Question about chlorine

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bb2sbgn

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Apr 7, 2011
15
Hi,
I have a IC-40 Saltwater Generator. When I test my chlorine with at home test kits (I tried 2) I get a decent reading. Granted- these are cheap kits. So far I have gone to Leslies 2 times and each time they tell me I have no chlorine in my water. I just opened my pool 2 weeks ago. I shocked it last week because they found no chlorine and now Im about to shock it again but that defeats the purpose of having a chlorinator.
Each time I brought a water sample in I used a plastic bottle and had it at the store within 40 minutes. Has anyone else had this happen? I dont think Leslies is trying to sell me extra stuff but maybe im wrong???? Im a new pool owner
 
There are several possibilities. Chlorine can vanish on the way to the pool store, especially if there is air in the sample bottle or the bottle is left in the sun for a little while. The chlorine can get used up sanitizing the bottle you carry your sample in if it is not completely clean. The pool store test results can be wrong, either intentionally or unintentionally. And it is also possible that your test results are wrong, though I consider that the least likely possibility.

What kind of test kit are you using?
 
Something to keep in mind is that a SWCG will only keep up if there are no organics in the water. Once you have organics then you have to shock using liquid chlorine. It may very well be that you have organics that are eating all the chlorine before you get to the store. Getting a good test kit and doing your own testing is the only way to do it right. Taking your samples to Leslies is not going to let you take control of your situation.
 
Hey guys,
Thanks for the replies so far. I tested my water again at Leslies on Sunday- no chlorine at all. I shocked it again and levels stayed for about 3 days. I kept my SWG running this whole week for 10 hours at 80% output. I tested again at Leslies this morning and No chlorine again. A big fat 0.
my levels are:
free chlorine-0
total available chlorine-0
bromine-0
water ph 7.6
total Alkalinity-90
cyanuric acid-50
calcium hardness-130
total dissolved liquids-5000
salt-3200
copper/iron-0
phosphates-250

I called Pentair and they said that my phosphates and hardness could stop it from working. I now have to get them up. Once the levels are up if i get no chlorine I have to test again and if its still 0 chlorine I have to take swg off, place in 5 gallon bucket for 20 minutes then test for chlorine. If it still does not produce any then they will send a pool guy out to perform the same test. If it also fails for the pool guy they will send me a new swg.
During troubleshooting they discovered that i have a burned out LED on my SWG. The IC-40 unit is only 3 1/2 weeks old. Doesnt this constitute a new one anyway??
I mentioned it and he kind of brushed me off lol. My mind was kind of swirling at the moment so i let it go for now.
I am a little frustrated with Pentair....not because im having a problem but because of their customer service. It takes 30 minutes on hold to even reach someone. I may be off here but i feel like they are asking me to do a lot of hands on troubleshooting. I am able to do it but what if I was a 70 year old man in a wheelchair? then who takes the SWG apart and does all this testing lol. If the unit is bad then do I get paid as much as the guy they are sending out to perform the same test? What about all the Dang chlorine I'm adding even though Im not supposed to have to??Do i get reimbursed?

I apologize for my ranting, im just a little upset- this has been going on for 3 weeks.
 
Phosphates and hardness, have nothing to do with the ability of a SWG to create chlorine. CYA at 50 is low for a SWG and you may be battling an upcoming algae outbreak. Investing in a good test kit as recommended below, will help you go a long way to ruling out organics or chemistry, before the SWG is called out as the issue.

pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison
 
Do you know if your cell is not working or is your pool not holding chlorine?

First thing you need to do is make sure there is chlorine in your pool so break out the bleach and do the over night test with your cell off and see if your pool holds the chlorine.

You have to have a way to test the water yourself. What kind of "cheap" home test kits are you using?
 
Im not sure of the name of my cheap kit since the label fell off but its a dark blue box and it only tests the ph and chlorine. It sounds like a 3 dollar walmart kit. It came with my pool kit when I ordered it from Sunland pools. I also have a test strip kit that was 12 dollars that I bought at Home depot. I have been primarily going to Leslies for more reliable results. I understand thats not a long term solution but I am so extremely busy between my job and still finishing grading work that I havent even looked at kits too much.
 
I would trust the blue box test for your chlorine and Ph if it were me.

I would see if the pool holds chlorine over night you can not be real precise but you can tell if you have something organic going on then you would have a better idea if the cell was producing chlorine or not.
 
One thing I will note is that after shocking my pool the chlorine stays for about 3 days. After the 3rd day the test kit shows the chlorine at very weak. I use 2 lbs of shock each time. Is it good that it holds it for 3 days until the chlorine fades away again?
 

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Your test kit is lying to you. When shocking, even 1ppm loss during the process has to be replaced.

This is why a good test kit that actually gives you real numbers is essential. The strips are inaccurate and can not tell you when you need to replenish chlorine during shocking. You can't put "shock" product (which is simply chlorine and CYA) in one time and be done. Shocking is a process, not a product.

Did you read pool school yet? If not, please take some time and check it out. The information about how to shock is here: pool-school/shocking_your_pool

The first thing to "do" is invest in a good test kit. You can't trust the strips, they will lead you astray every time.
 
Testing is the key to operating a pool that gives you few headaches :hammer: and little down time. You need a complete test kit, the money spent on the test kit saves you a ton of time, energy and money in taking care of your pool.

I read pool school before our pool was filled with water. After water I tested before and after each chemical change I made to see that the changes were what I wanted them to do, now I test a few times a week when it is cold and twice a day when it is warm and we are using the pool less when we are not using it.

The time it takes to read Pool School, test and keep records will save you time later. The pool is useable :whoot: most anytime the weather cooperates.
 
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