This is my first year owning a pool and I have had trouble getting the pool into a normal state. I put it in several gallons of chlorine to get it chlorinated and to kill the organics in my pool so it would finally hold some chlorine. Problem is I went too much and my reading is roughly a 9 when it should be 1-3. What should I do about reducing the chlorine levels, is Chem Out a viable solution or should I just let it naturally go down. I ask because we want to use the pool this evening if possible. The water is also cloudy blue. Ph, alkalinity, stabilizer levels are near normal.
High Levels of Chlorine
- Thread starter Kyle.Ganz
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!!
I assume you are following the outdated recommendation of a pool store, because we do not advocate FC in the rqange of 1 - 3. We recommend chlorine be maintained as a percentage of the stabilizer level. What is your CYA level as that is the determining factor of where FC should be.
I assume you are following the outdated recommendation of a pool store, because we do not advocate FC in the rqange of 1 - 3. We recommend chlorine be maintained as a percentage of the stabilizer level. What is your CYA level as that is the determining factor of where FC should be.
Please do not confuse the specificity of the results the pool store is giving with accuracy. There is no way to accurately test CYA much below 30 and a reading of "23" is really bogus.
Most time "cloudy blue" is the beginnings of algae starting to grow, but there are a couple of other possibilities also. To make the determination you really need your own test kit.
If you have read around here much you have probably seen that not much credence is given to pool store testing. While you would think that a "professional" would be the best, unfortunately in most cases it is quite the opposite. Between employees who blindly trust the word of chemical sales representatives and high school kids working in the pool store for the summer you end up with poor results from their testing. In my case two different pool stores told me my CYA was "fine", around 70 or 80. When I tested myself I found it over 200.
To follow the pool care methods taught here you need to arm yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to care for your pool.
The knowledge is condensed in the Pool School link at the top of every page. It is a great community here, but we do ask that you read and try to understand the information being taught. Questions are always welcome and folks will try to direct you and teach you the methods.
The tools are not limited to the brushes, vacuum hoses and other stuff you use around the pool, but include the most important item - an accurate test kit. I recommend the TF100 as it was designed for residential use and has more of what we do use and less or none of what we don't use often. You can buy a kit at a pool store, but again the pool store kits generally won't cut it. To effectively practice the TFPC methods, the FAS/DPD chlorine test is essential. The TF-100 contains that test while very few other kits do. Think of it this way, do you see a doctor blindly prescribing drugs without seeing the patient or having tests run? Here at TFP we are going to ask for photos so we can see the condition of the water and are going to ask for a full set of test results.
The only other real option for a test kit is a Taylor K-2006. Be careful comparing prices because the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. You need to get the K-2006-C to get the larger bottles that you want. Even then it is a little short on the reagent & powder for the FAS/DPD test.
I also have the SpeedStir and Sample Sizer. They speed testing and accuracy.
Most time "cloudy blue" is the beginnings of algae starting to grow, but there are a couple of other possibilities also. To make the determination you really need your own test kit.
If you have read around here much you have probably seen that not much credence is given to pool store testing. While you would think that a "professional" would be the best, unfortunately in most cases it is quite the opposite. Between employees who blindly trust the word of chemical sales representatives and high school kids working in the pool store for the summer you end up with poor results from their testing. In my case two different pool stores told me my CYA was "fine", around 70 or 80. When I tested myself I found it over 200.
To follow the pool care methods taught here you need to arm yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to care for your pool.
The knowledge is condensed in the Pool School link at the top of every page. It is a great community here, but we do ask that you read and try to understand the information being taught. Questions are always welcome and folks will try to direct you and teach you the methods.
The tools are not limited to the brushes, vacuum hoses and other stuff you use around the pool, but include the most important item - an accurate test kit. I recommend the TF100 as it was designed for residential use and has more of what we do use and less or none of what we don't use often. You can buy a kit at a pool store, but again the pool store kits generally won't cut it. To effectively practice the TFPC methods, the FAS/DPD chlorine test is essential. The TF-100 contains that test while very few other kits do. Think of it this way, do you see a doctor blindly prescribing drugs without seeing the patient or having tests run? Here at TFP we are going to ask for photos so we can see the condition of the water and are going to ask for a full set of test results.
The only other real option for a test kit is a Taylor K-2006. Be careful comparing prices because the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. You need to get the K-2006-C to get the larger bottles that you want. Even then it is a little short on the reagent & powder for the FAS/DPD test.
I also have the SpeedStir and Sample Sizer. They speed testing and accuracy.
Thank you for the response and I am going to be getting a test kit asap, probably the TF100 as a late Fathers Day gift. I feel like the store I am going to has some knowledgeable people working there, but I just feel I need to get my own kit and start working things through that way instead of running samples to them to test. I have test strips which are not perfect but give a decent reading for whats going on in the pool. I have already started browsing information on this website for pool care because this place seems to be the only reliable source for information on taking care of a pool.
Their tester at the store gives a print out on what to add depending on how the values are they get back. They primarily sell BioGuard products. I have put in lots of chlorine and algicide over the last few days so I think the pool is still "adjusting" to what I did. When I opened it there were some organics and algae forming on the bottom but it was not green.
Anyways I will get a test kit and move forward from there.
Any recommendations on cheaper alternatives to get for chemicals instead of getting them from the pool store?
Their tester at the store gives a print out on what to add depending on how the values are they get back. They primarily sell BioGuard products. I have put in lots of chlorine and algicide over the last few days so I think the pool is still "adjusting" to what I did. When I opened it there were some organics and algae forming on the bottom but it was not green.
Anyways I will get a test kit and move forward from there.
Any recommendations on cheaper alternatives to get for chemicals instead of getting them from the pool store?
WalMart, Home Depot, Lowes all sell many common chemicals for far less than the pool store. That said, sometimes the pool store has a decent price. Like anything else, you need to shop around a little to figure out what the best value is.
In all cases, when buying liquid chlorine, check the date before buying! The date is usually on the packaging in the form of a "Julian" date - it will look something like 16-141. That's 2016, 141st day. You want it to definitely be 16, and the second part to be as close to today's Julian date (there are charts for this online) as possible.
Meanwhile, stop using algicide (they can add things you definitely do NOT want in your pool like copper) and go to straight bleach/liquid chlorine. Read these two articles in Pool School ASAP:
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Algae - Prevention and Treatment
Then come back here and ask questions about anything you don't understand.
In all cases, when buying liquid chlorine, check the date before buying! The date is usually on the packaging in the form of a "Julian" date - it will look something like 16-141. That's 2016, 141st day. You want it to definitely be 16, and the second part to be as close to today's Julian date (there are charts for this online) as possible.
Meanwhile, stop using algicide (they can add things you definitely do NOT want in your pool like copper) and go to straight bleach/liquid chlorine. Read these two articles in Pool School ASAP:
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Algae - Prevention and Treatment
Then come back here and ask questions about anything you don't understand.