Rental Pool doesn't register chlorine

[Rental Pool]

This is a rental pool, which limits my ability to fine-tune and check things on a regular basis. It's not in the best of shape, and I've always had challenges with algae. I can't seem to put enough chlorine in the pool. I have two floats on the surface with tri-chlor tabs, and I have my tenant add 1 gallon of regular laundry bleach every night, yet when I come out every week to test it, it always registers 0 chlorine. The CYA is very high, though I use Pool Perfect with Phosfree, so there are no phosphates. When I take a sample to the pool store to have tested, they say all is normal other than no chlorine and high conditioner.

With the drought in California, I can't drain the pool, especially in the summer. I'd appreciate your recommendations. I'm reluctant to repaint or replaster the pool, as the tenants are inconsistent in caring for the pool. "The Pool Cleaner" does a good job of cleaning any debris (other than algae) off the bottom, and the water is fairly clear.

I'm attaching some old pictures of the pool, so you can see what I am dealing with. I removed the eucalyptus trees that dropped all the debris and added the pool cleaner, so there is no longer constant debris on the surface of the pool.

 

[tommyd123]

Something is reacting with your chlorine, and I am willing to bet that it is algae. You mentioned that you have high CYA, but you did not mention what it was. Honestly, though, it is going to be irrelevant because those numbers are coming from the pool store. Get yourself a good test kit and post some reliable numbers, then we can begin to help you find the source of your problems.

 

[Rental Pool]

The calcium hardness is 500ppm, and the store just says over 100ppm for CYA, but I've had it on tabs forever, and the last time it was lowered by 1/3 was 3 years ago. It's probably been 20 years or more since it was fully drained.

I have run out of tabs, so I need to know if I should buy more or stabilize it first. I could have my tenant put in 2 gallons of bleach a night till we figure out what to do.

I recently used Yellow Out, but I guess that only works when the chlorine is high. I could take out the pool cleaner and shock the pool. Just let me know what chemicals and/or test kits I need. Unfortunately, I can't rely on my tenant to follow directions consistently, so the best thing for me would be something I can add and then, hopefully, he can maintain (as long as it isn't too complex).

Thank you for your help.

 

[borjis]

No more tabs or stabilizer. It's got way too much already. buy as much bleach as you can. like 10+ gallons to get started.

Order a TF-100 or Taylor K2006 test kit.

CYA readings at 100 can indicate actually WAY BEYOND 100 and very likely according to your water history.
You'll need to try a 1:2 or 1:3 dillution to get an idea what the CYA really is.

Your only real options to lower the CYA is partial drain / refills or reverse osmosis service.

 

[Rental Pool]

I ordered the Taylor K2006 ($49 delivered). It will be here by Wednesday, so I'll run the test next Thursday.

With all the limitations on water usage, now, any recommendations to tie me over till the winter would be appreciated.

If more current photos would help, just let me know.

 

[borjis]

Once you know the CYA level, you'll know how much chlorine will be needed to maintain it and shock it to kill the algae.

Since we know yours will be very high, it might be a good idea to get at least 30 gallons of 8.25% bleach ready.

I had a mustard slam at CYA of 70 and it took 39 gallons to complete with 3 jugs left over after it was done.
took 12 days to complete.

23,000 gallon pool here.

One thing, when I did my slam somehow the continuous high levels of chlorine oxidized my cya down to 30ppm
that could possibly happen which would help you a lot. Some folks also lose cya over winter.

 

[tim5055]

The big problem is that cleans that pool up will be daily work for a couple of weeks. Not something. You can do from long distance. Pouring a couple of gallons of bleach a day isn't going to dent that algae.

From the price I know the K2006 you ordered will have the small bottles of chemicals. To SLAM that pool you will need a lot of reagent. Order more 870 & 871 now.

Have you read the SLAM article to see how the process works? Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

It takes time, multiple times a day. Again, not something you can do long distance.

 

[borjis]

ya someone's going to have to be on this constantly to get it done without prolonging the problem.
Brushing once or twice daily and keeping the shock level above minimum and testing.

I happened to have had the week off from work when I did mine.

 

[cowboycasey]

you sound like a perfect candidate for a salt water generator... You will need to get your CYA down to between 70 and 90 and complete a SLAM (those 2 things will be the hardest part)

we usually recommend a 40 to 60K SWG for your 20k gallons.. once you get your CYA and algae taken care of you can check the pool once a weekend and your tenant can check on Wednesday, make him brush the pool that day also... the SWG would continually add chlorine whenever the pump is running and you would not have to depend on your tenants to add anything unless you want them to...

the forum really like the hayward units, I like the curcupool units, they are cheaper and have a prorated 7 year warranty

here is a breakdown that a website did Full Market Comparison of Salt Chlorine Generators they are really awesome and answered all my questions..

hope this helps

 

[Rental Pool]

Tim5050, when you say order more 870 & 871, what size are you recommending? The 871 comes in 2 or 16 oz and the 870 comes in 10g. I'll order it as soon as I hear back from you.

 

[Rental Pool]

Cowboycasey, were you talking about CircuPool rather than CompuPool? CircuPool is the one listed as having a 7 year warranty. Also, how does one determine the size of the unit? They range from 0.7 to 3.1#Cl/day. How often do the cells need to be replaced?

 

[cowboycasey]

Cowboycasey, were you talking about CircuPool rather than CompuPool? CircuPool is the one listed as having a 7 year warranty. Also, how does one determine the size of the unit? They range from 0.7 to 3.1#Cl/day. How often do the cells need to be replaced?

you are correct, meant to write Curcupool.. sorry about that...

its better to have a cell 2 to 3 times bigger than your pool, so you would need a 40k or above but I would recommend the RJ60, it will do over 3 pounds of chlorine a day if needed and will work better to keep the pool clean and last longer because you wont have it run at 100%...

The cells last from 3 to 7 years, some longer some shorter... when it comes down to it the cost between a SWG, Bleach, or tabs all of them cost about the same, the SWG cost is up front, if the cell lasts 5 years you spent 200 dollars a year on chlorine, the second cell is where the cost saving comes in, if it lasts 5 years the cost is 100 dollars a year.. also how long they last depends on what percentage they are run at, 100% they last a shorter amount and 50% last twice as long..

 

[cowboycasey]

it will be cheaper to order one of these refills...

"We have a lot of extra Taylor reagents on hand in the 0.75 ounce size, so if you would like a Complete Refill Set for your Taylor K-2006, simply order a Complete refill set (click on TF-100 refills and you will see it) and put "make it a K-2006" when you checkout under shipping instructions. The price will still be $39.95"
TFTestkits.net

you could just order the Xl option and use that at 15 dollars TFTestkits.net

or you could order the TF100 and get a whole new kit that is much bigger than the 2006 you could add the xl option, and speedstir is awesome.. also if thinking about going to the SWG grab the taylor k-1766 salt test.
TFTestkits.net

 

[Rental Pool]

Thank you for your suggestions. This process looks to be expensive, so I'd prefer not buying what I don't need. If my issue is too much conditioner, and I need extra 870 & 871 to test that, I'd like to know how much of the regent I would need. Will the 2oz of 871 and 10g of 870 be adequate. I'd prefer not having to buy more for this test than I need, and I don't want unused reagent to be laying around after a year.

When you consider the cost of salt, also, wouldn't the salt generators run more than bottled bleach?

 

[tim5055]

I really can't tell you how much reagent you will need, but I know the small amount in the basic K2006 won't last for a SLAM, you will be testing a lot. Every hour or two for the first couple of days. I would just order an XL option from TFTestkits.net for now.

When comparing salt system to just using bleach the cost is generally a wash. After you factor in a replacement salt cell after a few years, it about equals the cost of just buying bleach. But, this does not come into play until after the pool is clear. A salt system will maintain a clear pool, it will NOT clear a pool with algae.

 

[NeedMoreSun]

I'd say an SWG would be perfect for your situation as well, after the SLAM. Without it you will need to either rely on your tenant to add bleach on a daily, or every other day, basis. Besides them possibly not wanting that work and responsibility, failing to maintain the FC would return you to needing to SLAM again. Your only other "hands off" approach is what you were already doing by using pucks, and you now know the downside to that. An SWG should require little from your tenants and allow you to maintain it with a weekly visit.

As Tim said, the cost is usually a wash, but that's for a pool owner who CAN give it the attention with regular bleach. Since you can't, just avoiding the CYA rise from pucks and SLAM costs if the tenant forgets to add bleach should make the SWG much cheaper for you and your situation. I'm just simply lazy, so my SWG is also much cheaper than bleach since I would forget or put it off long enough to end up with a SLAM expense, lol.

 

[singingpond]

Thank you for your suggestions. This process looks to be expensive, so I'd prefer not buying what I don't need. If my issue is too much conditioner, and I need extra 870 & 871 to test that, I'd like to know how much of the regent I would need. Will the 2oz of 871 and 10g of 870 be adequate. I'd prefer not having to buy more for this test than I need, and I don't want unused reagent to be laying around after a year.

When you consider the cost of salt, also, wouldn't the salt generators run more than bottled bleach?

Regardless of the money expense, you also have to look at the cost in time - will you have the time to babysit the pool during the SLAM process? As you have probably realized by now in reading about SLAM, you have to be able to visit the pool, measure FC and CC, and add bleach multiple times daily (3 or 4 times at a minimum, more is better). There's no way to make that work with a once-weekly visit.

 

[Rental Pool]

It does look like this will be a very time consuming project. On the page talking about SLAM, it says: "With CYA above 90 we recommend replacing water to get CYA down before you start the SLAM process." Does that mean to not SLAM until I have the ability to drain the pool? I can guaranty my CYA is above 100. I'm getting a lot of information, yet maybe not a realistic plan. I see no reason to buy more reagent now if I can't SLAM before winter. I live 40 miles from this rental, and I can't drain the pool in the summer, so please guide me through a realistic plan. At most, I can drive out there morning, noon and evening each day. How many days does this usually last? Would you recommend installing an SWG before or after I SLAM? What do you recommend I do before the CYA gets down to a point I can SLAM? No one is saying whether 2oz or 16oz of 871 will be necessary (I'm assuming this is the reagent to test for CYA), so I guess I'll just get 2oz when the time is right. Since it needs to be used within 12 months, I don't see a reason to buy it before I'm ready to use it. Thanks for taking the time to help.

 

[tim5055]

Buying the SWG before the SLAM is futile as it can not produce sufficient chlorine to make a meaningful difference to the SLAM.

The recommendation to reduce CYa before the SLAM is a monetary recommendation. The higher the CYA level, the higher the chlorine shock level is. To start the SLAM you need a fairly good idea of the CYA level. Have you had time to conduct the diluted test Boris recommended to try to narrow it down? If not, mix one part pool water, one part tap water and use that as the pool water sample for the CYA test. Multiply the result bu two. If you get 100 again there is a way to dilute,further but each dilution add error rates that soon become unacceptable.

As to how long it will take, they are all different. The quicker ones are the times that folks hit it hard by testing and adjusting every hour for the first few days. The longer ones unfortunately for your are the ones where folks can only deal,with it a few times a day.

The other problem I see is your DE filter. Does the pool set up have a way to bypass the filter and only recirculate the water? When you start killing algae that filter is going to clog quickly and often. You don't want it to clog when you are not there. I would recommend running it in filter mode only when you are there to monitor the pressure so you can clean the filter if necessary.

 

[Rental Pool]

My K2006 won't arrive till Wednesday, so I'll run the test on Thursday, unless I need more reagent and have to wait for that? As soon as someone tells me the specific quantity of reagent I'll need, I'll order that. The kit that has been shipped has .75oz reagents.

I can bypass the filter and just circulate the water, using my Hayward Vari-Flo Valve Model SP710. I'll also be removing my pool cleaner during the SLAM.