Thought it was the Cell. Its not the Cell. Chlorine is 0

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BrianWithAY

Well-known member
Apr 17, 2021
47
Dallas
Salt 3864
Chlorine 0
PH 7.2
Alk 70
Calcium Hardness 400
CyA 35

20,000 Gallons. Salt, Dallas Texas

Green algae forming. Chlorine consistently 0
I assume the cell has died but I put it in a bucket of pool water and it bubbles, smokes and smells strongly of chlorine.

If the salt cell is working and the CYA is OK. what are some other reasons that my Chlorine might be 0?
I shock it and after a few days, it is back to 0
Pump runs ~8 hours a day.
 
BrianWithAY said:
Not sure I follow.
Does algae destroy chlorine?
Click to expand...
It’s more accurate to say chlorine is somewhat of a kamikaze in that as it kills algae it’s consumed in the process. Once you see green emerging, it indicates the algae is reproducing at a high rate, which means the chlorine is low or gone.

If you follow the TFP process with one of the TFP recommended test kits, you don’t need to shock your pool as you’ll be keeping just the right amount of chlorine in the water at all times. Once you get rid of the algae with the above process, it’ll be way easier to maintain.
 
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Brian,

In the DFW area, a saltwater pools needs a CYA of 70 or so.. Having low CYA will allow the sun to quickly consume all of your FC (Chlorine). Running 8 hours a day will not hack it.

I suspect that you have algae because you are trying to keep your FC at 1 or 2 ppm. :(

If you maintain the proper FC level, you will never have to add another bag of pool store shock to your pool.

Once you can see algae, your need to either do a SLAM or drain your pool and start over.

Water is pretty cheap in the DFW area and Liquid Chlorine has gone way up.. If I were in your shoes, I'd check with the City and see which costs less, a SLAM or a drain and refill.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
You need to do the
SLAM Process with liquid chlorine to eradicate the algae. As @mknauss mentioned a swcg cannot overcome an algae problem.
Your ch is high enough - not sure what “shock” product you’re using but if its cal hypo it is adding more calcium.
It much easier to slam at lower cya levels.
Your cya is rounded up to 40 so your slam fc level to maintain is 16ppm.
FC/CYA Levels
After completing the slam you would then want to increase your cya as Jim mentioned to help protect the fc your swcg makes from the sun & prevents you from accidentally dipping below minimum.
What swcg do you have?
 
If that is the SWCG you have, you need to be running your pump 24 hours per day with the SWCG set at 80% give or take.
 
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So I went to the SLAM calc and It just says slam level 20. What do I do with that info?
Also here is my pool. I am not sure I would classify this as green or cloudy. It just has some algae.

My choices are:
Maintain my pool using liquid chlorine
Maintain my pool using a saltwater chlorine generator
SLAM my cloudy or green swimming pool

There is no option for Traces of algae but otherwise clear.


20230714_165951.jpg20230714_170022.jpg


Today:
Salt - 3700
Free Ch 1.2
Total Ch 1.2
Ph - 7.2
TA - 80
CYA - 50
Hardness 390

Is there a problem with that salt cell that I need to run it 24/7 @ 80%?
 

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BrianWithAY said:
So I went to the SLAM calc and It just says slam level 20. What do I do with that info?
Also here is my pool. I am not sure I would classify this as green or cloudy. It just has some algae.

My choices are:
Maintain my pool using liquid chlorine
Maintain my pool using a saltwater chlorine generator
SLAM my cloudy or green swimming pool

There is no option for Traces of algae but otherwise clear.


View attachment 513661View attachment 513662


Today:
Salt - 3700
Free Ch 1.2
Total Ch 1.2
Ph - 7.2
TA - 80
CYA - 50
Hardness 390

Is there a problem with that salt cell that I need to run it 24/7 @ 80%?
Click to expand...
Marty means your SWCG is too small for your pool. It’s a common mistake builder make by thinking the rating on the device matches the gallons of water in the pool. It should really be rated for twice the pool size.

You have algae growing and if your Free Chlorine number came from one of Taylor’s test kits, it’s way too low and would explain the algae. You can keep chlorinating with your SWG but you’ll need to get rid of the algae first, which is what the SLAM process does.
 
Any algae = algae. It doesn't matter if the water is cloudy or fluorescent green.

You need to SLAM to get rid of the algae and then you can keep it away using the SWG.

There's really no other option that this website will recommend...because we all know it works ( tens of thousands of us).
 
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Visible algae (whether its a little or alot)= SLAM time

Raise your fc to 20ppm & follow the instructions in this article—> SLAM Process
Use PoolMath to calculate amounts.
The sooner you begin the sooner your algae problem will be resolved.

The “problem” with your cell is that it is undersized for your pool volume so you must run it longer to produce the necessary amount of chlorine your pool needs each day. (The gallon ratings of cells are based on running them 24/7 @100%) This is why we recommend one rated for at least 2x’s your pool’s volume.
When it is time to replace your cell you should get one rated for 40k gallons. (T15 or equivalent) this will enable you to run it much less.
After the Slam is completed (you’ve passed all three end of slam criteria)
you need to adjust the swcg to produce enough to maintain target 🎯 fc levels
FC/CYA Levels
& increase your cya to around 70 help protect more of the fc the cell produces from the sun. This will prevent falling below minimum to prevent algae & the need to SLAM in the future.
As Marty mentioned that looks like around 70-80% 24/7 for that cell in your pool volume for this time of year in hot sunny texas. The average fc loss in an algae free pool is around 2-5ppm give or take depending upon conditions/seasons.
IMG_6849.png
 
One correction. I went to get the model number of my SWG and it looks like I misspoke. This is the one I have which says it is for 40,000 gallons.

Screenshot_20230715_080244_Chrome.jpg

So what I would like to know is how much should I be running this given my setup?


Question number two, I've read the page and watch the video I'm unsure of how much liquid chlorine I need to buy for this process. I'm just seeing enough to get my PPM to 20 but I don't know if that's 50 bottles or three bottles.
 
BrianWithAY said:
One correction. I went to get the model number of my SWG and it looks like I misspoke. This is the one I have which says it is for 40,000 gallons.

View attachment 513784

So what I would like to know is how much should I be running this given my setup?


Question number two, I've read the page and watch the video I'm unsure of how much liquid chlorine I need to buy for this process. I'm just seeing enough to get my PPM to 20 but I don't know if that's 50 bottles or three bottles.
Click to expand...
Question 2 can be calculated using pool math. 1 gallon of 10% will raise your FC level by 5ppm. So you’de need 4 gallons to to get there from 0ppm. But it’s hard to say how much you’ll need to maintain it at that level until the algae is gone. I’d keep a couple gallons on hand for the first few days as you continue testing and checking. You’ll get a feel for what’s ahead of you. It’ll eat a lot of chlorine at first.
8888ACC3-3F8A-477A-BB3B-CD97414F766E.jpeg
 
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That’s great news about your cell!
Should be about 1.47 #/day output.
So about 10 hrs run time @100% in the peak of summer once your algae problem is resolved.
IMG_6852.png
Use
PoolMath effects of adding in the hamburger menu for all these calculations
 
BrianWithAY said:
Question number two, I've read the page and watch the video I'm unsure of how much liquid chlorine I need to buy for this process. I'm just seeing enough to get my PPM to 20 but I don't know if that's 50 bottles or three bottles.
Click to expand...
For a 20K pool, I'd get 15 gallons to start. You can always return it.
 
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