CH not raising per instructions

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Ammoniajones

Ammoniajones

0
Aug 30, 2016
13
Raymond Washington
Hello I am new to the forum. I have a 22,000 gallon fiberglass in ground pool with a hayward sand filter. Early in the season I realized I had a high CYA due to the puck style chlorine tablets. I have since switched to Bleach. After three partial drain and refills I have lowered it to 65. Not ideal I know but i'm trying to make it work until the winterization next month.
The problem I am having is I have added 50+ pounds of CH+ and only raised the Ch level by 50. And seems to vary thru the day. I have a brand new color q digital tester and have been testing daily. My levels are as follows.

FCL 2.01
TCL 2.72
PH 7.6
ALK 148
CH 71
CYA 65

I feel like I have been missing something here. Also wasting money possibly @ 60.00 in Ch+ alone. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance T
 
Basically we don't encourage the use of digital testers as they're finicky, require calibration and expensive to boot!

We only recommend two different test kits- the TF-100 or the Taylor's K-2006. Both available via TFTestkits.net or on Amazon. For your pool I would suggest the TF-100.
 
According to Pool Math, 50 pounds (800oz) of Calcium Chloride will raise CH 246ppm in a 22,000 gallon pool. What exactly did you add?

If you did indeed add 50 pounds of Calcium Chloride, then your testing is quite suspect.
 
Thanks for the interest. I added Pool Mate 1-2825 Calcium Increaser 25 lbs per bucket and added two buckets (bought on Amazon). Dumped in the sides of the pool. Brushed it in and filtered all night long. Since yesterday when I added it I have tested it 4 times the reading started at 78 before adding then 70,76,65, and finally 79 at 6:00 this morning. I know it takes awhile to dissolve Calcium and maybe it had not been dissolved on the first couple ??
 
Your testing is not correct. Your CH is much higher than the color q is stating. The 50 lbs of the pool mate calcium increaser (800 oz) would increase your CH by 246. CH doesn't go away when you have to top off water because of evaporation. The only way to get rid of CH is to replace water. Unless you have a fresh fill from low CH water, you probably increased your CH way too much.

The recommended CH in a fiberglass pool is 220-320: Pool School - Recommended Levels

As suggested, you should get one of the recommended kits ASAP so you can get a handle on this.
 
kcindc said:
Your testing is not correct. Your CH is much higher than the color q is stating. The 50 lbs of the pool mate calcium increaser (800 oz) would increase your CH by 246. CH doesn't go away when you have to top off water because of evaporation. The only way to get rid of CH is to replace water. Unless you have a fresh fill from low CH water, you probably increased your CH way too much.

The recommended CH in a fiberglass pool is 220-320: Pool School - Recommended Levels

As suggested, you should get one of the recommended kits ASAP so you can get a handle on this.
Click to expand...

I did order a new tester. Also I did use two separate testers (same brand) thinking maybe one was off. They were both close to each other. Doesn't mean they can't both be off tho. They were quite expensive Not to be calibrated off the shelf I would think. But who knows ?


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Glad to hear you ordered one of the recommended test kits. Head on over to pool math and give it spin... that is where we were able to calculate the 246 increase in your CH.

When you get the kit, post up a full set of results. The CYA test needs to be done in full sunlight, back to the sun, vial at waist level and hold with two fingers. Any value between numbers needs to be rounded up to the next highest number.

Update your signature with your pool details as state here: Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post Your signature helps us respond to folks faster and more accurately.

Read up on pool school to get an idea of chemicals: Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

Recommended levels: Pool School - Recommended Levels

Chlorine CYA Chart: Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

Ask any questions you have and there will be someone on here who will know the answer :)

Oh, and welcome to TFP!
 
Ok I got the new Taylor K2006 tester yesterday and tested today with it and the Color Q and the results are as follows :

Taylor

FCL 1.2
TCL .2
PH 7.2
ALK 120
CH 875 (WOW!!!)
CYA 70



COLOR Q

FCL .64
TCL 1.13
PH 7.4
ALK 137
CH 126
CYA 76



So partial drain and refill but how much ?
Does anything else jump out at you ?
Partial drain should help the CYA to I assume.
I originally thought that the pool was 22,000 gal but after rechecking with a tape I believe it is only 20,000 gal

Thanks again for the help
 

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Technology is Wonderful. When it works. The problem is that too often you have to use the old fashion methods to make sure that the technology is working. Which really defeats the whole purpose. My father used to say that municipal utilities would never try any new concept until it was obsolete. Not a 100% accurate statement, but not far from it. But early adopters make it cheaper for later adopters to get newer stuff that actually works at more reasonable prices. Thanks for keeping us informed of your progress.

The amount you can drain your pool depends upon your surface water table. Too high a surface level and your pool becomes a boat. There might be local sources of data for that.
 
Fiberglass pools are not supposed to be drained. You'll have to do partial (like no more than 1/4 perhaps) and refills, unless you want to attempt the cumbersome tarp method. We've seen pics of it once here that I can recall, and it worked well, but... it can be a challenge! I'd go for the multiple small drains.
 
Ammoniajones said:
I am on top of a big hill and there is no standing water near by


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Click to expand...
I would not drain your pool more than a few inches below the skimmer. While ground water is an issue for all pools, I believe that a fiberglass shell can collapse from the weight of the dirt pushing against the sides.

- - - Updated - - -

Ammoniajones said:
Ok I got the new Taylor K2006 tester yesterday and tested today with it and the Color Q and the results are as follows :

Taylor

FCL 1.2
TCL .2
PH 7.2
ALK 120
CH 875 (WOW!!!)
CYA 70
Click to expand...

What is it that you listed as "TCL"?
 
domct203 said:
I would not drain your pool more than a few inches below the skimmer. While ground water is an issue for all pools, I believe that a fiberglass shell can collapse from the weight of the dirt pushing against the sides.

- - - Updated - - -



What is it that you listed as "TCL"?
Click to expand...

Total chlorine level
5fd33c440c5859a6b32947aacf0d0dce.jpg



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I am going with the partial drain method. I drained it to 2" below the skimmer and overfilled a few inches above the skimmer. I will let it continue to filter until around noon, thus giving it 12 hrs to blend and then retest and do another partial drain refill and repeat.


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Ammoniajones said:
Total chlorine level
5fd33c440c5859a6b32947aacf0d0dce.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
TC (Total Chlorine) cannot be less than FC, as TC is the sum of FC + CC. Perhaps you meant CC is 0.2ppm, making your TC 1.4ppm?

Ammoniajones said:
Ok I got the new Taylor K2006 tester yesterday and tested today with it and the Color Q and the results are as follows :

Taylor

FCL 1.2
TCL .2
PH 7.2
ALK 120
CH 875 (WOW!!!)
CYA 70
Click to expand...
 

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