Algae Cleanup/Walmart Sales Records

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JimJimR

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Mar 16, 2012
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Richmond, VA
I have bought out all of the large bleach at local Walmart and the next closest and am down to my last 4 jugs as I am trying to clean up after an algae bloom. I shocked it yesterday and have been adding 7 jugs of 182 oz bleach (36,000 gallons pool) every 30 mins this afternoon and have done 6 doses. Each time I check the chlorine level it is 0. my CYA is ~45 - 50.
I checked for CC the last time and it turned dark yellow when I put the R-0003 reagent in. I also checked for FC after adding the last chlorine dose and it didn't show any level.
Could my testing agents have gone bad in the past month?
Any ideas or suggestions?
Also, the pool is very clear and no noticable green and hardly any grey.
Thanks,
Jim
 
If you have a an OTO kit (& it sounds like you do) ues it to test the chlorine. It should turn some shade of yellow.

It sounds like you have something consuming the FC at a very rapid rate. It's not uncommon to have that happen in the beginning of shocking. You may even have an ammonia problem. The answer is still chlorine.
 
Thanks Bama,
I checked with the OTO and it came out orange, with solids in the view scale. I assume I am over chlorinating. I checked with my TF-100 again and it showed 0 FC. I put a drop of bleach in the 10 cc of test water and it didn't have an affect on it. I suspect I should have bought a new test kit this year instead of using mine from August of 2010.
I am going to take a sample to the pool store (arrgggg) tomorrow.
Seems weird that I have had good results up through June/July and then it went south in late August.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jim
PS: Good luck against Michigan this evening. Hope my Sooners meet up with you guys in the Championship game this year!
 
Tried tap water and showed no chlorine. Added more powder, 6 measures and it finally turned red. Added R-870 at 80 drops, and it looked like a fine merlot, just short of a Cabernet.
Does the powder/870 work proportionately?
Thanks,
Jim
 
Pardon me for buttin' in with my inexperienced input, but, if you've added seven 182oz jugs six times today (42 jugs total) thats 7644oz in a 2.5 hour period which according to the pool calculator would have added about 100ppm to your chlorine level (assuming 6% bleach). You also said you shocked the pool YESTERDAY, so one might assume, given your CYA level, that there most likely would still be some residual from that, barring some kind of super-voracious bugs eatin' it all, plus all that you've added today.

I'm a total newb here and to pools in general plus I have zero hands-on experience with the fancy test kits, but from all that I've been reading, I would bet that your TC is probably around 100 and if so that might explain your difficulty testing. Maybe this would be a good case to try a dilution test?

Having said all this though, I do recall seeing somewhere that an orange OTO test meant chlorine was at 25 to 30, though no mention of "solids" in the solution. If I recall correctly the next color change would be from orange to brown but the info for that only said "very high" with no numbers given. Perhaps you're somewhere way over 30 and on the verge of "very high" whatever that might be. My money though would still be betting that you're near 100, if not over, and if I were you I'd be getting concerned about possible damage to the vinyl.

As stated, I'm a total newb so bear that in mind with everything that I've postulated. :) Hope you get it sorted quickly!
 
I am sure you are w-a-a-y over chlorinated. It sounds like your FAS/DPD test is working by showing your chlorine at least 40ppm and probably much higher.

With your reported CYA of 40-50, your chlorine should be no higher than 20 or so. One of the principles of BBB is careful measuring and dosing and it sounds like you badly overdosed.

Simply keep running the pump, vacuuming and filtering as necessary. Don't add any more chlorine.
 

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I diluted a sample using 9 parts distilled water and one part pool water. The OTO test showed above 5 PPM but it at least it was yellow I am guessing I am above 60 PPM.
What can I do to bring the Chlorine level down? Also, is this hurting the liner?
Thanks,
Jim
 
You may be harming the liner a little but it's too late to warry about it now. Don't add any more chlorine and it'll come down pretty quickly in a sunny day or few. You should be back down to shock level in a couple of days.
 
I checked the FC level today by diluting 9:1 and it is 35 PPM. I guess the rain and the brief sun today helped.
I did notice during the tests the "flash" of pink when putting in the powder for the FC test. I didn't realize the bleach could mask the results and believed that the algae was consuming the bleach. I should have read the extended testing post. Also, I will use the OTO test as a backup.
I am concerned about the liner. Is there any info on the site regarding the reaction of the liner to high levels of FC?
Thanks to all for the help!
Thanks,
Jim
 
A 35 ppm FC with 50 ppm CYA has the same active chlorine level as 2.3 ppm FC with no CYA if the pH were 7.5 (but most likely the pH is higher since it probably got raised when you added the chlorine). If there was any damage done to your liner, it would have been when your FC was much higher than your CYA level. A 100 ppm FC with 50 ppm CYA would be equivalent to around 47 ppm FC with no CYA if the pH were 7.5 (but the pH was instead more likely to be nearly 9.0).

Generally speaking, low pH is more destructive than chlorine and the combination is even more destructive which is why Trichlor pucks sitting on vinyl can bleach them out and also deform/stretch/wrinkle them. Very concentrated chlorine can also have a bleaching effect, but that's more like having Cal-Hypo sit at the bottom of the pool. Bleach or chlorinating liquid is generally only an issue if not well mixed, so if dumped in one place quickly so that it settles to the bottom of the pool. That's why we recommend adding chemicals slowly over a return flow and then to lightly brush the side and bottom of the pool where you added the chemical to ensure thorough mixing.
 
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