I have been shocking, what fc level is safe to swim.

[haybird]

Hello,
I have been shocking my pool. After I hold the FC overnight, what is a safe
FC level to swim. My CYA is at 30. Thanks in advance.

 

[chem geek]

Safe is a relative term. Shock levels of an FC around 40% of the CYA level, or from the table in the Pool School around 14 ppm FC in your case, is safe to swim in. It's technically equivalent to around 0.8 ppm FC with no CYA which is lower than in many indoor pools. Though not something I'd want as a permanent situation, it's not "unsafe". Just don't drink quarts of pool water every day (that's where the EPA limit of 4 ppm FC comes from -- for drinking water).

Some say to wait until the FC drops below 10 ppm FC so if you are conservative you can do that if it would make you feel better. The FC should drop fairly quickly if exposed to sunlight during the day. My wife swims in an indoor pool with 2 ppm FC and no CYA during the winter and its annoying as we have to replace her swimsuits every season, her skin is flakier and her hair frizzier, and she's probably exposed to more disinfection by-products than I'd like on a regular basis -- those are the main downsides to the higher "active" chlorine level (and is why I'm trying to see if the standards can stop saying not to use any CYA in indoor pools -- too much is not good, but none isn't good either, IMHO).

Richard

 

[lulupalooza]

So I tested my CYA it's at 50. CL levels this morning at 18.75ppm. The kids can swim? I would think it would burn the heck out of their eyes. I can slightly smell the CL when I walk up to the edge of the pool. Well, at least my pool looks clear and sparkly now!

 

[JasonLion]

Burning eyes are caused by CC, not FC. Often when you are shocking the CC level goes up for a little while before it comes down again. If you can smell the chlorine, that is CC. You don't want to swim if the CC level is above 0.5.

 

[lulupalooza]

awww ok, got it. I had no CC, but the last 2 days I have and its been a .5.