No FC or CC reading after adding Calcium Hardness increaser

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FlyingPirate

Member
Jul 15, 2021
9
Texas
Pool Size
30000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I'm a new pool owner and have a 30k gallon pool in the Dallas Texas area. I have been using the Taylor test kit to check levels for the last 6 months and have used the trouble free app to input levels to find what I need to add. A couple weeks ago I followed the apps advice and added 50lbs of calcium hardness increaser. Since then I have had a hard time getting any FC level in my results (maybe 0.2 FC at most). The FC is also a bit cloudy.


The water is a little milky but not significant. Below is my latest test after adding 2 gallons of 7.1percent bleach (again the apps recommendation) to get to about 5 FC.

I have thought about using the SLAM method but not sure it will help and don't want to waste all the chemicals.

Any tips?


Screenshot_20210715-141240.png
 
Welcome.

Milky and not being able to hold FC usually means algae.

I would get chlorine in there ASAP. In the Dallas area, you have tons of options for liquid chlorine. My favorite is Pool Essentials in Walmart, but Home Depot, Lowes, and even some Kroger stores have a small pool section with liquid chlorine.

If helpful, 1 gallon of 10% chlorinating liquid will add 3.3 FC to your pool. I would add 2.5 gallons to get your chlorine up to the correct levels ASAP before you get algae or see the existing algae take off.
 
Bleach will lose its potency over a period of months, especially if stored outside. Each bottle should have a manufacturer date on it, generally written as a julian date (year + #days into the year, so today is 21196).

Check to see if your bleach is fresh, as it may not be the strength you think it is if it is more than a few months old.

You could have algae that is eating up the chlorine as well, but if you are testing an hour later and still getting no reading I'm leaning towards old bleach. Also make sure your bleach is not scented, splashless, or Chlorox brand as those have additives you do not want in your pool.
 
Thank you. I did just pick up 8 gallons of Great Value (Walmart brand) non scented and not splashless bleach. Date is listed as 21167 so it's still fresh.

I never had any problems with FC until the addition of the hardness increaser.
Should I take it to Leslie's and see if they can get a reading to compare? Could the recent addition of the calcium hardness increaser cause abnormal test results?
 
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Thats good on the bleach. Since you were in walmart, I would suggest walking over to the pool section and getting the stronger Pool Essentials Chlorinating Liquid (10%) that you do not have to worry about any additives. All of the walmarts I have been in around here have hundreds of fresh bottles sitting there.
 
JJ_Tex said:
Thats good on the bleach. Since you were in walmart, I would suggest walking over to the pool section and getting the stronger Pool Essentials Chlorinating Liquid (10%) that you do not have to worry about any additives. All of the walmarts I have been in around here have hundreds of fresh bottles sitting there.
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Good to know! I just figured I couldn't find the good stuff.

It seems to be getting clearer as the day goes on. I have the pump running 24/7 right now Added another gallon of the bleach after I got a FC result of .5. I didn't get a CC reading though. I'm going to take my water to Leslie's just for comparison.
 
Don’t go to leslies (or any pool store for comparison). The results won’t be right and will just add doubt.

I assume your Taylor kit is the 2006, ie the chlorine test is a FAS dpd based test.
 

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So I'm trying different test methods because I can't quite figure out what's going. Here's what I did:

Took a sample of just pool water. 0.2 FC and 0 CC.

Took a sample of Tap water and tested which showed a FC of 1.0.

I then took a sample of the pool water and diluted it with some tap water 1:1. Then tested with the following results: 0.2 FC reading then a CC of 1.6. when I did the CC test the color would clear up then slowly turn pink add another drop of r-0003 and cleared up, that happened at least twice during the test. Could that be an indicator of the chlorine being used up?

The water is almost clear with just a hint of cloudiness.

Should I shock and SLAM or drain some? I'm at a loss.
 
FlyingPirate said:
when I did the CC test the color would clear up then slowly turn pink add another drop of r-0003 and cleared up, that happened at least twice during the test.
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Once the test clears the sample, that test is over. If you let the sample set, it will turn pink again, ignore that.
 
I haven't been able to get an FC reading during tests. I decided to start the process of SLAM the pool this morning. After lunch I tested and showed 0 again so I used the same amount of Chlorine to bring it back up.

Water is crystal clear now but can't get a CC level.

Is that normal?
 
Add enough liquid chlorine to reach 10 ppm FC. Circulate pool for 30 minutes and test FC. Report what you get.
 
mknauss said:
Add enough liquid chlorine to reach 10 ppm FC. Circulate pool for 30 minutes and test FC. Report what you get.
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I tested at 9.5 FC about 45 minutes later it's 9 FC still not CC. I'm sure some is sun loss. The pool is completely shaded for the rest of the night. I'll test again before bed and see where it's at.
 
Please fill out your signature. Include the test kit you are using. What CYA do you have? Sharing Poolmath logs really helps us with your chemistry issues.
 
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