Different protocol needed to maintain balance in Phoenix, AZ..?

[Floop]

I live in Phoenix AZ where it's been 110-118 degrees for over a month now (and ususally no cloud cover whatsoever). It's been tough to maintain chlorine balance in the pool unless I add significant chlorine every day. Pool is 11,000 gallons and gets almost no shade (btw not saltwater). My main question is -- what can I do to stretch maintenance to every other day?

-- CYA currently around 42 (from Leslie's); I clock it more around 50
-- pH, alkalinity, CC all stable
-- FAS-DPD is testing as follows, using yesterday and today as an example:
-- Monday 9:30a -- 2.5 / recommended chl is 5-9 / added 91oz to reach 9
10a - 9
12p - 6.5
2p - 4.5
4p - 4
8p - 2.5
Tuesday 9a - 2 (I forgot to test right at sunrise but I kind of assume it was probably around 2.5 at sunrise)

So unless the pool has organisms with invisibility cloaks, I'm pretty sure the water is clear. I could raise my CYA a little, but that doesn't always turn out right. Any suggestions or am I just going to have to add chl every day...? Thanks for any help!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome (officially) to TFP! I would do the following:
1. Stop going to Leslies. You have the FAS-DPD which is great, so just test your own water with a TF-Series test kit (link in my signature) or Taylor K-2006C. That's a must.
2. Do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to ensure you don't have an excessive organic demand.
3. If you pass the OCLT, increase the CYA to at least 50. When I was adding liquid each day, I kept my CYA at 60-70 due to the intense sun.
4. Yes - add liquid chlorine each day. The only way around that is to invest in a Salt Water Generator. Great investment by the way,

More info at Pool Care Basics

 

[Floop]

Thanks for the reply!

-- I only went to Leslie's (I hate going there) to confirm my CYA after draining the pool, otherwise I use the test kit everyone uses here
-- My oclt numbers were 2.5 last night and 2 this morning (but my a.m. is probably actually 2.5 bc I didn't test until 9am this morning (rather than before sunrise)

It looks like I will have to keep adding every day; it's weird bc last summer I could usually do every other day but granted this year is the hottest in history here. I will try slightly adjusting my CYA and see if that helps.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

That's a significant daily FC loss. I would raise FC up to target level before sunset, test after sunset and then before sunrise. Confirm your OCLT is valid before you raise your CYA level.

 

[Floop]

That's what I thought - wayyyy too much loss! I calculated that at this rate of loss it'd cost about $150/month in chlorine. And I'm petite so it's already a pain to get chlorine - let alone at this rate!

I will do the evening test as you suggested.

Thanks so much!

 

[Floop]

As suggested, I added chl yesterday evening (vs ususally in morning). At 8pm it was at 5.5 and at 6:30am it was at 5. So exactly like the OCLT test I wrote about in original post - a .5 loss of chl.

For other people who live in 110-118 degree climates -- how much liq chl are you adding every day?

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

That's good news. Does your pool get a lot of use? A smaller pool is gonna lose more FC to bather load and other organics than a larger pool.

 

[Floop]

It really doesn't get much use. It's definitely a smaller pool at 11,000g. It's behaving very badly!

 

[cledee]

Thanks for the reply!

-- I only went to Leslie's (I hate going there) to confirm my CYA after draining the pool, otherwise I use the test kit everyone uses here
-- My oclt numbers were 2.5 last night and 2 this morning (but my a.m. is probably actually 2.5 bc I didn't test until 9am this morning (rather than before sunrise)

It looks like I will have to keep adding every day; it's weird bc last summer I could usually do every other day but granted this year is the hottest in history here. I will try slightly adjusting my CYA and see if that helps.

The CYA test is the one the pool store gets wrong the most. Don't believe me? Bring a sample to 3 different stores and watch as the number will differ in each store and not close either, off by 30ppm to over 100ppm.
You are better off testing the CYA yourself 2, 3 times or more if necessary if you need confirmation.

 

[The Sarge]

It really doesn't get much use. It's definitely a smaller pool at 11,000g. It's behaving very badly!

I'm losing about 1-2 ppm a day @ 45 cya, with the heat in Texas. Just have to keep adding until this heat subsides.

 

[reggiehammond]

You really should move away from liquid chlorine to a salt water chlorine generator. Once installed, you can raise CYA to 80 which is paramount to FC retention in full sun.

 

[Floop]

Wow -- those varying CYA results don't surprise me about Leslie's! Whenever I drain the pool, I always feel compelled to test CYA at Leslie's to see if we're in the same ballpark. I think I do it bc CYA makes me nervous lol -- it can be such a fine line btwn too high, just right, and too low. I do often test my CYA results 2-3x bc I do get variability -- but based what you said I'll rely on my own results going forward.

I'll assess things for a few days and possibly play with CYA a bit and post results.

Thank you for all your replies -- so helpful!

 

[mknauss]

For other people who live in 110-118 degree climates -- how much liq chl are you adding every day?

My SWCG adds 4.1 ppm FC per day right now. I had it at 4.9 ppm FC for a period in July when we had the very severe UV period (and up to 120F temperatures). As we get later in to August, I will start ratcheting down the FC generation as the UV decreases quite rapidly as the sun angle changes.