A lot of additional chlorine

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thunderkyss

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Jul 24, 2010
172
Pt. Arthur, TX
Hey guys. I'm not new, but a bit of a hard head. Just want to clarify as I'm battling a heck of bloom today.

So according to the pool calculator I'm supposed to add 63 Oz of calling hypo to get my fc level to optimum level for clearing this bloom. However yesterday I did just that & being that it's a lot of chems to add at one time my fc level never got above 2.0

According to my pumps flow rate & the size of my pool, it would take three hours to fully recycle the water. However I was checking fc levels every hour & adding chems as needed. Meaning I was putting in 60 Oz of calling hypo every hour.

My plan is to switch to liquid chlorine once the demand got manageable. But after a days time, I still need to add over 700 oz of liquid bleach. Surely you can understand my apprehension. So I've got a delima. Do I continue with the call hypo or start buying liquid bleach by the truck load?



:bigboss:
 
So I've got a delima. Do I continue with the call hypo or start buying liquid bleach by the truck load?
Click to expand...
It depends. What is your current CH and your current CYA?

It sounds as if you are tossing chlorine in the pool without regard to either of them.......that doesn't work well?

Have you read "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School?

Have you read the SLAM arrticle?
 
Bleach is your best bet for fighting an algae bloom. The cal hypo is adding calcium to your water so if that level is high you don't want to add more.
Can you post up a full set of test results and what test kit your using ? The CYA level is key as that sets your shock level FC.
Also read this article as this what you need to follow to the T to win this algae battle.
SLAM Process
 
If you already have a bloom you need to test more often and add bleach more often. Or Cal Hypo if that's really what the pool needs. That bloom will eat chlorine fast and some times you need to test every couple hours to keep the FC up to a level that's working to get rid of the algae. If you only add once a day you might barely be keeping it at bay as it's killing right at first but as the FC drops then the algae starts to come back again. That's the reason for frequent testing and additions of chlorine. You need to maintain a high FC level to kill.

We need to see some water test results especially the CYA level. :testresults: Do you have your own kit or are you taking samples to a store ?
 
duraleigh said:
It depends. What is your current CH and your current CYA?

It sounds as if you are tossing chlorine in the pool without regard to either of them.......that doesn't work well?

Have you read "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School?

Have you read the SLAM arrticle?
Click to expand...

Did you read my whole post? I'm using the fc/cya chart to set my goal. I'm using the calculator to determine how much chemical I need to add. I consciously chose call hypo so as not to alter my cya level & originally the extra calcium wasn't a big concern. However I'll be concerned if I have to add as much as I did yesterday to get ahead of this thing.

My plan is to start with liquid chlorine once I attain my fc goal.

:bigboss:
 
Yes we all read your post. So what is your FC goal and what is your CYA level ? What test kit are you using ?
Have you read the SLAM article ? In the beginning you need to test FC level more often. The longer the FC stays at shock level the quicker the process goes.
 

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thunderkyss said:
Just got to keep an eye on the other stuff right? CYA, calcium, alkalinity


Would it make sense to check more frequently than once an hour to give my pump time to work?
:bigboss:
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Please remember, you are the one who described yourself as "a bit of a hard head".

Dave and Jeff have already let you know to SLAM your pool. If you read that article you see that the only thing you worry about is your pH before you start and your FC level during the SLAM. Ignore the "other stuff" as you described it.

During the SLAM test and adjust the FC back to the shock level for your pool based on your CYA level at least twice a day, but no more often than once an hour.

Remember, chlorine or bleach is your friend during a SLAM.

It should look like this

Test FC
Add chlorine to shock level
Test FC
Add chlorine to shock level
Test FC
Brush Pool
Test FC
Add chlorine to shock level
Test FC
Add chlorine to shock level
Test FC
Add chlorine to shock level
Brush Pool
Test FC
Add chlorine to shock level
Test FC
Add chlorine to shock level
Consume adult beverage
Test FC
Add chlorine to shock level
Test FC
Add chlorine to shock level

Add chlorine to shock level
 
thunderkyss said:
I appreciate your willingness to help. But all that info is irrelevant to the question asked.

So. If my pump is rated to change out my pool very 2.5~3 hours, is checking every hour too much? To little? Or good enough?

:bigboss:
Click to expand...
Well, to be honest the amount of time it takes to cycle your pool is irrelevant to the methods we teach.

What they told you is the key - Determine CYA level and FC level then follow the directions on SLAMing your pool in the How To section of Pool School completely to the end.
 
Yes check FC every hour. How often your pump turns over the water makes no difference.
I don't see how all the questions and info is irrelevant. We just want to make sure you have a proper test kit to do this. If you don't your guessing at things. We also like to see some reliable test results to give you advice. It's all about accurate test results.
 
I understand I just want to keep this thread on topic. Plenty of threads about test kits & fc/cya levels.

How can the water change rate not be relevant? Isn't that how the chems get distributed throughout the pool? If I check 15 minutes after adding chlorine depending on where I take the sample it's probably not representative of what's actually in the water. Then on a sunny day I could see how anything over an hour could be erroneous as well. Maybe the numbers worked out exactly like the calculator said, but since I'm fighting the sun & the algae I need to add more.

Maybe I'm over thinking it. Wouldn't be the first time.

:bigboss:
 
If you pour your liquid chlorine slowly in front of a return with your pump running the chlorine will be distributed in 20-30 minutes. Your pump should be running 24/7 this whole process.
The sun and the algae are going to consume your FC. That is why you need to test often and bring your FC back to shock level when it falls below.
Asking your FC and CYA levels is not getting off topic. Anybody who're going to try to help you out is going to ask the same thing. We like to see good accurate numbers. Bottom line.
 
tim5055 said:
Please remember, you are the one who described yourself as "a bit of a hard head"
Click to expand...

& you can probably tell by now, I wasn't lying. I just wanted reassurance to trust the process. I started about noon yesterday. Added 60 oz like the calculator said for my fc goal based on my current cya level. Didn't get back to the pool for 2 hours... I'm still looking at 0 FC with my Tf-100 test kit. I add another 60 oz. Come back two hours later, still 0. I added another 60 oz, made sure to check it an hour later I got a 1.5 FC level. Added another 50 oz, an hour later still 1.5~2ish.. I did it one more time before turning in for the night.

That's 4 lbs of CalHypo per shot. If I were using liquid bleach, that would have been 6 or 7 gallons each time... 35 gallons for the day & barely got any headway.

After the first slam today I read 10 FC of residual after an hours time same thing the second time. So I'm getting somewhere.

Just thought that's a lot of chems... liquid or otherwise.

:bigboss:
 
thunderkyss said:
I understand I just want to keep this thread on topic. Plenty of threads about test kits & fc/cya levels.

How can the water change rate not be relevant? Isn't that how the chems get distributed throughout the pool? If I check 15 minutes after adding chlorine depending on where I take the sample it's probably not representative of what's actually in the water. Then on a sunny day I could see how anything over an hour could be erroneous as well. Maybe the numbers worked out exactly like the calculator said, but since I'm fighting the sun & the algae I need to add more.

Maybe I'm over thinking it. Wouldn't be the first time.

:bigboss:
Click to expand...
If your pool is green and gooey looking, to where you could almost walk on water, the first jug of chlorine you added might be depleted before you're done adding the last jug. If your CYA level is low, sunlight will destroy the chlorine in minutes as well. But...nobody knows what the CYA level is, because despite requests for information, you're being a secret agent.

As it says in Read Before You Post
Asking for Help
When starting a thread asking for help with a specific issue please include the following in your initial post:

Test Results! Test Results! Test Results!

There is nothing more important than current valid test results.....
Click to expand...
It can take a whole lot of bleach (or powdered chlorine) to get ahead of an algae bloom. Here's one person's final tally
tfp-jugs.jpg
 
thunderkyss said:
& you can probably tell by now, I wasn't lying. I just wanted reassurance to trust the process. I started about noon yesterday. Added 50 oz like the calculator said for my fc goal based on my current cya level. Didn't get back to the pool for 2 hours... I'm still looking at 0 FC with my Tf-100 test kit. I add another 50 oz. Come back two hours later, still 0. I added another 50 oz, made sure to check it an hour later I got a 1.5 FC level. Added another 50 oz, an hour later still 1.5~2ish.. I did it one more time before turning in for the night.

That's 4 lbs of CalHypo per shot. If I were using liquid bleach, that would have been 6 or 7 gallons each time... 35 gallons for the day & barely got any headway.

After the first slam today I read 10 FC of residual after an hours time same thing the second time. So I'm getting somewhere.

Just thought that's a lot of chems... liquid or otherwise.

:bigboss:
Click to expand...
You are describing the normal SLAM. Early on it seems like every drop of chlorine is being consumed immediately - because it is. It's killing the bad stuff in the water. Some folks have the bad luck of ammonia in the water - you should see how much chlorine they use!

The whole process is the SLAM, not each addition of chlorine.

What was your starting CYA?


***********On Edit ************

Richard says it so much better than I do, and he always has neat graphics.
 
Again, I appreciate all the help. But Jason answered my question quite some time ago without knowing my CYA level. It was irrelevant.

I'd bet many people question if they should stay the course after dumping 35 gallons of liquid bleach in their pool & seeing 0 FC time after time.

If I may be so bold, might I suggest a note be added to the SLAM article telling the diy'er results may be deceiving at first, but stay the course.



:bigboss:
 

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