I think I let my temper get the better of me.

[numberonenole]

My pool was filled on April 10th. Once I write that I realize it wan't that long ago so maybe I am jumping the gun. It seems like I have had a pool for forever. I guess because I am going out there so often checking it and turning on/off the pump. We did swim on Saturday but it was cold (water temp 75 degrees)!

Anyway, my concern is that it seems like I am always adding chlorine and yet I can never get a reading that there is any in there! I think I am doing to test correctly. I am going to have to buy more powder soon though because I have been testing so much! When it says heaping teaspoon I pile it on. I wish it was more precise though, like 1/8 teaspoon. I was never good with splashes and dashes in cooking.

I have been adding 10% liquid chlorine and I have an inline chorinator. The inline chlorinator I have had set on low because of what I have learned on here about high CYA. Yesterday, after once again testing and getting no FC or CYA readings, I jacked that thing up to 5 (the highest) and added 12 cups of 10% bleach (over twice the amount I was supposed to but I'm tired of my 0-0.5 readings). Today I tested again and again the test says I have no chlorine in my pool! So I just dumped 2 1/2 gallons of the 10% bleach in there. I think I let my temper get the better of me. So...

1. Have I screwed up by adding that much bleach?

2. Our temperatures have been 75-80 degrees everyday. Should I add stabilizer?

3. It looks like 1 tablet has dissolved in the chorinator over the last week and a half. Is that about right for being on low for most of the time? Maybe it didn't really start working until yesterday when I put it on high. But there is always about two inches of water in the tube.

As always, thanks in advance for your help!

 

[JasonLion]

It would help a great deal if you posted a full set of test results.

I suspect that your CYA level is very very low, and you are losing all of your chlorine each day to sunlight. It you have only been using trichlor for 10 days, and on low at that, the trichlor would not yet have added any significant amount of CYA.

When you say "teaspoon", what are you talking about? The FAS-DPD chlorine test comes with a little tiny scoop, that is nowhere near as large as a teaspoon, and I can't think of anything else that would make any sense.

You should be careful about adding large amounts of chlorine. If the chlorine level gets too high it can shorten the life of the vinyl liner.

 

[JohnT]

You've probably just shocked the pool, which is likely what it needed anyway. Chlorine is consumed in a normal pool. Adding chlorine one day and needing more the next is normal. Especially if your CYA is low or you have any algae or other biological contaminants in the pool. Feeders are notoriously inaccurate and the rate they add chlorine depends on the time you run the pump. Test your water an hour after adding the chlorine, not the next day and you should see it still there.

 

[numberonenole]

Ok. I am going to try this again. I've written this twice before so if it duplicates I'm sorry. The first time I lost it due to operator error, but the second time I have no idea what happened! Anyway, let me try to remember what I wanted to say...

Oh! I tested my water this morning and I got a reading for FC! My first in almost 2 weeks of testing! I was giddy with excitement! Now, how do I keep my chlorine in my pool? Do I need to add stabilizer? I do not want to use the inline chlorinator that much, just when I am out of town (about 4 days a month). I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon for a couple of days in fact. My numbers:

FC 4
CC .5
TC 4.5
pH 7.8
T/A 200
CH 210
CYA <20
temp 74 degrees

As for the teaspoon comment, I didn't explain myself very well. I have a flat blue stick in my test kit that I am supposed to use to "add one heaping scoop of the R-870 powder". Every time I test it is a different amount of powder that I am able to scoop up and balance on top of the stick. Does it make a difference in test results since I'm using a different amount of powder each time? And how do I know my definition of heaping is the same as everyone elses? I was wondering if I could use a 1/8 or 1/16 teaspoon to make better measurements? Any idea which would be more appropriate? Or should I just relax? I am just so excited that I got a reading on chlorine!
Thanks for your help!

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Ok. I am going to try this again. I've written this twice before so if it duplicates I'm sorry. The first time I lost it due to operator error, but the second time I have no idea what happened! Anyway, let me try to remember what I wanted to say...

Oh! I tested my water this morning and I got a reading for FC! My first in almost 2 weeks of testing! I was giddy with excitement! Now, how do I keep my chlorine in my pool? Do I need to add stabilizer? I do not want to use the inline chlorinator that much, just when I am out of town (about 4 days a month). I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon for a couple of days in fact. My numbers:

FC 4
CC .5
TC 4.5
pH 7.8
T/A 200
CH 210
CYA <20
temp 74 degrees

As for the teaspoon comment, I didn't explain myself very well. I have a flat blue stick in my test kit that I am supposed to use to "add one heaping scoop of the R-870 powder". Every time I test it is a different amount of powder that I am able to scoop up and balance on top of the stick. Does it make a difference in test results since I'm using a different amount of powder each time? And how do I know my definition of heaping is the same as everyone elses? I was wondering if I could use a 1/8 or 1/16 teaspoon to make better measurements? Any idea which would be more appropriate? Or should I just relax? I am just so excited that I got a reading on chlorine!
Thanks for your help!

Your holding the wrong end. The other end is the little "spoon". Don't worry, I did this too.

Yes. I would add enough stablizer to bring your CYA up to 40. Use the pool Calc to figure out how much that is. You don't want to overshoot with CYA.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

A few more tips... You can work on your PH and TA too. Read about lowering TA in Pool School....

Your PH is on the high end - you don't want it above 7.8. That's probably because your TA is high....so TA is lowered through additions of Muratic Acid, which will lower the PH too, and then you use aeration to raise the PH back to range. See the article for full details. It's simple, but time consuming.

From the article in Pool School about How to Chlorinate your Pool: "It is important to understand that chlorine is a consumable item that is constantly being consumed and must constantly be replenished. Usually you must add about 2-3 ppm daily to keep the pool properly sanitized."

Hope this helps!

 

[numberonenole]

Oh my! I didn't even realize that was a scoop! Thank you SO MUCH for letting me know. I have been using WAY too much powder. No wonder I went through the jar so quickly! Wait...I don't usually use smileys but there is a perfect one for this... Thanks again!

Before I left town I went out and added Muratic Acid. Thanks for the advice! I was hesitating to add because the calculator says my target pH would be 7.5-7.8 and since I was at 7.8 I was afraid to screw things up but I'd rather be in the middle of the scale.

My new numbers:
04-24-09
FC 1
CC 0
TC 1
pH 7.6
T/A 170
CH 210
CYA <20
temp 77 degrees

I ran the inline chlorinator on its highest setting while I was gone. I don't think it is working correctly. It has used less than 2 tablets in 2 weeks. I thought it would help keep the chlorine level up while I was gone too but it seems it didn't do anything. I guess it is just as well!

So...I'm on my way to the pool store to get some CYA and more liquid chlorine (after I buy some more DPD powder look at me using another smiley!). Thanks again for all your input and support.