Where is my chlorine going?!?!

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wpturner05

0
LifeTime Supporter
Mar 30, 2015
126
Reading PA
Pool Size
24500
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
My pool is open just over a week now and the water is crystal clear!! It look beautiful … however - it doesn't see I am holding onto any chlorine? Where is it going? I have shocked with 2 gallons of liquid chlorine four times (at least) …. last tuesday, thursday, sunday, and again yesterday .. I may have even shocked once more in there. I opened last Tuesday and pulled out the filters and CLEANED them on Sunday. My SWG is on at 100%. I am actually still floating 4 3" chlorine tabs …. and just tested again (just with a test strip) and there is NO CHLORINE.

Last water analysis (yesterday before shock)
FAC .5
TAC 1
Salt 3200
Calcium 230
CYA 50
TA 100
pH 7.2
Phosphates 100 (i did phosFREE on Sunday)

Help?
 
Welcome to the forum!

FC is consumable, and must always be replenished, even in a clean pool. Your use of the word "shock" and a phosphate remover is an indicator that you are still following pool store advice. I would suggest getting a good test kit and do some reading in Pool School - start with the link in my signature. We can help you diagnose a problem (if there is one) after that.
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

What test kit are you using? Is it one of the Recommended Test Kits? If it is pool store testing, then it is worth as much as you paid for it. Given you posted about phosphates (which are a meaningless money grab by the pool store), I am guessing the test come from them.

If you can not maintain FC in the water, then there must be something in the water and you will need to follow the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process which requires the FAS-DPD chlorine test ... we do not "shock" as you have described.

BTW, thanks for filling out your location and signature :goodjob:
 
What is the manufacturing date code on your liquid chlorine? Liquid chlorine strength degrades over time, so if it is older it may not be at the labeled strength now.
Suggest measuring the FAC 30 minutes after you add chlorine and see if you got the rise you expected.

Are you using PoolMath to calculated the amount of liquid chlorine to add?
 
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Looks like I have a little purchasing and learning to do. This is my third season as a pool owner and I have always used a pool store for testing and 'advice' however, I learned to not totally follow their advice because of some 'errors' they made which were costly on my end. I am ready to take more control myself. I will invest in one of the pool testing kits and learn how to do that on my own. I will do a bit more reading here. The past two seasons have been pretty good but I like to know and understand things myself thats why I came here. So … next on the agenda is buy a test kit and learn. Hopefully my water stays pretty in the mean time :)
 
SWG and cannot hold chlorine - TF100 results available

I have a TF100 and completed my first water test on my own. (Values posted below) I opened on 4/14 and cleared up within 4-5 days. crystal clear sparkling water, but it seems I cannot raise my chlorine values and keep them there. I shocked about 4-5 times (using pool store advice which was two gallons of their liquid chlorine shock) the last one being last Thursday. Before today, I did not have a test kit at home and was using strips and pool store testing. For those that are reading this that are wondering - Yes - I am done with pool store and have joined the TFP movement :p .
Currently, I have my SWG at 100% with pump running 8 hours during the day. Water temp is 62-64. Outside temp ins 60s.

pH 7.2
FC .5
C.C. .5
Calcium 250
TA 130
CYA 30

I am thinking I need a tad more stabilizer? I have the liquid stabilizer …. may I use that?
Also wondering if my pH is a little low …

What should I do first?

Thank you in advance for your help.

I see many of my values are off by a bit but I just don't know exactly where to start …
 
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Re: SWG and cannot hold chlorine - TF100 results available

Your pH looks low for sure, I would go to poolmath and plug in your numbers, you probably have a significantly low CSI, though depends on how warm it is there in PA ;) If possible I would aerate to raise your pH somewhere in the 7.4-7.6 range.

I think they generally recommend a CYA of 70 or 80 with SWGs, so I would definitely add stabilizer - powder or liquid.
 
Re: SWG and cannot hold chlorine - TF100 results available

I think you should follow the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process correctly (with the SWG off) to make sure there is nothing in the water consuming the chlorine.

Then you will need to raise the CYA up some to better protect the FC the SWG is trying to make. You water may still be too cold for the SWG to be working well and they are not very good at raising the FC level anyway ... better at maintaining it.

The pH is fine for starting the SLAM where it is.
Ignore the TA for now.
Low CH does not really matter for a vinyl pool.
 

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Re: SWG and cannot hold chlorine - TF100 results available

I agree with jblizzle on your approach. I do want you to realize that CHLORINE is the most important thing you need in your pool. Everything else comes in second place.......get chlorine in your pool sooner rather than later then SLAM.
 
Re: SWG and cannot hold chlorine - TF100 results available

Ok - so I will SLAM and I feel as though I get how to do that …but duraleigh says get chlorine in the pool - How do you want me to do that and how much?

And then when do I SLAM?

Sorry - I need a hand hold but once I get that - I usually do well with stuff :)

Thanks
 
SLAM is the consensus. Is your SWG running?

But, to answer you question about how to add chlorine and how much. You can add bleach or liquid chlorine. How much is determined by knowing what your CYA level is, which is 30 and reading this chart, Chlorine CYA Chart, which says minimum FC is 2, target is 4 and shock is 12. What that means is that you should never, ever let your FC drop below 2 or algae will start to grow. You should target a level of 4 at all times, maybe even 6 until you understand what your average daily chlorine usage runs. When you do SLAM then you maintain FC at 12 during the SLAM.

Now, how much to bleach to add. Go to PoolMath enter your pool volume of 24,500, enter your current FC of 0.5, enter your target FC of 6, enter 8.25% or your chlorine percentage and hit calculate. It will tell you to add 203 oz of bleach. Then add 203 oz of bleach, circulate the water for 30 min and test to see if FC raised to 6. If you find that the result is consistently not matching Poolmath then your 24,500 gallons is probably off and you should adjust it.

Just to reemphasize that with CYA of 30 you should never let your FC drop below 2. So, when you do a test like above and see FC of .5 you need to run for a bleach bottle and add some so that algae doesn't start growing.

Maybe some Pool School will help, here are the basics.
TFPC for Beginners
ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry
 
Holy cow - at 830 this morning I put 450 oz of 8.25% into my 24500 gal crystal clear pool with a CYA of 30…

At 1130?
FC 1.0
CC 1.0

now what?
 
Sounds like you have algae growing in your pool consuming your chlorine and need to SLAM Your Pool

Your pool does not turn green right away when algae starts growing. It is really too late if the pool turns green. Now is the time to slam before algae takes over the pool and turns it green. The reason that algae is growing is because FC keeps dropping below the minimum. With FC at 1 algae is growing right now.
 
so i just added another 400 oz of 8.25% - I used pool math for 24500 gal FC 1.0 - and target of FC 12 - is that right? I am using the chart CYA chlorine chart for non SWG pools since my SWG is off. CYA is 30 … am I on the right track?
 
Hey, don't post much but have been lurking for a few years. I can see one of three possibilities.

1) Something is consuming the chlorine despite the appearance of the water, ie. an algae outbreak just barely held in check. Your elevated CC is concerning for this. I suspect the gang here will tell you to continue the SLAM. Add more bleach based on PoolMath numbers. Let it circulate for 30 minutes, and recheck. You may want to check your ladder and/or light niches for any algae that may be hiding. Brush the walls.

2) You have underestimated the size of your pool, and the amount of bleach you need to add is much higher than you are getting based on PoolMath.

3) Your bleach is old and not actually 8.25%. Some vets around here can figure out the manufacturing date if you post the code on the bottle. Is your bleach new, or was it sitting outside for a long time??
 
Sooo - I did the 400 oz of 8.25% at 1145. Values are now
FC 3.0
CC .5
ph 7.2
TA 110

To respond to matso - pool dimensions were put into CAD so I feel pretty good that the estimate is gallons is fairly accurate. The bleach i bought had a manufacturing date of March. Skimmer box had some stuff that was lurking so I brushed in there pretty good.

I am guessing I check again the FC tonight and maybe tomorrow morning? Do I leave my pump running all night?

Oh - I did find a local pool store that sell 12.5% chlorine in 2.5 gallons for $8.59 - wondering if I should use that if I need to SLAM again?


THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP!!!!

I kind of love being a chemist :p
 

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