Need help with chlorine after replaster

[phalcon51]

Hi, I'm new here to the forum, looking to learn a lot. We just had our pool replastered. It was filled immediately and sat for about 5 days without any chemicals. Two nights ago I added almost 3 1/2 gals of bleach (25,000 gal pool) which brought the reading up to 5-10 ppm according to my Leslie's DPD test kit. I also added enough muriatic acid to bring the reading up to about 7.8 ( I added a little more this morning to bring the ph down a little more. This morning the chlorine reading didn't register at all, the water remained clear. I'm in So. Cal. ( L.A area) and the weather has been overcast and relatively cool. What would cause a rapid drop in the chlorine level like that? I haven't determined my CYA level yet, but I'll get that tested today. Should I stick with liquid chlorine bleach or will the powdered or tablet type last longer?

Thanks for any help.

Gary

 

[JohnT]

Welcome to TFP.

Your chlorine was probably gone the next morning. Algae or other biological contaminants that were in there after 5 days with no treatment would have consumed the chlorine very quickly. Maybe in an hour or so. Chlorine needs to be added daily, more so with no CYA.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP.

If all you added was bleach since the fill you won't have any CYA unless the contractor added some (which I doubt). No CYA means the FC will be gone rapidly. The fact that the water sat for 5 days with zero FC means that a lot of the bleach was used up immediately when you poured it in. With no CYA in the water you'll need to add bleach every day and a lot of it. You need to learn to use the Pool Calculator if you haven't already and use it to figure how much CYA to add.

Be sure to check with the plasterer about what startup procedure they require because you don't want to do something that will void your warranty.

And you really need to add a FAS-DPD chlorine test kit to the Leslies kit you have. It'll allow you to test higher than 5ppm.

 

[phalcon51]

Here's an update - I just had the water tested by Leslie's.
FAC=0
TAC=0
PH=7.5
TA=100
CYA=0
TDS=400

I bought some conditioner and for a 25,000 gal pool he said I should add 8 lbs, half at a time and checking the level inbetween. Does that sound right?

Also, he suggested using chlorine tabs in a floater in addition to the bleach as the tabs will keep the level more consistent and will also add conditioner. True?

Thanks again.

 

[Bama Rambler]

The first thing you need to add is 1½ large (182oz) jugs of bleach.

Eight lbs of stabilizer will raise your pool by about 40ppm CYA. You don't want to go much higher than that so I'd shy away from the tabs, or add about half of the stabilizer and use tabs until it gets to about 50 then switch back to bleach.

Do you have a SWCG?

Now would be a good time to add your info to your sig. It's under User Control Panel. Add your pool size & type as well as your equipment.

Start reading Pool School and you'll learn about your pool and the chemicals you need to monitor and what test kits are recommended.

 

[Guest]

I have to ask why the plaster company did not do the start up? Did they offer and you declined, or did they just fail to offer at all? Very unusual that they do not do the brush vac and start up.

 

[phalcon51]

Thanks for the reply. I added 182 oz. of bleach this morning and tested tonight when I got home. It's currently reading 1.5 - 3 ppm so I'll add some more tonight. I also added a sock-full or CYA and dropped it into the skimmer basket this morning, so I'll get the CYA level tested again in a couple of days. I'll add more conditioner as needed over the next few days. PH is currently at 7.4.

I asked the re-plasterers if there were any chemical restrictions and they said no, so I guess I can go ahead and just put in whatever is needed unless anyone can think of anything I should be aware of.

I have an Intellichlor SWCG, but they said not to use it for the first 30 days. Any idea why?

 

[phalcon51]

I have to ask why the plaster company did not do the start up? Did they offer and you declined, or did they just fail to offer at all? Very unusual that they do not do the brush vac and start up.

They included a 3-day startup in the contract and I assumed that meant that they would bring all the chemicals up to the proper levels as well as vacuuming the pool. I wish I had known enough to ask what it actually included. I called them this morning and apparently what they did was to come out and brush down the pool for three days in a row. That's all. I don't even think they switched from the skimmer to the main drain so all they really did was to stir up the plaster dust and let it settle down on the bottom again. I've been running a Barracuda X7 vac for a few days so I hope I've removed at least some of the plaster dust. (Any problem running the vac a week after the replaster?)

 

[Bama Rambler]

You don't want to add salt to the pool for the first 30 days (60 is preferred) it affects the plaster if added too soon after new plaster.

Running the vac should be fine. If they didn't give you any restrictions except salt, then maintain proper chem levels according to Pool School/Pool Calc.

What test kit do you have? I noticed you keep saying that you'll have things tested by the pool store. You really need your own good test kit if you don't have one. It'll make your life much easier and you won't be depending on someone else's testing ability to maintain your pool. I recommend the TF-100 from tftestkits.net

 

[Guest]

Typical start up is a complete brush vacuuming of the pool in which the majority of the plaster dust is vac'd to the filter. The filter is then broken down and cleaned. Chemicals (chlorine, acid, CYA) are then added over the next couple of days to balance the water and you are off and running.

Salt, as Bama said, should not be added for at least 30 days (I don't like to put a cleaner in until then either, unless it is a pebble finish), and you should brush daily for 1-2 weeks.

As slow as the industry is in our area, I find it odd that they did so little for you. It appears that someone dropped the ball from the start, and I can't imagine why. I think I would make a call and ask what was included in the 3 day start up. It doesn't appear to me that it was done, by your info.

 

[phalcon51]

What test kit do you have? I noticed you keep saying that you'll have things tested by the pool store. You really need your own good test kit if you don't have one. It'll make your life much easier and you won't be depending on someone else's testing ability to maintain your pool. I recommend the TF-100 from tftestkits.net

I've got Leslie's DPD test kit. I took a sample to them mainly to check the CYA level. Is this kit sufficient for keeping tabs on the chem levels?

 

[phalcon51]

As slow as the industry is in our area, I find it odd that they did so little for you. It appears that someone dropped the ball from the start, and I can't imagine why. I think I would make a call and ask what was included in the 3 day start up. It doesn't appear to me that it was done, by your info.

I did call them and was told that the 3-day startup simply consisted of brushing down the pool for 3 days in a row. As I said before, I wish I'd known enough to ask about it before we signed the contract. I think I would have held them to a little higher standard. However, if this is the way they do things, I don't think I would have wanted them to do the job. They probably would have done a shoddy, half-assed job. I can probably do as good, or better of a job than they can.

 

[Bama Rambler]

If you have the Leslies Complete DPD kit it should be able to test CYA. You should add a FAS-DPD chlorine test to it if you want to make it a good kit.
If all you have is a DPD chlorine test you should buy a recommended kit. Don't get fooled by Leslies. They have told a lot of people that the complete DPD test kit is the same but it's not. You have to make sure it has the FAS-DPD chlorine test.

 

[phalcon51]

Thanks, I'll get the FAS-DPD kit as well.