I am running my pool pump from 9 AM to 9 PM. We are just trying to get our pool chlorine to stay at a maintenance level. We started with zero chlorine and are now using liquid chlorine per this forum. The bottle said to use the entire 128 ounce jug to shock the pool. That worked and registered on our Aqua strips but by the next morning the chlorine level is back to 0 to 0.5 ppm. the back of the chlorine bottle says to run the pump at night. How come we have to put in a gallon of chlorine a day to keep our levels up? I am in central Texas and I guess I need to know should I run my pump during the day or the night and how come it takes so much liquid chlorine (1-2 gallons) to keep it into the one to 3 ppm range?
Chlorine problem
- Thread starter ChandlerInFBGTX
- Start date
Couple things:
1. The test strips are a waste of money and don’t accurately report anything of value. Get one of the two recommended test kits here: Swimming Pool Test Kits Compared
2. The amount of chlorine you needs depends on how much CYA is in the water. 3ppm is the bare minimum for most cases and is only if there is zero CYA in the water which wouldn’t be wise. You need to follow this chlorine/CYA ratio chart to know what the right levels are: The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship
3. The pool/sun/heat consume chlorine every day so you need to add chlorine back every day. It’s just the way it works. Most people get tired of that so switch to a salt chlorinator which adds the chlorine for you. Might be something to consider.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,831
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Also, if you started with zero you have certainly fallen below minimum for your cya
See—> FC/CYA Levels
So algae may be consuming your fc.
We need more details - pool volume & bleach strength to help you determine exact amounts.
The average algae free pool consumes roughly 2-4 ppm fc each day to give you some inclination.
An algae laden pool will consume much more than that.
We need to know more about your pool- What equipment you have etc. so please fill out your signature
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I suggest that you order a proper kit asap as the strips will steer you wrong. Taylor k2006C or tf100/pro are the only two we recommend.
Test Kits Compared
I can’t suggest for instance that you need cya based off those strips as they are often very wrong & the ranges are too broad. According to them you may have zero or 30 ppm or somewhere in between.
Until your kit comes add 5ppm worth of liquid chlorine each day using
PoolMath for calculations.
Nothing else.
Fwiw- It doesn’t matter if you run the pump during the day or the night. That’s up to you. You just need 30 minutes or so of the pump running to mix & distribute the chlorine you add.
How were you chlorinating the pool before?
See—> FC/CYA Levels
So algae may be consuming your fc.
We need more details - pool volume & bleach strength to help you determine exact amounts.
The average algae free pool consumes roughly 2-4 ppm fc each day to give you some inclination.
An algae laden pool will consume much more than that.
We need to know more about your pool- What equipment you have etc. so please fill out your signature
Create Your Signature - Further Reading
www.google.com
Test Kits Compared
I can’t suggest for instance that you need cya based off those strips as they are often very wrong & the ranges are too broad. According to them you may have zero or 30 ppm or somewhere in between.
Until your kit comes add 5ppm worth of liquid chlorine each day using
PoolMath for calculations.
Nothing else.
Fwiw- It doesn’t matter if you run the pump during the day or the night. That’s up to you. You just need 30 minutes or so of the pump running to mix & distribute the chlorine you add.
How were you chlorinating the pool before?
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I was using a Pentair 320 chlorinator.. it started to break and not dissolve the chlorine tabs so I rebuilt it and it still seems to not dissolve the tabs. So I read on here that liquid chlorine is the way to go.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,831
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
If you have been using trichlor tablets as your sole chlorine source I highly doubt your cya is 0.
Add the 5ppm of liquid chlorine each day until your kit comes in. This is not the cure - it’s just to keep the pool from getting out of hand until we have some good data to work with.
When it comes- do all the tests & post them here in this thread like this:
Fc
Cc
Ph
Ta
Ch
Cya
We’ll be waiting for you & ready to help.
Add the 5ppm of liquid chlorine each day until your kit comes in. This is not the cure - it’s just to keep the pool from getting out of hand until we have some good data to work with.
When it comes- do all the tests & post them here in this thread like this:
Fc
Cc
Ph
Ta
Ch
Cya
We’ll be waiting for you & ready to help.
Running the pump during day or night does not affect how chlorine is consumed. Chlorine is consumed by UV (daylight), algae and bacteria (sweat, debris, dirt etc from swimmers or things that fall in the pool)
My guess is that there is an algae issue in the pool.
1 gallon of 10% strength bleach (liquid chlorine) will only add 4ppm of FC to your 27k gal pool. So you could easily lose 1-2ppm of FC daily in the recent weather of central TX. Using strips to measure is not accurate so suggest you obtain a proper test kit if you plan to take care of your pool for the long term.
The pump is run for a variety of reasons such as circulate your chemicals to mix properly, skim your pool, run pool cleaner if you have a suction or pressure side type of cleaner and to generate FC if you have a SWCG.
I’m putting in a gallon of pool chlorine a day from Walmart which is $5. The chlorine level is in the OK range on the cheap strips by the end of the day. The next morning it’s back to 0 ish ppm like fighting a losing battle. Here’s my pool I don’t know gallon size. 
Directly in the Texas sun
Directly in the Texas sun
- Jul 17, 2019
- 3,727
- Pool Size
- 13000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
We could SWAG your pool to be between 11k and 15k gallons, but it is really difficult to give advice without knowing your levels, especially CYA.
Many people do no know this, but your FC/chlorine needs are a sliding scale based on your CYA level. If your CYA is really right, your FC/Chlorine levels will also need to be higher than you likely expect to properly sanitize. Below is my cheat sheet showing your target FC ranges based on your CYA level. I suspect your FC level is/was low which allowed algae to start forming, which gobbles up your chlorine shortly after you add it.
Many people do no know this, but your FC/chlorine needs are a sliding scale based on your CYA level. If your CYA is really right, your FC/Chlorine levels will also need to be higher than you likely expect to properly sanitize. Below is my cheat sheet showing your target FC ranges based on your CYA level. I suspect your FC level is/was low which allowed algae to start forming, which gobbles up your chlorine shortly after you add it.
- Jul 17, 2019
- 3,727
- Pool Size
- 13000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Note, if your pool is 13k gallons and you add 1 gallon of chlorine @ 10% strength, that adds 7.7 FC to your pool. That will last you a few days with just the sun and normal contaminants, and much less if you have algae somewhere.
See above answers. That bottle of chlorine should last a few days. If it’s really going to zero in one day, you have an algae bloom emerging. Those test strips are lying to you.I’m putting in a gallon of pool chlorine a day from Walmart which is $5. The chlorine level is in the OK range on the cheap strips by the end of the day. The next morning it’s back to 0 ish ppm like fighting a losing battle. Here’s my pool I don’t know gallon size.
Thanks. I don’t SEE any green algae but went ahead and dumped a gallon of CLOROX brand algicide in there to see if things help. So, I’ve got a gallon of chlorine and algicide in there now and pump comes on in 15 minutes. Runs from 9am to 9pm
That is the worst thing to have done as it dumps other stuff in there too.
You should only use LC.
The TFP process had certain fundamental requirements such as doing your own testing with a proper test kit and following the CYA/FC.
Randomly adding pool store potion will only cause more issues.
The cheap Clorox algaecide that comes in gallon containers is just going to get eaten up by the chlorine, making this problem worse...
The irony is the algecide eats your FC and vice versa, so you're left with less of each.
Avoid chlorox products altogether. Many add copper and the others add more undesirables.
Avoid chlorox products altogether. Many add copper and the others add more undesirables.
- Jul 17, 2019
- 3,727
- Pool Size
- 13000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
As others have said, please dont add any more chemicals other than liquid chlorine.
TFP requires a good test kit (~$120) which can be pricey, but also allows you to just add what your pool needs. In the long run that will save you $ and time over just dumping stuff in and praying. Pool stores love people in your position and will milk them for hundreds/thousands of $, which makes that test kit price seem very worth it.
Also note that algae starts suspended in your water, so you don't necessarily see it until progresses and turns your pool cloudy, forming on walls, changing the color of the water, etc.
TFP requires a good test kit (~$120) which can be pricey, but also allows you to just add what your pool needs. In the long run that will save you $ and time over just dumping stuff in and praying. Pool stores love people in your position and will milk them for hundreds/thousands of $, which makes that test kit price seem very worth it.
Also note that algae starts suspended in your water, so you don't necessarily see it until progresses and turns your pool cloudy, forming on walls, changing the color of the water, etc.
You need a good test kit. Stay away from Clorox pool stuff.
ordering the TF pro 100 with Smart stir. That the best? Do you guys recommend the smart stir option?
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- Jul 17, 2019
- 3,727
- Pool Size
- 13000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Good choice and I do recommend smart stir. It makes testing quite a bit easier and people get more consistent results.
It is the hands down winner. There's 2 price tiers:
K2006 (no C) 2.7x less supplies
Tf100 - 2.7x supplies
K2006C. Too many CH/TA, not enough FC
TFPro. Sized for how we need to test
*includes $44 stirrer (that you want no matter what)
*really nice case
*guaranteed fresh
*owner available here and always steps in to make things right when needed.
*****either TF kit can be upgraded to salt which includes the $30 salt kit for $20 more. An even better deal for either bracket.
K2006 (no C) 2.7x less supplies
Tf100 - 2.7x supplies
K2006C. Too many CH/TA, not enough FC
TFPro. Sized for how we need to test
*includes $44 stirrer (that you want no matter what)
*really nice case
*guaranteed fresh
*owner available here and always steps in to make things right when needed.
*****either TF kit can be upgraded to salt which includes the $30 salt kit for $20 more. An even better deal for either bracket.