Maybe better to start a new thread since this was just your introduction... I checked back and thought you were having issues. If the water is crystal clear then you are golden and all you need to do really is raise your chlorine to around 9 (see this chart: Chlorine / CYA Chart - Trouble Free Pool) and never let it drop below 5. Make sure to at least check and add chlorine daily, pH weekly, and the other tests can be done monthly. If pool is crystal clear and no issues, the only thing wrong with your chemistry is that you are running your free chlorine too low and you are up there toward the MAX for CYA. So no more tablets or powdered chlorine. And you need to maintain your chlorine higher (target 9, never let fall below 5). I would honestly raise to 9 this evening when the sun goes down, then check again in the morning right before any sun hits the pool. If you had a drop of over 1ppm then you failed the test and need to SLAM: SLAM - Shock Level and Maintain - Trouble Free Pool
New pool “manager” in Louisiana
- Thread starter Jesusfreak
- Start date
To elaborate... I am asking you to perform the overnight chlorine loss test Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT) - Trouble Free Pool because I am concerned that since you need to never let your chlorine fall below 5 with a CYA of 70 (per the Chlorine/CYA chart) and you posted up a result of 3, you may have some slight water clarity issues or some algae growing somewhere in the pool. The only real way to know (if we can't visually see any issues) is to perform the overnight chlorine loss test. If you measure your chlorine at night and then again before sunlight hits in the morning, and your chlorine fell by more than 1ppm, we know there is something growing in your water that needs to be killed with a full on SLAM.
So, because the CYA is 70, I need to raise the FC from a 3.0 to a 9.0, as per chart?
What do I use, if not powder?
Please forgive me, but I just got off work and I have to go to sleep to go back tonight. I work 12 hour shifts. I may not see your reply until I wake up.
Thank you
What do I use, if not powder?
Please forgive me, but I just got off work and I have to go to sleep to go back tonight. I work 12 hour shifts. I may not see your reply until I wake up.
Thank you
Yes, you need to target 9 for your free chlorine when you are adding and never let your chlorine fall below 5.
Use liquid chlorine commonly available at pool stores, hardware stores (Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware), Wal-Mart. Etc. You are looking for liquid chlorine, liquid shock, sodium hypochlorite, bleach... whatever the store wants to call it. It comes in strengths of 6% (household bleach) or 10%-12.5% (pool products). Easiest to find is regular household bleach. Store brand is fine. Many users here go to WalMart and buy Great Value Cleaning Bleach for $2-3/gal. Just make sure whatever you use is not Clorox brand (has added stuff in the bleach) or scented and avoid low splash. You don't want anything other than regular basic bleach. Nothing fancy, no special features or additives.
You can do calculations in the Pool Math app (available for iOS, Windows, and Android). You put in the volume of your pool and your current results and what you want to target and it will tell you how much of each ingredient to add. For now, before you get the app installed and setup, here are some figures for you to work with:
For 26k gallons, to add 1ppm free chlorine you have to add ~50oz of 6% bleach or ~30oz of 10% bleach. So if you need to go from 3 to 9, you need 300oz of 6% which is about 2 and 1/3 gallons of household bleach.
Test your water this evening once the sun goes down, raise your chlorine to 9, wait 30 minutes, test again and confirm your value. Note that value. Test again in the morning before daylight. Note that value. If there is >1ppm difference overnight with no UV light hitting the pool, you have something growing in the water and need to SLAM the pool (Shock Level and Maintain)...basically what you know as shocking, but you hold your pool at shock level until you meet criteria to stop SLAMing.
Use liquid chlorine commonly available at pool stores, hardware stores (Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware), Wal-Mart. Etc. You are looking for liquid chlorine, liquid shock, sodium hypochlorite, bleach... whatever the store wants to call it. It comes in strengths of 6% (household bleach) or 10%-12.5% (pool products). Easiest to find is regular household bleach. Store brand is fine. Many users here go to WalMart and buy Great Value Cleaning Bleach for $2-3/gal. Just make sure whatever you use is not Clorox brand (has added stuff in the bleach) or scented and avoid low splash. You don't want anything other than regular basic bleach. Nothing fancy, no special features or additives.
You can do calculations in the Pool Math app (available for iOS, Windows, and Android). You put in the volume of your pool and your current results and what you want to target and it will tell you how much of each ingredient to add. For now, before you get the app installed and setup, here are some figures for you to work with:
For 26k gallons, to add 1ppm free chlorine you have to add ~50oz of 6% bleach or ~30oz of 10% bleach. So if you need to go from 3 to 9, you need 300oz of 6% which is about 2 and 1/3 gallons of household bleach.
Test your water this evening once the sun goes down, raise your chlorine to 9, wait 30 minutes, test again and confirm your value. Note that value. Test again in the morning before daylight. Note that value. If there is >1ppm difference overnight with no UV light hitting the pool, you have something growing in the water and need to SLAM the pool (Shock Level and Maintain)...basically what you know as shocking, but you hold your pool at shock level until you meet criteria to stop SLAMing.
Thank you for taking the time to explain this for me. I won’t be home this evening, so I’ll will definitely do this tomorrow evening.
Only the previously fired pool manager (my wife). She would have a fit if she knew I was taking advice from an online forum. I’m picking my battles. I, personally, absolutely love online forums! I’m already learning a lot, and look forward to learning more and being able to help others one day.
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I know this is off the current subject, but what is this for? My previous pool manager recently purchased it.
I just purchased the Walmart Pool Bleach (10%). Much cheaper to use than the 6%. I will be adding it this evening.
That is copper powder. DO NOT USE IT. It will add metals to the pool.... You know... Like the ones that showed up on your pool test results from the store.... Metals eventually fall out of solution and stain hair and pool surfaces. Avoid avoid avoid!! It works to control algae but causes a whole host of problems. Chlorine can do the same thing with no side effects.
Just added 256 oz of 10% bleach. My FC turned clear after (1) drop. Yikes!
Will check in thirty minutes.
Will check in thirty minutes.
If you are going through more than 4ppm per day then you need to run an overnight chlorine loss test to confirm no organics in the water requiring a SLAM.
www.troublefreepool.com
Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)
The Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tells if the SLAM is finished or if you need to start a SLAM. This article says how to do the OCLT.
www.troublefreepool.com
I am following the directions you posted a couple of days ago, above. I’m about to go check it now, and then @~6am.
FC was 3.0 on Tuesday morning. So it dropped 2.5 in two days of full sun.
Confirmed FC 9.0
FC was 3.0 on Tuesday morning. So it dropped 2.5 in two days of full sun.
Confirmed FC 9.0
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You will lose CYA when water leaves pool by being splashed out or you backwash your filter. Obviously if you use any form of chlorine with CYA that will add more back. A few parts per million per month. Maybe 1-5 ppm / month loss with no additions of CYA via tablets or granular.
Awesome. Now as long as your water remains clear and your combined chlorine is never above 0.5 you're good to go. Just keep your adjusting your chlorine level to 9 each night, check your pH weekly, and the other values monthly.
Thank you for all of your help! Does any of the CYA high levels have anything to do with my brown steps?