Chlorine armed robbery

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juggler1972

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Jun 3, 2013
18
media pa ( 20 miles south of philly)
I cannot seem to keep chlorine in the pool.Please review the last 48 hours below . I live in philly its been overcast / sunny for the last 2 days and hot.

Sunday 9am
FAC .5
TAC 1.5
ph 7.4
TA 80
CYA 40
Calcium 240
Total dissolved solids 1300

so the recommendation was to shock the pool. i used 2 gallons of Sodium Hypochlorite Liquid

Tuesday 7am -- did a quick FAC test -- no chlorine --so added 10lb of Leslie Chlor Brite granules to different areas of the pool .

Tuesday 7pm pm did a full test results below
FC 1.0
TC 2.0
TA 140
ph 7.2
Calcium 300
CYA test 40

Where does all the chlorine go ?
Water is crystal clear .
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

Chlorine is lost to 2 things: the sun and organics in the water.
With a CYA of 40ppm, your loss to the sun should not be too bad, so that points to something in the water (as does your CC of 1 in the second set of data.

What was the strength of the liquid chlorine you used? Even if it was 12.5%, 2 gallons would have only raised your FC level by 9ppm ... that is not even up to the shock level of 16ppm, which is based on your CYA: pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock

You need to SLAM the pool. [slam:1h41jv9x][/slam:1h41jv9x]

What test kit are you using?
And DEFINITELY stick to liquid chlorine.

If you have not already, read Pool School (button at the upper right of the page) to understand the chemistry and chemicals.
 
The chlorine is doing it's job and killing the organics/algae in your pool. You can tell because your CC is changing. CC is the difference between the FC and TC. It represents the partially oxidize waste. FC is what is killing your organics and the CC is the waste.

You need more FC in the pool and the best source of that is chlorine. Read the pool school and the CYA/Chlorine relationship. Your CYA is 40 and this is a good place to be.
 

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I wouldn't worry too much about restesting your CYA. If you trust that you had 40 and then added chlor-brite your CYA is about 60 now, whether it shows on the test or not. It may not show on the test this early so save your reagents and test in a week or two and treat your CYA as 60 in the meantime.

Now that you have that did you start your SLAM process last night? You have the right test kit so you are ready to go. With a CYA of 60 your shock level is no longer 16, it is now 24 (this is why I hate dichlor and highly dislike the people who sell it). You need to raise your FC level to 24, preferably with liquid chlorine, and maintain it there per these instructions. With the TF-100 you are fully armed to do it the right way, don't stop until the 3 criteria are met!

After you are done be sure to always maintain an FC above 5 ppm and you shouldn't have this problem again in the future.

As an aside, results are NOT interchangable, I would trust TF-100 results from someone who has never used it before, before I trusted the most advanced pool store computer.
 
thanks for all the replies -- I went through the pool school again and at the risk of being dumb questions , I have a few:

1) Ok for the reagents etc to go down the kitchen sink drain after use with the the tf-100 kit

2) are there different levels of liquid chlorine which one should I use for the SLAM process and I am correct assuming only avail at the pool store ? I have used this product called " Austins Pool tech Shock -- 12.5% Sodium Hypochlorite "sold in 1 gallon containers before and have some in the pool closet.Not sure How much I will need to buy if my CYA is 60 and I have to get the shock level up to 24.

3. I have also developed a pool stain this year. My son poured some algiaecide into the pool back in may when it was chilly here in Philly and I noticed when they took the cover off there was a stain on the bowl of the pool I am assuming this is a different issue and can be addressed and wont be made worse with the SLAM process
 
1) Ok for the reagents etc to go down the kitchen sink drain after use with the the tf-100 kit
Not a problem.

2) are there different levels of liquid chlorine which one should I use for the SLAM process and I am correct assuming only avail at the pool store ? I have used this product called " Austins Pool tech Shock -- 12.5% Sodium Hypochlorite "sold in 1 gallon containers before and have some in the pool closet.Not sure How much I will need to buy if my CYA is 60 and I have to get the shock level up to 24.
You can use any type of liquid chlorine, including plain unscented bleach from the store. The one you are using now is fine, I don't know if best price but the product is just fine. Use the Pool Calculator to determine how much you need. Just make sure you put in the strength in the % field (ex. 12.5% for what you have, 6% or 8.25% for laundry aisle bleach).

3. I have also developed a pool stain this year. My son poured some algiaecide into the pool back in may when it was chilly here in Philly and I noticed when they took the cover off there was a stain on the bowl of the pool I am assuming this is a different issue and can be addressed and wont be made worse with the SLAM process
That I am not sure, if it was a copper based algaecide then it could be a copper stain. If you haven't had problems with it getting worse when you shocked before then you should be able to complete the SLAM process with no problem. After the SLAM we can help you out identifying it and removing it.
 
I purchased the same Austin's liquid shock a week ago at a local Christmas Tree Store, and discovered that the concentration listed did not coincide with my dosing and test results. I did not get the amount of free chlorine in the pool indicated by the pool calculator when dosing with the Austin's. I understand that the calculator is not precise, but having done this before with lower concentrations of Clorox brand, I know more or less what to expect. Looking at the date stamp on the bottle of the jug, it read, "13106"...so, I assume that would indicate a mfg date of Apr 16, 2013. More than three months from date of manufacture to use could be a factor in my results. Given that 12.5% chlorine has a half life (will lose half it's sodium hypochlorite concentration) of about 75 days at 90 degrees F (according to Richard's estimates), I should have been more diligent and closely checked the mfg. date stamp. Purchasing the higher concentrations of liquid chlorine would seem to put the consumer at a greater risk of buying a stale product resulting in inferior results. Also, not knowing the reputation of Austin's line, I would also put into question the overall stability of product.
 
This is why it is often better to buy the 8.25% from the grocery store. It lasts longer under storage, and it turns over on the shelves more often so you tend to get fresher bottles. Therefore it is more predictable in strength. 12.5% may be more economical under certain circumstances, but it degrades faster and the locations that it is sold don't move as much inventory so it is likely to be sitting on shelves for a longer time.
 
AquaVita in Media has 12.5% liquid Chlorine at $18.60 for a 5 gallon carboy. That comes out to 23 cents per ounce of Chlorine. Aldi's bleach is about the same per ounce of Chlorine for $1.36 a 96 oz bottle. Those are the cheapest I've found in our area. I start the season off with the 12.5% and switch to regular Aldis' bleach once the water's balanced. Having a small pool I don't need that much after opening and can keep what I don't need cool in the basement.

They also carry 31.45% Muriatic acid to lower PH. Home Depot etc. only carry the so called "safe" acid that's weaker and more expensive. Grab two or three 5 gallon carboys and start the SLAM process. You already have the best test kit around, access to relatively cheap Chlorine and the fine folks of this forum here to help. If your water is relatively clear now, you should have sparkling crystal clear water in no time. Once you've completed the SLAM process, your daily Chlorine demand will drop dramatically.
 
My pleasure juggler. I'd grab a gallon of Muriatic acid while you're there. With a TA of 140 your PH is likely to climb over time. Don't worry about it, just knock the PH down when it climbs to 7.8 and your TA will drop with each addition of acid. After a few additions of acid you'll want to test your TA again so PoolCalc will give you a more accurate recommendation.

Go to PoolCalc and plug your test results in the "Now" column. At the bottom box make sure you have these checked and showing
Use suggested goal levels from:TroubleFreePool.Com
Primary source of chlorine: Bleach
Pool surface: Plaster

As for the SLAM, you have your CYA number and your PH is fine at 7.4. No need to test those again and the PH test will give an inaccurate high result when Chlorine is over 10ppm anyways.
 

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