UGH!! High Chlorine

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C

cmbutterbaugh

0
May 15, 2010
79
Dayton, Ohio
Since we put it up I have treated it like a baby in regards to monitoring chemicals. I have managed very well with a 6 way HTH kit as I am out of work for the summer and couldn't rationalize the TF 100 (which I am def getting next year)

To make a long story short our pool has been very nicely balanced and within the TFP limits. When I left last evening the chlorine was sort of high 6/7 (got a little heavy handed with the chlorine) and I wrote it in my log. Because I have been busy my dh decided to take it upon himself and check the chlorine and pH last night. (Did he check the log to see what it already was? Noooooo!!!!)

He must have misread the colors because he added 10% chlorine (not sure how much--maybe 8-12 oz) and now the reading I get are and orangey-amber hue! There is not even that color on my kit!

Anything I can do to bring it down short of draining some and re-filling? Or should I just let the sun burn it off?
 
Let the sun burn it off.

If you can figure out about how much he added you can use the Pool Calc "Effects of adding chemicals" section at the bottom to figure out about how high it is.

If he added 12oz of 10% it only raised the FC by 2ppm so it'll be burned off in a sunny day.
 
My CYA is 40. I tend to keep it at 5/6 ppm Cl. It has never been below a 4. I went out a few minutes ago just to look at my pretty water. I noticed what looked like silt in many random places on the bottom of the liner. I moved it around with a brush and it was not grainy but more powdery. It is not on the walls and seems to lay near wrinkles (but is also found on smooth parts as well) on the liner. I just vacuumed the 2 nights ago and did not notice this at all. I did not think it was algae just because I keep my chlorine on the high side.

Ok masters of the pool world, what do you think and what should I do?

PS the clarity is crystal clear
 
Vacum again...If it's been as dry in OH as it has been in NY, it's just dust/dirt. I have been running the robot every other day, same symptoms as you :goodjob: and no overnight fc loss.
 
If the powdery substance is not gritty (like dirt would be) it is very likely to be dead algae that the introduction of high chlorine levels killed off.

Let the FC come down on it's own....it won't take long especially if you were killing organics.
 
cmbutterbaugh said:
My CYA is 40. I tend to keep it at 5/6 ppm Cl. It has never been below a 4. I went out a few minutes ago just to look at my pretty water. I noticed what looked like silt in many random places on the bottom of the liner. I moved it around with a brush and it was not grainy but more powdery. It is not on the walls and seems to lay near wrinkles (but is also found on smooth parts as well) on the liner. I just vacuumed the 2 nights ago and did not notice this at all. I did not think it was algae just because I keep my chlorine on the high side.

Ok masters of the pool world, what do you think and what should I do?

PS the clarity is crystal clear
Click to expand...

This is dirt/pollen from flowers or trees. You can easily catch a lot of it...by buying a box of nylon knee-highs at Walgreens, $5 per box of 20...put that over and on the inside of your skimmer basket. This will catch a great deal of that pollen/dust so that it never even gets into your filter...I blobs up on the nylon so you have to clean it ever other day or so, or it gets too thick and stops the flow of water into your pump...honestly sometimes when the pollen is heavy...watch your local weather for the pollen count...it gets so thick it is like lint in a lint trap of your dryer...But that will dramatically help so you don't have to vacuume so often...
 
cmbutterbaugh said:
He must have misread the colors because he added 10% chlorine (not sure how much--maybe 8-12 oz) and now the reading I get are and orangey-amber hue! There is not even that color on my kit!
Click to expand...

It looks like the hth kit is similar to the Taylor one. When it's yellow yellow yellow it's roughly 10. At 12-13, roughly, the color will be school bus yellow (maybe Caterpillar - construction equipment, not bug - yellow). Hunter orange is around 18.

So you're not catastrophically high. And you aren't out that much chlorine - it's not like he dumped a gallon in!
 
Thanks you for all of your feedback. I have taken such pride in my pool and how easy it has been to maintain with the BBB. As soon as I read about pollen, I thought, "Why didn't I think of that?!" We have all been sneezing like crazy for several weeks around here!
 

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cmbutterbaugh said:
Thanks you for all of your feedback. I have taken such pride in my pool and how easy it has been to maintain with the BBB. As soon as I read about pollen, I thought, "Why didn't I think of that?!" We have all been sneezing like crazy for several weeks around here!
Click to expand...

Here is my litmus test...if my car windows have a layer of dust on them and I need to use the windshield cleaner before I leave in the morning...my pool will usually have pollen...get some nylons...knee hi or shorter if there is such a thing...they will trap the pollen dirt and dust and then you just clean it off with your hand...it is kind of messy but the box of 10 has lasted me all season. 10 pair that is! the more you trap at the skimmer level the less gets recirculated in the pool. I find though when pollen is running high running the pump 24 hours seems to be a good thing?
 
cmbutterbaugh said:
Since we put it up I have treated it like a baby in regards to monitoring chemicals. I have managed very well with a 6 way HTH kit as I am out of work for the summer and couldn't rationalize the TF 100 (which I am def getting next year)

To make a long story short our pool has been very nicely balanced and within the TFP limits. When I left last evening the chlorine was sort of high 6/7 (got a little heavy handed with the chlorine) and I wrote it in my log. Because I have been busy my dh decided to take it upon himself and check the chlorine and pH last night. (Did he check the log to see what it already was? Noooooo!!!!)

He must have misread the colors because he added 10% chlorine (not sure how much--maybe 8-12 oz) and now the reading I get are and orangey-amber hue! There is not even that color on my kit!

Anything I can do to bring it down short of draining some and re-filling? Or should I just let the sun burn it off?
Click to expand...


back to the original question, if you did need to reduce the chlorine quickly there are Sodium Thiosulfate based products (Chlor Out, After Shock) and active carbon will remove chlorine as well, but I haven't seen any pool products based on carbon to remove chlorine but it is used in the beverage industry for treating water to be used in manufacturing
 
It looks like the hth kit is similar to the Taylor one. When it's yellow yellow yellow it's roughly 10. At 12-13, roughly, the color will be school bus yellow (maybe Caterpillar - construction equipment, not bug - yellow). Hunter orange is around 18.

So you're not catastrophically high. And you aren't out that much chlorine - it's not like he dumped a gallon in!


You color descriptions are right on the nose! That has to be added somewhere in pool school for small pool HTH 6 way users. (Although I am a TOTAL convert and cannot wait to get my TF 100 next season!) :)
 
Please do not get the impression that you can accurately guage the FCppm by using an OTO kit.

At 1-5ppm it is difficult and at anything higher you are simply guessing. Diluting the sample seems like a good idea but it doesn't work unless you don't care if you're plus or minus about 4ppm. Diluting it more than once is an exercise in futility based on what I have tried to do at home. Others may have had better luck....or seem to. If you can report greater accuracy, did you follow up with an FAS/DPD test to find out how correct your were?

This thread is a prime example of what you typically get with OTO.
can-the-difference-in-oto-and-fas-dpd-be-so-big-t25954.html
 
Ok, after more than a week of basically no use (16 yo has mono and is VERY sick with it). My pool is back to looking as if there is a coating of poolen on the bottom. Some areas it pools together in little piles(wrinkles) while the rest of the bottom just looks like it has a pale yellowish tinge. We have been keeping Cl on the high side, using a knee high in the skimmer, cleaning the filter cartridge after vacuuming (do every couple of days) and cleaning the cartridge after that.

So...given that no one is using it, I decided to go ahead and shock in hopes of clearing it up if it is some kind of algae.

My readings beforehand: CYA 40
Cl 5
pH 7.3 (just used acid to bring it and TA down a bit)
The water is clear, a little cloudy after vacuuming, but not sparkly either.

The pool calc had me added 112 oz 10% chlorine and sure enough the OTO test is construction cone orange. I have read pool school and I KNOW it is best to have the TF 100 kit to do this BUT after putting up the pool (and we are a 1 income family), I just couldn't shell out more $ this year. (Next year it is the 1st thing I am going to purchase--I hate dealing with matching colors!)

Ok how often should I be adding Cl--Pool School says as often as an every hour. I am not quite sure how to do this with my current kit. Should I wait to see if the color becomes more dilute and add more? And then, how much?

I decided to shock becasue I am already stressed with a very sick kid and want to lessen my stress with the pool.

Can anyone help me please?
 
ARGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! When I used the pool calculator I did not change the chlorine I was using to 10%..I should have only put in 69 oz. I put in nearly double that 115 oz!!! My mind is just not working great lately (lack of sleep). I guess that is why it is neon orange. We will def NOT be having swimmers anytime soon.
 
Current readings: Cl-traffic cone orange
pH- went from 7.3 yesterday afternoon to 7.7 almost 7.8 (what's that about?)
TA 110
Added about an inch of water last evening (been hot, not much rain)

I see some brownish/dirt-like sediment along some of the wrinkles in the liner--not a whole lot. I saw it minimally elsewhere, too, but it was more random. There is no yellowish coating on the liner today. I checked/rinsed the cartridge--it was tan in places but not entirely coated.

Yesterday afternoon I vacuumed very well, (then added way too much chlorine), rinsed the cartridge.
Last evening, I went back, rinsed the filter (which was tan colored), and brushed the entire pool.

The thought of algae is stressful for me, yet at the same time, vacuuming and messing with the filter is sort of a weird stress relieving diversion. I guess I am just a mom lol!
 
I guess I thought it could have been algae because yesterday there was such an even yellowish coating on the bottom and bottom 2 inches or so of the the side walls. Overall, having my little pool has been an EXCELLENT experience and this season is a learning season. I am sure I will be much more relaxed next year. Thanks so much for everyone's expertise! When people remark about "all that work" I just smile and nod my head....
 

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