5 Gallons Liquid Chlorine = 0 Free Chlorine

[dino1956]

So first I put in 2.5 Gallons & got a reading of 0 Free Chlorine. I thought it was the Chlorine. So then I put 2.5 Gallons from another Store. These are 10% Chlorine. Still No FC or TC.
I ran test with 2 different Test Kits.
CYA: 45
PH: 7.6
TA: 80-90
CH: 300 4 days ago put I put 30 LBs of Calcium in because it read a Low of 80. It's a Gunite Pool.
It's hot here. 90 Degrees.
Any ideas why? The first time this ever happenned.

 

[JVTrain]

Did you check CC with a FAS-DPD test?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[JamesW]

Possibly bleached out reagents. What is the water color, clarity and quality? How long after addition did you test?

 

[Smykowski]

Which test kit? If drop based, how old are the reagents?

 

[dino1956]

All Reagents are New. One is a generic Test Kit and the other a Taylor Complete K-2006 I think.
So 2 different Kits are reporting the same thing.
Water is cloudy after I added all the Calcium.
I waited 3 hours after putting Chlorine in & then performed the Tests.

 

[JamesW]

When is the last time you had a chlorine level, what was the level and what has been added since? Is either kit fas-dpd or oto?

Are there tabs in the feeder?

 

[dino1956]

When is the last time you had a chlorine level, what was the level and what has been added since? Is either kit fas-dpd or oto?

Are there tabs in the feeder?

3 days ago I had FC: 4.0
No Tabs in Feeder. Just Ran Out.
Taylor K-2005 Complete (High)

It's not the Reagents or both Test Kits. They all work fine. I confirmed this with my local Pool Store & he comes up with FC & TC 0.

Could too much calcium cause a bad read? Or could it eat up all the Chlorine? I may have gone overboard a bit with the ammount I added.

 

[aussieta]

do you have a combined chlorine reading?
if you have ammonia it can burn through free chlorine at a scary rate

 

[Casey]

So your CYA is 40 something and 3 days ago you had an FC reading of 4ppm. Now you have none and can't get a reading. You just ran out of tabs today? So your CYA is going to go up?

I think, it's a hunch, that you are on the verge of an algae outbreak and it's got your FC tied up as dinner at the moment. If you run a brush across the bottom of the pool, do you get a green or yellow cloud?

Right now, without a proper test kit, we're all just playing the guessing game with you.

 

[jblizzle]

Are you using the FAS-DPD chlorine test with powder?

 

[dino1956]

So your CYA is 40 something and 3 days ago you had an FC reading of 4ppm. Now you have none and can't get a reading. You just ran out of tabs today? So your CYA is going to go up?

I think, it's a hunch, that you are on the verge of an algae outbreak and it's got your FC tied up as dinner at the moment. If you run a brush across the bottom of the pool, do you get a green or yellow cloud?

Right now, without a proper test kit, we're all just playing the guessing game with you.

Your description scares me, but I think your correct. I do have Algae by my steps. Should I shock the pool?
My test kit has worked all along for the last year. I understand that it may not be the best test kit.

 

[jblizzle]

With visible algae, of course you have to follow the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process.

 

[JamesW]

In addition to algae consuming the chlorine, I would question the quality of the chlorine. It may not be full strength for a variety of reasons. Try testing within about 30 minutes of adding the chlorine. That will give it plenty of time to circulate, but there should still be some left, even if it's getting used up.

Regular bleach is usually more reliable than liquid chlorine, as there is usually better quality control.

I would definitely recommend getting an FAS-DPD test kit.

After completing the SLAM process, you should monitor the chlorine at least once per day for a week to make sure that you have it under control, and can make sure that it never goes below the minimum level.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

With visible algae, of course you have to follow the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process.

+1, if you see algae you are seeing where the chlorine is going.

 

[dino1956]

+1, if you see algae you are seeing where the chlorine is going.

I think I made a big mistake. I overdosed the pool on Calcium. My CH was 80 and I added almost 40 Lbs of Calcium. I'm thinking such a large amount might effect my chlorine test. Possible or not? I put enough calcium to bring the CH to 480. I know, dumb move.

 

[jblizzle]

That will not affect the chlorine test. And yes that CH is a good bit higher than you needed.

 

[Beens]

Just FYI, if you're going to follow the SLAM process you'll need to be able to test your FC levels above 10. If neither of your kits have that ability you can get what you need for the FAS-DPD chlorine test without buying a whole new kit.

It just consists of a powder and 2 liquids and with it you'll be able to test up to 50ppm accurately. It's necessary if your SLAM level is going to be over 10. Otherwise you'll be guessing and it might work, or you might just waste chlorine.

 

[dino1956]

Question: A recent new member of the family is a 2 year old boy. He was in the Pool for at least 45 minutes per day. He wears a Swimming Diaper. Could his urine be canceling out the Chlorine?

Have since added up to 10 Pounds of Shock. Still No Free Chlorine & No Total Chlorine.

So your CYA is 40 something and 3 days ago you had an FC reading of 4ppm. Now you have none and can't get a reading. You just ran out of tabs today? So your CYA is going to go up?

I think, it's a hunch, that you are on the verge of an algae outbreak and it's got your FC tied up as dinner at the moment. If you run a brush across the bottom of the pool, do you get a green or yellow cloud?

Right now, without a proper test kit, we're all just playing the guessing game with you.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

When you say "shock" what exactly was it you put in ??
Have since added up to 10 Pounds of Shock. Still No Free Chlorine Added 10 pounds since when, since the 2yr old swam and when was that ?? Did you add it all at one time and how long did you wait till you tested ??

It seems we are just going in circles. You're asking about urine but nothing is said about if you started, are in the middle of or completed a SLAM of your pool

You mentioned you saw algae by the stairs days ago but not if you are brushing the pool daily and the algae is gone or still there.

Have you checked the stairs to see if anything is growing on the bottom of the steps ?? The underside.

You started out saying you have zero free chlorine and very few test results since for us to go by to give you any advise other than SLAM the pool and once done always keep the recommended, not the minimum amount of FC that is recommended for your level of CYA in the pool.

If the pool passed SLAM and you have the recommended FC for your level of CYA you can all pee in the pool and it isn't a problem. If you're still at or near zero FC and you haven't even SLAMed it's just nasty.

 

[rock]

Could his urine be canceling out the Chlorine? .

How could about 10 grams of urea possibly have any effect in 28 thousand gallons of water?

Composition of urine:
water 95%
urea 9.3 g/l
chloride 1.87 g/l
sodium 1.17 g/l
potassium 0.750 g/l
creatinine 0.670 g/l
Note these details.

See also:
- No, It’s Not Safe to Pee in the Pool, Says Science

"Uric acid from human urine mixes with chlorine to create the cyanogen chloride (CNCI) and trichloramine (NCl3). CNCI is a toxic compound that can harm organs like the lungs, heart, and central nervous system."

And:
- Swimming pool urine combines with chlorine to pose health risks

"The new findings show definitively that uric acid from urine is "an efficient precursor to the formation of CNCl and NCl3,"

However, the levels are still very low:
- How much pee in a pool would kill you?
- What Happens When You Pee in the Pool?