How to startup with new saltwater chlorine generator.

[jblizzle]

Have you passed the 3 criteria to stop?
From what i have read, you have not even started the shock process yet.

You CC are still too high and you have never reported even reaching the FC shock level.

 

[oneyellowbird]

Jason-

Am I missing something here?

Your quote "From what i have read, you have not even started the shock process yet."

I've done 5 shocks with a total of 25 1/2 gallons of (12+%) liquid chlorine in the past 24 hrs. My water is clear. I'm unable to measure an increase or hold FC. Do I just continue to pour gallons (and $) of chlorine in the pool to try to get a reading? Is my test kit at fault? Is there something wrong with this pool water I'm unable to hold chlorine? From my earlier post, my CC level is all over the place ranging from 1.0 to 7.0 in the past 24 hrs. Is that to be expected?

I'm frustrated.

 

[jblizzle]

There is something in your pool if you can not elevate the FC. Review the shock PROCESS for the 3 criteria to know when to stop. You have not passed 2 of them yet.

You have sort of started the shock process, but you are not following the instructions correctly yet.

 

[oneyellowbird]

There IS something in my pool that doesn't allow me to hold FC.

After the six shocks (25 gal of 12.5% liquid chlorine), I went to two pool stores and they both told me the same thing. The reason I cannot get the FC reading is I have high nitrates (40 ppm) and high phosphates (500 ppm) and the chlorine shocks will not increase or hold FC with both high nitrates and phosphates.

The only way to reduce the nitrates is drain the pool 50 - 60% or do a partial replacement of water over time. I'm on a well system and I don't want to truck in water. They said if I remove the phosphates (Sea Clear Phosphate Remover), and increase the SWG output to 100% for 24 hrs. I may be able to get a stable FC. I had the phosphate remover in storage so I applied a dose in the past 24 hrs. I had the phosphate level checked this afternoon and the reading was 200. They also have me adding Alkalinity Rise to increase my TA. In 24 hrs they will do another test to see what my numbers are.

My readings (after the shocks) / After 24 hr phosphate remover

FC 0.37 / 0.17
TC 1.55 / 0.93
CC 1.18 / 0.76
PH 6.9 / 6.9
CH 235 / 205
TA 44.1 / 39.3
CYA 93 / na
Nitrate 40 / na
Phosphate 500 / 200
Salt 3400 / 3770
The water is clear.

After spending $175 on liquid chlorine and after six shocks without a high FC reading, I'll try the phosphate removal approach. Any suggestions on dealing with phosphates and nitrates?

 

[jblizzle]

Phosphates and Nitrates have nothing to do with your problem ... they are just ways for the pool stores to make money.

You need to keep adding chlorine ... it is the cheapest most effective way to breakdown whatever is inhabiting your pool.

Please decide if you are going to follow the advice and methods we teach or the information you get at the pool stores. Going back and forth is just going to become confusing and waste everyone's time and your money.

 

[Richard320]

Jason-

Am I missing something here?

Your quote "From what i have read, you have not even started the shock process yet."

I've done 5 shocks with a total of 25 1/2 gallons of (12+%) liquid chlorine in the past 24 hrs. My water is clear. I'm unable to measure an increase or hold FC. Do I just continue to pour gallons (and $) of chlorine in the pool to try to get a reading? Is my test kit at fault? Is there something wrong with this pool water I'm unable to hold chlorine? From my earlier post, my CC level is all over the place ranging from 1.0 to 7.0 in the past 24 hrs. Is that to be expected?

I'm frustrated.

CC will be all over the place. When FC is high and it's killing algae, CC is produced. Sunlight burns off the CC. Sunlight also burns off FC. So if FC falls during the day, CC is not forming and what is, goes away. High FC at night should produce a lot of CC but then as FC is consumed, it slows, and when the sun hits, it starts to dissipate.

Sorry, 25 gallons is not all that much. People who get mean with their pool hit it every couple hours for days on end, never giving the algae a chance to grow back.

Is your filter still loading up? If that has slowed, you're making progress. Check out the pictures down near the bottom of this thread. first-time-shocking-with-bleach-t45074.html

 

[Butterfly]

Phosphates and Nitrates have nothing to do with your problem ... they are just ways for the pool stores to make money.

You need to keep adding chlorine ... it is the cheapest most effective way to breakdown whatever is inhabiting your pool.

Please decide if you are going to follow the advice and methods we teach or the information you get at the pool stores. Going back and forth is just going to become confusing and waste everyone's time and your money.

Yes, sir, what Jason said.

I urge you to follow the methods here, as they have been presented. But, if you choose to go with the pool store ideas, (based on what I have read) your pool will go green/unusuable and/or you will be asked to drain it!

Based on your comments, you want to keep the water that you have.
To do that, you have to get rid of the CC's. The best way to do that is to follow the shock process we have outlined in pool school.

The only way to reduce the nitrates is drain the pool 50 - 60% or do a partial replacement of water over time. I'm on a well system and I don't want to truck in water.

Nitrates ain't the problem, as they said. It's CC's.

I hope you choose to follow our method and then you will understand how to take care of your pool. btw, we do not recommend running the SWG at 100% at it wears out the cell.

You came to us for a "cure" to your problem. It may feel like dreaded "surgery", but your pool will be totally well after and you will be full of knowledge.

 

[oneyellowbird]

For the past two weeks I've been unable to spend much time on the pool and BBB and shocking process. We have also had a lot of rain on the East Coast the past 10 days and I've drained water several times.

I shocked multiple times (12.5% liquid chlorine) but have not been taking readings after shocking. I shocked yesterday evening and 24 hrs later these are my results:

TC 5+ (OTO test)
PH 7.7
FC 9.5
CC < 0.5
TA 95
CH 285
CYA 80
SALT 2780 ppm (AquaChek)

I have my salt generator running at 60%. I removed my PVC aerator last week.

My questions:

1. Do I turn off SWG for 24 hrs and add 117 lbs of salt (pool calculator) I have 80 lbs. on hand
2. Do I reduce SWG setting to 20% or 40% to reduce FC to 5 (chlorine/CYA chart)
3. Do I reattach my PVC aerator to reduce TA and lower PH (pool calculator).

Thanks.

 

[jblizzle]

So you appear to not yet have one of the Recommended Test Kits and are not following the Shocking Your Pool PROCESS.

What does the water look like?

1. You can. In fact leave the SWG off during the entire shock process (if your pool is not crystal clear)
2. Either lower the % or the pump run time
3. Aeration only raises pH ... that is it. You can then add acid which will lower the pH and TA. This is optional and up to you.

 

[MassNerd]

Yellowbird, I still don't think you are understanding what "shock" means. You haven't "shocked" your pool 6 times. Shocking isn't dumping a one time dose of chlorine into the pool. Shocking is a continuous process where you must hit you pool HARD with chlorine and keep it at the recommended FC levels until you have <0.5ppm CC, a sparkling clear pool and you pass the OCLT (overnight chlorine loss test). By tossing in a one time dose and walking away, yes you are wasting your money because you haven't killed what is in your pool, you only slow it down and then it grows back. As others have suggested, go back and read the shocking process in pool school carefully. You have to commit to the process and complete it otherwise its all a waste of time and money.

 

[cfclay]

I too just purchased an intex system. I'm still slamming, but once I'm done, basically add the salt, wait twenty four hours- then start the SWG? I'll read the instructions, but that's at least a synopsis?