Moved in to new house - Chlorine at 19ppm

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S

Stanfield

0
Nov 25, 2017
5
Gilbert, AZ
Hi,
I just bought a house with an existing outdoor pool in Gilbert, AZ. This is my first pool and I've been reading up on how to care for it. I closed on 11/9 but just moved in and started to check the pool with my new Taylor 2600C. The first time I tested with a 25mL sample size and I added about 100 drops of reagent before I stopped, figuring I did something wrong. i tried again with a 10mL sample size and it went from pink to clear after 38 drops, giving me TC of 19. CC was zero. I tested again and the results were the same, 38 drops in 10mL.

The previous owner has been gone from this house for over a month and the pool hasn't been touched. I am struggling to understand how my chlorine is still this high, even if he shocked it for the sale. I'll test it again in a couple days and see if it is moving at all.

The pool had a floatie chlorinator, which today had just a few crumbs in it. So it appears to have had tabs in it but they are now gone. There is also an in-deck chlorinator that had what I am guessing is chlorine tabs. The "thing" in the bucket looked like a tinker toy - two wheels connected with a plastic axle between them. I can't take a good picture at the moment but I'm hoping this makes sense to someone.

The pool water is perfectly clear and it's too cold to swim in for now, so there aren't any issues that are known to me. I've read that high levels of chlorine can damage the equipment and pool itself but I haven't seen a definitive number on this.

Any thoughts here?
 
Welcome to TFP! Good to have you here :)

The "harshness" level of the chlorine depends on the amount of stabilizer in the pool (aka cyanuric acid, aka CYA). Chances are that your CYA level will also be high and the 19 ppm FC is not a problem. I suggest you test CYA next and let us know. It's the trickiest of the tests, and uses up test supplies quickly, so have a read through this link before you get underway: Pool School - CYA

Let us know the pH of your pool water as well.
 
Probability is that the homeowner loaded the pool up with chlorine to keep it from turning green during the sales process, not understanding that it was not necessary. The levels will slowly drift down. You may just want to test for the presence of chlorine every few days so reagents are not wasted with your Taylor 2006C kit. As mentioned by Pat and Needsajet, please add your signature and post a full set of test results.

Try not to struggle why your chlorine levels are high, but determine how you will move forward. It appears that the previous homeowner used a floating chlorinator with 3" tablets. You will want to remove this from the water. Moving forward, it is best to dose your pool manually with liquid chlorine each day or every other day. Your levels are depend on where you CYA is.

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
Here are all of the numbers one week later:

TC - 16.5 ppm
CC - 0 ppm
CYA - Over 100ppm. The black dot disappeared before I was even halfway to 100ppm.
PH - 7.4
TA - 120ppm
CH - 350ppm

I suppose what I should do now would be to dilute my CYA water sample, double it perhaps, and then try the test again. I think it's still going to be over 100ppm. The black dot was gone after the tube was about one centimeter full.

Good grief this isn't what I was expecting.
 
See post #2 for the link on how to do an extended CYA test.

You are most likely going to need to drain a significant amount of your water. Start to understand the best way to do it, were the water will go, etc.

Please add a signature. Really helps us help you. See Pool School - Getting Started
 
Hi Stanfield and congratulations on the new home and pool.

I would expect every new owner of a used pool to face the same situation that you have, I know I did. High CYA ppm is a common problem with the type of sanitation program you discovered with your pool. The solution is a refill and the amount you need to drain will depend on the actual level of CYA in your pool now. Look forward to next summer enjoying your clean, fresh water and a complete understanding of your water chemistry. Welcome to TFP.
 
Stanfield said:
I did the diluted CYA test. While it took more drops for the black dot to disappear it was still not even close to 100 ppm. I suppose I'll get going on the drain.
Click to expand...

Looks like.

Now you need to start considering how you are going to chlorinate this point forward. You see the effects of using solid chlorine for daily maintenance. Your choices are liquid chlorine added daily or a SWCG.

How are you planning to drain? You can rent a sump pump from Home Depot for a fast drain or can buy a small sump pump from Home Depot or Harbor Freight. About the same cost. Also, were are you going to send the water? Some municipalities state were you are to put it. Some say in to the sewer cleanout, others in to the gutter. If you use your sewer cleanout, be aware to not over run it and back up the water into your home.

Take care.
 
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