I could use some help here folks. I managed to get my water perfectly balanced a few days ago. Once everything was balanced, I proceeded to borate my pool to 50ppm using PoolProof. Prior to adding borates, I was adding approximately 32 ounces of bleach per day. After borating, I have had to add 128 oz. of 10% chlorine per day and still can't keep minimum FC for my CYA level.
Today at 7:30am. I added one gallon as I was at a reading of 2.8ppm. This was after adding an entire gallon the day before. And then this evening, my FC was only 2.5ppm after adding that gallon this morning so I decided to added another this evening desperately trying to get it above minimums.
All of this after adding borates? I thought adding borate lowered your chlorine consumption? I have consistent CC readings of 0ppm so I know nothing is consuming the chlorine.
Readings this morning at 7:30am.
FC = 2.8 (Added one gallon of 10% bleach to bring me up to 8.5ppm)
CC = 0.0
pH = 7.0 (This was after I added two boxes of borax the day before and achieved a 7.6 reading with the taylor kit later that day. My ColorQ reads 8.1. I'm more inclined to believe that since borates were added to bring up the pH.)
TA = 90
CYA = 40
CH = 260
Readings as of 6:00pm.
FC = 2.5 (This was after adding one gallon this morning because I was at 2.8ppm this morning)
CC = 0.0
pH = 7.6 (ColorQ)
TA = 90
CYA = 40
CH = 260
Adding that one gallon this morning should have taken me from 2.8ppm to 8.5ppm. Estimated average daily loss should be 2.5ppm so I should have been at 6ppm by end of day right? How can I possibly be losing this much chlorine this fast? No one swam in the pool today. Is this normal? Temps have been high lately and my pool is in direct sunlight with zero shade from dawn until 6:00pm.
Something else that might help is my pH was steadily declining all the way to 7.0 after borating so I dumped in two boxes of borate. The test then read 7.6 yesterday at 2:00pm. Then this morning the Taylor kit showed it as 7.0 again. That couldn't be so I broke out the new ColorQ to see what it read. That was even more scary. Testing it with my ColorQ Pro 7 indicated pH was at 8.1. I don't know what to believe anymore at this point. I don't understand and am now in the precarious position of not believing my either of the test kits. Not exactly where a new pool owner likes to be. It is expensive.
I can't keep adding borates to increase pH as needed as i am at 50ppm now. What I found is that aeration is no longer raising the pH quickly like it did before borating. I left my pump running three days straight with bubblers and sprinklers on to try and get the pH up and it wouldn't move any direction but down. That's when I decided to add borates once my pH hit 7.0 yesterday morning.
Thoughts of draining the pool and starting over are entering my head now. Maybe borating wasn't such a good idea as things are out of whack and making zero sense now.
Today at 7:30am. I added one gallon as I was at a reading of 2.8ppm. This was after adding an entire gallon the day before. And then this evening, my FC was only 2.5ppm after adding that gallon this morning so I decided to added another this evening desperately trying to get it above minimums.
All of this after adding borates? I thought adding borate lowered your chlorine consumption? I have consistent CC readings of 0ppm so I know nothing is consuming the chlorine.
Readings this morning at 7:30am.
FC = 2.8 (Added one gallon of 10% bleach to bring me up to 8.5ppm)
CC = 0.0
pH = 7.0 (This was after I added two boxes of borax the day before and achieved a 7.6 reading with the taylor kit later that day. My ColorQ reads 8.1. I'm more inclined to believe that since borates were added to bring up the pH.)
TA = 90
CYA = 40
CH = 260
Readings as of 6:00pm.
FC = 2.5 (This was after adding one gallon this morning because I was at 2.8ppm this morning)
CC = 0.0
pH = 7.6 (ColorQ)
TA = 90
CYA = 40
CH = 260
Adding that one gallon this morning should have taken me from 2.8ppm to 8.5ppm. Estimated average daily loss should be 2.5ppm so I should have been at 6ppm by end of day right? How can I possibly be losing this much chlorine this fast? No one swam in the pool today. Is this normal? Temps have been high lately and my pool is in direct sunlight with zero shade from dawn until 6:00pm.
Something else that might help is my pH was steadily declining all the way to 7.0 after borating so I dumped in two boxes of borate. The test then read 7.6 yesterday at 2:00pm. Then this morning the Taylor kit showed it as 7.0 again. That couldn't be so I broke out the new ColorQ to see what it read. That was even more scary. Testing it with my ColorQ Pro 7 indicated pH was at 8.1. I don't know what to believe anymore at this point. I don't understand and am now in the precarious position of not believing my either of the test kits. Not exactly where a new pool owner likes to be. It is expensive.
I can't keep adding borates to increase pH as needed as i am at 50ppm now. What I found is that aeration is no longer raising the pH quickly like it did before borating. I left my pump running three days straight with bubblers and sprinklers on to try and get the pH up and it wouldn't move any direction but down. That's when I decided to add borates once my pH hit 7.0 yesterday morning.
Thoughts of draining the pool and starting over are entering my head now. Maybe borating wasn't such a good idea as things are out of whack and making zero sense now.