I bought a home with an indoor pool. It was hooked up with salt water which was rusting everything out. I had the salt system turned off to switch to chlorine. My chlorine level was above 20 and my PH was 8.6. We wasted the pool twice and refilled with no luck. I then (advice from the pool store) added a total of 5 gallons of muratic acid in doses and the ph got too low (6.7). So she had me add a PH increaser and non chlorine shock. My chlorine level was still at 19. I'm taking more water to test tomorrow but any ideas or help!!! It itches your skin and burns eyes badly.
Indoor pool chemical problem
- Thread starter Hopew
- Start date
Ditch the pool store and get your own quality test kit, I suggest the TF-100, link in my signature.
Step 2 post your pool details in your signature and maybe a couple of photos of the pool and the equipment you have if you are not sure and we can help get things sorted out.
Also you may want to go to the pool school link in the upper right of this page and read the getting started information
Ike
Step 2 post your pool details in your signature and maybe a couple of photos of the pool and the equipment you have if you are not sure and we can help get things sorted out.
Also you may want to go to the pool school link in the upper right of this page and read the getting started information
Ike
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
Welcome to TFP 
The number one thing is to get your own test kit and take control of your pool... The pool store is not helping and obviously giving you bad information (5 gallons of mA is bad) Your PH is rising because you TA is high, once you get both to TFP levels your PH will stabilize and only need little MA additions.
I always recommend the TF100 test kit but you can also get the Taylor K-2006C
just so you know, a salt pool is a chlorine pool, what is rusting out? It may be because the humidity is high, what type of dehumidify system is installed?
We can get you going
The number one thing is to get your own test kit and take control of your pool... The pool store is not helping and obviously giving you bad information (5 gallons of mA is bad) Your PH is rising because you TA is high, once you get both to TFP levels your PH will stabilize and only need little MA additions.
I always recommend the TF100 test kit but you can also get the Taylor K-2006C
just so you know, a salt pool is a chlorine pool, what is rusting out? It may be because the humidity is high, what type of dehumidify system is installed?
We can get you going
I have a test kit that just shows colors of PH and chlorine. I will get the one you mentioned. It's a 36,000 gallon pool. I have now installed two central units to circulate air to help with humidity. At this moment the PH is low and the chlorine is bad high.
- Mar 24, 2014
- 2,455
- Pool Size
- 32000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-55
- Mar 24, 2014
- 2,455
- Pool Size
- 32000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-55
If you actually have FC > 10, the pH test isn't valid. Since you don't know your CYA, you don't know how much FC you actually need (or what's "bad high") You could let the FC drop until it's ~5 on the OTO test and then adjust pH while you wait on your kit.
Stay away from the pool store!
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Pool School - Getting Started
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Stay away from the pool store!
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Pool School - Getting Started
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Yes,and no, the problem is the common pH test is invalid at FC levels over 10 ppm, so you need to get your FC down before adjusting the pH.
You can do this one of two ways, you can use common hydrogen peroxide to lower FC or you can use a granular chlorine remover from the pool store. If you use the granular stuff from the pool store a little goes a long way (think teaspoons here) if you use common 3% drug store / dollar store Hydrogen Peroxide you will need about 4 gallons (around here Dollar general typically has quart bottles for about $1 each) Chemically Hydrogen peroxide is the best since it is H2O2, the break down products are basically all things you already have in your pool.
Ike
p.s. unlike outdoors pools which have sun exposure to burn off chlorine, FC levels can take a LONG time to fall on their own with indoor pools
I had a big typo here for a minute I typed pH instead of FC, fixed now
p.p.s. what type of pool surface do you have, it is not in your signature, also one more question for you, does your test kit show chlorine as shades of yellow or as shades of pink?
You can do this one of two ways, you can use common hydrogen peroxide to lower FC or you can use a granular chlorine remover from the pool store. If you use the granular stuff from the pool store a little goes a long way (think teaspoons here) if you use common 3% drug store / dollar store Hydrogen Peroxide you will need about 4 gallons (around here Dollar general typically has quart bottles for about $1 each) Chemically Hydrogen peroxide is the best since it is H2O2, the break down products are basically all things you already have in your pool.
Ike
p.s. unlike outdoors pools which have sun exposure to burn off chlorine, FC levels can take a LONG time to fall on their own with indoor pools
I had a big typo here for a minute I typed pH instead of FC, fixed now
p.p.s. what type of pool surface do you have, it is not in your signature, also one more question for you, does your test kit show chlorine as shades of yellow or as shades of pink?
Just pointing out to others who may read this thread in the future, chlorine neutralizer is recommended because this is an indoor pool. If it were outdoors, we'd just recommend waiting a few days for the sunlight (UV light) to bring it down.
To the original poster - I wouldn't swim in it until you can check CYA (cyanuric acid, also known as stabilizer) levels with your test kit. Indoor pools usually have little (or no) CYA, which would make that level of chlorine very harsh. Take a look at the chlorine/CYA chart linked in Mr. Bruce's signature above.
To the original poster - I wouldn't swim in it until you can check CYA (cyanuric acid, also known as stabilizer) levels with your test kit. Indoor pools usually have little (or no) CYA, which would make that level of chlorine very harsh. Take a look at the chlorine/CYA chart linked in Mr. Bruce's signature above.
I have a vinyl liner. My kit shows chlorine as bright yellow with orange specks all in it. The PH is purple
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My Cyanuric Acid is 2ppm
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I have all of the readings from the test we ran at the store
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My Cyanuric Acid is 2ppm
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I have all of the readings from the test we ran at the store
Ok you have the OTO Chlorine test then, which is good in this case as the common DPD (shades of pink) chlorine test can get bleached out at high FC levels.
How did you measure 2 ppm CYA, the common CYA turbidity test only reads down to 20 ppm
Ike
p.s. it looks like you are still updating your message as I am replying I will wait a few minutes before I post anything else
How did you measure 2 ppm CYA, the common CYA turbidity test only reads down to 20 ppm
Ike
p.s. it looks like you are still updating your message as I am replying I will wait a few minutes before I post anything else
Ah, pool store testing, yet another reason to believe it is not worth the paper it is printed on, let me guess they use test strips with an automatic reader?
Let me ask another question, since disconnecting your SWG have you used any Chlorine products? if so what type?
Ike
p.s. I guess I should clarify the above statement, 2 ppm CYA is likely just a noise variation in the sensitivity of their testing machine, or is due to poor calibration, having a print out of a reading like that is proof that there is no sanity check in their testing, as a true level of 2 ppm CYA would typically be indistinguishable from 0 or even 5 ppm CYA. (at 10 ppm or so it can start to show up as slightly on the turbidity test)
Let me ask another question, since disconnecting your SWG have you used any Chlorine products? if so what type?
Ike
p.s. I guess I should clarify the above statement, 2 ppm CYA is likely just a noise variation in the sensitivity of their testing machine, or is due to poor calibration, having a print out of a reading like that is proof that there is no sanity check in their testing, as a true level of 2 ppm CYA would typically be indistinguishable from 0 or even 5 ppm CYA. (at 10 ppm or so it can start to show up as slightly on the turbidity test)
I'm not sure. The original people I hired came out and I know put proshock and protect 3" tablets in it. Two tablets and this was 6 weeks ago. It was awful so I wasted it 2 feet below skimmer twice and refilled. Still no luck so I found the new pool store where we tested it and then used the acid which dropped the PH too low according to their test so two days ago I used pool logic ph up and Dy-Chlor I I shock (2lbs)
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If I order the TF 100 test kit, how long does it last or how many times can it be used?
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If I order the TF 100 test kit, how long does it last or how many times can it be used?
I am not sure what is in proshock, but the tablets will have trichlor which will add both chlorine and CYA, so will the Dichlor. (having some CYA is good as it makes the chlorine less harsh). Around here we generally suggest 20-30 ppm CYA for indoor pools, which is what I typically run in mine. A bit less than 20 ppm would be fine too in theory, but as I mentioned above it is very hard to test for CYA levels under 20 ppm.
Ike
p.s. since I have the same size indoor pool as you do, and also have a vinyl liner, I am generally doing rough math in my head for level adjustments, which should be close enough for now. If you do opt to go with the dollar store hydrogen peroxide, I would suggest adding about a gallon at a time waiting half an hour with the pump running and then testing the chlorine level
p.s. I usually order the XL option which cost a few dollars more, but gives more of the FAS-DPD FC test reagent, and generally I have to order refills about once per year (they do an early spring refill special) see Pool School - Test Kits Compared but note you will likely get more FC tests out of it than the comparison as indoor pools are generally kept at a lower FC level due to their lower CYA
Ike
p.s. since I have the same size indoor pool as you do, and also have a vinyl liner, I am generally doing rough math in my head for level adjustments, which should be close enough for now. If you do opt to go with the dollar store hydrogen peroxide, I would suggest adding about a gallon at a time waiting half an hour with the pump running and then testing the chlorine level
p.s. I usually order the XL option which cost a few dollars more, but gives more of the FAS-DPD FC test reagent, and generally I have to order refills about once per year (they do an early spring refill special) see Pool School - Test Kits Compared but note you will likely get more FC tests out of it than the comparison as indoor pools are generally kept at a lower FC level due to their lower CYA
So, with the PH being off, you do think I should begin with the hydrogen peroxide ?
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Do you have UV lights? What do you use for humidity?
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One more question, is the kit easy to use and self explanatory?
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Do you have UV lights? What do you use for humidity?
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One more question, is the kit easy to use and self explanatory?
If it were mine I would be making the rounds of the dollar stores to get hydrogen peroxide and getting the FC down. Once the FC is below 10 ppm which will be a sort of pale amber yellow on your OTO test kit. You can retest the pH and adjust from there.
I just use liquid chlorine (I have an injection pump to semi-automate additions and tweak things by hand), and for CC build up I occasionally use MPS, but find that is only needed after a large pool party. I did invest in a UV ozonator a few years back shortly after I started using the TFP method, however I have never felt the need to install it. (maybe one day I will, just as a belt and suspenders sort of approach, but I doubt it). Having said that my pool is often under utilized with fairly low bather load, if you have lots of kids in the pool all day everyday either a UV or Ozone system may have benefits. My suggestion is to wait and see if you have a CC problem before looking for a cure. As to humidity, when my pool was built 35 years ago it originally had a central air conditioner system, this had all sorts of issue (from cost of operation to condensation dripping from the vents), so when the roof was replaced a couple of years ago I installed a pair of high volume exhaust fans which you can see in this thread My not indoor pool at the moment They are sized to be able to vent the entire air volume of the building in about 6 or 8 minutes, so we can leave things shut up and warm in the spring / fall, yet suck all the humid air out quickly. This lets us get fresh cooler air inside, but not loosing much heat from the building.
p.s. there is a little bit of learning curve on the TF-100 although most master it quickly and there are you tube videos to walk you through it, also if you order it consider getting the speed stir accessory, no one regrets it. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE98E18E2EE701C4D
also SpeedStir Magnetic Stirrer - YouTube
(think of the speed stir as like an automatic transmission on a car, you don't have to have it, but it can often make life a lot easier) Perhaps not the best analogy since both my car and my truck have manual transmissions
I just use liquid chlorine (I have an injection pump to semi-automate additions and tweak things by hand), and for CC build up I occasionally use MPS, but find that is only needed after a large pool party. I did invest in a UV ozonator a few years back shortly after I started using the TFP method, however I have never felt the need to install it. (maybe one day I will, just as a belt and suspenders sort of approach, but I doubt it). Having said that my pool is often under utilized with fairly low bather load, if you have lots of kids in the pool all day everyday either a UV or Ozone system may have benefits. My suggestion is to wait and see if you have a CC problem before looking for a cure. As to humidity, when my pool was built 35 years ago it originally had a central air conditioner system, this had all sorts of issue (from cost of operation to condensation dripping from the vents), so when the roof was replaced a couple of years ago I installed a pair of high volume exhaust fans which you can see in this thread My not indoor pool at the moment They are sized to be able to vent the entire air volume of the building in about 6 or 8 minutes, so we can leave things shut up and warm in the spring / fall, yet suck all the humid air out quickly. This lets us get fresh cooler air inside, but not loosing much heat from the building.
p.s. there is a little bit of learning curve on the TF-100 although most master it quickly and there are you tube videos to walk you through it, also if you order it consider getting the speed stir accessory, no one regrets it. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE98E18E2EE701C4D
also SpeedStir Magnetic Stirrer - YouTube
(think of the speed stir as like an automatic transmission on a car, you don't have to have it, but it can often make life a lot easier) Perhaps not the best analogy since both my car and my truck have manual transmissions
Okay, going to get hydrogen peroxide now. Also, ordering the test kit. Is it easy to use? As I know NOTHING about any of this. All of these abbreviations are foreign to me at this moment. But, I am learning and will continue.
see my ps
I am going to be away from the house a bit here too, but will try to check back in when I can
I am going to be away from the house a bit here too, but will try to check back in when I can