No Free Chlorine in TN

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SLUGGO60

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Jul 2, 2012
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Hello to all,
Just opened up our pool for the season last week,and amongst not having any stabilizer,there was no FC reading for the water.I installed a SWG in the middle of last season and all was well.Water stayed in balance for the season.After opening this season,adjusted the PH to 7.6.Added approximately 6 lbs of stabilizer to the water,the CYA is reading 40PPM.I also found the info on your website that tells me not to count on the SWG to raise the chlorine level to shock values on it's own,it needs help.So i used the levels the pool calculated suggested and dumped 9 gallons of 6% bleach in the depend for 27000 gallons of water.Two hours later,FC is still at .5. I checked this with a Taylor K2005 test kit with all new reagents.
Total chlorine was pegged high,well above what the tester will register.I do not understand what I am doing wrong here.
Any help would be appreciated.

SLUGGO
 
It seems that occasionally the CYA gets converted by bacteria over the winter into ammonia ... this will show up as high CC levels (which it sounds like you have if the FC is low but the TC is high). BUT ... you are using the pink DPD chlorine test right? The problem with that test is that at high FC levels, the pink can get bleached out so you think you have no FC, but it reality it is very high.

The solution to this if it is high CC due to ammonia is just following the shock process ... it will just take a lot of chlorine to break the ammonia and CC down.

However, one problem that you are going to have the inability to accurately test the FC and CC separately. I would highly suggest you add the FAS-DPD chlorine test to your kit so that you will have the equivalent to the K-2006 which we recommend.
 
SLUGGO60 said:
Hello to all,
Just opened up our pool for the season last week,and amongst not having any stabilizer,there was no FC reading for the water.I installed a SWG in the middle of last season and all was well.Water stayed in balance for the season.After opening this season,adjusted the PH to 7.6.Added approximately 6 lbs of stabilizer to the water,the CYA is reading 40PPM.I also found the info on your website that tells me not to count on the SWG to raise the chlorine level to shock values on it's own,it needs help.So i used the levels the pool calculated suggested and dumped 9 gallons of 6% bleach in the depend for 27000 gallons of water.Two hours later,FC is still at .5. I checked this with a Taylor K2005 test kit with all new reagents.
Total chlorine was pegged high,well above what the tester will register.I do not understand what I am doing wrong here.
Any help would be appreciated.

SLUGGO
Click to expand...
[s:1h6drvik]If TC is high and FC is low, that means CC is very high.

Similar problem here: new-owner-swamp-and-circulation-questions-t61002.html

Same solution. More bleach.[/s:1h6drvik]
 
Richard320 said:
If TC is high and FC is low, that means CC is very high.

Similar problem here: new-owner-swamp-and-circulation-questions-t61002.html

Same solution. More bleach.
Click to expand...

Careful. With the DPD, I would be concerned that the FC could be high and the test bleached out.
Unless the fact that the TC looks high proves that the FC did not bleach out ... ??? I just am not sure.

Safest to get the FAS-DPD test.
 
jblizzle said:
Richard320 said:
If TC is high and FC is low, that means CC is very high.

Similar problem here: new-owner-swamp-and-circulation-questions-t61002.html

Same solution. More bleach.
Click to expand...

Careful. With the DPD, I would be concerned that the FC could be high and the test bleached out.
Unless the fact that the TC looks high proves that the FC did not bleach out ... ??? I just am not sure.

Safest to get the FAS-DPD test.
Click to expand...
Oops. Forgot about that.
 
I have already put 9 gallons of 6% bleach in there. Do I have to put another 10 or 12 in there with another 9 all at once,or is the chlorine level building.I cannot get a free chlorine reading in a standard too tester either. this is acting exactly like a chlorine lock issue.Find that hard to believe with a CYA of 40ppm.
 
"Chlorine lock" is a meaningless term that pool stores throw around.

The problem you have is that with your pink color-matching DPD test (that is limited to 5ppm right?) The test can read low FC when it is low or very high ... which one are you?

Do you have a yellow OTO chlorine test in any other test kits? It does not get bleached out.

Either way, how are your going to follow the Shocking Your Pool PROCESS if you can not accurately test a FC level at 16ppm (see pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock) which is shock level for your CYA of 40ppm?

You need the FAS-DPD chlorine test ... you do not need to order the entire K-2006, just the chlorine test. Unless your K-2005 is old, in which case I would suggest getting the TF-100.

You are flying blind, so it is going to be very difficult to fix the pool in a few days ... what is your plan for maintenance while out of town? I would order the test and get serious next week.
 
The plan for next week is to have my better half test it and make sure it does not turn green on me while i am gone.will not be back until the following week.full sun on the pool every day.run the SWG 12 hours a day in the heat of the day @ 40%. what else can I do ?
 

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SLUGGO60 said:
I know it sound stupid,but should I keep shocking the pool with bleach and roll the dice that it will start to read ?
Click to expand...
Try this: Get a cup and fill it about 1/3 with pool water. Then add 2/3 bottled water (tap water has chlorine) and stir it up good, then test that sample for FC. If it starts to read something normal. you're way high on chlorine in the pool. If it looks like nothing, you're dealing with something else, like maybe ammonia in the water.
 
Richard,
It does not register at all when matching the colors,but when you look through the top,you can see some pink. I assume that is nothing more than color bleeding through from the scale . I would say it is not registering any reading using 2/3 distilled water and 1/3 pool water.

SLUGGO
 
SLUGGO60 said:
correct on the 5ppm limit.uses a two way OTO drop tester and the level there was 1.0-1.5,in the acceptable range on that tester.
Click to expand...

Do you have the DPD (pink matching test) or the OTO (yellow matching test)?

Based on you last post, sounds like the DPD test ... since you got very little reading with the distilled water, your FC is likely low and you need more FC. You might target a FC of 14ppm and then continue to use a 2/3 distilled and 1/2 pool water and triple the reading to sort of have the ability to read a FC up to 15ppm ... at least while waiting for the FAS-DPD :whip: ;)
 
Will order the FAS-DPD test kit once I have the Taylor p/n.Will throw another 8-10 gallons of bleach in there tomorrow night and see if it will register.Per the pool calculator,with a CYA of 40 ppm,reading 0 FC, the target should be 20 for the FC for shocking purposes.,which comes out to 9-10 gallons of 6% bleach. Will also throw another 1 pound of stabiliizer in the skimmer in the morning to try and creep up on the 70 ppm of CYA.

If any of you see me heading down the wrong road here or I am not reading the pool calculator correctly,feel free to throw some rocks my way.Will look for any replies in the morning and go from there.

Thanks
SLUGGO
 
SLUGGO60 said:
Will order the FAS-DPD test kit once I have the Taylor p/n.Will throw another 8-10 gallons of bleach in there tomorrow night and see if it will register.Per the pool calculator,with a CYA of 40 ppm,reading 0 FC, the target should be 20 for the FC for shocking purposes.,which comes out to 9-10 gallons of 6% bleach. Will also throw another 1 pound of stabiliizer in the skimmer in the morning to try and creep up on the 70 ppm of CYA.

If any of you see me heading down the wrong road here or I am not reading the pool calculator correctly,feel free to throw some rocks my way.Will look for any replies in the morning and go from there.

Thanks
SLUGGO
Click to expand...
No more CYA until the shock process is done.

FAS-DPD tester standalone is here: http://tftestkits.net/FAS-DPD-Chlorine- ... t-p47.html Fast, fast shipping, too.
 
To All Who Replied,
I should receive the FAS-DPD tester today. I have not done anything to the pool since we last spoke except to bump up the SWG to 60%. What would be the next logical step here,other than testing to see if there is any FC at all. The pool is crystal clear.

SLUGGO
 
SLUGGO60 said:
To All Who Replied,
I should receive the FAS-DPD tester today. I have not done anything to the pool since we last spoke except to bump up the SWG to 60%. What would be the next logical step here,other than testing to see if there is any FC at all. The pool is crystal clear.

SLUGGO
Click to expand...
A full set of test results should get you plenty of advice. Post it like this:

FC - Free Chlorine
CC - Combined Chlorine
pH -
TA - Total Alkalinity
CH - Calcium Hardness
CYA - Cyanuric Acid (stabilizer)
Borates - (if you are using borates)
Salt (if you have a SWCG)

You could also fill out your signature line while you wait for the tester. Now there's a challenge!
 

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