My pool EATS bleach

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tjroux

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Sep 1, 2012
165
Gardiner, ME
My pool EATS for Bleach supper.... I always think I add enough ( 4 gallons ) go test the following day and FC is at 0 again... my CYA is at 40, PH is 7.5.... I add it at night, leave pump on for a few hours and turn off before bed... turn pump on at 7am and runs till i get home.


I use a combination of the test kit and the strips ( test kit once a week, strips in between to get a rough idea )

Always seems like I add bleach and it doesnt stay... I even shocked it ( desperate attempt to clear up the cloudyness ) yesterday, noticed my PH was 8.4 ( YOWZA ) added muriatic acid ( per calculations ) and have it back down to 7.5... Ideas?


24 ft above ground, 15,200 gallon with a sand filter. 2nd year with pool ( last year I took a friends advice towards the end of the season and shocked the pool once a week ) I had OK results but it was NEVER crystal clear

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I am an instant gratification kinda guy so im probably rushing and putting stuff in I dont need... Slow me down! It's not like people are getting rashes or getting sick from our pool but it would be nice if it was just crystal clear all the time :)
 
If your pool is consuming chlorine at that rate, there is something organic that is living in your pool. The cloudiness you are seeing could be a nascent algae infestation that is on the verge of a full bloom or perhaps a bacterial infection (like the so-called "pink algae") that hasn't fully shown itself yet, or an active algae infestation that is hiding in the nooks and crannies of a pool ladder. You need to follow the SLAM Process to get rid of whatever it is that is consuming your chlorine. A one-time use of a "shock" product will not get it done for you.
 
I do remember seeing and feeling something GREEN reach out from underneath my pool stairs LOL. I will be stopping by the store tomorrow to grab a "TON" of bleach to do my SLAM. Thankfully I live close enough to home where I can stop by a few times during the day to add more and get whatever is in the water KILLED. Those dang stairs doing it again ( had an issue last year with leaky sand bags )

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Side note, I have vaccumed dead stuff off the bottom of the pool 3 out of the last 4 days.... So I think im adding some bleach and killing some stuff just not all of it at once causing it to eat bleach? Trying to get on the right track for the season
 
I was LAZY last year and used my test kit like 3 times... Plenty of supplies. Going to SAMS tomorrow to get 15 gallons of 8.25% bleach... hopefully thats enough to slam the **** out of this thing

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And some stabalizer cause im pretty sure it's lower than the strips have been telling me ( again i've been lazy, new job, 2 kids, staining about 600sq ft in decks and about 128ft of fencing LOL )
 
tjroux said:
I was LAZY last year and used my test kit like 3 times... Plenty of supplies. Going to SAMS tomorrow to get 15 gallons of 8.25% bleach... hopefully thats enough to slam the **** out of this thing

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And some stabalizer cause im pretty sure it's lower than the strips have been telling me ( again i've been lazy, new job, 2 kids, staining about 600sq ft in decks and about 128ft of fencing LOL )
Click to expand...
Glad you have supplies! Just please use your K2006 to verify the CYA before you add more.
 
Test the CYA first with your Taylor kit. That is the only way to know your true shock level. If it is 30 or 40 I would not add more CYA until the pool as passed the SLAM test. Also, use your Taylor kit to check pH -- once you raise the FC the pH won't test accurately so you'll want to get an accurate (not strips) value and bring it to 7.2 or so before you start super-chlorinating (SLAMming).
 
Wife and kids are cleaning the stairs tomorrow ( I think she's going to break out the pressure washer ) and a fine mist of bleach afterwards. No lights or funky stuff in there... I will say this year the problem started when i put a mat under the stairs to protect the liner... it was almost an instant plague in the pool. Took that out after about a week
 

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Just broke out my Taylor K2006 Test kit... CYA is low ( all 14 ml of water in the tube filled to the top and was clear, could still see the dot ) so i need some CYA, so i'll add that tomorrow to get the pool up to 30-40... and slam tomorrow night.
 
Did you check pH with the Taylor? Check Pool Math to see what adding your amount of CYA (to get to 30) will do in terms of lowering pH. Then figure out how to get pH to about 7.2 before you start the SLAM.
 
Update: dissolving Cyanuric Acid as we speak ( Old t-shirt balled up with elastics and twine ) All other levels are good ( PH around 7.3 ) TA around 100 ( FC at 1 currently )


My 2 year old somehow managed to find my test kit ( hidden ) and dumped all my powder out ( DOH ) so before my pool gets any worse i bought test strips ( eeeeek ) i will atleast get the FC up for 24 hrs and do the OCLT tomorrow night and see where we are until my powder gets here.
 
You can not do the OCLT unless you have the powder. Remember that the SLAM is not a one time thing. It's a constant and consistent addition of chlorine at high levels in accordance with your CYA level. :goodjob:

I remember your build last year.
 
Now that I've slowed down here is what I have done over the last 48 hrs:


Before I came here looking for help I had just added 4 Gallons of 8.25% bleach with 0 CYA and a PH of 7.5
I Learned more about CYA and how it can keep my pool from guzzling bleach
Keep in mind I was freaking out cause my water was hazy. I Vaccumed the pool several times to waste and cleaned my stairs as of this evening.
I put a T-shirt in with 4 lbs of Cyanuric Acid to raise my CYA to 30-40
My son decided to dump out my R-0870-I powder ( Royally upset ) at which point I went to the forbidden store and got some test strips to have on hand )
At this point my Current numbers are: FC is about 1, CYA is 30-40 ( wont know exact for a few days ) PH is 7.5 ish ( TA is around 100 )
I am without my powder to do accurate FC tests but I dont want my pool to "turn"
Recommendations for this evening???? Sorry to be such a pain but we have a party coming this weekend and I want the water as clear as I can get it.
 
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