYA, so you'd assume there would be CYA in the water unless bacteria converted it.

Added CYA and have been shocking since that day. Suffered a pump motor failure. Replaced that myself. Water slowly cleared though it is still tinted torquoise. I have had a lot of trouble shocking because my test results are inconsistent and made no sense. That led to my very frequent testing and I tried different methods to see if I could get a consistent result.

I'll give your suggestion a shot and keep at it, though I don't know how many more days I can stick with this. I'm already on borrowed time at home with regards to the pool! Pretty much at wits end and frustrated as much by my inability to diagnose the problem as with my inability to get the water swimmable.

 

[duraleigh]

though I don't know how many more days I can stick with this. I'm already on borrowed time at home with regards to the pool!

I understand your frustration, brian, but what will you do instead? There are no "magic bullets" that will fix your pool. Chlorine will fix your pool and that is what's required.

You have been sidetracked by some peripheral issues and your solution is to get focused on KEEPING adequate chlorine in your pool 24/7 until your pool is clear.

Did you ever get the CYA in your pool up to 30 ppm?

 

[brian4110]

I'm definitely not looking for a magic bullet...I've got tons of time, $$ and elbow grease invested already. I just wish I knew if the light ahead was the end of the tunnel or another train.

I've never been up to 30 cya. In fact I only tested once since I added the 20 ppm.

 

[harleysilo]

How much does water cost in your neck of the woods?

 

[duraleigh]

20 ppm works just fine 30 ppm is only a bit better.

Ok, since you are still losing FC pretty fast, I gonna suggest a target of 12 ppm instead of 10 in the chart.

As soon as the sun is off the pool this evening, I would test and then dose enough to get your FC up to 12 ppm....regardless of cc's...I wouldn't even test for them anymore until the end.

Get up as early as your body will allow, test and bring the FC up to 12 ppm again.

Have a good day at work.

Tomorrow evening, repeat the process and so forth until it clears.

Your issue with the FAS/DPD FC test was, I believe, you are not completing the test. As you are drop counting and leaqding up to the final drops, the solution will "flash" clear or turn clear for just a few seconds and then back to pink.

Keep counting drops until the pink disappears and stays gone for at least 30 seconds....that's your FC test result.

Don't worry if it doesn't perform exactly as you expect. There's enough "cushion" in the values we give you you won't hurt your pool unless you do something arbitrary.

Report all three test results and dosages once daily so we can track your progress.

 

[brian4110]

How much does water cost in your neck of the woods?

I think right around 2 cents per gallon including sewer charges which I can't get around...so a 50% drain and fill will cost me around $275

 

[brian4110]

Ok, since you are still losing FC pretty fast, I gonna suggest a target of 12 ppm instead of 10 in the chart.

Consider it done.

Your issue with the FAS/DPD FC test was, I believe, you are not completing the test. As you are drop counting and leaqding up to the final drops, the solution will "flash" clear or turn clear for just a few seconds and then back to pink.

Keep counting drops until the pink disappears and stays gone for at least 30 seconds....that's your FC test result.

I'm not doubting you, but I've gotten conflicting advice from others. I've read that when you have high CC, the CC can 'bleed through' to the FC test and that is what was turning my solution back to pink after 5-10 seconds. I've tested both ways. When I don't stop the FC test until it stays clear for 30 seconds, I get very high FC readings...higher than can be accounted for based on what I put in the water. For example, I will test using that method and get something like 24ppm, then 1 hour later, without having put anything in the pool the entire day, I will test again and get 27ppm.

In any event, when I test using the 30 second method, I get FC somewhere in the 20 and CC somewhere around 5. When I test using the 'stop as soon as it goes completely clear and dont restart even if it gets a shade of pink after 10 seconds, then I get FC around 10 and CC around 20. Usually the TC is pretty consistent between the methods. I just can't differentiate between FC and CC.

I posted a video of myself performing the test on youtube. It is linked earlier in the thread. Did you watch the video? Does it look like I performed the test correctly that time? I value everyone's opinion. This is a great forum. I'm just losing my will to keep at it because I feel like I'm driving blind.