What the heck is going on!? FC levels not adding up... So confused..

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Tbird320:

Let's backtrack:

8 p.m. 11.5
7:15 a.m. 10
7:30 p.m. 5

Given that you lost 6.5 ppm in one day, you could do the following now that your CYA is registering at 45 (SLAM at 50). Go one more day where you increase your FC levels up to SLAM. Test water 1 hour later and test for TC and CC. Do not add anymore and 24 hours later (exactly), test again for TC and CC to determine your total loss again (for the 24 hour period) at the new CYA level.

As a precaution, you may want to start the SLAM process for a few days and if water is clear, then perform the OCLT (overnight test). Please make sure you pass all 3 criteria before finishing the SLAM and allowing your levels to drop back down to normal levels. If you want to be on the safe side, perform the overnight test 2 days in a row.

At 50 CYA, your minimum is 4, Target is 6, and Shock Level is 20. If you are getting a 1.5 FC loss at 20 ppm, allow your levels to drift down to 15, or keep it at 15 and perform the overnight test again to determine if the overnight loss is around 1 ppm. Keep us posted.
 
Tbird, I agree with Catanzaro's latest recommendation to SLAM. Now that we know you have stabilizer in the water to provide protection from the sun, you are losing too much FC during the day. Your water may have been hit by the algae/organics when you had no CYA and/or little to no FC to keep it sanitized. It can happen very quickly. Ideally, you like for daily FC loss to be around 2-3ppm, maybe close to 4 in some areas, but more than that and something's wrong. A good SLAM as noted above will ensure you have no algae or organic material using-up your FC. Make sure though that before you spike the FC to that SLAM level you first reduce your pH to about 7.2. Once you start the SLAM, you won't be testing pH until the SLAM is over. Read the SLAM page (link below) carefully and follow everything it says. No shortcuts. It will work to purge your water of any organic material. Good luck!
 
Sure. Remember, you only lose FC to one of two things - the sun or algae. Now you have CYA and still lost a lot of FC, so it must be some organic material. Algae in its early stages can be quite sneaky. You can have organics in the water and not know it until one day your water goes cloudy or green almost overnight. You can also have organics when your CC reading is 0, and that confuses people sometimes. That's why the OLCT is so important, along with tracking how much FC you use each day due to the sun. The fact that your water is clear right now is a good sign in that hopefully you will knockout whatever is in there soon before you close for the season. Best to get it now rather than leave it in there all winter.
 
tbird2340 said:
Thanks for the replies.. I'm just surprised that I have to do all this being I have crystal clear water all year.. Is that normal if I have some type of algae or whatever in the pool?
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Please follow Texas Splash recommendation. The SLAM may be quick if you follow the procedures to a T. Clear water is better then green water.

Please keep track of everything, including time, readings, additions, amounts, etc. Take your time with the test and provide us daily results. Now, you are armed with a wealth of knowledge and moving forward you will be able to take care of the pool the TFP way. Yes, it is normal to have clear water and still have organics, algae, etc. Once you are done with the SLAM, you can always target a minimum of 1 ppm higher than normal, which has been proven to be 99.99% effective. The only real issue we see if someone follows the TFP methodology and stills runs into problems, is that they do not brush as often and possibly have circulation issues. Even with limited circulation, brushing and a properly chlorinated pool will do the trick as long as one is religious about brushing. Keep us posted!
 
To answer you pH question, I got this quote from one of Chem Geek's previous posts:
Adding chlorine raises the pH. Though it will come back down when the FC level drops, you don't want the pH to get too high because it can precipitate metals that can cause staining, can cause cloudiness from over-saturation of calcium carbonate, and at much higher pH the active chlorine level goes down significantly.
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- - - Updated - - -

Just better to manage it in advance.
 
tbird2340 said:
Just tested.. Levels are whacked now.. :(

FC: Sitting at around 5
CYA: Sitting at around 45
PH: Sitting at around 7.8/8.0

Now what?
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Ok, so I just tested my FC.. Been a nice sunny day.. I got FC around 4.. So only a loss of 1 in almost 24 hours..

PH still at 7.8/8.0.

Thoughts?

EDIT: Is it irrelevant since I'll be bringing my pool to SLAM level before closing it? As in, I still need to drop the PH to 7.2? That's really all I'm wondering.. Don't want to mess with that acid if I don't have to.. It.Is.Nasty!
 

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Unfortunately, it would be best to bring the pH down a bit. You're just too high for a SLAM or closing. I just did my acid treatment a few minutes ago. :) Just take care to not splash, stay upwind from the fumes. An FC loss of only 1 ppm is great. A huge difference from what was lost yesterday. I'm sure the CYA is helping. Were you planning on doing an OCLT tonight just to be sure everything is clear? Since it's best to do an OCLT at SLAM level anyways, you could raise the FC (after you do the acid) in preparation to perform the OCLT. Take the FC reading in darkness between bedtime and before sunrise to ensure there is no loss of FC that exceeds 1 ppm. From there, if you pass the OLCT, you could just begin closing if you are ready. Thoughts/questions?
 
Correct. Your most recent CYA test was 45 (rounded up to 50) which is an FC SLAM level of 20. So bring your FC to 20 right about now (nighttime). You can pour as much bleach as needed to elevate the FC to 20 based on the calculator, and let it mix for about 30 min. Confirm the FC level after the sun goes down, and test it one more time before the sun hits it in the morning. If you lost no more than 1 ppm of FC overnight, then you passed the OCLT and can prepare to close. If you lose more than 1 ppm overnight, then I would recommend holding the SLAM level until you pass.
 
Let's backtrack: 8 p.m. 11.5 7:15 a.m. 10 7:30 p.m. 5 TOTAL LOSS = 6.5 PPM FC in a 24 hour period.
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Ok, so I just tested my FC.. Been a nice sunny day.. I got FC around 4.. So only a loss of 1 in almost 24 hours.. PH still at 7.8/8.0. Thoughts?
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TBird:

One day, you have a loss of 6.5 ppm of FC in a 24 hour period. The next day, you only lost 1 ppm. FC in a 24 hour period. It appeared you made progress this day.

Added 290oz and just tested after waiting 30 minutes.. FC = 17/17.5. This was at 9:18 p.m. last evening. This morning, at 6:52 a.m., you were at FC = 17
PH = 7.8.
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Please remember your PH will probably not be correct because of high FC levels. It appears that from last night to this morning, you have not lost any FC? Have you tested CC? Important as well. This, I believe is the 3rd day.

If possible, now that you are at 17, did you bring your FC up to SLAM level today? Then later on this evening, please test again and post results. It is important to know how much you loose in FC during the daylight hours. Then add enough bleach to bring up to SLAM level, test and in the morning perform the overnight test. The more frequent you perform the testing, the better as you will have a better understanding of your pool. Please keep us posted. !
 

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