Shocking and maintenance

[robmaxfli]

Howdy,

I'm in Dallas, Tx. where we are at 100deg. daily. My plaster pool gets a full days worth of sunshine so I have a few questions. Here are my numbers:

17K Gallons
7.5 PH
FC: 20
TA: 90
CYA: 40

My water is very clear - no visible algae
I use the bleach method but boy that bleach does not last long.

I have a test kit from Leslies but I cannot read the cell chart when testing free chlorine. The color sample isn't really defined well against the cell chart. It doesn't matter if I put it into the sunlight or not. Does the TF-100 shows the cell colors more clearly?

I am shocking tonight - I have put 4 182oz. bottles of bleach in. I used the 1/8ml mark on the tester with distilled water for the rest (to 9ml) but I'll be darn if I can match the color to anything on the cell. The sample seems clear unless I look at it from the side and then it looks pinkish. The bottom line is that I cannot get an accurate measurement of FC and therefore I don't know how much bleach to keep it at shock level (20).

What is the average length of time that someone needs to shock a pool that looks algae free? and overnight test passes?
I know that every pool is different but are we talking 1 day , 3 days, 5 days? -

Once you have licked the contaminating problem and are in maintenance mode (no longer shocking), what would you say is the average daily loss of FC per day here in the hot Texas sun? Does anyone not have to touch their pool for, say, 3 days in a row?...Or is this an everyday occurence to add bleach to the pool?

thanks in advance for the replies

 

[Richard320]

The TF100 has the best FC test. It's called the FAS-DPD test. Don't ask me what the acronym means. You mix some powder with the sample. It turns Barbie pink. You count drops until it turns clear. Accurate to .2 ppm if you use the large sample, no color matching - it's either some shade of pink or it's clear. And it will read FC up to 50!! Perfect for the man going through the shock process.

If your test kit happens to be the Leslies branded K-2005, all you need to get is this to bring it up to snuff.

In Texas heat, with Texas sun, you ought to raise the CYA to 50-60. Your FC minimum will go up as well, which will make the FAS-DPD chlorine test a must-have, but your chlorine consumption will go down.

How long it takes to finish the shock process is too variable to even hazard a guess. If it's just high CC, maybe overnight. Green pool, a couple weeks. Or anything in between. A lot also depends on understanding the shock process and the diligence you take.

 

[mpacheco72]

I can typically get a way with every other day, but with the high temps as of late I'm adding every day. It certainly doesn't take long though. Five minutes of testing and another couple to add the bleach and I'm done. And five minutes of testing is what it takes me to test my ph, fc, cc and input the numbers into the pool calculator. If you're having trouble color matching, you'll love the FAS-DPD no more matching colors to a scale.