Options to Get Chemistry Back In Balance

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stringrazor

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Jul 17, 2013
13
Southern California
Long-time pool owner here but I must have gone brain-dead. Have been keeping my gunite 17.5k gal, DE filter pool clean but the chlorine and PH have gotten whacked. On the 2-part test, the chlorine side is orange - over 5ppm and the pH side yellow, ~ 7.0. I took the floater out last Friday and was away for the w/e so no pool use but things haven't seemed to have changed at all. Leslies guy wants to sell me chlorine neutralizer and soda ash. I wanted him to do a complete test this evening but the water sample was from this morning and he said the sample can't be more than an hour old so I'll try again tomorrow evening and stop home first.

I'd like to use the pool this w/e (it's just me, no kids and my wife doesn't care to swim). What should I do?


----- after reading a bit, it looks like I should ditch the pool store! Per the BBB metod , I'll try a cup of borax to bring the ph up and get a decent test kit asap. What do I do about the high chlorine level though? It doesn't seem to be coming down on it's own. I suppose I could backwash again and replace some water....

Gary in SoCal
 
Welcome to TFP.

Ditching the pool store and getting a good test kit is a very good beginning. :)

Do you have a full set of test results from the big L that you could post?

I wouldn't worry about the FC coming down as that'll happen on it's own.
Since you've been using a floater your CYA is probably really high and that's why your FC isn't coming down any faster than it is. You'll know more once you get the test kit.
 
One cup of borax should give you about a 0.1 increase in pH. According to http://www.poolcalculator.com/ you should be looking more in the range of 120 oz. to go from 7.0 to 7.5. I strongly recommend ordering a good test kit so you can find out exactly where you stand. It's almost impossible to make any specific recommendations beyond that without accurate test results. I would not buy chlorine neutralizer, if you wait a day or two the chlorine will be gone and if you're using di- or tri-chlor you may have enough CYA to be safe swimming at the current chlorine level. You really need good (not pool store) test results to make the right corrections.
 
Thanks, glad to find all this info - better late than never! I'll read up, get a decent test kit asap, hopefully today, and post the accurate readings. No, I didn't get an analysis from Big L. The floater has been out of the pool for 4 days now and the basic test kit hasn't registered a change I can see.

I've been using stabilized chlorine tablets from CostCo for the last 2 years and some acid once in a while, pretty much nothing else. Being in SoCal, I never really close the pool. "Opening" to me means net out what I can, vacuum the rest, open the DE tank and clean out thoroughly, and adjust chlorine & pH best I can. I initially run the 2hp pump for 24hrs then 6hrs/day afterwards. I'll brush & vac a bit when I see any green. I'd purchased some "yellow out" to keep on hand if things got bad this year but after reading some, I gotta find my receipt so I can take it back! I have not shocked the chlorine this year.
 
JohnN said:
I can almost guarantee you won't be able to find the test kit locally. Best option is to order it from tftestkits.net You will get it sooner than you think.
Click to expand...

ok, that's even easier than driving around. Which kit should I get from that site? EDIT: nevermind, I'll get the TF-100, diff in prices isn't enough to quibble about.

From my reading, it seems I should be ok swimming in the pool as it is, maybe I can expect a little eye irritation. I'm the only one that uses it. No kids and my wife doesn't care to swim, especially in the sun, lol.

Also, fyi, the water is crystal clear.
 

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If you never have to go through the SLAM process, then I reluctantly say it might be adequate. But, I would not recommend it because it does not have the FAS-DPD chlorine test that is only found in the K-2006 or the TF-100.
 
jblizzle said:
If you never have to go through the SLAM process, then I reluctantly say it might be adequate.
Click to expand...
Also assuming his CYA is so low he never needs to go over 5 ppm FC.

The bottom line is either skip the kit and pay a couple hundred more on problems that could easily be solved with the tests in the TF-100, or get the kit. I don't get a penny for saying that, it is that I thought the same thing and put off getting the kit for a couple years. Using the methods I learned here helped me regardless, but last year I broke down and got the TF-100. This year the water has been clearer with less work because I had all the numbers, not just most of them. Now I would never give it up.

Edit: good call on getting it :grin:

Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt.
 
Your pH and OTO tests should be fine to start. But the pH test reads artificially high when the FC > 10ppm. Since you OTO is orange, the FC is likley higher than that. But, since the pH is yellow, your pH is certainly too low so adding some borax or soda ash would be a good idea.

Let the FC drop and when it turns more yellow, then the pH is likely valid.
 

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