Chlorine keeps coming out of solution

[Tom18202]

Hello All,

I live in massachusetts and opened my above ground pool two weekends ago and have been having trouble ever since. My water parameters are as follows.

My pool keeps telling me that I have no Chlorine so I shock my pool. I have tried Calcium Hypochlorite powder(Leslie's Power Powder Plus) and it does not dissolve within my pool and just sinks to the bottom. At first i took a few days of brushing it up but nothing so i had to vacuum to waste to get rid of it. However my FC/TC stayed low so i tried dissolving the Calcium Hypochlorite powder in water before adding to my pool but yet again within hours it was out of solution on the bottom of the pool, leading to vacuuming it to waste. This morning i tried to use liquid sodium hypochlorite and when i came home it was 3 hours later it was all out of solution on the bottom of my pool and had to vacuum to waste again. I did add a gallon of this (https://lesliespool.com/leslies-ins...7e1n8LL3o85gxtHjIBqCDyD2Xn73c_ZYaAnErEALw_wcB) to try to raise CyA.

I will say i use the test strips and my Chlorine levels look high so I am not sure if the LPS's water tester is broken for chlorine levels as I have no idea why my readings are low but the chlorine keeps coming out of solution. any help would be greatly appreciated



pH - 7.7
Alk - 106 ppm
CyA - 10 ppm
FAC - 0.2 ppm
TAC - 0.4 ppm
Hardness - 350 ppm

24 ft round above ground pool. 15,000 gallon Hayward DE filter with pump.

 

[Bperry]

Hello All,

I live in massachusetts and opened my above ground pool two weekends ago and have been having trouble ever since. My water parameters are as follows.

My pool keeps telling me that I have no Chlorine so I shock my pool. I have tried Calcium Hypochlorite powder(Leslie's Power Powder Plus) and it does not dissolve within my pool and just sinks to the bottom. At first i took a few days of brushing it up but nothing so i had to vacuum to waste to get rid of it. However my FC/TC stayed low so i tried dissolving the Calcium Hypochlorite powder in water before adding to my pool but yet again within hours it was out of solution on the bottom of the pool, leading to vacuuming it to waste. This morning i tried to use liquid sodium hypochlorite and when i came home it was 3 hours later it was all out of solution on the bottom of my pool and had to vacuum to waste again. I did add a gallon of this (https://lesliespool.com/leslies-instant-pool-water-conditioner-plus-1-gallon/12323.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign={19633443798}&utm_content={146627513038}_{646800927296}&utm_term={}&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxqayBhDFARIsAANWRnTXwL6TaVyhOugzF04BJBg7e1n8LL3o85gxtHjIBqCDyD2Xn73c_ZYaAnErEALw_wcB) to try to raise CyA.

I will say i use the test strips and my Chlorine levels look high so I am not sure if the LPS's water tester is broken for chlorine levels as I have no idea why my readings are low but the chlorine keeps coming out of solution. any help would be greatly appreciated



pH - 7.7
Alk - 106 ppm
CyA - 10 ppm
FAC - 0.2 ppm
TAC - 0.4 ppm
Hardness - 350 ppm

24 ft round above ground pool. 15,000 gallon Hayward DE filter with pump.

Welcome! Pool store testing is somewhat of a joke around here as youve found out. Heres a link to teo test kits TFP recommends and why.

Swimming Pool Test Kits Compared

What pool test kit should I buy? Why shouldn't I use test strips? Our recommended test kits will pay for themselves in no time!

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Donldson]

Chlorine does not come out of solution in a pool. Whatever you are seeing, it's not that.

 

[Tom18202]

Welcome! Pool store testing is somewhat of a joke around here as youve found out. Heres a link to teo test kits TFP recommends and why.

Swimming Pool Test Kits Compared

What pool test kit should I buy? Why shouldn't I use test strips? Our recommended test kits will pay for themselves in no time!

www.troublefreepool.com

I usually use this (Taylor Technologies K-2005 Pool Test Kit) but i am out of drops so had to settle on LPS.

With that Is the assumption that the LPS is just wrong my TC/FC are higher then they are reading at? or is there something else going on?

 

[Tom18202]

Chlorine does not come out of solution in a pool. Whatever you are seeing, it's not that.

So what could it be? The only time i end up with white powder on the bottom of my pool is after i shock my pool. I vacuum it out and there is nothing for a few days until i add sodium hypochlorite at which point i end up with white powder on the bottom again.

Now it might not be chlorine but I assume it is a side effect of the addition of "chlorine" and is sodium/calcium/something coming out of solution.

 

[Donldson]

So what could it be?

Without real test results I cannot tell you what it is. I can only point out that sodium hypochlorite coming out of solution in a pool is impossible.

 

[ajw22]

White powder could be dead algae from the chlorine doing its job.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Calcium hypochlorite shock is know to cause temporary cloudiness and then calcium scale as it is not 100% hypochlorite but a mixture of cal hypo as well as other caustic compounds. Use of cal hypo will strongly raise the pH of the water. So, along with dead algae you could also be seeing fine calcium scale. It’s impossible to know without good test results and following the procedure for performing an overnight chlorine loss test (OCLT) to determine if there is algae in the water.

 

[Tom18202]

Calcium hypochlorite shock is know to cause temporary cloudiness and then calcium scale as it is not 100% hypochlorite but a mixture of cal hypo as well as other caustic compounds. Use of cal hypo will strongly raise the pH of the water. So, along with dead algae you could also be seeing fine calcium scale. It’s impossible to know without good test results and following the procedure for performing an overnight chlorine loss test (OCLT) to determine if there is algae in the water.

Hmm/ this does seem like it could be the case(again I know this is a bogus test done by LPS to seem chemicals). but per LPS my phosphates are very high and i have notices a mild slick-like feeling on the pool wall (Vinyl liner) (I assume algae) so potentially by shocking it is killing all of that and instead of getting into the filter it is sinking to the bottom of the pool and being vacuumed out.

Just seems very strange I have this much algae in my pool and not see anything(water is crystal clear).

 

[ajw22]

Clear water can have lots of algae and your chlorine kill rate is equal to the algae replication rate so it just continues to be hidden and not bloom into a green swamp.

 

[Tom18202]

Clear water can have lots of algae and your chlorine kill rate is equal to the algae replication rate so it just continues to be hidden and not bloom into a green swamp.

That makes a lot of sense. I assume i just have to keep "Superchlorinating" my pool over night and vacuuming out the "white powder/dead algae the next day until my (OCLT) drops by </= 0.5ppm?

 

[ajw22]

If you fail the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test you should follow the SLAM Process step by step without shortcuts.

 

[Tom18202]

Tonight I look like I am at 3ppm of FC and 3ppm of TC also see picture of white junk at bottom of pool. This is my filter sock from last 24 hours seems like lots of pollen.