Can't keep the chlorine in

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J

jcgaz

0
Jul 19, 2015
17
St. Clairsville
Moderator note- moved from this post. Can't keep the chlorine in - SLAMming in Canada!!

I am having a similar problem, for the first time in 7 years, I cannot keep FC. All the other readings are fine, except phosphates were high. I dod the PhosFree treatment, totally replaced DE. I have added 6 lb. of stabilizer, and multiple gallons of 12.5% sodium hypochlorite shock. It still reads zero FC! The pool is sparkling clear, no algae, no cloudiness. I have also been running my SWG at 50-80% output with no increase in FC. What am I doing wrong?
 
JCgaz, welcome! There are lots of folks here who would like to help. I understand your concern about FC. But even though you say "all other readings are fine", we still need to know exactly what those are: FC (zero I assume), CC, CYA, PH, TA. CH should not apply at this time, but won't hurt to see it as well. In addition, please clarify which test kit you are using to obtain those readings. That's very important.

Here at TFPC, we do not typically advocate the use of Phos-Free treatments or other such pool store products as they tend to distort other chemical levels, so I would be very careful about using those any further. Once we receive all of your test readings, we should be able to advise you much better. Thank you!
 
Welcome to TFP!

What state/country are you in? Climate is a very important consideration for us in helping you maintain your pool.

Also, can you give a little history over the past couple of weeks on CYA and chlorine test results?
 
We live in Eastern Ohio, lots of rain lately, but hot prior to that. Temp today is 88, humid.
Pool water was tested by a pool store (I don't buy chemicals there)
Most recent readings (pool was cloudy, but no visible algae)
A week ago: total chlorine 0.1, free chlorine 0.1, combined chlorine 0, ph 7.4, hardness 270, alk 118, cya 40, copper 0.12, iron 0, tds 1000, temp 75. I followed their direction to add 3 gallon jugs of liquid shock, and turned on my chlorine generator for two days. Still always dipped as zero chlorine, even when I ran the boost in my SWG.
Took water back to store (it was mostly clear):free chlorine 0.6, total chlorine 3.2, ph 7.5, alk 107, cal hardness 310, copper 0.13, iron 0, cya 10, salt 2200, phosphate 1000. I again followed their directions, added 4 more shock, filtered one hour, add 1/2 bottle algaecide, filtered 24 hours, vacuumed pool, added two more bags salt. Next day, chlorine level was still dipping zero. I added a bottle of phosfree and filtered 48 hours, then backwashed and replaced all DE, also scrubbed all the inside fingers of filter. I added three gallons of shock, filtered for a few hours, then I added 6lb stabilizer and filtered two days. Today, still dipping zero for CYA and for chlorine. The water is crystal clear today. How can I be adding CYA and shock by the gallons, yet still no free chlorine?
By the way, I've never had to add this much shock, and never had any issued with SWG. But, I did also replace the SWG cell.
 
You have every right to be concerned. Why? Because you are having to rely on the pool store tests. They are inconsistent and unreliable at best. The proper test kit (i.e. TF-100 – link below) is the foundation of your pool care. Why this kit? We've learned through personal experience that you cannot reply on pool store testing, test strips, or simple over-the-counter kits. They simply do not read Free Chlorine (FC) or Cyanuric Acid (CYA) levels accurately or to the high levels we need. If you do not have a TF-100 or Taylor K2006 test kit, it should be your #1 priority.

Since we have no real (true) idea what your CYA is, we have idea how much FC (bleach) you should be adding. That's a huge problem. So please visit TFTestkits.net to order your own test kit right away. Then you can post YOUR results. :) With those, we can really help you. For now, do not put anything in your water other than perhaps a gallon of bleach each evening to just try and keep things "at-bay".
 
You may certainly use regular liquid bleach as you would find at the grocery store or Wal-Mart. Generic brand is fine too. As for running your SWG, I would simply run it at your normal output for now and augment with the bleach. No sense in exhausting your system or cell life. Of course we don't know exactly how much FC your water needs to match your CYA as based on the Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart, so we're simply trying to prevent a potential algae problem at this point. But certainly no need for max output or boost settings for now. I couldn't tell how many gallons capacity your pool is by the description, but adding anywhere from 1/2 - one gallon of bleach each evening, along with your SWG running at normal output, should be sufficient to keep your water "in-check" until you receive your test kit and can get some true results. I hope this helps you for now, and look forward to hearing from you again when your kit arrives. If before then you have any more problems or questions, please let us know.
 
Hi Jcgaz,

If your pool is clear like mine but losing all chlorine in the day, you might just need to dedicate one whole day to the SLAM and keep on top of it. I couldn't believe that so much chlorine can be used up out of sight.
The pool store just said the same thing every time, "shock it and leave it". No good.
I managed to SLAM with test strips and it worked out. The OCLT was iffy and everything would have been easier with a proper kit.

Good luck!

-Rob
 
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