Yup. Borax.
A fountain or source of aeration would be good too....while free, aeration would will take too long.
A fountain or source of aeration would be good too....while free, aeration would will take too long.
Chlorine Demand Test = 83 lbs!
- Thread starter jjoshua
- Start date
I've still got another 2" to go on the refill. 15,000 plaster.
FC=1
TC=2
CC=1
PH=6.8
TA=120
CYA=70
My plan is to aerate and add a box of borax to get the PH up. Then I have to tackle the CC. It looks like I need to add 20 gallons of 12.5% bleach to get my FC up to 20 to shock.
Edit: Perhaps I should add the bleach first to see what that does to raise the pH.
FC=1
TC=2
CC=1
PH=6.8
TA=120
CYA=70
My plan is to aerate and add a box of borax to get the PH up. Then I have to tackle the CC. It looks like I need to add 20 gallons of 12.5% bleach to get my FC up to 20 to shock.
Edit: Perhaps I should add the bleach first to see what that does to raise the pH.
Any raise in PH from the chlorine will be temporary. You need to raise the PH first, because once the FC levels are above 10 your PH readings will read false high and you won't be able to adjust them accurately.
JJ,
DO NOT put 20 GAL of 12% in your pool.......FC will be over 160!
You need 2.5 gal of 12% in a 15k pool to raise FC to 20ppm
DO NOT put 20 GAL of 12% in your pool.......FC will be over 160!
You need 2.5 gal of 12% in a 15k pool to raise FC to 20ppm
Oops. I guess my calculations were a bit off. 20 gallons didn't seem unreasonable because earlier this season I added 15 gallons to try to get rid of my combined chlorine (which failed).
This afternoon, I added some chlorine neutralizer to get my chlorine readings back down to 0 so I can start fresh tomorrow. I plan to add 8oz of dichlor (56% chlorine) to see what kind of readings I get.
Also, 1 box of borax got my PH up to 7.2 so another box should get me up to a good level.
This afternoon, I added some chlorine neutralizer to get my chlorine readings back down to 0 so I can start fresh tomorrow. I plan to add 8oz of dichlor (56% chlorine) to see what kind of readings I get.
Also, 1 box of borax got my PH up to 7.2 so another box should get me up to a good level.
Dichlor will add more CYA to your pool (which you cannot get out) and will cause you more problems......you have more than enough right now.
I suggest you stick with chlorine.
I suggest you stick with chlorine.
Why? Chlorine neutralizer will add sulfates to your water. Also, why bring the chlorine down ot 0? You need to keep chlorine in your water or the pool will turn green!jjoshua said:
We really do not recommend the use of chlorine neutralizer in the forum except under very special, rare conditions.
I'm going to put chlorine back in tomorrow. I just wanted to get everything (including CC) back to 0 so I can figure out what's happening when I add chlorine again.
I'll get a 5 gallon drum of liquid chlorine tomorrow instead of using the dichlor if 8 oz of dichlor is going to raise the CYA too much.
I added some algae control today so I'm not worried about getting green water overnight.
I'll get a 5 gallon drum of liquid chlorine tomorrow instead of using the dichlor if 8 oz of dichlor is going to raise the CYA too much.
I added some algae control today so I'm not worried about getting green water overnight.
Ok, I am going to be blunt! You need to click on the pool school link in the upper right of every page.
You need to read EVERYTHING on it!
You need to read it again!
IF you don't understand anything read it all a third time.
Then post any questions you might have about how to get your pool under control.
You need to read EVERYTHING on it!
You need to read it again!
IF you don't understand anything read it all a third time.
Then post any questions you might have about how to get your pool under control.
It doesn't work that way. You need more chlorine, not less. Adding chlorine neutralizer was a waste of time and money. It isn't going to do whatever it was you thought it was going to do. It is just going to mean that you need to use yet more chlorine.jjoshua said:
Correct! You most likely have excess neutralizer in the water right now so the first chlorine you put in will get used up oxidizeing the excess neutralizer. It's jut a waste of time and money.JasonLion said:
yup...20 mule team...hey I noticed you said you shocked...please do not use cal-hyp or other powdered shock since your trying to get the CYA down....only use bleach 6% or liquid shock...aka 10% or 12.5% bleach 
...I never knew shock is something you do to your water...not add to it...this website has saved me many frustrations and I can;t stress reading through pool school 3-4 times
...I never knew shock is something you do to your water...not add to it...this website has saved me many frustrations and I can;t stress reading through pool school 3-4 timesI'm aware that I'm paying a bit extra for chlorine but it's important for me to get a baseline number for when I start adding chlorine again.
BTW, I have a Taylor test kit. How do I measure FC up to 20ppm when I shock the pool if my test kit only measures up to 5ppm? How will I tell if I have CC?
BTW, I have a Taylor test kit. How do I measure FC up to 20ppm when I shock the pool if my test kit only measures up to 5ppm? How will I tell if I have CC?
You need to supplement your kit with the FAS-DPD test. You can order it seperately from Taylor and from TFTestkits.net. The test runs about $25. It can test up to 50ppm and also tests CCs. Is much more accurate and easier to use than the DPD test.
To measure high FC levels reliably you really need a FAS-DPD chlorine test.
Taylor sells three different chlorine tests: OTO (drops turn the sample different shades of yellow), DPD (drops turn the sample different shades of red), and FAS-DPD (powder turns the sample pink and drops then turn it clear again).
The DPD test can distinguish FC and TC, which gives you CC (CC=TC-FC), but only up to 5. You can use it with dilution to measure levels up to 10 reasonably well. Trying to use dilution to measure higher values sort of kind of works, but introduces large errors which makes the results questionable.
I don't know what you think a "baseline number" is, but it isn't going to work that way. Something in the way you are thinking about this is mistaken, but you haven't said enough about what you imagine will happen for me to be able to tell what you are misunderstanding.
Taylor sells three different chlorine tests: OTO (drops turn the sample different shades of yellow), DPD (drops turn the sample different shades of red), and FAS-DPD (powder turns the sample pink and drops then turn it clear again).
The DPD test can distinguish FC and TC, which gives you CC (CC=TC-FC), but only up to 5. You can use it with dilution to measure levels up to 10 reasonably well. Trying to use dilution to measure higher values sort of kind of works, but introduces large errors which makes the results questionable.
I don't know what you think a "baseline number" is, but it isn't going to work that way. Something in the way you are thinking about this is mistaken, but you haven't said enough about what you imagine will happen for me to be able to tell what you are misunderstanding.
LIke I said, you need tor read and study the pool school section of the forum. It has the informatin that will allow you to undestand what is going on in your pool. For example, your questions about testing that you just asked would have been answered if you had read pool school.
What kind of 'baseline number' are you looking to get? What do you hope to accomplish with this 'baseline number'? You really are not understanding some of the basics of pool care and I cannot emphasize enough how important it isi for you to read the pool school section of the forum. We really cannot help you unless you have some of the basics under your belt so we are all talking the same language!
If you are looking for some "magic in a bottle" like your bioguard dealer was offering to fix your pool by just pouring it in then you are in the wrong place. If you are looking for information on how to take control of your water, save a lot of money, and find out how easy it really is to care for a pool then you are in the right place BUT you need to do your part! Read Pool School!
What kind of 'baseline number' are you looking to get? What do you hope to accomplish with this 'baseline number'? You really are not understanding some of the basics of pool care and I cannot emphasize enough how important it isi for you to read the pool school section of the forum. We really cannot help you unless you have some of the basics under your belt so we are all talking the same language!
If you are looking for some "magic in a bottle" like your bioguard dealer was offering to fix your pool by just pouring it in then you are in the wrong place. If you are looking for information on how to take control of your water, save a lot of money, and find out how easy it really is to care for a pool then you are in the right place BUT you need to do your part! Read Pool School!
I added 3 gallons of 12.5%. Here are the results after 15 minutes of circulation:
FC=6
TC=9
CC=3
PH=7.5
TA=110
CYA=70
Based on 15,000 gallons, my shock target is 20ppm.
Now, here's the really bad news. I got an ammonia test kit from the fish store. My reading is off the charts. Probably 10ppm of ammonia.
I have 12 gallons of chlorine left. What's my next step here?
FC=6
TC=9
CC=3
PH=7.5
TA=110
CYA=70
Based on 15,000 gallons, my shock target is 20ppm.
Now, here's the really bad news. I got an ammonia test kit from the fish store. My reading is off the charts. Probably 10ppm of ammonia.
I have 12 gallons of chlorine left. What's my next step here?
Read this article on testing extreme chlorine demand... You're gonna need alot of chlorine.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/post56824.html#p56824
In the future, allow more time for circulation before you test. At least 30 minutes minimum.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/post56824.html#p56824
In the future, allow more time for circulation before you test. At least 30 minutes minimum.