Stabilizer?

[thehendersonsba]

Last year we had some repair done to our liner at the beginning of the season (our second to own the pool). So the pool had to be drained and then refilled half way. It was no surprise to me when our pool store (a local mom and pop) tested our water and told us that we needed more stabilizer. We added it.

I normally do all of our testing, and stupidly, I never tested the stabilizer after that. We had problems with chlorine all summer. Toward the end I was fed up and took a sample into the company. They read that we had no stabilizer! So we added it and go it back up to proper level.

The season (our third) we are getting a late start, we just started opening the pool. Took a sample in and guess what? No stabilizer.

I am at a loss and so is the company.

We havent added any more water to the pool than normal evaporation or loss from backwash. The first season we didn't have this problem. I would think that maybe the level would drop, but not completely! Especially when we use tabs with stabilizer!

I dont want to fight my pool this season. Any ideas why we would be losing all of our stabilizer?

 

[RobbieH]

It is very rare for stabilizer to disappear. One culprit is a leaking pool. Do you have an auto fill on your pool?

Can you post all the specifics about your pool, or better yet add them to your signature line? Pool size, type (plaster, vinyl, fiberglass), etc.

 

[JVTrain]

You say you normally do all your testing. How? Strips or test kit or how?

How does the pool store test?

Sounds like reliable testing would go a long way to helping demystify what's going on.

 

[thehendersonsba]

We have a kit. Not the strips. It was purchased through Leslies Pools. Not sure if that is great or not, but it did wonderful our first season, so we bought another for the next.

Not sure how the pool store tests. I havent seen it done in detail. It seems very involved and you get a computer print out.

We have a 35,000 gallon, In ground, Liner pool. It was built in 1996, but everything is new in the last 3 years except the in ground plumbing. (New liner, new pump, new sand filter, new plumbing that isnt in ground) *someone tell me how to add all our info to the signature, and I can!*

Nothing fancy. No auto fill etc...

 

[RobbieH]

Under the Pool School button, click Settings, then on the left click Edit Profile.

To measure CYA, do you mix pool water with a reagent, then drop it into a tube until a black dot disappears?

 

[thehendersonsba]

Yes. It is the black dot thing.

 

[RobbieH]

Good, that's the right test.

So you mix 50/50, shake it for 30 seconds, then you fill the tube completely to the top and can still clearly see the dot at the bottom of the tube?

 

[thehendersonsba]

Yep. The black dot is still visible.

I really dont think we have a leak. Since we are not having to add water to the pool...

 

[RobbieH]

It is possible you have an ammonia issue. Is your chlorine demand high? You might read through this:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/6398-Opening-a-Pool-to-High-Chlorine-Demand-Ammonia

 

[thehendersonsba]

Read through it... how can we tell if ammonia is the issue? I am having a hard time following this...

According to the post I dont want to add anymore stabilizer until I fix the ammonia issue right?

 

[jblizzle]

Add 10ppm FC, test in 30 minutes, if the CC are high and the FC is low, then you likely have ammonia. Or you can go to a pet store and buy an ammonia test.

I would not add CYA until the CC drops and the FC starts to hold.

 

[thehendersonsba]

Oh my this makes me nervous as a newbie pool owner.

1.) How do I figure out the PPM? Am I basically shocking the pool?
2.) If I see that CC is high and FC is low... do I keep adding FC and keep testing?

We have 0 stabilizer in the pool right now and 0 FC

 

[jblizzle]

You need to use PoolMath to calculate how much bleach you need to add to reach 10ppm. BUT, I am not sure you actually have the FAS-DPD chlorine test that is required to measure the FC and CC at these levels.

You basically need to follow the SLAM Process (this is not what you think "shocking" is). But, with ammonia, you need to attack it first and then raise the CYA and complete the SLAM.

 

[thehendersonsba]

Went to Petsmart for a quick answer. Ammonia is 4PPM. High right?

 

[JVTrain]

Yep. But not as bad as mine was!



Time for a night time attack with bleach. You won't lose any FC to the sun that way but the ammonia will chew it up almost as soon as you add it. Plan on adding up to your SLAM level FC (10 for 0 CYA) in bleach and testing every 30 minutes. Mine took 5 hours of this and about 24 gallons of 12.5% bleach. How much you'll need depends on your ammonia level, pool volume and the ability to do it in the shortest period of time possible without adding too much at once which could damage equipment/liner.