Opening Pool - Very High Free Chlorine

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Tested FC, pH and CYA again. FC now at 7, Started at about 8 this morning (about 5 hours ago) and it is a sunny hot day, so current reading seems about right.

Using CYA testing procedure in post above I get CYA of 45. Did it twice....same result. Earlier I thought it was 30. Pool store said 40.

Using 45 CYA and referring to Chlorine /CYA Scale I will maintain FC reading of 6, so will start adding liquid chlorine if it drops to 6 by the end of the day.

pH is 7.2 Did not retest TA. Had 110 TA reading this morning. Same result at pool store. Started aerating to bring up pH rather than adding Soda Ash.

Am I on the right path?
 
Sorry..... I replied before reading the advice above. Will do the OCLT test tonight and continue SLAM if FC drops by 1.0 or more. Still have plenty of liquid chlorine on hand. Filter is running about 6 PSI higher than starting PSI (32 > 38). Should I backwash filter, then leave it running overnight after I test for FC? pH currently at about 7.2 and I am aerating. Is that okay? Tonight I will run without aerating if advised to keep filter running. Thanks so much for the help.
 
So..... I am doing the OCLT test tonight. FC reading after sundown was 5. CC was < .5. (The test water was just slightly pink after adding R-0003 and cleared with one drop.

I did not add any chlorine to the pool. Will check at 6:00 am tomorrow and see what I get for FC and CC readings.

So..... if I get a reading of less than 4 on FC tomorrow morning I SLAM, right? If not, just add chlorine to bring it up to recommended level and continue filtering???

Will post first thing in the morning.
 
It is not possible to read a CYA of 45 as the vial used for the test is logarithmic. Test to each line. So your result of '45' is rounded up to 50.

Take care.
 
Question about SLAM method.... If I reach the desired shock level and test a few hours later and it has dropped, do I add more chlorine again (using Pool Math) to get it back to shock level right away?

- - - Updated - - -

Re: CYA Level..... so if I go past the 40 line and still see the dot, then I want to add enough of the sample to get to the 50 line and see if I still see the dot or not. Anything after 40 becomes at least 50. Is that right?
 
JPMorgan said:
Question about SLAM method.... If I reach the desired shock level and test a few hours later and it has dropped, do I add more chlorine again (using Pool Math) to get it back to shock level right away?
Yes.
Click to expand...
Re: CYA Level..... so if I go past the 40 line and still see the dot, then I want to add enough of the sample to get to the 50 line and see if I still see the dot or not. Anything after 40 becomes at least 50. Is that right?
Click to expand...

Yes. I simply fill to a line, glance, see the dot, fill to line, glance, etc until I no longer see the dot at a glance.
 
Here are my results from the OCLT Test
FC 5 (no change overnight)
CC <.5 (1 drop cleared the sample)
ph 7.3
TA 110
CH 240
CYA 50 (I can still see the dot at 50, but it disappears before I get to 40, so it is 50 right?)

The pool is still cloudy. I am attaching a photo. I can just barely see the main drain at the bottom of the pool.

So where do I go from here?

Bring FC back up to 6-7 range and maintain it there (based on CYA of 50) and continue filtering...... maybe add the Clear Aid clarifier that I picked up yesterday at pool store now that FC is at 5 (per product instructions) OR

SLAM again?

Thanks for your help!


Pool Pics 001.jpgPool Pics 002.jpg
 
JP, if I were you, I'd continue the SLAM. But reviewing your last few posts I see that you backed-off of the SLAM level of 16. I think you were under the assumption you SLAM'd previously before you got your FAS-DPD and all that cal-hypo. But your FC should have always been maintained at 16 (CYA of 40), or if you believe the CYA to be closer to 50, the FC should be 20. That's extremely important now and perhaps why the water is still cloudy. Clear water is one of the SLAM criteria. You've changed the swamp to blue, but that cloudiness should not be there, even though you passed the OCLT. The OCLT should be the last test once the water is crystal clear.

No need to add the clarifier, simply increase the FC and give the filter a little more time to process everything.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thanks again, TS. I have been adding a little fill water this morning, so will retest shortly to see if I have any changes, then SLAM. pH currently at 7.3. Should I add recommended soda ash to get to 7.5 before SLAM?

Also, per TFP Guidelines my CH is a little on the low side at 240. Would it make sense to SLAM with Cal Hypo to try to bring that up a bit?

Using PoolMath.... to get from 5 FC to 20 FC, I need to add about 3.5 bags (16 oz. bags) of 73% cal hypo. Have I got that right?

Finally, I am around all day so can check FC often. If I see it drop below 20, then I add more chlorine to get it back to 20 and keep doing that until water clears..... then repeat the OCLT?

Is all this correct? Thanks for all the help. Hopefully, next picture I send will be a crystal clear pool.
 
Should I add recommended soda ash to get to 7.5 before SLAM?
Click to expand...
No, you want the pH low before increasing the FC for a SLAM. PH should be between 7.2-7.4. Keep it in the orange. :) For the FC increasing during a SLAM, stick to regular/plain bleach. The cal-hypo is fine later once the SLAM is done and you're not in a hurry, but during a SLAM, there's just no beating the accuracy and speed of regular bleach. From here on, don't worry about anything else other than the FC and getting that water crystal clear. By maintaining the FC level properly, you should begin to see better results.
 
Starting now with the liquid chlorine. Thank you for the help with this.

Having a little bit of difficulty determining if CYA is 40 or 50. Can just BARELY see the dot if I get in the right position outside with the sun at my back and manipulate the tube around a bit. Am I trying to hard? Should I just use 50 and use the higher FC target for the SLAM? Thanks again.
 
Thanks, TS. This has been very helpful. Have owned a pool for 20 years and never knew what I was doing..... just got lucky most years, I guess. So glad I found this site!

So..... I dumped 2.6 gals of 12.5% in the pool about an hour ago.

Just took reading. FC at 15.... no CC. PoolMath says 3 more quarts (plus a cup) to get to 20. I should do that now, right?

Then I just keep testing every couple of hours and add more liquid chlorine to maintain FC of 20 until water is clear??? I keep it at 20 even if I have to do that for a few days until water is no longer cloudy, right?
 
I should do that now, right?
Click to expand...
Sorry, been away for a bit. Yes, bump the FC up and do your best to maintain that FC of 20 24/7 until you pass the 3 SLAM criteria. You have no CCs and passed an OCLT, so unless something weird should happen, you're just looking for clearer water. Hang in there. The tail end is usually the toughest trying to be patient. Stay with the brushing and stuff too.
 
Great. Just checked FC again after last addition.... about 17 now and 0 CC. Adding 2 more quarts now.... maybe a little more since it's pretty hot and sunny today.... and headed to the hardware store for more. You just anticipated my next questions, i.e., I am good now on 2 out of 3 OCLT Tests, so my goal is just to keep the FC at 20 until water starts to clear. Do I need to keep doing OCLT Test daily?
 
TS..... just started this new post (NEED HELP FAST), but not getting fast response so though I'd come back here and hope you can help.

I just screwed up bad. Meant to dump 3 qts of liquid chlorine in pool and grabbed the wrong bottle..... muriatic acid!!!!!. I am at about 17FC on my SLAM.... trying to get to 20.

Now I just hit the pH hard..... can't believe I did that!!!!!

What do I do to counteract all that muriatic acid. The pH test won't be accurate at high FC, right? What amount of Soda Ash should I put in to counteract and keep from ruining my equipment? Should I add it right away? pH was at 7.2 when I started SLAM.
 
I'm back to posting on this Thread now after my little incident with muriatic acid today. Continuing SLAM process....

Last reading:
FC 19.5
CC 0
pH 7.6 (when I tested a little earlier)
TA 120 (also when tested earlier)
Not paying too much attention to the pH and TA right now.... just focusing on keeping that FC at 20.

Will add a bit of liquid chlorine tonight to stay at 20... a little over a cup per PoolMath. Pool still cloudy. We'll see what it looks like in the morning!
Will check back then.

- - - Updated - - -

My wife says use flock to clear the cloudiness like we have in the past. Should I just tell her to stay out of it???
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply