Is this normal?

[LS1M]

I'm having trouble with my Intex salt-water generator:
intex-swg-trouble-t41213.html

so in the mean time I'm using the BBB method to turn my green algae pond into a blue swimming pool again. Using the pool calculator, I've added the recommended amount of bleach to try & bring the FC up to 4.0, but after a few hours when I check, it's still at or near zero. So, I add more, wait, retest. I'm thinking the FC is "eating" the algae, so that's why it's taking so long to show up on my test kit. The water smells a little like bleach, and I *think* it's getting a little less green. Am I doing this right?

The pool is a 20' Intex above-ground 6300 gallon, with an Intex 100lb 2650gpm sand filter-pump. With just a tinge of color in the test kit, I assumed maybe FC of 0.5, target of 4.0, so I added 45oz of 6.125% Chlorox (through my brand-new skimmer :-D )

Just wanting a sanity check here... seems like an awful lot of bleach, but it IS an awful lot of green water...

Thanks
-Mark

 

[257WbyMag]

Your pool is using up your chlorine in minutes, not hours. The key to clearing your pool is to raise the FC to shock level and hold it there until it is clean. Raising it up, only to let if drift back down again isn't doing anything other than using up bleach.

A pool with smelly "chlorine" water is a sign of dirty water. Clean water doesn't really have any odor. You don't need to bring your FC to 4, you need to shock your pool. Please follow the in the link below.

pool-school/shocking_your_pool

 

[Bama Rambler]

Just adding to 257's advice. Even if you have no CYA, your shock level will be 10 ppm FC. If you had CYA in the pool last year you should test to see if it's still the same and shock accordingly. You need to be adding and testing as often as once an hour in the beginning.

 

[LS1M]

Wow, that's a LOT of bleach! Thank God there's a Sam's nearby...
I'm off work today, so it's a perfect opportunity to get this done...

Thanks!
-Mark

 

[supertune]

Hi LS1M and welcome to TFP!
If you don't follow the proper shocking process, YOU WILL use a lot more bleach, just like what you just did. All of the bleach you just used was a wasted, because you didn't know how to do it properly!
As was posted you must follow the instructions here:
pool-school/
in Pool School link and re-read Defeating Algae here:
pool-school/defeating_algae

Read this post and see exactly how it's done:
turning-your-green-swamp-back-into-a-sparkling-oasis-t4147.html

Chuck

P.S. Order you test kit now!
See here: http://tftestkits.net/cart.html?m=splash
You really don't want to use a pool store for this, as their readings vary too much.

 

[LS1M]

OK ok ok I got it. I just ordered a test kit, and added the salt strips.

You know, I really need to apologize. I've been on the Camaro boards for years, and people ask the same basic questions over & over & over again. Thanks for not biting my head off. I think another phrase that comes to mind is RTFM (read the, um, manual).

In any case, the green is gone and it's cloudy blue. I have the FC "somewhere" over 5 ppm (my cheap Leslie pool test kit doesn't go any higher). Once the test kit comes in I'll be able to do more. I'm not in a rush anyway. Sure wish my SWG worked, even though I doubt it would be able to generate anywhere near the FC "shock" numbers. Wow.

I got plenty of bleach. $3 each for 96 oz generics from Walmart

So, if the bleach is adding chlorine, and the SWG makes chlorine, what's the advantage of having a SWG? Using the BBB method, it might even be cheaper than the electricity for the SWG. Last year, with the SWG running, the water was always clear and didn't sting my eyes as bad as the public pool did. Or is there another reason for that - maybe they over-chlorinate a public pool?

Thanks
-Mark

 

[duraleigh]

what's the advantage of having a SWG?

Hi, Mark,

Welcome to the forum if no one else has said that yet. :lol: The SWG provides convenience...first and foremost. There are some other things that i like about it but convenience should be the primary motive for owning one. (I do not, yet) You are also correct about the cost.....the SWG will cost more than just bleach as a general rule.

The eye stinging could've been from several things but, once you get your water evened out, you will not experience that issue again.....in your pool, anyway.

While you're waiting for your kit, keep the FC up there pretty high and keep your pump running 24/7. Backwash/clean your filter as necessary. Post your test results as soon as you can and we'll help you tune in your pool for a crystal clear summer. :lol:

 

[ping]

So, if the bleach is adding chlorine, and the SWG makes chlorine, what's the advantage of having a SWG? Using the BBB method, it might even be cheaper than the electricity for the SWG. Last year, with the SWG running, the water was always clear and didn't sting my eyes as bad as the public pool did. Or is there another reason for that - maybe they over-chlorinate a public pool?

Thanks
-Mark

The main advantage of having a SWG is that you will not have to buy, store, add chlorine to the pool. Your FC level should stay a little more stable with a SWG. You pay more upfront for the SWG, but the cost between using liquid and SWG evens out for the most part over the life span of the SWG.

In my case, I needed to run the pump 15 hours a day last summer to keep up with my chlorine demand, and in California that does get expensive. Wife teaches a lot of little ones and the pee eats up the chlorine.

The stinging eyes issue could be from several things. Your SWG needs salt in the 3000ppm range and this is a little closer to the salinity of your tears than non salt pools. The pH level and CC's can also irritate the eyes, that being said your pool was better balanced than the public pool.

 

[duraleigh]

the SWG will cost more than just bleach as a general rule.

I think I misspoke. Ping's answer is probably more correct than mine....The cost study has been done here on the forum and I remember them as being fairly close but can't remember exactly.

 

[LS1M]

Cost study? I can do that.

My SWG consumes 125 watts and my filter-pump runs 450 watts (per the manuals). During the summer I had to run both for 8 hours/day to keep up with the FC levels. That's 168 KWH/month, or about $15. If I used the BBB method I'd only run the filter for maybe 2 hours/day ($3/month) leaving plenty of money left over for Borax, Baking soda and Bleach. Sound like an even trade? Maybe?

I'm thinking about going that route. It's SO much easier to add chemicals now that I have a skimmer I'm keeping my chlorine at the max 5ppm my test kit will read, until the new one comes in. I sent the SWG out for repair, and I'm thinking about selling it when it comes back. I don't know what other people's experience has been, but it's a major pain in the butt. Every two weeks when I back-flushed my filter, I'd have to disassemble the SWG and soak the elements in Muratic acid/water, and even then it was iffy. And I had to constantly start/restart the timers (GFCI tripped, adjusted the time, etc.) plus having to start the pump, wait, then go back & start the SWG, and hope it works...

I was thinking about building my own control system with an ORP sensor, but a kitchen renovation project has taken up all my time. Either that or just bypass all the fancy electronics and connect a relay to the flow switch - when there's flow, put power on the plates - so all I'd have to do is start up the pump & the SWG would do its thing.

 

[257WbyMag]

It's SO much easier to add chemicals now that I have a skimmer

Just be sure that you don't add muriatic acid into the skimmer.

 

[LS1M]

ugh... every time I learn something, I have to learn something else... I did some searching :

I can add bleach straight through the strainer, with the pump on, yes?
CYA I put in a sock & let it slowly go through the skimmer, keeping the other drain open in case the skimmer clogs, and leave the pump on for at least 12 hours, yes?
Muriatic Acid I dump straight into the pool, where the water squirts back out?

I did some math (wow, I MUST be bored) and here's what I came up with.
My Intex SWG puts out 12 grams of chlorine per hour (from what I read here)
An ounce of 6% bleach contains about 2 grams of chlorine, give or take
So if I run my SWG for 8 hours, that's 96 grams of chlorine per day
Equivalent amount of bleach is about 50 oz per day, or 1500 oz/month
That's 15 96-oz bottles a month?

Seems like a lot... for a 6300 gallon AG pool...

 

[Bama Rambler]

You can but I don't recommend it. I recommend pouring it in front of the return.
I also recommend hanging the CYA sock in front of the return not in the skimmer.
You got the muriatic acid part right.

About 50 oz per day is what I use in my 13,000 gallon pool. So yeah, it's a lot for a pool your size.

Once you get your test kit you can post the numbers and we'll see if we can help with the usage.

 

[LS1M]

Test kit came in!!!
FC: 2.5
CC: 1.0
Ph: 7.2
TA: 60
CYA: 40

The water is blue and very cloudy.
I'm about to bring the FC up to 16 (per the cya/shock chart) and then address the pH & TA later?

Thanks. So excited. It's like a little chemistry set
-Mark

 

[Butterfly]

Yep, keep shocking

Your pH and TA are just fine where they are.

Keep an eye on your filter pressure and remember to brush!

Congrats on your new kit. Now you are in control of your pool!

 

[Ohm_Boy]

Yep. Focus on maintaining a level of FC high enough to win the algae battle. You can address the rest after the algae is gone. When that happens, and there are no more organics in the water for your FC to eat, the chlorine demand will drop to a more reasonable level. Ph falsely tests high while the FC is over ~10 or so anyway, so you'll want to just ignore that for now.

 

[LS1M]

OK I'm going to start shocking as soon as I swallow some more lunch...
Something else I need to buy: a brush. I assume that I can get one long enough to do this from the outside? Pool store, or would a broom with a long stick work too?

 

[JasonLion]

Pool stores are good places to look for a pool brush. A broom will often work in a pinch, but most brooms won't hold up to pool water for very long and don't have bristles that are the right stiffness.

 

[LS1M]

FC 16.5
Sand pump running continuously
Brushed the bottom, now I can't see 6 inches down it's so cloudy...

I don't ever remember having this much trouble before. I suppose I should be patient. I'll check it again in the morning, but it's back to work Monday

 

[supertune]

Mark,
I went through the very same thing as you are doing now.
I work long hours in the summer and when I would get home my FC was below my shock level of 16 (CYA of 40). One of the mods here suggested I shoot for 3ppm higher so when I was gone during the day, my level never would fall below 16. My pool liked that and cleared up pretty fast. :-D

Chuck