Sallie, don't despair, you will get where you need to with the expertise of these very fine people helping you. My issue took longer than a week, others have too.
Overnight FC Not Holding and Other Questions
- Thread starter Sallie
- Start date
My original kit says to do one scoop and if the water doesn't turn pink, to do another scoop. Mine turns pink after the first scoop whether I level it off or do a heaping scoopful. So do I still do one scoop even if it turns pink right away, whether it's a level scoop or heaping scoop?
Keep in mind that Ben's kits came with a larger scoop. One scoop from Ben's kit equals two Taylor scoops.
So, Jason, are you saying that I should use 2 scoops even if it turns pink with one scoop?
Generally, if the sample turns a solid pink color you are fine. That might take one, two, three, or even four level Taylor scoops, depending on the FC level. Needing more than two scoops is quite rare, but it can happen at extreme FC levels. And, of course, the sample will never turn pink if there isn't any FC.
However, Taylor says to always add at least two scoops. I am not sure what the exact reason for that is. But I can think of one situation where it would make a difference. The test is designed to have more indicator (the powder) than there is chlorine, so that all of the chlorine, both FC and CC, is bound to indicator at some point (CC doesn't bind till your add the R-0003). If the CC level is very high, and you only use one scoop, there can be too little indicator when you add the R-0003. That could give you a false, lower than actual, CC reading. Of course this can still happen, even with two scoops, if the CC level is high enough. But CC levels that high are really extremely rare, which CC levels too high for one scoop are merely very rare.
Ben's kit tries to speed up the procedure by giving you a larger scoop, so that one level scoop is the same as two level Taylor scoops. The TF100 tries to speed up the procedure by suggesting one heaping scoop, which is about the same amount as two level scoops. It doesn't hurt to add too much powder, within reason, there is only a problem if you add too little.
However, Taylor says to always add at least two scoops. I am not sure what the exact reason for that is. But I can think of one situation where it would make a difference. The test is designed to have more indicator (the powder) than there is chlorine, so that all of the chlorine, both FC and CC, is bound to indicator at some point (CC doesn't bind till your add the R-0003). If the CC level is very high, and you only use one scoop, there can be too little indicator when you add the R-0003. That could give you a false, lower than actual, CC reading. Of course this can still happen, even with two scoops, if the CC level is high enough. But CC levels that high are really extremely rare, which CC levels too high for one scoop are merely very rare.
Ben's kit tries to speed up the procedure by giving you a larger scoop, so that one level scoop is the same as two level Taylor scoops. The TF100 tries to speed up the procedure by suggesting one heaping scoop, which is about the same amount as two level scoops. It doesn't hurt to add too much powder, within reason, there is only a problem if you add too little.
Sallie,
FWIW, you are not alone trying to figure this out. I am having the same problems and my wife is geting tired of me filling both recycle bins with empty 182 oz jugs of bleach, not to mention the trips to Costco. My water is clear, no CC and it's like where is the chlorine going? Plus I dumped 1/2 of my water on sunday so I'm thinking how much algae can be left in the remaining 9,000 gal or so that I had left before refilling.
I fought all last year with algae and never resolved it then. I hope I'm getting to the end of this, too, because my patience is wearing thin.
Good luck and hopefully everything will be fixed for us soon.
FWIW, you are not alone trying to figure this out. I am having the same problems and my wife is geting tired of me filling both recycle bins with empty 182 oz jugs of bleach, not to mention the trips to Costco. My water is clear, no CC and it's like where is the chlorine going? Plus I dumped 1/2 of my water on sunday so I'm thinking how much algae can be left in the remaining 9,000 gal or so that I had left before refilling.
I fought all last year with algae and never resolved it then. I hope I'm getting to the end of this, too, because my patience is wearing thin.
Good luck and hopefully everything will be fixed for us soon.
reebok
0
Wes, I'm glad you answered. I am so, so frustrated. This is my 10th day of trying to stay at shock level. Of course, it doesn't help that it's been sunny every day. It was 2 ppm difference this morning from last night. Do you stand on your bottles to squish them when they're empty before putting them in the trash.? I have had MANY boxes of 3 182 oz from Sam's as well as bleach from Kroger, BiLo and CVS, all 6% of course, and I'm not buying 2 or 3 bottles at a time. I'm buying so much that people are looking at me funny, and I've gone through so much testing stuff! Now I'm just testing twice a day. I really don't know how long I'm willing to keep on with this. We just don't have the money right now to spend any more $ on bleach. It's ridiculous what we've spent so far.
Wow, you have patience! Never imagined it might take 10 days! Perhaps you should post your test results from this morning for the experts here to see and they may have something else to say. I am not an expert on pools but good at observations so maybe something here will help:
1. You have a big pool, 25,000 gal. That is almost 40% more water than mine so I know it takes a lot of bleach!
2. I noticed you have a 3/4 hp pump and I have a 2 HP pump. I don't know anything about pumps but with 40% water you have a pump that is less than 1/2 the size of mine. Size matters?
3. Did you check for all possible breeding grounds for algae? I poured a bit of bleach in my auto leveler (not sure if you have one), I ran my scuppers in case any algae was in those lines, I pulled out my pool cleaner (hummer) and found light algae on the plastic wheels between the plastic and rubber and on the plastic hose where the floats hold up the line (I slid them forward and found the algae and wiped it off). Of course with your high chlorine levels I doubt you have a cleaner in the pool anyway.
4. It's been sunny and 99 degrees for the past several days here and yesterday my chlorine reading went from 16 to 6 from 7AM to 7PM. Maybe you could use a cover or something to help reduce chlorine loss during the day? Then again that might make it worse - remember, I don't know squat!
5. Are you sure what type of algae you have? I noticed on the pool calculator that mustard algae shock levels are much higher than regular shock levels.
Maybe you should post your email so each of us can make a Paypal donation to you for $5 to help??
Good luck and hang in there, I am haunted by something I read on the TFP forum that said if you don't keep at it and solve it then all the $$ and chemicals you spent up to that point is wasted.
BTW, I'm stopping at Costco on the way home tonight to pick up another 9 jugs of 182 oz bleach. Good idea about standing on the jugs to flatten them since they exceed the size of my two recycleable containers. I'll give that a try tonight.
1. You have a big pool, 25,000 gal. That is almost 40% more water than mine so I know it takes a lot of bleach!
2. I noticed you have a 3/4 hp pump and I have a 2 HP pump. I don't know anything about pumps but with 40% water you have a pump that is less than 1/2 the size of mine. Size matters?
3. Did you check for all possible breeding grounds for algae? I poured a bit of bleach in my auto leveler (not sure if you have one), I ran my scuppers in case any algae was in those lines, I pulled out my pool cleaner (hummer) and found light algae on the plastic wheels between the plastic and rubber and on the plastic hose where the floats hold up the line (I slid them forward and found the algae and wiped it off). Of course with your high chlorine levels I doubt you have a cleaner in the pool anyway.
4. It's been sunny and 99 degrees for the past several days here and yesterday my chlorine reading went from 16 to 6 from 7AM to 7PM. Maybe you could use a cover or something to help reduce chlorine loss during the day? Then again that might make it worse - remember, I don't know squat!
5. Are you sure what type of algae you have? I noticed on the pool calculator that mustard algae shock levels are much higher than regular shock levels.
Maybe you should post your email so each of us can make a Paypal donation to you for $5 to help??
Good luck and hang in there, I am haunted by something I read on the TFP forum that said if you don't keep at it and solve it then all the $$ and chemicals you spent up to that point is wasted.
BTW, I'm stopping at Costco on the way home tonight to pick up another 9 jugs of 182 oz bleach. Good idea about standing on the jugs to flatten them since they exceed the size of my two recycleable containers. I'll give that a try tonight.
I don't have an autoleveler, don't know what scuppers is/are and the pool cleaner hasn't been in the pool in a couple of years. As for the cover, it is a dark mesh type cover that clamps all around on the outside like the one that claims an elephant can stand on it or something like that. The cover is a thought, but I would need someone to help me get it on, and hubby is out of town. At first, I was checking several times a day and adding bleach during the day to keep it up. Now I am checking at night and in the morning only. I realize it would be stupid to give up, but I just can't keep this up forever, and I can't afford it either.
I am trying to shock to 25 as someone suggested earlier. Should I go higher? Any other suggestions besides the brushing, vacuuming and bleach? I've also tried re-directing my returns to hit areas that maybe weren't getting enough bleach. I may post numbers in the morning, but I posted them before, and nothing jumped out at anybody.
I am trying to shock to 25 as someone suggested earlier. Should I go higher? Any other suggestions besides the brushing, vacuuming and bleach? I've also tried re-directing my returns to hit areas that maybe weren't getting enough bleach. I may post numbers in the morning, but I posted them before, and nothing jumped out at anybody.
One thought, I think tonight I will clean out my skimmer really good. I have checked all around the outside of the skimmer, all around the steps and around all of the returns and lights. No, I have no idea about what kind of algae it is. As I said, when I started this procedure, I had crystal clear water.
I say post every test you do. If you are doing several in a day & want to combine them in one post fine but the test results help the mderators.
Be sure you are following the test directions. Your kit probably has several cylinders, one test needs 10 ml, one needs 25ml etc & you are frustrated which can keep you from thinking clearly. It is quite easy to not follow the directions in spite of performing the test 100 times. Don’t hesitate to re-read those directions.
Be sure you are following the test directions. Your kit probably has several cylinders, one test needs 10 ml, one needs 25ml etc & you are frustrated which can keep you from thinking clearly. It is quite easy to not follow the directions in spite of performing the test 100 times. Don’t hesitate to re-read those directions.
I think one day I posted that I was on my 10th day, but it was actually the 9th. Today is the 11th. Today I spent the entire afternoon working on the pool. I brushed it and vacuumed twice. I used a small brush to go around the returns, inside and outside of the skimmer (It had not been cleaned really well this year, and it needed cleaning.)
I also cleaned good around the steps and around the light and inside of the light hole. Some of you may remember that my light has been out and on the deck since last season because the screw holding it disintegrated. When I brushed inside of the area that holds the light, I got a small chunk that looked like clay and some powder that looked like clay, so I really brushed in there good.
Then I went all around the pool on the inside and used my feet and brushed again where the wall meets the floor. I cleaned the skimmer basket and the pump basket twice. Right now my FC is at 8. It was 23.5 this morning. We've had another darn sunny day to eat up all my chlorine!
I just check it twice a day now because with all the sun, there is no way I could keep the chlorine level up during the day. I haven't been checking my pH since my chlorine levels have been high. I decided I better check it tonight because it would not be noticeable to anyone else in my family, but it looks like my white fiberglass steps are turning a very light brown under the water line.
Anyway, my pH was 7.2. I didn't check all the other stuff because right now FC is my focus, don't have any CC. This morning my FC was down 2 ppm from last night, same thing the day before. When I first looked in the skimmer basket, there were two dead frogs in there, some snails and tons of leaves.
We had a storm last night while I was at Sam's getting BLEACH, so there were some leaves in the pool from last night. Maybe between the not so clean skimmer, the stuff in the light hole, the dead frogs, leaves and snails, that ate up some of my chlorine.
I had bought a new bottle of 871 before this started, and I need to order another now. I think I'll run out before I can get any. The neighbors on each side of me have a pool, but they are clueless, so I doubt that they have any Taylor stuff, but if I run out, and I'm sure I will, I will ask them. I think someone said that the pool stores don't carry Taylor stuff. There are several pool stores close to me. Should I bother to check? One is Leslie's.
And thanks to all of you who have been holding my hand through this!!!
Edited for line breaks. Butterfly
I also cleaned good around the steps and around the light and inside of the light hole. Some of you may remember that my light has been out and on the deck since last season because the screw holding it disintegrated. When I brushed inside of the area that holds the light, I got a small chunk that looked like clay and some powder that looked like clay, so I really brushed in there good.
Then I went all around the pool on the inside and used my feet and brushed again where the wall meets the floor. I cleaned the skimmer basket and the pump basket twice. Right now my FC is at 8. It was 23.5 this morning. We've had another darn sunny day to eat up all my chlorine!
I just check it twice a day now because with all the sun, there is no way I could keep the chlorine level up during the day. I haven't been checking my pH since my chlorine levels have been high. I decided I better check it tonight because it would not be noticeable to anyone else in my family, but it looks like my white fiberglass steps are turning a very light brown under the water line.
Anyway, my pH was 7.2. I didn't check all the other stuff because right now FC is my focus, don't have any CC. This morning my FC was down 2 ppm from last night, same thing the day before. When I first looked in the skimmer basket, there were two dead frogs in there, some snails and tons of leaves.
We had a storm last night while I was at Sam's getting BLEACH, so there were some leaves in the pool from last night. Maybe between the not so clean skimmer, the stuff in the light hole, the dead frogs, leaves and snails, that ate up some of my chlorine.
I had bought a new bottle of 871 before this started, and I need to order another now. I think I'll run out before I can get any. The neighbors on each side of me have a pool, but they are clueless, so I doubt that they have any Taylor stuff, but if I run out, and I'm sure I will, I will ask them. I think someone said that the pool stores don't carry Taylor stuff. There are several pool stores close to me. Should I bother to check? One is Leslie's.
And thanks to all of you who have been holding my hand through this!!!
Edited for line breaks. Butterfly
reebok
0
leslie's has fas-dpd titration agent, but it seems like there are several different ones according to the taylor website. someone in the know will have to tell you (personally I think it's the right one since they sell the rebranded k-2006), but in the mean time you can call and see if the local leslie's even has any in stock.
http://www.lesliespool.com/browse/Home/ ... 30/I/81348
http://www.lesliespool.com/browse/Home/ ... 30/I/81348
My local Leslie's has a rack of Taylor refills. I didn't notice whether they had the R-0871, last time I was in there, but they had a number of things. It's worth checking.
--paulr
--paulr
I'm pretty sure I'm going to need it tomorrow, just hope I have enough for my early morning check.
I may have uncovered part of my FC problem. I don't know if I can explain it, but I'll try. We have a place in the pool wall where the Polaris connects. I don't know what happened, but a while back there was a problem near the pump with the pipe that goes to the Polaris connection. Hubby had cut it off about 2 inches above ground level and had not plugged it. So tonight I used a funnel and poured bleach into the pipe at the pump while he stood over the pool so he could see it come out into the pool. When I started pouring, some black stuff came out. I kept pouring for a while until he said it looked okay. Well, obviously he needs to get that fixed. I'm not sure how I missed this except that I guess I thought it was capped off. I guess this means that I will definitely use more that 1 ppm tonight. Tonight we bought 10 182 oz. bottles of bleach, and I already had 3, but I know I'll be going out tomorrow for more. The saga continues...
I may have uncovered part of my FC problem. I don't know if I can explain it, but I'll try. We have a place in the pool wall where the Polaris connects. I don't know what happened, but a while back there was a problem near the pump with the pipe that goes to the Polaris connection. Hubby had cut it off about 2 inches above ground level and had not plugged it. So tonight I used a funnel and poured bleach into the pipe at the pump while he stood over the pool so he could see it come out into the pool. When I started pouring, some black stuff came out. I kept pouring for a while until he said it looked okay. Well, obviously he needs to get that fixed. I'm not sure how I missed this except that I guess I thought it was capped off. I guess this means that I will definitely use more that 1 ppm tonight. Tonight we bought 10 182 oz. bottles of bleach, and I already had 3, but I know I'll be going out tomorrow for more. The saga continues...
I'm on Day 12, and I'm out of 871. You may ask how I let this happen. Well, I don't know except that I do have some other stuff going on besides this, and it's difficult to tell how many drops are left in the bottle and how many it will take for the test. Anyway, this morning it was down 2 ppm again. I'm surprised it wasn't more considering the problem I found last night and the black stuff that came out of that pipe into the pool. My 871 is on order, but I don't think it will ship until Monday. My neighhbors who have pools are not home, but I would be willing to bet that they won't even know what I'm talking about. So how should I proceed until I can test again? I know I'll be shooting in the dark. I really think that once I get going again and can test, that it will only take a couple of days. I will have some swimmers tomorrow, not many, but some.
And HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all of you dads.
And HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all of you dads.
The shock levels aren't precise exact hit-this-or-else targets; as the man said, they're more like guidelines than actual rules. You have an OTO (yellow drops) chlorine test too, right? If that shows close to (or less than) 5, you know how much bleach to bring it back up to 25 or whatever. It will be tough to maintain a level, but if you know more or less where you're starting from and where you're going then you can get there. It'll drag out the process (and you know how much you've been enjoying it :tongue: ) a bit, but it's hard to see what else to suggest.
--paulr
--paulr