new pool owner with High Chlorine

[kwing01]

Today my pool store opened my pool for me and I see they added "super chlorinator" (it is liquid) to my pool. Tonight when i test my pool with TF-100 test kit, i added 90+ drop(R-871) and still not turn the color to clear. Is it possible i have over 50 chlorine? and Is it OK? or did i do something wrong?

pH 7.5
TA 20
CYA 40

 

[Richard320]

Re: new pool owner with High Chlorine in my pool

Anything's possible.
First thing is to try the color match chlorine test - the other side of the pH tester. If your FC is really off-the-charts, it will likely turn some shade of orangish brown instead of yellow. In which case, wait a few days and it will come down. Any damage to the liner has probably already happened.

When the color drops to an orange to yellow shade, then try the FAS-DPD test again. Try using a 10 ml sample. Each drop will be .5 that way; saves on R-0871 reagent. I suppose if you really want to know now, use only 5 ml sample and each drop wil be 1 ppm.

 

[kwing01]

Yes, i tested the chlorine test and it is off the chart. and how you check if the liner is damaged or not?

 

[jblizzle]

It will be faded below the water line ... next year let us help you open your pool and take control of it and avoid possible further damage.

 

[kwing01]

ok, thanks. Is that mean i have nothing to do and just wait my FC down to correct level?

 

[harleysilo]

I don't know of any way to get your chlorine down now except partially draining and refilling your pool, which is typically not recommended due to damage that could result to the pool ....I also read about reverse osmosis but it seems costly. I would just wait it out.

 

[kwing01]

Thanks, i plan to go to the pool store and ask them test the water for me. Maybe i did something wrong (I hope).... This morning i see a frog in my pool and swimming fine.

 

[jblizzle]

Frogs seem to swim fine ... for a little while ... then not so much.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone

 

[kwing01]

I just retest again with 5ml water and it turned clear on 49 drop. I believe it means my FC is 49... Also i retest pH and it is 6.8 now. My TA is 20. Do i need to adjst them first? or wait until my FC down to 10? My CYA is 40.

 

[frogabog]

Throw a dirty dog in? I might even go pee in it. lol

PH usually shows high when chlorine is high, 6.8 is a surprising result. You got any algae covered pool toys, or a fish tank you can scrape some off of? Moss? I ask because if you could lower the chlorine in say, a bucket of pool water and get it down to ~7ppm you could test the pH with relative accuracy to be sure it's not dangerously low.

 

[brainchasm]

pH tests can't be trusted when the FC is very high. Wait for it to come down to 10 or less. And whatever you do, don't use anything that will add CYA! You're at such a nice number right now, it'd be a shame to spike it and make life harder and more expensive.

 

[kwing01]

I just go to the pool store and they give me following test result.

PH 6.5
FC 2
Total 2
CH 100
CYA 5
TA 0

I tested TF-100 again with my wife.
PH 6.8
FC 38 (using 5ml and little lower than i tested myself)
CH 150 (My number is 150 (i believe the color is blue), but my wife said the color is purple and not blue and we keep adding until 200+ and still not turn to blue)
TA 10 (1 drop from bule to yellow)
CYA 40


I see my pool store and TF100 test, the TA is 0 and 10, Is it OK to add up TA first? They sold me a lot of stuff, but i didn't use it yet.

 

[harleysilo]

I just go to the pool store and they give me following test result.

PH 6.5
FC 2
Total 2
CH 100
CYA 5
TA 0

I tested TF-100 again with my wife.
PH 6.8
FC 38 (using 5ml and little lower than i tested myself)
CH 150 (My number is 150 (i believe the color is blue), but my wife said the color is purple and not blue and we keep adding until 200+ and still not turn to blue)
TA 10 (1 drop from bule to yellow)
CYA 40


I see my pool store and TF100 test, the TA is 0 and 10, Is it OK to add up TA first? They sold me a lot of stuff, but i didn't use it yet.

So the pool store tested Free Chlorine at 2? And you tested it at 38?

I think i've read on here that the moment the color changes that is the count of drops to use (just the fact that it changes is the indicator you are looking for, if it's purple vs. blue it's okay) I may be wrong and i'm sure someone will inform me of that fact.

 

[kwing01]

Yes, the pool store told me my FC and TC is 2 and it is on right number.

1. My TF-100 test, first the Chlorine and pH test, the left side is very orange and no color is match to this dark orange color.

2. The TA test normally it should be from green to red, but if high chlorine it will from blue to yellow (NOTE: In the presence of high chlorine, initial color may be blue and shift to yellow. Test is still valid.), so i believe my Chlorine test is very high.

3. I used 5ml water to test (don't want to use too much R-871), so i keep adding and the color is pink, until 37, 38, it did turn to clear color.

I believe my TF-100 test is more accurate. My pool just opened yesterday and the pool store added the liquid chlorine to my pool (I believe 5 gallons?). My question is after winter, the chlorine should drop to 0 when you open in spring right?

 

[Richard320]

From my own research (which I hunted down here using search) Blinding yellow is about 10. School bus yellow is about 12-13. Hunter orange is around 18, up around 25 it starts to look pumpkin orange. I never went any higher than that, but it's been reliably reported that it eventually will turn brown if you get high enough.

It's normal to lose all your chlorine, winter or summer, if you don't keep adding. How fast depends on temperature and sunlight (UV rays).

The good news for you is, chlorine degradation is not a straight line, where you would lose 3 a day. It's a percentage. Like radioactive half-life. So it will fall off fast in the next couple days.

 

[kwing01]

My question now is my TA (10) and pH (6.8) are pretty low now. Do i need to raise them first or wait until my FC back to normal? Lucky it will rain tomorrow hope it bring down my FC more.

 

[Richard320]

My question now is my TA (10) and pH (6.8) are pretty low now. Do i need to raise them first or wait until my FC back to normal? Lucky it will rain tomorrow hope it bring down my FC more.

pH is unreliable at your FC level. Check out the picture in this thread!

I, personally, would be wary of the test results on the TA as well. Wait until FC gets down to about 10, and retest it all. TA is easy to fix, dump in some Baking Soda. It dissolves fast.

 

[kwing01]

My question now is my TA (10) and pH (6.8) are pretty low now. Do i need to raise them first or wait until my FC back to normal? Lucky it will rain tomorrow hope it bring down my FC more.

pH is unreliable at your FC level. Check out the picture in this thread!

I, personally, would be wary of the test results on the TA as well. Wait until FC gets down to about 10, and retest it all. TA is easy to fix, dump in some Baking Soda. It dissolves fast.

My Chlorine look like the picture, but the pH color is match to the 6.8. And yes, i will wait until my FC and adjust the TA and pH. Thanks all.

 

[brainchasm]

Nevermind, 6.8 is safe enough for the nonce.

Aerate if you can, and if your TA really is 10ppm, budget for some baking soda...like 750 oz of it!

 

[frogabog]

I'd be curious to know how to increase TA from 10ppm to ~70ppm without blasting the roof off the pH. Assuming the pH test is correct (even if it might not be, let's assume cuz it's not that rare to see 6.8), how would you raise it? Baking soda raises pH more than soda ash/washing soda, but even so, to get to ~70 it would take eight 6.8-7.6 pH events to get there. And that's assuming pH could be lowered to 6.8 again in a reasonable time frame.

Exactly how would you brilliant minds do it? This one confuses me quite frankly...