Pool Chlorine Issue

[g3lo]

Hi,

I have been testing my water locally from a distributor of Dazzle products. I have clear water with a hint of greenish/yellow in the deep end area. It is very subtle. I tried putting 900g of lithium pro shock last night and it cleared up the water a fair bit, but still has a hint of discoloring. Surprisingly, I tested the water today and it shows I have 0.1 free chlorine. I keep chlorinating pucks in the chlorine dispenser and turned the knob on full. Any reason why I am not seeing chlorine levels increase? I suspect chlorine needs to be between 1-3ppm in order to control and kill algea, assuming that is what I have in the pool.

Please advise,

Thank you,
g3lo

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I suspect you have something growing in the water which is consuming all your FC.

How are you testing your water?

What is your CYA level? Can you provide the latest test results (from a trusted test kit) to include: FC, CC, pH, CH, TA, CYA.

Have you read any of the pool school articles at the top of this site? Start with this: ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

 

[g3lo]

I am familiar with the ABCs but not a professional by any means. I have a reliable test kit that was recommended by TFP.

Let me test the water and report back the numbers. I will include the test done locally (they use a computer software) and I use the TFP kit.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Using a computer does *not* improve the reliability of the tests. It just looks fancier.

 

[atttech-2]

Believe it or not we trust you testing more than the distributor. You have a vested interest in getting your pool clear and keeping it that way. They have an interest in selling you something, if you have a reoccurring problem that can be kept at bay but still allow them to sell product better for them.

 

[g3lo]

Both tests done today. My kit is Taylor Kit with regents a year old (from last season) not sure if it has impact on the readings.

Distributor results:
CYA - 87
TA - 95
CA - 174 (is this CH?)
FE - 0.1
PH - 7.6

My Taylor Kit tests:
TA - 160-170
CH - 200-210
PH - 7.4
FC - 0
CC - 0.2
CYA - 65-70

My current water temperature is 74 Fahrenheit

I have also included pictures of the deepend area. I use chlorinating mega pucks by Dazzle in my chlorine dispenser attached to my pump. Pump runs 24/7 I have used Dazzle shock about 6-8 pouches and Lithium Pro Shock of 900g to date. With a 1L of algecide.

Looking forward to your responses.

Best,
g3lo

Pool is ~20948.844 gallons

 

[Vette]

You have no free chlorine and your CYA is on the high end of what we recommend. You should add some bleach right away to bump your FC up, having no FC is going to allow stuff to grow really fast. At the top of the page is "PoolMath" which you can use to see how much bleach you need to add to get to the recommended levels: Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart For a 70 CYA you need minimum 5 FC.

 

[g3lo]

Would you recommend adding bleach directly to the pool or the skimmer? I have had chlorine pucks since we have opened the pool. Is there a particular bleach or liquid chlorine I should look out for?

- - - Updated - - -

Should I be focusing on SLAMing the pool or just adding chlorine to reach FC of 5?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

You haven't read Pool School yet I take it? That's unfortunate as it will help you enormously. Start here: ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry then move on to [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] and then SLAM Process

Using the PoolMath application will help you determine how much to add (bleach or other chemical) or subtract (water wise) to get your pool in line.

Adding bleach to the pool directly is fine. The pucks and pouches of product are what has messed up your water.

 

[g3lo]

I will, is there a chance you could guide me in the right direction to speed things up? However, I will read it.

 

[g3lo]

Just read the articles.

Couple questions.

My CYA is high, therefore I think these are the steps I need to take;

1) Lower CYA to 30-50 range, before SLAMing the pool
2) Purchase loads of bleach/liquid chlorine and (was not clear here) dump them in the pool directly? to get Shock level based on chart
3) Keep the shock levels until 3 conditions are met as outlined in the article
4) Let it filter out and drop FC to normal levels.

Please advise if I am on the right track here.

Best,
g3lo18

 

[Vette]

Yes, you pour bleach into the pool into your return jet (where the water streams back into your pool after going through the filter). That disperses the bleach around. You'll want to keep the filter running 24/7 throughout the whole process and you should be good at long as you maintain shock level until meeting those 3 conditions. Good luck, you'll have a crystal clear pool in no time!

 

[pooldv]

Here is a page on adding chems to the pool, Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

 

[g3lo]

Do you think I could do it with CYA at the current levels? Or, would you recommend lowering it first? Does bleach/slam process cause the CYA go up?

 

[Vette]

The higher your CYA, the higher you have to hold your FC for the slam. You'd be better off lowering the CYA before beginning.

Bleach does not add to your CYA level, which is why it is the best form of chlorine for a pool. Trichlor and other stabilized forms of chlorine (Trichlor is the 1" and 3" tablets that many people use in a floater or feeder) do add to CYA, which over time builds up higher and higher and causes problems. No worries if you are using bleach!

 

[g3lo]

Thank you Vette,

2 follow-up questions;

1) Let's say I finish SLAMing the pool. How often do I need to maintain the chlorine levels if I will stop using the automatic feeder and switch to liquid chlorine, and how long do you wait until it is safe to swim?

2) Will CYA decrease on its own overtime? Other than those tablets what else causes CYA to increase? Borax or Baking Soda?

Thank you for the help!

 

[triptyx]

For normal, TFP balanced pools, you can add chlorine once per day (many here do it in the evening so the chlorine can work all night without having to fight the sun as well). If I add chlorine prior to swimming (into the stream of a return jet with the pump running), I brush the bottom a bit to make sure there are no "pools" of chemical on the bottom, and let the kids in half an hour later.

From what I've read here, CYA is consumed in very small quantities over time, but the only way to increase CYA is to add stabilized chlorine to the pool (dichlor or trichlor pucks or granular shock products), OR to add "stabilizer" or "conditioner" products to the pool. Borax and baking soda do not have stabilizer in them.

 

[kschmidt1]

The only way to lower your CYA is to a partial drain and refill with new water. You could go ahead and SLAM with your current CYA getting FC under control then do your partial drain. You have NO FC now and you need to get FC up. Yes you will use more bleach, Small price to pay for getting FC under control.

 

[Vette]

You want to keep the chlorine at shock level throughout the whole process. With work and other responsibilities it may slip a little below that, but try to keep it above that level as much as possible (I'll admit, I've never actually gone through the SLAM process, my pool has behaved pretty well in its 5 years of service!)

You can't swim until the SLAM is done. To swim, you want crystal clear water (I don't swim at any cloudy pools-especially public pools-anymore ever since I joined TFP) and the FC level above minimum and below shock level.

CYA doesn't really go away except sometimes in the winter (two years ago, all my CYA disappeared during the winter so I've actually witnessed this). Apparently there is a bacteria or something that can neutralize it or something. Typically, it's there to stay until it gets diluted with fresh water. Borax and baking soda will have no effect

 

[kschmidt1]

It is lowered by partially draining pool and refilling.