At my end...

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T

tcogs

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Jun 24, 2009
29
Okay, so here are my readings from this past weekend:

FC: 7.5
CC: 0
TC: 7.5
pH: 7.2
T/A: 170
CH: 500
CYA: 50

I have consumed 8, 182oz jugs of bleach since Friday. I noticed the sides of the pool are a darker shade then the bottom. I decided to "get in" and scrub, since this seems to be the best result for me. I was able to brush up green (algae) 'assumed'... turning the water from clear to cloudy/greenish. From the CYA/FC Chart I know that my shock level is 20ppm. It seems that I am running through bleach like I own a meth lab in my basement (at least that's the look I get when I go through the checkout line at Walmart). This seems to be a reoccurring issue for me (consuming lots of bleach while still scrubbing green stuff from the walls). I have been reassuring the wife that the amount of bleach consumption will drop off once I can get the pool to a manageable state (without green stuff on the walls). What can I do to finally rid myself of this?

FYI - I cannot seem to maintain a FC level of 20ppm over a two/three day period because I am at work during the afternoon, thus I have at least a 5ppm loss during a typical 24hour period. Is my CYA level creating algae? I didn't have this problem when I just kept adding "pucks" and shocking every three days.

Thanks in advance,

Tim
 
So what happened between your previous posts (here) and this one since this report of algae is new? Did the chlorine get too low -- below around 4 ppm FC or so, assuming your 50 ppm FC is correct? You say this is a recurring issue but that you didn't have this problem with pucks and shocking every 3 days. Do you mean that this problem with algae has been happening since you stopped using the pucks and switched to using bleach or chlorinating liquid? Is the problem that you were unable to keep the chlorine levels up consistently so now algae is growing?

When you converted to BBB you reported only having a CYA of around 20 ppm, but why was this so low if you were using Trichlor pucks? Was the use of such pucks on a very low setting and you shocked with chlorinating liquid or bleach (or Cal-Hypo -- not clear what you used for shocking)?

A 5 ppm FC loss over 24 hours is high, but the real test is to see the loss overnight. If it's more than 1 ppm, then yes your chlorine is probably consuming algae. And yes, the higher CYA level of 50 ppm requires a higher FC level minimum of 4 ppm compared to when your CYA was 20 ppm, but your chlorine loss from sunlight was probably much higher when the CYA was lower. Were you still trying to keep only 2-4 ppm FC in the pool even when the CYA was raised to 50 ppm? If so, then that was the source of the problem.

It sounds like you need a more consistent source of chlorine in your pool at all times and the Trichlor pucks were giving that to you. That way, you could shock every few days but if you didn't add chlorine every day at least the Trichlor was there keeping a bit of a lid on things. With BBB, you have to be more diligent and add chlorine every day or two (unless you have a pool cover), keeping the FC from dropping too low. If this approach doesn't work for you, then you can consider other alternatives but they will be more costly (including the hybrid approach you were using before; or the use of algaecides or phosphate removers; etc.).

Richard
 
Thanks for the response Richard, here is a summary

So what happened between your previous posts (here) and this one since this report of algae is new? Did the chlorine get too low -- below around 4 ppm FC or so, assuming your 50 ppm FC is correct? RE: At that time, I was only concerned with getting my CYA level to where it needed to be. I didn't see much Algae. You say this is a recurring issue but that you didn't have this problem with pucks and shocking every 3 days. Do you mean that this problem with algae has been happening since you stopped using the pucks and switched to using bleach or chlorinating liquid? That is correctIs the problem that you were unable to keep the chlorine levels up consistently so now algae is growing?

When you converted to BBB you reported only having a CYA of around 20 ppm, but why was this so low if you were using Trichlor pucks? Was the use of such pucks on a very low setting and you shocked with chlorinating liquid or bleach (or Cal-Hypo -- not clear what you used for shocking)? I shocked with powder from Walmart, not sure exactly what the chem's were. Remember, I wasn't paying much attention then! =)

A 5 ppm FC loss over 24 hours is high, but the real test is to see the loss overnight. If it's more than 1 ppm, then yes your chlorine is probably consuming algae. And yes, the higher CYA level of 50 ppm requires a higher FC level minimum of 4 ppm compared to when your CYA was 20 ppm, but your chlorine loss from sunlight was probably much higher when the CYA was lower. Were you still trying to keep only 2-4 ppm FC in the pool even when the CYA was raised to 50 ppm? If so, then that was the source of the problem. I am trying to keep it above 6ppm, but that can be challenging at times given occasional traveling. I don't believe it has gotten below 3.5ppm for much more than 24 hours at the most.

It sounds like you need a more consistent source of chlorine in your pool at all times and the Trichlor pucks were giving that to you. That way, you could shock every few days but if you didn't add chlorine every day at least the Trichlor was there keeping a bit of a lid on things. agreedWith BBB, you have to be more diligent and add chlorine every day or two (unless you have a pool cover), keeping the FC from dropping too low. I have been adding about 3 gallons per night. And checking FC nightly, that is my concern.If this approach doesn't work for you, then you can consider other alternatives but they will be more costly (including the hybrid approach you were using before; or the use of algaecides or phosphate removers; etc.).

So I just took a reading tonight 9:30pm and the FC level is 17.5ppm. I will take another reading tomorrow morning and report back. Thanks again for you help!

Tim
 
Yes, the FC level held. The water is cloudy from scrubbing, but it usually clears after a few days. I am going to test again and give my FC results from a partly cloudy day. If my FC levels have dropped significantly does that mean my CYA levels are not high enough?.
 
So in the "heat of the moment" after I had such a high amount of FC loss from last night. I added 4 182oz jugs of bleach to raise the water to 'shock' level (and then some). My new FC reading is: 28ppm, CC: is .5, TC: 28.5
 

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It is not unusual to have a large drop during the day when at high FC levels. It is more of a percentage thing.
Here's a link to some more info that might help: question-about-daytime-fc-loss-t12839.html?hilit=percentage

Can you do another overnight test tonight?

Where do you live? (Some folks do better with a higher CYA because of their location/weather).

How does your water look?
 
That looks like two overnight tests that you passed, so organics seem to be ruled out.

What about your CYA level? Are you very comfortable that it is 50? The accuracy of the test is +/- 10.
You might consider re-testing the CYA. If you have any questions about performing the CYA test, please post back.

Also, how much CYA did you add and what % cyanuric acid was the jug?
 
FC: is at 6ppm tonight.

I am comfortable with my CYA at 50, do you think it should be more or less? It's definitely an art to the CYA test, I am planning on testing myself and then having the pool store test it this weekend.

Over the course of the last 2 months, I have added about 6lbs of powder stabilizer from Wmart. It's 96% cyanuric acid.
 
Okay, it looks like your CYA level is a comfy 50. That is good and the level of 50 sounds good for your pool.

I suggest you let the FC level drift down to maintenance levels.

Even if your pool is still somewhat cloudy, it appears the algae is dead (based on 2 overnight tests) and the filter just needs time to clear the water.

Maintenance FC level for a CYA of 50 is Minimum 4 to Target 8. I suggest you raise your FC each evening to 9 or 10.

How does that sound to you?
 
Started scrubbing the sides and noticed more green/cloudy dirt/algae. I backwashed and then vacuumed. I then backwashed again. I noticed that I picked up a 'baseball' sized amount of sand in my pantyhose over the skimmer (which I originally thought was from the filter). I now realize that this is the pebbled finish from the pool@#!@ Could these somehow be related (loss of FC/pebbles coming off pool?). Also, what can I do to prevent the loss of the pebbled finish? I will once again raise the FC level to 20ppm. Water is a bit cloudy, but still able to see the bottom of the shallow end, not much of the deep.
 

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