I probably need to shock, but...

Jump to latest Follow Reply
T

tltmom

0
Platinum Supporter
LifeTime Supporter
Aug 5, 2011
203
Urbana, IL
First, test results tf100 kit
fc 3.5
cc 0
ph 7.8
ta 100
salt 3400
cya 62 ish
ch 290
temp 70
pool is in 100% full sun all day. water is exceptionally sparkly!

i have noticed over the past few days a 4 to 4.5 ppm cl loss during the day, even after I supplement the swcg with 12% liquid cl. I'm trying to dial in the swcg so thats why I've been adding liquid cl. It runs at 40% now, 24 hrs per day. I have been dosing the pool to get to 6 to 8 ppm after testing in the evening. i have never gotten a test result below 3. We have had a lot of rains and organics falling in the pool, which I've been good not great about removing quickly.

After I shock (verb not noun) should I aim for a higher end of day fc level? Maybe 5 at minimum? 3 just doesnt seem to be cutting it. I do plan on getting CYA up to 70 after I shock to help hold cl. I'm a little hesitant to add borates because I like everything simple, but would borates help for the long term after I get things cleaned up?
I'm planning on shock (process) starting tomorrow.
 
You don't say; have you tried the overnight chlorine loss test? That's the easiest way to tell. If you pass that, bumping your CYA up a bit should help, as you suggested.

Borates won't help at all for chlorine loss; they can be a big help with pH stability, but aren't ever necessary.

Good luck!
 
I tried to be brief but I left out a detail or 2:
tonight after i tested cl=3.5, I added enough liquid cl to get to 8ppm. i was going to test cl again in the am for an oclt. to be sure i really started at 8ppm, an hour after i dosed the pool i tested cl and got 5.5! so either something organic is eating the cl or i've got a bad batch of cl (possible because i stored the cl in my garage which got really hot)

to make sure im using good cl i was planning on getting some more, getting the pool to shock level, and going from there tomorrow

what do you think about keeping my minimum target cl to be 5, not 3? If I really do need to shock I think its a good idea but I'd like to avoid running it high if I don't have to

thank you!
 
Did you test CC tonight? I would follow through with the OCLT. Make sure the swg is off during the night. Post your numbers in the morning including CC.

Poolcalculator gives me a range of 3-5ppm for 62 cya, so 5 is fine, but let's see how that OCLT goes.
 
another quick question
we were hoping to have a swimming party tomorrow night, assuming the shocking is all done
I know TFP sayas you can swim safely up to shock level, but is all that chlorine safe for the heater?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
I had to wait till today to start shocking so I'd have enough time to devote to scrubbing, etc.
Between 5/10 and yesterday, the water still looked clear, and I kept the Cl a little higher than normal. It started to haze up ever so slightly yesterday.
Here's where I started this morning:
6:15 am
pH 7.5
Cl 5.0/.5/5.5
TA 100
CH 280
CYA 50 as soon as I have the pool cleaned up I will raise this
salt 3200

Here's what I've been doing:
7:15. 20.5/.5. added 1qut 12% cl target 21
9:15. 18.0/.5. added. 3quts target 21
10:15. 18.0/.5. added 3quts target 21
11:45. 17.0/.5. added 1 gallon. target 21
I've also scrubbed, brushed, vaccuumed, and backwashed. The filter pressure hadn't risen, but I was trying to hurry things along. Haziness has improved a little at best. Hard to tell. But if the water doesn't look like tap water, I'm not happy!
My questions:
1. do I seem to be on the right track? or should I target a higher fc? Is dipping down to17 or 18 too low to be effective? I was using the cl/cya chart # of 20 for cya=50, but adding 1ppm for safety ( 21)
2. if the water is only a little dull and hazy, would you expect the cya test to be accurate? I'm thinking of repeating it since I really have a hard time with that test.
2. I probably just need to be patient, but how many days
 
update:
checked CYA yesterday, followed directions to the letter. It seems to be 60, so I increased my shock level. (24 ppm)
haziness has improved, water is really clear, maybe a little way to go.
9:00 pm yesterday - 24.0/.5
5:30 am this morning - 21.5/1.0
I have used 13 gallons of 12% cl.
Is there any reason to think I'm not on the right track? I was wondering why the cc's increased overnight. My guess is no sunlight to burn it off?
btw I'm aware that I'm not done shocking yet with the cc's and losing too much Cl overnight
thanks
 
It is not uncommon for the CC's to increase occasionally as you continue the shock process. I wish I could tell you the chemistry behind it ( I can't :oops: ) but I have seen it reported on the forum before.

You are absolutely on the right track. You have quickly gained a good working knowledge. It sounds like your water will be sparkling soon. Nice work! :lol:
 
still shocking...
another question, hopefully not too repetitive of other posts...
I'm losing 5ppm Cl every 1.5 to 2 hours during the day today. (going from 25 to 20)
It's really sunny, so I'm assuming the sun is eating up some of the Cl.
The water is getting its sparkle back, but I'm concerned about going through so much Cl.
Does this amount of Cl loss indicate that I still have tons of algae, or is it pretty normal to lose so much when it starts out so high?
I may need to stock up on more shock if I'm not getting close to being done! The pool store folks here already think I'm eccentric enough as it is! :wink:
 
ok, bear with me please...this may need to be moved to the swg forum
The shock is done! Water is clear, cc <.5, oclt passed.
But now my swg is unhappy. I had it dialed to 0% for shocking, since I can't power it off with the way my easy touch is set up.
The salt light is blinking green, indicating high salt.
Test strips measure 3330, 3620, 3330. (i know I used a lot of strips!)
The intellichlor diagnostic reads 4600
The cell has a tiny amount of scale on one end of one blade, tried flushing it off with a hose, would not budge

Here are my current test #s
fc 22
cc 0
pH (probably not accurate due to high cl) 7.8
cya 60
ta 100
ch 280
water temp 75
Pentair tech support suggested replacing some water. The tech wasn't sure how much. The manual says range is 3000-4500 ideal being 3400. Do I just need to dilute down to 4500 then?
Would an acid wash in the cell help the salinity sensor?

I can't believe my luck, I was adding a little water to my pool this am and really dirty brown water came from the hose into the pool. I shut it off right away, but a little got in the pool. I can't do any diluting till I get that ironed out!
 
also I should add
The salt level was 2300 when I opened.
I have added 270# since then, half at a time, 5/3 and 5/9
The sensor actually never said the salt was low, I just added salt to get to 3400 ish on the strips
Ive done a little reading on here and see that if the swg was happy, maybe I shouldn't have added any.
test strips purchased 4/2012 from tf kits
 
Not to beat a dead horse, but..
in case anyone is in a similar situation, here's what ended up happening:
now that my FC has gotten back to a normal range, I dialed my ic40 back up to 50%.
I noticed the high salt light was no longer flashing an hour later after I started the chlorinator, and the diagnostic test said the salt level is 4350. I assume it may come down closer to my test strip levels, but either way the swg seems happy.
I have definitely learned my lesson, if the salt level ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm sure that concept is in pool school, but I must have missed class that day!
Thank you as always for being a great resource, we are on our own out here in the cornfields!
 
From the beginning of the thread, your FC consumption has seemed a little excessive. Did you ever shut off the SWG to see what it was (should be 2-4ppm daily)? Did you raise your CYA a little?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply