New Build- Too Much Chlorine?

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Pvpool

0
Sep 30, 2013
43
Bettendorf, IA
Pool Size
37000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
We finished our build a couple weeks ago. Overall the process went well. Here is what I have (some is functional):

20x46 rectangle IG vinyl liner- ~35,000 gallons
500lb sand filter
1.5 hp single speed pump
400K BTU NG heater (not functional)
SWG (not functional)
2 laminar jets (not functional)

Ever since completion, we've had rain every other day so we haven't been able to get power and gas to the equipment pad. We have been running the pump on a 100' extension cord to keep the water circulating through the filter. We have been maintaining low chlorine levels until the SWG is up and running, but that process has taken way longer than expected.

Due to the weather we also haven't been able to get sod laid, so our pool is surrounded by dirt. Here's the issue. Over the past 24 hours we've had almost six inches of rain along with wind gusts of up to 70 mph. This morning I woke up to water so muddy I couldn't even see the returns and the water was halfway up the coping.

The PB has been helping me keep the water in check, but I kind of freaked out today and did something hopefully not too dumb. Due to the filthy water and the low chlorine levels we were maintaining I went a little crazy with the bleach. Here are my recent readings:

FC 18.5
CC 0
CYA 60
Ph 8

I am starting to freak out that the chlorine is way too high and will ruin...something. Obviously new to pools but looking for a little confidence and don't think it will come from the pool builder.
 
I am assuming those numbers came from your own TF-100 or K-2006.

If you are sure about your CYA number, you should be fine.

The FC/CYA chart shows 24 as your SLAM level for 60 CYA for non SWG, which until you can get everything hooked up is what you need to go by. You might even want to up it to full SLAM level until you get the mud out as fairly cheap insurance against a hidden algae bloom.

For the muddy water, just keep filtering and vacuuming to waste. Watch your filter pressure, and backwash at 20% pressure rise over clean. You'll get it cleaned out in no time.

Sorry about the rain you've been getting......It's been missing us and heading to you.
 
Thanks so much for the info. I did buy the TF-100 and believe the CYA number to be accurate although it could have been a little lower (still not 100% on when I can no longer see the black dot...). I will check it again in the morning.

Thanks again.
 
I feel your pain with the poor weather. I was in almost exactly the same boat for a couple months and my pool did the same thing. Didnt take long to clear it up though. You will be fine.

good luck!

Pvpool said:
We finished our build a couple weeks ago. Overall the process went well. Here is what I have (some is functional):

20x46 rectangle IG vinyl liner- ~35,000 gallons
500lb sand filter
1.5 hp single speed pump
400K BTU NG heater (not functional)
SWG (not functional)
2 laminar jets (not functional)

Ever since completion, we've had rain every other day so we haven't been able to get power and gas to the equipment pad. We have been running the pump on a 100' extension cord to keep the water circulating through the filter. We have been maintaining low chlorine levels until the SWG is up and running, but that process has taken way longer than expected.

Due to the weather we also haven't been able to get sod laid, so our pool is surrounded by dirt. Here's the issue. Over the past 24 hours we've had almost six inches of rain along with wind gusts of up to 70 mph. This morning I woke up to water so muddy I couldn't even see the returns and the water was halfway up the coping.

The PB has been helping me keep the water in check, but I kind of freaked out today and did something hopefully not too dumb. Due to the filthy water and the low chlorine levels we were maintaining I went a little crazy with the bleach. Here are my recent readings:

FC 18.5
CC 0
CYA 60
Ph 8

I am starting to freak out that the chlorine is way too high and will ruin...something. Obviously new to pools but looking for a little confidence and don't think it will come from the pool builder.
Click to expand...
 
The slope around the pool is fine, I might argue the pool elevation is too high even. The mud coming into the pool occurred because of no sod yet, a ton of rain and 70 mph winds. The landscaping including sod will be a few weeks yet as everyone around here is backed up due to the weather. I think having a silt fence installed for the time being is overkill and at some point this rain will stop...
 
PB is asking me to continue to add calcium hardness increaser. I believe my last reading was 250 but will confirm tonight when I get home. Are there other reasons to add if CH levels are fine now?
 

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Here are the latest readings after a cloudy cool day...with a little rain.

FC- 12.5
CC- 0.5
CH- 150 (still not sure if this is too accurate)
CYA- 50 (I'm more confident the CYA is 50 and not 60 as I thought earlier)
TA- 130
Ph- 7.6

I understand with the amount of mud that washed into the pool, the water isn't going to look good for awhile. However I have used the manual vac several times (slowly to limit stirring it up) and it seems to be doing a great job (I can see lines like when you vacuum carpet but with mud/no mud). I am sure some mud is getting mixed into the water and later settling, so I will be persistent with vacuuming. That being said, the water is cloudy. I can see the mud disappear but the cloudiness still limits water clarity. Would this be from the CH increaser the PB put in or just from the mud still in the water? Any remedies to help clear this baby up?

Thanks for all of the advice folks.
 
The numbers continue to look good, the water however does not. I asked the PB why we should add CH increase to a vinyl lined pool. He hasn't responded yet.

FC- 6
CC-0
pH- 7.5

I didn't do all the tests this morning. The last time I did a more full set of tests was Wednesday night, with these results:

FC-12.5
CC- 0.5
CYA- 50
CH- 150
TA- 130
pH- 7.6

I am losing less than 1ppm of chlorine overnight (although by the time I have tested, the sun has been hitting the pool for about 30-mins) and CC seems to always register 0 or 0.5. That being said, the water is still incredibly cloudy/muddy. This is probably a very unique situation, but should I start seeing results of the consistent vacuuming? The storm was Monday night and it's now Friday morning. I've done the manual vacuum a couple hours/day (more yesterday because I was off work) and also run the robot vac a little.

Maybe part of the issue is my backwash process. I've backwashed and rinsed several times during my vacuuming but each time I'm done and start filter mode again, the return water is VERY dirty. It's like everything I just vacuumed is put back into the pool. Is that a sign that I should backwash/rinse longer?

I think next time (hopefully there isn't one) I wouldn't partially drain first (I did that when the pool was overflowing because of the rain. I would let the dirt settle and then vacuum to waste (I didn't do my homework to know that was an option...). I would go through a lot of water, but I think that would have been more productive than vacuum/backwash.
 
Pvpool said:
Maybe part of the issue is my backwash process. I've backwashed and rinsed several times during my vacuuming but each time I'm done and start filter mode again, the return water is VERY dirty. It's like everything I just vacuumed is put back into the pool. Is that a sign that I should backwash/rinse longer?
Click to expand...
I would say so.

When the visible dirt drifts stop forming, you would be a good candidate for Adding DE to your sand filter. It puts a fine layer of DE on top of the sand bed - picture setting a window screen on top a barbecue grate - and really cleans the water. The downside is, your filter loads up really fast, so you'll need to backwash even more and replace the DE after each cycle.
 
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