No chlorine

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You can SLAM and work, it's just a little harder ;-). In the beginning I would test as soon as I woke up, add bleach according to pool math, rest again before I left for work, take FC up to mustard shock level before leaving,. When I got home I tried to be diligent about testing every hour in the beginning. When I want home, I set pool to recirculate since I couldn't babysit the filter.

Be sure to brush daily and backwash as needed.

Good luck! You're on the right track and I promise you won't regret the time and effort.


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Wirthlin, welcome to the forum :wave:

Sorry for all the trouble you're having but right now you are having the worst of it. Once you get past this initial problem and complete the SLAM you'll be a happy pool owner and you won't need to visit a pool store unless they have a great deal on liquid chlorine or you need a new floating lounge.

If you have ammonia it's going to be expensive in gallons of bleach to cure it but it's a rare occurance. I've had it once and it feels like you're tossing bleach down the drain. You have a great test kit so that's half the battle. Now it's just a matter of having patience and following the advice you're getting. Soon you'll have clean, clear water.
There are test kits for ammonia that you can get at most pet stores. Just an example, haven't used this: API Ammonia Test Kit - Freshwater/Saltwater
 
Aimee I know! BUT we just had another one where they had a CYA reading and it ended up being ammonia. They have just now cleared it up. I think they tested with a fish tank kit and they were at 6 for ammonia! OUCH!

Kim
 
you are battling water chemistry issues, so if you've been running the pump 24/7 for the past few days and the pump/filter/pipes aren't showing any issues, there should be nothing that needs the attention of your Pool Builder.

I'm a bit confused by the timeline because usually folks won't get ammonia problems before their pool builder has even signed off on everything.
 
Well, the pet store was closed by the time my kids swim meet was over tonight, so I wasn't able to get an ammonia test. But, I did pick up 121 oz of 8% clorox. I tested my chlorine before I put it in and both my FC and CC were ZERO. I put the entire jug in. I tested my water 30 mins later. My FC was 1 and my CC was 1.5.

So I am obviously fighting something and need to commit to a SLAM. I am not sure if you can tell by the above test whether my ammonia is high, but I plan on picking up an ammonia test tomorrow. I am in Houston and we are expecting a tropical storm to come through during the next day or two, so I may wait to begin my SLAM until that clears out.

A couple of other questions:

1. Is it bad to put the chlorine directly into the skimmer with the pump on (I figured this would disperse the chlorine faster)? I know the SLAM article suggests putting the chlorine in at the returns.

2. If i put my chlorine in at the returns how long does it take for the chlorine to disperse sufficiently to allow for testing?

3. What happens to the CC? Does the algae eventually consume this as well?

Thanks all. I plan on finding a lot of the cheapest chlorine I can find and doing a full blown SLAM in the next day or two.
 

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Hello Wirthlin, I'm the one who brought up the possibility of ammonia, so if that's not it, that's on me, not Kim. When you mentioned not having settled with PB yet, that made me realize that your water must be pretty fresh. So I may have taken the conversation in the wrong direction.

Someone will hopefully comment on your latest readings, since you held at least 1 FC, that may tell them something.
 
wirthlin said:
Well, the pet store was closed by the time my kids swim meet was over tonight, so I wasn't able to get an ammonia test. But, I did pick up 121 oz of 8% clorox. I tested my chlorine before I put it in and both my FC and CC were ZERO. I put the entire jug in. I tested my water 30 mins later. My FC was 1 and my CC was 1.5.

So I am obviously fighting something and need to commit to a SLAM. I am not sure if you can tell by the above test whether my ammonia is high, but I plan on picking up an ammonia test tomorrow. I am in Houston and we are expecting a tropical storm to come through during the next day or two, so I may wait to begin my SLAM until that clears out.

A couple of other questions:

1. Is it bad to put the chlorine directly into the skimmer with the pump on (I figured this would disperse the chlorine faster)? I know the SLAM article suggests putting the chlorine in at the returns.

2. If i put my chlorine in at the returns how long does it take for the chlorine to disperse sufficiently to allow for testing?

3. What happens to the CC? Does the algae eventually consume this as well?

Thanks all. I plan on finding a lot of the cheapest chlorine I can find and doing a full blown SLAM in the next day or two.
Click to expand...

Whoops, lightening knock power off for a moment.

1 - No it's not good to add bleach or most any chemical, except CYA through skimmer
2 - usually 30 minutes after adding (I wait an hour ),again with the exception of adding stabilizer
3 - CC is consumed by FC and sunlight. that's why when slamming it takes so much at first FC is killing of the nasties AND CC

That's what is so great about this method, plain old 8.25 bleach keeps my pool happy now

Oh, and what I was going to add to the other post that must have got cut off, I am not an expert on ammonia problems, it just sounds like it could be.
 
Welcome to TFP Wirthlin! Your story sounds SO MUCH like my own - couldn't hold chlorine, water was clear, spent lots of $$ trying to fix the chlorine issue, the pool store kept telling me phosphates, etc. So similar!!

I committed on 6/10 to starting the SLAM process. My CYA = 50, so I went through the bleach! You'll soon find that the Great Value bleach at Walmart (8.25%) is your fighting friend for the pool. I usually bought a minimum of 6 gallons or so to have on hand so I didn't have the pressure of running out of bleach when I needed it. I too work - sometimes long days - that was the SLAM part that was difficult for me. There were 2 days that I asked to take a longer lunch so I could run home to test the pool. I also "trained" my SIL what to do, but I didn't need her to fill in afterall. However, I'd get up early and try to get the water tested, chlorine added, wait 1/2 hour to an hour to re-test before heading off to work. Even though my SLAM FC level was 20, I would take it as high as 28 to allow me a buffer, knowing the level was going to drop before I would get home, but I didn't want it to drop significantly below 20. As soon as I got home, I was re-testing the water to see where the FC was so I could again add the necessary chlorine to get it to shock level. I always tested again after sunset. I would also advise you to get a notebook to log information. This has been such a helpful tool for me. After a couple tests, everything just blurs together and I quickly forgot where the FC was "x" number of hours ago. Also, it gave me a means to see where I was heading and that there was improvement along the way. The PoolMath calculator will also become your best friend. Using that tool is imperative to know how much chlorine and other chemicals (if any) need to be added.

I am officially finished with my SLAM this morning!! Passed the OCLT with 0 FC loss overnight!

Hang in there ... your chlorine issue will get resolved. You may have a moment of frustration or two along the way. You may get asked, "How many more gallons of bleach are you going to buy?!" (that was my husband), but it'll be worth it when you have the confidence that there's nothing lurking in the water.;)

Keep us posted along the way. There are a lot of people on this forum that are very helpful and knowledgeable. You won't get led astray!
 
Yeah what JK said!

Please only pour in front of the return. You do not want anything going through the pump. It could cause damage. Better to get it all into the water.

You can test in as little as 15 mins if your pump is on high but 30 is the best to make sure it is mixed in good.

The CC is the "bad" stuff. Your bleach will get rid of it.

Your CC being higher than your FC is what is really pointing at something being in your water.

I hope this helps.

Kim
 
Okay, I got an ammonia test from the pet store and the test came back negative...no ammonia. Good to know.

It is still raining here is Houston with Tropical Storm Bill, but I just couldn't wait any longer to begin my SLAM:

Here were my initial numbers

FC 0
CC 0
CYA 35
TA 90
CH 350
pH 7.2

I followed the Pool Math and put in 4.5 - 121oz jugs of 8.25% bleach. I waited a half hour (530 PM) and these were my FC and CC numbers

FC 15
CC 1

Pretty much nailed my goal of 14 FC. I will test again in an hour and adjust. After that I will be away for several hours, so hopefully I can hold it while I am gone.

Again, thanks for all the advise and help.
 
kimkats said:
At least we know that is just a need to SLAM and clear "something" from the pool. Once you get it where it will hold FC overnight you will know you have beat it!

Kim
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone. I am sure you all want to see my minute by minute chlorine numbers;), but I won't bore you with the details.

I think I am well on my way.

Test as often as I can. Keep it as close to shock FC. Once I can hold FC I should be good.

I will check back in if I have any issues.
 
wirthlin said:
Thanks everyone. I am sure you all want to see my minute by minute chlorine numbers;), but I won't bore you with the details.

I think I am well on my way.

Test as often as I can. Keep it as close to shock FC. Once I can hold FC I should be good.

I will check back in if I have any issues.
Click to expand...

Your going great now. Just be sure to post Kim a finished pic. ;)
 

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