shocking question !!!

[delfargo]

i'm just not understanding something, oh gurus of the pool. this whole "shocking" thing. i can't keep my clorine level up, so i've read here that, in order to get to the point where your clorine will stay at a good level, you first have to get it to shock level, and keep it there 'till you don't lose any overnight. so, let's just say i haved achieved that, what happens next? am i to assume that once the level creeps back down from shock level and starts testing in the ideal range, i should just be able to add small doses of bleach to keep it there? i sure hope so, cuz i've been dumping so much bleach in there my local store ran out. so...is there light at the end of this tunnel?
here's this mornings test results (after i had fc @ 15 ppm last night)
fc- 0 /.5 range
tc- 0 /.5 range
ta- 300
cya - 40 / 50 range
ph- 7.2 / 7.5 range

thanx for yer help

oh, yeah, by the way... at what clorine level is it UNSAFE to be in the water? i want to do some brushing of the bottom & walls, but if i'm at shock level, should i be in there?
thanx again !

 

[ssmith1627]

What's good about this board is you can find great advice from the experienced and also a bunch of newbies to commiserate with.

It really feels crazy. We go from thinking of how little bleach we can put in the wash to get the stains out without turning the clothing into spaghetti..........to dumping huge volumes of it into the pool like the tanic acid that company was pouring out in that movie A Civil Action.

This is my first time through trying to get a pool cleaned up so it's hard for me as well and certainly a learning process. The good thing is bleach at Target or Walmart is cheap. Following the methods these guys preach, you really can clean up your pool the right way without putting a bunch of other stuff in the pool to cause you other problems or that you don't need. My pool has gone from a green swamp to as blue as can be. I'm still fighting through to get clear water but I can see further down into the pool every day so I feel like I'm almost there.

The hardest part is staying patient and seeing it through. Keep posting. This is a good group and they'll help you get the results you want.

Steve

 

[JasonLion]

What does the water look like? And can you give us an estimate of how much bleach you have used?

If everything was going well I would expect you to use three or four quarts of bleach a day at your current CYA level.

You can swim 30 minutes after adding acid, probably sooner depending on how good your circulation is.

 

[delfargo]

thanx for the reply, lion! the water looks great. crystal clear. last week i used 6 gallons of 6% bleach to shock it. then i was putting a quart or 2 in each day, and it would get it up around 2 but it would test back at 0 / .5 the next day. kept doing that till i read here yesterday that if i'm having trouble keeping it there i should shock again. so like i said, last night i threw another 6 gallons in and this morning i'm back to nothing. i don't know what to do now. is the shock scenerio i spoke of in my post correct, or am i misunderstanding something ? any advice would be great. thanx tons.

also.. at what clorine level is it unsafe to be in the pool ?

 

[JasonLion]

If 6 gallons of bleach vanished overnight then there must be something growing in the water. That is rare when the water is clear but not unheard of. You should shock the pool, see this article for instructions.

Also, you have been using too little chlorine day to day, which is presumably why something started growing in the water in the first place. With CYA around 45 you should be keeping FC at 3 to 8 and never below 3.