rt said:
Sometimes dirty sand filters better than new, clean sand - have you tried the "DE in the sand filter" trick yet? Instructions are in pool school. Or the clarifier, if you already have it.
Chlorine lock
- Thread starter rt
- Start date
Sometimes dirty sand filters better than new, clean sand - have you tried the "DE in the sand filter" trick yet? Instructions are in pool school. Or the clarifier, if you already have it.
thanks again. the water was clear until the pool store told me to keep shocking the pool to break the chlorine lock and then the dull water came into play that has never left. do you suggest I stop using the tri chlor 3" tablets? if so, what chlorine should I use?
I feel like I should move over to a salt pool.........This is starting to get frustrating to say the least.
thanks
I feel like I should move over to a salt pool.........This is starting to get frustrating to say the least.
thanks
An swcg is a good idea. It makes maintenance easier. You still have to test regularly but it's just a matter of adjusting from there.
Welcome to the forum RT! I had the exact same problem last year -- caused by pool store advice -- which is what sent me to TFP in the first place. The advice above is good. Here's what helped me:
1. Buy the test kit. It makes a huge difference to be able to compare your numbers to the pool store's analysis numbers.
2. Switch to liquid chlorine bleach. I get 12.5% concentrate at the hardware store to save lugging of bleach.
3. Clean your filters daily.
4. Maintain shock levels and be patient. It will work but it might take a few weeks. The good news is that liquid bleach is *much* less expensive than pool store shock.
5. I'd also agree on adding CYA -- carefully . Too much CYA is a bear to get rid of.
So you have a comparison, here's what I was able to work toward after my supposed "chlorine lock:"
FC=6 ish
PH = 7.5-7.8
TA = 70-90
CYA = 30-50
FYI - I did find the original white paper outline the principals of 'Chlorine Lock' from back in the day, and while it was at one point in time a theory, I have yet to find another paper replicating the findings. I'll try and dig up the original source and will post it.
Hang in there!
1. Buy the test kit. It makes a huge difference to be able to compare your numbers to the pool store's analysis numbers.
2. Switch to liquid chlorine bleach. I get 12.5% concentrate at the hardware store to save lugging of bleach.
3. Clean your filters daily.
4. Maintain shock levels and be patient. It will work but it might take a few weeks. The good news is that liquid bleach is *much* less expensive than pool store shock.
5. I'd also agree on adding CYA -- carefully . Too much CYA is a bear to get rid of.
So you have a comparison, here's what I was able to work toward after my supposed "chlorine lock:"
FC=6 ish
PH = 7.5-7.8
TA = 70-90
CYA = 30-50
FYI - I did find the original white paper outline the principals of 'Chlorine Lock' from back in the day, and while it was at one point in time a theory, I have yet to find another paper replicating the findings. I'll try and dig up the original source and will post it.
Hang in there!
thanks........for all the advice. so are we saying to stop using the 3" tri chlor tabs? or can I still use the tags and just add the bleach?
Water is very dull to cloudy still and I am assuming this came from the calcium hypo.........and now I can see a slight tint of green in the deep end. will the bleach take care of the green and help clear the pool?
Water is very dull to cloudy still and I am assuming this came from the calcium hypo.........and now I can see a slight tint of green in the deep end. will the bleach take care of the green and help clear the pool?
i have new numbers from the pool store from today.
FC=2.44
TC=4.57
CC=2.13
TA=115 ppm
pH=7.5
CH=251
CA=10
TDS=1100
SI=0.1
TC is high, CC is high, CA is low...........I am going to add 4 pounds of CA to bring this up. any suggestions on brining down the high chlorine levels?
thanks for the help
FC=2.44
TC=4.57
CC=2.13
TA=115 ppm
pH=7.5
CH=251
CA=10
TDS=1100
SI=0.1
TC is high, CC is high, CA is low...........I am going to add 4 pounds of CA to bring this up. any suggestions on brining down the high chlorine levels?
thanks for the help
CA is CYA?
the CC is 2.13 (gotta love those "precision" pool store tests...
) You need to raise your FC up to 12 (your shock level until the CYA goes up - refer to the CYA Chart) and HOLD THE FC THERE until:
You lose 1ppm or less of FC OVERNIGHT;
Your CC is .5 or less;
Your water is clear.
Refer to "How to Shock your pool" in Pool School.
You need your own test kit
the CC is 2.13 (gotta love those "precision" pool store tests...
) You need to raise your FC up to 12 (your shock level until the CYA goes up - refer to the CYA Chart) and HOLD THE FC THERE until:You lose 1ppm or less of FC OVERNIGHT;
Your CC is .5 or less;
Your water is clear.
Refer to "How to Shock your pool" in Pool School.
You need your own test kit
thanks......I need to get a kit. Until then, how much bleach would you suggest I add?
thanks
thanks
Use the Pool Calculator (link in my sig) and plug in your numbers. It will tell you how much to add for your size pool.rt said:
If you have problems using the calculator, post back and someone will help you.
Go to the Pool Calculator. Enter your gallons in the box. Then in the "Now" column, you enter your FC of 2. In the "target" column you enter 12. Hit calculate. Move your cursor over the box that has the ounces in it. Make sure you have the appropriate strength of bleach chosen, the right bottle size. It will tell you how many bottles you need to add. If you have access to the strong pool-store 12.5% that would be good, less jugs to use.
Now down in the CYA section put 10 in the "now" and 30 in the "target" column. If you plan to use tablets, that is. that's how much CYA you need to add. If you don't plan to use tablets, and plan to just use liquid you want to target 50.
Hope this make sense. Post back if you need clarification on anything.
Now down in the CYA section put 10 in the "now" and 30 in the "target" column. If you plan to use tablets, that is. that's how much CYA you need to add. If you don't plan to use tablets, and plan to just use liquid you want to target 50.
Hope this make sense. Post back if you need clarification on anything.
Thank you very much........you guys are really making me understand (slowly but surely on my side..lol) I can not believe I have wasted so much money at the local pool store. But I do have a question, in the pool calculator why is there not a spot for total chlorine and combined chlorine? also can I shock with bleach when bringing up the CYA? will i need to use algecide if there is a hint of green in the deep end or will the bleach take care of that?
Adding chlorine increases the Free Chlorine (FC) reading. Total Chlorine includes Combined Chlorine (CC) which is normally near zero and is not something you want, so there is no need to have it in the calculator. Yes, you can shock with bleach at the same time you are adding CYA. You will not need to use an algaecide since chlorine is the best algaecide both for prevention and for killing algae.
Thanks for the response. this is really a great spot to learn, before I was trusting the pool store advice and handing them my money. I do have another question on this whole bleach deal...........if the deep end is starting to show a hint of light green, will the bleach kill that algae and clear the pool as well?
again thanks to everyone on this site, everyone is so helpful.
again thanks to everyone on this site, everyone is so helpful.
thanks again............if I was to purchase a SWG could any recommend one? I was looking at the Hayward Aqua Rite system..........
The Aqua-Rites are good units. The new kid on the block is the Compu-Pool units. There have been several reports of installs and no reports of problems.
guys I am still seeing a hint of green in the deep end. I used the pool calculator and put in the bleach that was needed but still just a little green in the deep end (very clear water). should I give it another dose of bleach?
thanks again for all the great help
thanks again for all the great help
rt, did you see fpm's post?
frustratedpoolmom said:CA is CYA?
the CC is 2.13 (gotta love those "precision" pool store tests...
You lose 1ppm or less of FC OVERNIGHT;
Your CC is .5 or less;
Your water is clear.
Refer to "How to Shock your pool" in Pool School.
You need your own test kit
working on the test kit (TF-100)
Just checking if I should shock again to help with the green tint in the water?
thanks
Just checking if I should shock again to help with the green tint in the water?
thanks
It's up to you. You can either wait for your test kit to really know what's going on or you can shock your pool with chlorine though you really don't know how high to shock without knowing the CYA accurately -- you could shoot for something like 15 ppm FC or so, but if you don't have any CYA in the pool then that would be overdosing. If shocking fades the green, then it might have been algae. If it doesn't, then it could be something else, perhaps pollen though that's usually more yellow/mustard in color (similar to yellow/mustard algae which is why the two are often confused). Since this is just at the bottom of the pool, you might have poor circulation at the bottom.