FC levels - travel maintenance schedule

[rohan]

About 4 weeks into the BBB method. Just tested the water. FC at 2.5. CYA at 70. FC dropped from 6.5 to 2.5 in just 6 days. pH at 7.5. Using the CYA/FC table, I would need to bring my FC levels up to 8, so using the Pool Calculator, would need to add 275 oz or almost 1.5 jugs of bleach.

(1) Does this sound right? Should I be alarmed by the amount of FC drop in 6 days? Since I travel a lot, it is tough for me to test daily for FC, so will need to test every 6-7 days. Is this testing rhythm ok? Should I run all the TF tests weekly, or just a few?

(2) At 1.5-2 jugs (182oz) a week, is bleach still a cheaper chlorine option than chlorine pucks?

(3) How do I know when to "shock" the pool, or bring FC up to shock levels?

Thanks for the help....

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Yes, bleach is still cheaper, and that usage sounds about normal to me.

Pucks would probably be 'easier' in your situation, but the problem is your CYA is already high, and adding pucks will only increase the CYA. For you to use pucks routinely your CYA level would have to be much lower to start, requiring draining/refilling... and if they were used regularly, routine water replacement would be necessary.

You could look into an SWG or liquidator for automation...

But going 6 days without adding bleach is very risky. You really don't want your FC to drop below 5 or you risk the algae taking hold.

You "know" when to shock if your CC is higher than .5, your water is dull, cloudy, greenish tint, murky, etc., or your FC has been allowed to go below your "minimum" for too long or the FC hits 0 or you notice an unusually high FC demand in your pool.

 

[TizMe]

Any chance a neighbor you trust could come and check your water while your gone? If your pool is balanced it would only mean putting in bleach every other day or so just to keep the ppm high enough to keep algae at bay.

 

[rohan]

Thanks for the advice. I'll train my 13-yr old to do the chlorine test and use the Pool Calculator to figure out how much bleach to add. He loves the chemistry part of it. Maybe every 2-3 days of testing/adding will be good enough to keep the algae at bay.

(1) What is the right frequency to conduct the full battery of TF tests? I have been doing them weekly and am already running out of reagents, so wondering if I am testing too much.

(2) It sounds like atleast FC should be tested and treated daily if possible. Do I have to test each time? Or can I just pour in a predetermined amount (like 25-50oz) each day or two and test once a week?

 

[TizMe]

I have a vinyl one like you and once I get my water balanced at the start of the season I usually only test it CYA and TA once more during the season. CH doest really affect a vinyl pool but I keep mine around 50 or so (on the lower side).

Daily, I check after (if we're in the water) or during sunset my CL level and adjust accordingly. If we have had a greater than normal swimmer load I will bring the FC level to the high side of my goal range whch for me is between 2-6 ppm. I try to keep mine around 4 normally. My PH I check once a week.

As you get to "know your pool" you will get accustom to seeing changes in the waters appearance (cloudiness, sharpness etc) and what I generally do I raise the FC level to "shock" level and it usually clears up over night.

Waiting until your FC is at the lower end of the scale is asking for trouble IMO !

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Yeah, I'm with Tiz.

Once you get to "know your pool" you will test much less frequently. I test CYA once a season unless I'm adjusting it or suspect the level may have changed. TA, probably monthly, unless I suspect it could have changed somehow (unlikely for me). PH - I used to check daily but my PH has been 7.5 steadily for the last 2 seasons (and opened that way and so far, staying that way). So now I'd say I check the PH weekly, if I happen to be doing a quick OTO check of the chlorine I'll do the PH too.

CH - irrelevant in my pool (though I know I have some in there based on last year's tests) so I don't test for it.

Now FC.... right now my FC demand is very low, and the solar cover is on the pool 24/7 because we're not swimming - too cold out. This means the FC is lasting a while.

I test usually every other day (when I'm lazy every three, but I put enough FC on test days to last me a couple days. My CYA is only 30 right now, so on for example on Monday, testing day, I bump my FC up to 5 or 6, and then I'll test again Wednsday evening or Thursday morning, and my FC is usually around 2-3. So then I add enough to bump it back up to 6. In the summer, when the water temp is hotter or we are using the pool more frequently, I'll test daily if I'm out there using the pool, why not, takes 5 minutes, as during the summer the chlorine demand is greater and I know I better stay on top of it by testing more often. In the heat of the summer I'd say I test every evening sometimes skipping a day here or there, but if I do skip the night before I'll test before we swim that day... does that make sense?

You'll get to know your pool and you'll get settled into a comfortable routine.