Hello,
So, I have done a lot of research and there seems to be too many possible causes to the problem I am having. Like many others I am getting a 0 FAC reading, yet almost all of my others #'s are close to great. I cannot nail down an exact time at which this began to occur. My pool was installed 2 months ago. It's saltwater and I have the purechlor generator. Here are my #'s:
FAC - 0
TAC - .5
Salt - 3800
Hardness - 220
CYA - 70
Alk - 120
pH - 7.6
Copper - 0
Iron - 0
Phosphates - 500
Now, I realize that the PHO level is a bit high; but there is no visible algae and the pool is crystal. I just had these readings done today at the pool store , and was planning on going back tomorrow to buy some phosfree(I didn't buy it today because I thought I was given it with the other chemicals that came with the pool). I have shocked the pool twice in the last week with 1 gallon (each time) of star shock, which has 12.5% chlorine available. My filter runs 9 hours a day, and for about 7-10 days I have increased the chlorine output on the generator to level 6 (out of 8). About 4 weeks ago (July 12th) I bought a solar cover which has maintained a pool temp of around 88-92...............however on one occasion (around July 21st) the temp actually reached 100. As soon as I noticed that, I left the cover off of the pool for a few days. I feel that the chlorine problem has been going on since around a few days after the solar cover really started to work. Since that time I have also noticed on a couple of occasions that the pool felt a bit "slimy". I brushed it down with a good scrubbing and its been fine now for about a week. I vacuum the pool a few times a week with an automatic vacuum. I get little to no debris in the pool other than dirt as a result of the construction and wind. This is driving me nuts. I do not want to drain and restart anything because there are only about 4-5 weeks left in the season ( I live in NY with no pool heater).
I tried to be as thorough as possible. While there does not seem to be any current effect of the low chlorine, I know very little about pools and obviously want to get this solved. I also want to make sure that it is still safe to swim as I have young children. From what I understand, low chlorine is better than high chlorine; but I doubt that applies to NO chlorine.
Thank you and PLEASE advise
So, I have done a lot of research and there seems to be too many possible causes to the problem I am having. Like many others I am getting a 0 FAC reading, yet almost all of my others #'s are close to great. I cannot nail down an exact time at which this began to occur. My pool was installed 2 months ago. It's saltwater and I have the purechlor generator. Here are my #'s:
FAC - 0
TAC - .5
Salt - 3800
Hardness - 220
CYA - 70
Alk - 120
pH - 7.6
Copper - 0
Iron - 0
Phosphates - 500
Now, I realize that the PHO level is a bit high; but there is no visible algae and the pool is crystal. I just had these readings done today at the pool store , and was planning on going back tomorrow to buy some phosfree(I didn't buy it today because I thought I was given it with the other chemicals that came with the pool). I have shocked the pool twice in the last week with 1 gallon (each time) of star shock, which has 12.5% chlorine available. My filter runs 9 hours a day, and for about 7-10 days I have increased the chlorine output on the generator to level 6 (out of 8). About 4 weeks ago (July 12th) I bought a solar cover which has maintained a pool temp of around 88-92...............however on one occasion (around July 21st) the temp actually reached 100. As soon as I noticed that, I left the cover off of the pool for a few days. I feel that the chlorine problem has been going on since around a few days after the solar cover really started to work. Since that time I have also noticed on a couple of occasions that the pool felt a bit "slimy". I brushed it down with a good scrubbing and its been fine now for about a week. I vacuum the pool a few times a week with an automatic vacuum. I get little to no debris in the pool other than dirt as a result of the construction and wind. This is driving me nuts. I do not want to drain and restart anything because there are only about 4-5 weeks left in the season ( I live in NY with no pool heater).
I tried to be as thorough as possible. While there does not seem to be any current effect of the low chlorine, I know very little about pools and obviously want to get this solved. I also want to make sure that it is still safe to swim as I have young children. From what I understand, low chlorine is better than high chlorine; but I doubt that applies to NO chlorine.
Thank you and PLEASE advise