can't hold a chlorine reading

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M

mdreese

0
May 5, 2012
36
I opened my pool 2 weeks ago and the water was clear(with some leaves and debris at the bottom). I have been using the local pool store and its chemicals but got frustrated with the cost. I have added some of their chemicals to attempt to balance the water including lo n slo, optimizer,etc. After 12 bags of shock I was getting no chlorine reading. That's when i discovered the BBB approach and it made sense. I am using the HTH 6 test and got these readings

chl -5.1
ph 7.2
ch - 290
alk 170
cya - 90

according to the pool calculator I needed to add 1.3 gal of bleach which I did and 1.8 box of borax. I did that and my chl reading is unchanged so 2 days ago I had the same readings and added the same. An hour later the chl was dropping so I added another gallon of bleach. The level dropped to the 5.1. We have well water in this area and live basically in a forest so in previous years I haven't been able to get a reading till I drop the phosphates below 300. i did that this time and still can't get the reading up. Also the pool store is getting a zero reading when they measure my chl. I have had the pucks in a chlorinator open to 10 for over 2 weeks. Help!
 
Should really invest in a good tester. I wouldn't worry about Phosphates, thats just the pool stores way of making money on you. CYA is really high, and I bet higher than 90! Pool stores get this wrong all the time. Pucks have stabilizer in them so they over dose you on CYA! I would switch to bleach. Is the water not clear anymore?
 
It sounds like you are likely heading towards replacing a large amount of your water to lower your CYA, the problem is CYA binds to chlorine leading to over stabilization and no available chlorine to disinfect your water.

CYA gets into your water in one of three ways

Powdered or Liquid "Stabilizer" (straight CYA)

Dry (pellet, stick or powdered) Chlorine containing either Tri-Chlor or
Dry Chlorine containing Di-Chlor

The only types of dry Chlorine that don't add CYA to water are Cal-Hypo (it adds calcium which can lead to other problems)
or Lithium Hypo which tends to cost a lot more than the other dry options.

Ike
 
I have the TF 100 on order so it should get here Mon or Tues. The water btw is crystal clear. The pool store reading for cya is much lower...they are the ones who suggested adding the stabilizer!!! Now they are telling me to add 5 bags of shock at a time until I get a chlorine reading. That I am in demand and have to add bags till I hold a reading for 24 hours. This is how I found BBB ...looking for answers. Also why would the hth 6 test read 5.1 for chlorine if there isn't any? Thanks for the help folks...even if I hate the answers:)
 
The OTO yellow drop test for chlorine is a bulletproof test for the presence of chlorine.

Pool store testing is often incorrect. When you get your TF100, you will be in total control of your pool.

Yep, you're gonna have to replace water to get the CYA down to a reasonable level.

No more pucks for now! Save them for vacations and such.

Welcome to the forum :wave:
 
Hi guys....I got my test kit and tested the pool. Thanks to Mother Nature and 2 1/2 inches of rain in 3 days, I have an overly filled pool. I think it helped with my CYA reading. I got the following numbers:

FC .5
CC 1
TC 1.5
TA 180
CH 260
pH 7.5 with the test strips
borates 50
CYA 70 I think that test is challenging since you look at that dot long enough that it's tough to tell if you are seeing it or thinking you are seeing it. The calculator said to only add 4.5 bottles of the bleach....does that sound right? Also on the calculator it didn't have an ideal for borates...should I add that number? Thanks
 

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CC needs to be below .5 otherwise it either causes clothing to bleach out or possibly eye irritation (or maybe that is improper PH). Your FC is also too low for sanitizing, need to get that up to around 5 or so...
 
Positronic said:
CC needs to be below .5 otherwise it either causes clothing to bleach out or possibly eye irritation (or maybe that is improper PH).
Click to expand...
You have the right idea, but wrong details. CC above 0.5 tends to cause bad smells, skin irritation, and possible breathing problems.
 
I need you folks to explain the chemistry of my pool to me because after reading pages and pages of forum posts and pool school info I am not sure why my pool isn't a mess. I posted my previous readings on May 9th but haven't done anything but checked the levels in my pool since then. We have had many days of rain(all total upwards of 4 inches) and the water seems to be getting better on its own. It is and always has been crystal clear with no smell. It is also 58 degrees. We have had 1 or 2 warm sunny days since i opened the pool but sunshine is in short supply in north central Pennsylvania. Anyways here are the readings
May 13
FC .5
CC .5
TC 1
pH 7.5
TA 160
CYA 60
CH 280
borates 50

So at this point do i shock it or just add the amount listed in the pool calculator? And why hasn't the pool gotten algae (walls aren't slimy either) or more messed up?
 
I think it is just because the water is too cold for the algae to really take off.

If it is not clear shocking will not hurt, but I would at least get your FC level up in the recommended range so nothing will start to grow when the water warms up.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone :)
 
I added bleach today to shock my pool. the calculator told me 4 bottles of 182 oz bleach to reach a FC of 17. I checked to see if I was at that level and tested 25. Then figuring it hadn't mixed well yet I used a large measuring cup and tested it 3 times and got 3 different readings. The 3 test measurements were 22, 18 and 21. It was the same container of water...why would there be such a variance?
 
Could be...I will try to be more careful in doing the test. Next question is my FC has dropped some in the 1 1/2 hrs since I put the 4 jugs of bleach from the low to mid 20's(see numbers above) to 20. I will have to add bleach but how do you know how much to add to get it back up. Will the calculator tell me this?
 
Yup, just change your NOW numbers to your current test results and make sure your TARGET numbers are correct and the calculator will tell you how much bleach is required to achieve it.
 
Just checking to make sure I am doing this right.

1:00 FC 25
CC 3.5
3:00 FC 20
CC 3
6:00 FC 19.5 added bleach based on calculator
CC 3
9:00 FC 24
CC 2
7:00 FC 22.5
CC 2
1:00 FC 19
CC 2
Based on the chart and my Cya I am keeping it around 22 so I will be adding more bleach but do i need to be checking any of the other numbers?
 

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