Salt Water Monster--cholorine readings, pool care etc.

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When is your test kit supposed to arrive?

There is no way to tell you have been keeping the FC at the correct levels and there is no way to do the OCLT accurately without the FAS-DPD test.

It appears that your CC may be low, so that might meet 1 stop conditions. Is the water crystal clear (not kind of clear)? Could you read a coin on the bottom in the deep end?

Remind me your CYA situation, have you added any? It would help to get that level up to at least 30ppm.
 
I just checked and test kit should be here by tomorrow, end of day.

As for the water clarity, I can see everything at the bottom of the deep end very clearly. Not sure I can read a coin-its 12 1/2 feet deep so I probably couldn't read it even if there was no water. But definitely continues to be a green tint.

I am adding CYA today. It was at 15 yesterday. Because the numbers were fluctuating so wildly, and we added 4 gallons of it, I wanted to see if we got a good reading before putting in more. Looks like I am ready for more.
 
I wouldn't add CYA today, because come tomorrow when you get your kit you won't get an accurate reading. You absolutely want to verify the pool store's 15ppm reading yourself with your own CYA test. Make sure to shake the reagent/pool water mixture for over 30 seconds and then, you can use that sample multiple times to check your result (pour and re-pour, don't mix another sample).

Once you get a good number from your kit for CYA, then you can calculate how much more to add and add it confidently.

On one hand, adding CYA today isn't a bad idea because you do need more. But 15 isn't too low to work with, and it also allows you to shock at a lower chlorine level for today. But you need to raise the pool to shock level and keep it there. 3ppm is not enough. Bear in mind that while shocking a pool, falling below shock level puts you in a "one step forward, two steps back" position. Effectively, you're losing ground any time it isn't at shock level.

Are you certain of your pool volume? If that number isn't close to actual, it could be why you're not seeing accurate results from your additions.
 
I don't want to insult the bleach fans on here, but it's going to take a lot of gallons of bleach or liquid chlorine to properly shock a 45,000 gallon pool. In my opinion, cal hypo may be logistically the better way for you to go to get through this shock process. I found that schlepping around a couple of 50 lb. buckets of cal hypo is easier than maybe 100 individual gallons of bleach.

Since your pool is gunite, you can tolerate a reasonably high calcium hardness level, say, not to exceed 350ppm. CH of 300ppm won't hurt anything and you last reported a CH of less than 200ppm.

Using the resources here at TFP, you'll know what you're getting into. You know that cal hypo adds both chlorine & calcium. You might even consider using pucks during the shock process. As you'll find here at TFP, di chlor pucks add chlorine & CYA. It appears that you're lower than you want to be on CYA, so you can tolerate the CYA that the pucks will add.

Use that new test kit to properly manage your chemical input and don't just add chemicals blindly. When the CYA level approaches the target number you're looking for, STOP using pucks! When your CH approaches the target number you're looking for, STOP using cal hypo. If CYA & CH approach your targets and you're still in the shocking process, you'll have to use bleach/liquid chlorine only to finish shocking.

Once you've finally got that clear, sparkly water, you should be able to maintain the chlorine levels with your salt water generator. Maybe the occasional addition of bleach/liquid chlorine when necessary to boost your Cl level.

Just my opinion, but it's based on managing my own 36,000 gal gunite pool for 15 years. BTW, my TF-100 test kit is the best pool tool I've ever had!

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the feedback. For what its worth, we have lugged around cases and cases and cases of liquid chlorine to finally get the pool clear! We are so close! It is clear but has the greenish tint. I couldn't wait for the kit to arrive to start the shocking process because of how bad the pool was. Now we have slowed down the addition of liquid chlorine until we get the kit (tomorrow hopefully). I am hoping we will be done in the next couple of days.

The FC reading is definitely above 5 (which is the highest the home test kit reads right now). So that must mean the chlorine is not disappearing as fast as it was before.


In the meanwhile, I will wait to add the CYA.
 
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