Added 17 lbs of chlorine and levels are non existent

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M

mistermom007

0
May 17, 2010
2
Headland, Alabama
Hello,

As of 5-17-10, our pool levels are:

FC - Less than 0.2 (The Basic Four Test kit by PoolMaster was used for the first four readings)
CC - Less than .02
pH - 7.4
TA - 230
CH - 250 (according to test strip - test kit didn't test this)
CYA - 100(according to test strip - test kit didn't test this)
Borates - I did not test for this

Our pool is 8 years old and until last year, we used a salt chlorinator which worked great. It stopped working so we switched to chlorine last summer. It worked out ok except for problems with algae. We covered the pool for the winter and we think the water levels were ok at that time and the pool was clean. We took the cover off a week ago and checked the levels. The chlorine and ph were very low at that time, so we added ph increaser (from the store) and at first 2 lbs of granulated chlorine. The levels didn't change for the chlorine, so over a couple of days, we continued to add chlorine until we had added 17 lbs!! But still no change in the chlorine levels.

Then, my husband went to the the pool store and had the water tested (The test results on that trip (5-11-10) were:
FC: 0.0
CC: not tested
pH: 6.8
TA: 90 ppm
CH: 195 ppm
CYA: 100 ppm
total dissolved solids: 3200 ppm
salt: 2200 ppm).

They told him to add 4.8 lbs. of alkalinity increaser, shock the pool by adding 1.1 gallons of liquid chlorine and add 7.5 lbs. of calcium increaser. After doing this, still no change in the chlorine levels although the ph rose a little.

My husband went to the pool store three more times and on the second trip (which was 5-12-10, the test results were:
FC: 0.0
CC: not tested
pH: 7.0
TA: 110 ppm
CH: 255 ppm
CYA: 100 ppm
total dissolved solids: 3200 ppm
salt: not tested).

We were told to add 1.6 lbs. of alkalinty and 1.1 gallons of liquid chlorine. After doing these, still no change in the chlorine. The third trip
(which was 5-13-10, the levels were:

FC: 0.0 ppm
CC: not tested
ph: 7.0
TA: 125 ppm
CH: 245 ppm
CYA: 100 ppm
total dissoved solids: 3600 ppm
salt: not tested
base demand: 12)

We were told to add 1.1 quarts of metal control plus salt solution and 3.8 lbs of ph plus. After this, according to our test kit, the chlorine is still non existent but the ph is better.

My husband dropped off another water sample by the pool store today and they are telling us that the phosphate level is very high in our pool and that may be the reason the chlorine is still non extistent. He did not stick around long enough to pick up the sheet with the levels. They want us to put a phosphate remover in the pool. We have not done this yet.

The water in the pool actually looks pretty good and clear, and has looked pretty good this whole time. We are really perplexed as what to do next. The guys at the pool store seem to be equally perplexed. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you so much! Susan
 
Of course they are perplexed they keep omitting cc which tells you if you have organics in the pool eating your chlorine.
I say get your own kit and start testing it yourself at this rate it'll pay for itself in fuel within the first 2 weeks :wink:
Start your own testing come back and post results. The TFP XL kit found on this site or one similar is the best. No more adding this and that.
Start reading pool school and possibly start BBB, it is what a lot of us do here. Good luck!
 
Welcome to TFP!

Ignore the phosphate jibber-jabber. It has no bearing on anything, problems or not, with your pool.

First off, if you aren't running a salt water chlorine generator anymore, your CYA needs to come down. The test may give a CYA result of 100 ppm but that means that it is at least 100, if not more. To lower CYA, you must change out some water. Your CYA should be between 30 and 50 ppm. With a high CYA like that, it makes it hard to clear a pool because the lower levels of chlorine just aren't effective.

You need a good test kit. The TF-100 (link in my signature line) is excellent. Test your own water with a good kit and you will always know where you stand with your pool. You also won't have to go to the pool store for testing and be subject to the inadequacies of their tests or have to deal with them trying to sell you $$$ in products you don't need (see phosphate removers).

You also need to start reading the Pool School articles. There is a wealth of information in there that will open your eyes to this pool care stuff. It's not as difficult as it may seem to be initially.

Check out Shocking Your Pool
to get the lowdown on why and how it is done.
 
Just wanted to say welcome to TFP...257 has given you great advice. Get the test kit, replace water to bring CYA level down and shock with bleach....most important...while your draining some water...read pool school.

This site will save you money :goodjob: Stop being pool stored.."phosphates" :grrrr: :hammer:
 
Beez said:
ammonia?
Click to expand...

Of course it's possible, but I kind of doubt it. The CYA is high so I think that ammonia is probably an unlikely culprit here. Rather, I think that their CYA is just too high to effectively clear their organics and until that comes down, there is little to do.
 
I would add more than 1.1gl of chlorine. I usually recc. twice the amount of liquid chlorine as what those colorful printouts tell you to. It just works better.

I know which store you went to. ;) I work for the same company, just 2.5hrs east of you.
 
257WbyMag said:
Welcome to TFP!

Ignore the phosphate jibber-jabber. It has no bearing on anything, problems or not, with your pool.

First off, if you aren't running a salt water chlorine generator anymore, your CYA needs to come down. The test may give a CYA result of 100 ppm but that means that it is at least 100, if not more. To lower CYA, you must change out some water. Your CYA should be between 30 and 50 ppm. With a high CYA like that, it makes it hard to clear a pool because the lower levels of chlorine just aren't effective.

You need a good test kit. The TF-100 (link in my signature line) is excellent. Test your own water with a good kit and you will always know where you stand with your pool. You also won't have to go to the pool store for testing and be subject to the inadequacies of their tests or have to deal with them trying to sell you $$$ in products you don't need (see phosphate removers).

You also need to start reading the Pool School articles. There is a wealth of information in there that will open your eyes to this pool care stuff. It's not as difficult as it may seem to be initially.

Check out Shocking Your Pool
to get the lowdown on why and how it is done.
Click to expand...

Craig gave you great advice. :goodjob:

We call what's happened to you being "pool stored." Many of us (including me) have similar stories to share.

Follow Craig's advice an you will save yourself a ton of money and frustration and you'll have a trouble free pool. :wink:
 

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Boy, I started cooking supper and came back to nine replies!! Thank you very much for all of the help. I will plan to purchase a test kit asap! We were very pleased with the salt water chlorinator and because of the ease of maintenance became a bit lazy with checking pool levels. It just wasn't required as much. In your opinion, should we purchase another salt water chlorinator, and if we did, would we still need to replace some of the water in the pool? Also, should we replace the sand in our sand filter because all 17 lbs. of the granulated chlorine went directly into the skimmer? And, after that, we did notice an increase in the filter's pressure valve that still has not returned to completely normal.

We try to do maintain the pool with as few chemicals as possible. That is the reason we originally purchased the salt water chlorinator. Thanks again for all of your help. I really appreciate it. Susan :wave:
 
You should get the CYA down to 60 - that's an ok level for an SWG and it will make tackling your algae issue easier. So yes, still do some water replacement first. Once the FC is holding overnight, you can rebalance the water and proceed with a new SWG cell if you like.

You should not need to replace the sand. If the granular is still in there dissolving that could explain the pressure. Also there is possibly some kind of blockage causing the PSI increase - not unheard of when dumping granular thru the skimmer. Try backwashing to see if you can get it to normalize.

As for maintenance - no system is one that you can get away with not checking - even with an SWG it is advised to test routinely to make sure your levels are in range - it keeps your pool trouble free but also extends the life of your SWG.

Water Balance for SWCGs
 
Everyone has covered the basics, good advice. I would just emphasize to stop buying all that junk at the pool store.

Have you read through the pool school articles on the basics of BBB?

Go to your local grocery store and buy generic unscented bleach. That's your chlorine.

While at the store buy a couple boxes of Borax (20 Mule Team the most common). That RAISES PH.

Go to Lowe's and buy a jug of muriatic acid. That LOWERS your PH. MUCH cheaper. Just do it small amounts, it doesn't take a lot. See the calculator on here and it will tell you how much to use.

And as mentioned several times, do a partial change. I would do a 50% or least a 30% asap.
 
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