Can these chlorine measurements really be right?

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I do not think anyone mentioned this. So for your information, the DPD chlorine test (the pink color matching test, not the FAS-DPD) can bleach out and show very low FC when in fact the FC is very high. So, if the service person (or even the pool store) are trying to use the DPD test, they very well could think the FC is low and keep adding more chlorine.

The yellow OTO does not have the bleach out problem and as the FC gets higher the yellow becomes orange and then brown. So you can get a slight idea of the chlorine levels.

The FAS-DPD is the correct tool for the job and yet almost ZERO "professionals" actually use it ... I guess it is too expensive or takes too long or whatever their excuse.
 
Excellent point JBlizzle,

I didnt actually know that about the DPD test.

jblizzle said:
I do not think anyone mentioned this. So for your information, the DPD chlorine test (the pink color matching test, not the FAS-DPD) can bleach out and show very low FC when in fact the FC is very high. So, if the service person (or even the pool store) are trying to use the DPD test, they very well could think the FC is low and keep adding more chlorine.

The yellow OTO does not have the bleach out problem and as the FC gets higher the yellow becomes orange and then brown. So you can get a slight idea of the chlorine levels.

The FAS-DPD is the correct tool for the job and yet almost ZERO "professionals" actually use it ... I guess it is too expensive or takes too long or whatever their excuse.
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Yep, he's just bee doing the old "one drop of OTO in the pool" trick to see if there is Chlorine indicated, and as chemgeek said, adding the usual amount. I would not tolerate this lack of attention on the most fundamental aspects by a supposed professional.

But, this is a premier example of why we don't trust these people to take care of us, and our pools.
 
jblizzle said:
The yellow OTO does not have the bleach out problem and as the FC gets higher the yellow becomes orange and then brown. So you can get a slight idea of the chlorine levels.
Click to expand...

Well, this is the point I usually add Richards scientific OTO chart:

Richard320 said:
On the OTO (yellow) chlorine test:

Blinding tweety-bird yellow is about 10
School bus yellow is about 12-13
Hunter orange is around 18
up around 25 it starts to look pumpkin orange.
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It's funny, your description of how the "pool guy" checks the chlorine is like a friend of mine. He drops OTO direct to the pool and if he sees any yellow he's happy.....
 
tim5055 said:
It's funny, your description of how the "pool guy" checks the chlorine is like a friend of mine. He drops OTO direct to the pool and if he sees any yellow he's happy.....
Click to expand...

Well, I guess that's what he's been doing. The pool service wasn't incredibly expensive but they were supposed to make my life easier, not harder. As of today I'm the new pool boy.

Yesterday I did have to drain some water out of the pool to completely rebuild the intake manifold to the pool pump but that's a topic for another forum. Hopefully that will help lower the FC a little too. The next few days are supposed to be sunny, it's mid 80's outside, and I have the pool heater on now. That should lower the FC some too.

The plan is to get the FC to a reasonable level, then take care of the PH. From now on the pool will be on a strict "BBB method" diet!
 
robdac said:
Well, I guess that's what he's been doing. The pool service wasn't incredibly expensive but they were supposed to make my life easier, not harder. As of today I'm the new pool boy.

Yesterday I did have to drain some water out of the pool to completely rebuild the intake manifold to the pool pump but that's a topic for another forum. Hopefully that will help lower the FC a little too. The next few days are supposed to be sunny, it's mid 80's outside, and I have the pool heater on now. That should lower the FC some too.

The plan is to get the FC to a reasonable level, then take care of the PH. From now on the pool will be on a strict "BBB method" diet!
Click to expand...
Great!

Once you get it in order the work only takes a few minutes. Add a SWCG or Stenner pump and automate your basic chlorine additions

The friend I spoke about is just down the road in Davie and his pool is always sparkling. As a former Cooper City resident I wish I was there now, not here watching it snow.
 
Thats good news.

I wonder if your CYA test will be different once it gets down in the teens? Some of the "PROS" on here might be able to answer this, but if his FC was that high, would that throw off all the other tests? I know it throws off the PH test. Just wondering about the CYA as well?
 

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High FC levels only interfere with the PH test. All of the other tests should still give correct results. The colors seen in the TA and CH tests sometimes change at very high FC levels, but the results are still valid.
 
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