chlorinator off but CL remains high

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myrddin

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LifeTime Supporter
Aug 11, 2012
229
Southern Indiana
Hi, I have been working on getting my CL back down (3.0 + right now). 3 days ago I turned the cl200 knob to off... I have not seen a change... I run my pump 24/7. I guess I can remove the CL pucks from the chlorinator if need be... I keep about 8 in it a week.

thoughts?
 
Re: Clorinator off but CL remains high

What is your CYA?
A FC of 3ppm is hardly high and may not even by high enough depending on the CYA level. And given you apparent exclusive use of pucks, your CYA is likely pretty high. Check out this chart in Pool School: Chlorine CYA Chart
 
We can not really offer any advice without complete information. At a minimum you could get the water tested at a few pool stores to see what they think your CYA level is ... but CYA seems to be one of the levels that they are the worst at.

The K-2006 is cheaper, just contains less reagents. Also, the HTH 6-way drop test at Walwart includes the CYA test, but is missing the all important FAS-DPD chlorine test which is MUCH better at determining your FC and CC levels ... and is required once the CYA is high and you need to maintain FC above 5ppm.
 
Depending on the number of tests you do, the reagents should last at least 1 season, likely more. As long as you store it in a cool dark location. And you can always order just the reagent you need to re-fill.
 
OK back from the pool store...

I can list everything if you want.. but the CYA is 124 (they said needs to be 30-200)

Tot. CL 10 (1-3) - High
Free CL 8.3 (1-3) - High
PH 7.1 (7.4-7.6) - Low
TA 83 - Low
Adj Total Alk 46 (125-150) - Low

He sold me some Maintain balance pak 100... Says TA increaser... is this same as baking soda? Usually I add a box of baking soda to bring up the PH.. but they say this will help TA as well.

Wondering if my chlorinator is broken... I have the dial on off... but seems has not dropped... its been 3 days so far. Should I remove the pucks?
 
[sarcasm] Amazing that they sold you something while at the store [\sarcasm] The TA increaser is just baking soda at a higher cost. It affects the TA much more than the pH. You should be using borax or washing soda/soda ash to raise the pH.

That CYA is WAY high based on our recommendation. Recommended Levels
For a non-SWG pool, the top end is about 50ppm for CYA ... Given the use of pucks I am not surprised it might be that high.

If the CYA of 124ppm is correct, you should never let the FC below about 9ppm to avoid algae ... BTW, the pH test may not be accurate when the FC is > 10ppm.

Thus, if you trust that number (I would confirm with my own test), you need to replace at least 60% of the water to lower the CYA to a reasonable range and then stop using anything except liquid chlorine. Otherwise, the CYA is just going to rise again.

Where are you located? Do you close or drain the pool in the winter?
 
I am in Southern Indiana... I do close the pool in October... I usually just take the water below the skimmer and then cover it. (after blowing out the lines and adding the plugs and so on). 60% of water is a huge hit... you think I should just ride it out till close?
 

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You can try ... but again we are basing this on suspect test numbers. If you got yourself a kit, you would have a better chance of lasting through the summer since you need to keep a close accurate eye on maintaining the FC up above 9ppm. But as soon as any algae pops up ... clearing it is going to be VERY difficult without replacing water.
 
With the drought conditions you are experiencing you kind of have no choice. Return the balance pak to the PS and tell them you'll use baking soda instead. Stop using pucks as they will only add to your CYA levels. Use regular bleach and keep FC at 10 or above....please see the rest below:

Tot. CL 10 (1-3) - High - Not if CYA is truly 100+
Free CL 8.3 (1-3) - High - This is an issue since it would indicate your CC level is 1.7+ and would say you need to shock. If the pool is clear, keep FC at 10-15ppm and hope for the best until season end
PH 7.1 (7.4-7.6) - Low - agree and it is low due to the use of chlorine pucks, which are acidic and lower PH and TA
TA 83 - Low - low only if you continue to use pucks, otherwise TA of 80 is OK when using bleach...if you decide to continue using pucks, raise TA to around 120 with plain old baking soda

Good luck
 
thanks guys... I will remove the pucks this weekend... baking soda already in.. its what I use on a regular basis... I will chk the ta/ph agn tomorrow. I have never used bleach before... but I will give it a try... I have been thinking of a saltwater conversion... worth it or no?

Honestly... I have not had any problems at all for a long time... CL has been in chk just this past week it has gone out of whack...

I plan on ordering the test kit this Friday, I am due for a new kit anyway, also planning on the lifetime donation... just need to space them out is all.

thanks guys
 
myrddin said:
well, I wish I had an answer for you... My current kit will only measure CL, PH TA and will do acid demand. I am not sure I can swing the tf-100 at this time... thoughts?

PH - 7.6
TA - 90
CL above 3.0
Click to expand...
Just bite the bullet and order the right one. You could order the CYA test and the FAS-DPD test as separate tests, but it would cost almost as much.
 
Baking soda is not a good choice for raising pH.

Read this: pool-school/recommended_pool_chemicals

If $ is very tight the TF50 is cheaper than the tf100 and this late in the season you may be fine with it however the lower amount of r871 may be a problem if you are shocking with high CYA levels. This assumes you already have a viable pH test block.

Who make the test you have?
 
Linen, the water is clear, thanks for the link to the chemicals... I will stock up on some of those items... the test kit I have is a Pentair pool and spa test kit (CL, PH, Acid Demand, TA). I will chk the water agn once I get home tonight... thank you all for helping me... I just ordered the tf100, next paycheck I will donate for lifetime member... But I still need to get my CL down in the mean time, if its not down, or I have not noticed a drop by the weekend I will pull the pucks out of the feeder... seems like having the dial in the off position would of helped...

The kit looks complicated compared to what I have used in the past... but I am hoping you guys will help. This is a great site, full of nice folks... thanks for your help.
 
myrddin said:
I still need to get my CL down in the mean time, if its not down, or I have not noticed a drop by the weekend I will pull the pucks out of the feeder... seems like having the dial in the off position would of helped...
Click to expand...

Your chlorine levels are probably not high - based on your CYA. Your use of pucks drives up CYA and if the chlorinator is still feeding chlorine to the pool - it is also feeding CYA to it. When you have test results we will help you get through this.


myrddin said:
The kit looks complicated compared to what I have used in the past... but I am hoping you guys will help. This is a great site, full of nice folks... thanks for your help.
Click to expand...


Don't sweat it. There are lots of people here that can help and loads of resources. TFTestKits even has video's!
 

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