Chlorine monster eating all my chlorine....
- Thread starter mr_gunite
- Start date
Since pollen is organic, I would say it definitely consumes chlorine. However, even with heavy pollen, I can't say that chlorine would be getting consumed at 3 ppm per hour. I'd guess it'd be far less than that, especially in the case of crystal clear water and a filter that isn't in need of any backwashing.
I'm still thinking that my particular case is chlorine reacting with the propylene glycol in the RV antifreeze that got mistakenly injected into the pool water on opening. From the sources I've read, chlorine + propylene glycol = hydrogen. Since RV antifreeze is fairly hearty stuff, I'm thinking this is going to be a fairly long and drawn out process (weeks maybe) before they behave each other in my pool water.
I'm thinking of running some controlled chemistry experiments to see how rapidly chlorine gets consumed, if at all.
So funny thing....I use the SAME RV Antifreeze....where is CHEM GEEK when we need him
My starts up only when the water gets warmer, wonder if that reaction kicks into high gear with warmer water - we might be on to something...at least we have a COMMON fact.
So funny thing....I use the SAME RV Antifreeze....where is CHEM GEEK when we need him
My starts up only when the water gets warmer, wonder if that reaction kicks into high gear with warmer water - we might be on to something...at least we have a COMMON fact.
You must be a big walmart shopper like me then.
I also read that some people use baking soda to neutralize the stink. I think I'm going to try that considering I have a little extra TA to play with.
God morning, mr gunite. I read chem geeks post and have been following yours. I am wondering if an intense little slam-style sequence of beating it down would oxidize whatever nefarious substance is in there.
I'm not suspecting organics alone or mine would be the same right now...though my useage is riding higher than normal with pollen/maple keys/spring shenanigans in a wooded area etc. (eg 3.5ish a day in ppm versus normal 2-ish in a pool I dose to 7).
When I had to knock down ammonia in the original swamp, I would literally dose every hour. Somehow, the chlorine has to win so it can get back to doing its job
Alternately, a partial water change might help dilute, but I'm guessing you're on well and perhaps prefer to fight he already sequestered water rather than dumping more metals in
Its Saturday...might be worth an "ammonia-style" every hour test/check/dose til you break its back. Worth a shot anyway. If nothing else, the response will give you good intel to work with.
I'm not suspecting organics alone or mine would be the same right now...though my useage is riding higher than normal with pollen/maple keys/spring shenanigans in a wooded area etc. (eg 3.5ish a day in ppm versus normal 2-ish in a pool I dose to 7).
When I had to knock down ammonia in the original swamp, I would literally dose every hour. Somehow, the chlorine has to win so it can get back to doing its job
Alternately, a partial water change might help dilute, but I'm guessing you're on well and perhaps prefer to fight he already sequestered water rather than dumping more metals in
Its Saturday...might be worth an "ammonia-style" every hour test/check/dose til you break its back. Worth a shot anyway. If nothing else, the response will give you good intel to work with.
God morning, mr gunite. I read chem geeks post and have been following yours. I am wondering if an intense little slam-style sequence of beating it down would oxidize whatever nefarious substance is in there.
I'm not suspecting organics alone or mine would be the same right now...though my useage is riding higher than normal with pollen/maple keys/spring shenanigans in a wooded area etc. (eg 3.5ish a day in ppm versus normal 2-ish in a pool I dose to 7).
When I had to knock down ammonia in the original swamp, I would literally dose every hour. Somehow, the chlorine has to win so it can get back to doing its job
Alternately, a partial water change might help dilute, but I'm guessing you're on well and perhaps prefer to fight he already sequestered water rather than dumping more metals in
Its Saturday...might be worth an "ammonia-style" every hour test/check/dose til you break its back. Worth a shot anyway. If nothing else, the response will give you good intel to work with.
Thank you for the helpful suggestions Swampwoman. Over the course of the past week, I've been checking FC levels ever 3 hours or so, which seems to have worked out ok for keeping FC above 12 ppm, although I did consider an hourly checkup at the beginning of the week when things were really bad. The FC consumption seems to have died down somewhat since last Saturday, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this downward trend continues.
The smell from the RV antifreeze is still strong though, so I'm thinking I may just 75% empty this pool and then refill maybe at least partially from a truckload of water to ease the strain on the well pump. The last thing I need this year is to have to replace the well pump on top of all the other nonsense I've had to shell out the dough for already. Thankfully, the temps are still cool here, so replacing that much water is pretty low risk I think for damaging the plaster, but I'm thinking I'll need to make this decision very soon, since it'll probably be warming up within the next couple of weeks.
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Daily pool readings update:
Overnight FC drop - 1.5 ppm (up from 1 ppm Thurs/Fri night)
FC - 15 ppm
CC - 0
TC - 15 ppm
TA - 100
pH - 7.2 (taken last night at FC = 9)
CH - 225
CYA - 35
I only used 3 gallons of Clorox yesterday (down from 5 gallons on Thurs.)
Again, in comparison to the normal mid-July sunny summer day, I use between 0.5 to 1 gallon of Clorox per day.
I also dumped in about 7 lbs of baking soda last night which was suggested by various RV websites to kill the smell of the RV antifreeze. Doesn't seem to have done much in that regard. I'm guessing I would need a lot more than 7 lbs to have any real effect on killing that smell.
The only other noteworthy info I have is that my pool was immaculately clean at this morning's FC check. Both skimmer baskets were completely spotless, which I think is actually a first since I've owned this pool. Also the bottom of the deep had very, very minimal dirt and there was almost nothing floating on the surface of the water. This is a huge change from the large amount of tree buds I've been scooping out of the skimmers each morning. The filter pressure was barely registering above starting pressure, but I did a backwash anyway, and added new DE. The DE that came out of the backwash hose was still white, so oh well, waste of a backwash.
So my summation here is still that either there is an algae growth in this pool either in the pipes/equipment somewhere that is not visible, or the RV antifreeze is somehow rapidly consuming FC still, or a combination of both.
Daily pool readings update:
Overnight FC drop - 0.5 ppm (down from 1.5 ppm Fri/Sat night)
FC - 14.5 ppm
CC - 0
TC - 14.5 ppm
I again used 3 gallons of bleach yesterday (same as Friday)
Nothing much to report. Overnight drop test is nice to see, but I won't stop slamming until I see less than 1 ppm consistently for a few days at least. I've just seen too much fluctuation in FC levels over the past week to stop at the first good sign.
And actually, I know the norm for my water last year was pretty solidly 0 ppm for the overnight drop test performed weekly, so even with a reading 0.5 ppm drop, I know I'm not done slamming yet. I will however drop pump operation to a 12 hour cycle now. That baby's been running 24 hours per day for over a week now, so I think it's time to stop feeding the electric company.
The odor of RV anti-freeze has dropped off quite a bit since even Friday, although that could be me just getting used to it.
Overnight FC drop - 0.5 ppm (down from 1.5 ppm Fri/Sat night)
FC - 14.5 ppm
CC - 0
TC - 14.5 ppm
I again used 3 gallons of bleach yesterday (same as Friday)
Nothing much to report. Overnight drop test is nice to see, but I won't stop slamming until I see less than 1 ppm consistently for a few days at least. I've just seen too much fluctuation in FC levels over the past week to stop at the first good sign.
And actually, I know the norm for my water last year was pretty solidly 0 ppm for the overnight drop test performed weekly, so even with a reading 0.5 ppm drop, I know I'm not done slamming yet. I will however drop pump operation to a 12 hour cycle now. That baby's been running 24 hours per day for over a week now, so I think it's time to stop feeding the electric company.
The odor of RV anti-freeze has dropped off quite a bit since even Friday, although that could be me just getting used to it.
I think you're oxidizing the heck outta that RV stuff and that in effect, treating it just like a slam should get you there fingers crossed for continued decreased consumption and low overnight loss
fingers crossed for continued decreased consumption and low overnight loss Daily pool readings update:
Overnight FC drop - 0.5 ppm (same as Sat/Sun night)
FC - 15 ppm
CC - 0
TC - 15 ppm
I used 5 gallons of bleach yesterday (up from 3 gallons on Sunday)
Overnight FC drop - 0.5 ppm (same as Sat/Sun night)
FC - 15 ppm
CC - 0
TC - 15 ppm
I used 5 gallons of bleach yesterday (up from 3 gallons on Sunday)
Daily pool readings update:
Overnight FC drop - 1 ppm (up from 0.5ppm Sun/Mon night)
FC - 25 ppm
CC - 0
TC - 25 ppm
I used 6 gallons of bleach yesterday (up from 5 gallons on Monday)
Overnight FC drop - 1 ppm (up from 0.5ppm Sun/Mon night)
FC - 25 ppm
CC - 0
TC - 25 ppm
I used 6 gallons of bleach yesterday (up from 5 gallons on Monday)
Remember to brush the entire pool daily. If you have underwater lights, and haven't already, you should also remove the light(s) for a moment and brush out the niche, and then replace the light(s).
Thanks for the tips, Jason. I've been brushing at least once per day and sometimes twice. I've only been vacuuming about once per week though.
I've never removed the pool light before in my pool. Is it a complicated process? Also, is it tough to do with elevated chlorine levels?
I've mentioned this earlier, but I thought I might bring it up again.
The fourth ingredient in the RV anti-freeze I used to close the pool is Di Potassium Phosphate.
Could this be what is a leading factor in what is causing the FC to disappear from my pool?
The fourth ingredient in the RV anti-freeze I used to close the pool is Di Potassium Phosphate.
Could this be what is a leading factor in what is causing the FC to disappear from my pool?
Most pool lights are held in with a single screw at the bottom of the trim ring surrounding the light. Remove that screw (be careful not to drop it in the water, it's a funny brass screw you won't replace at Lowe's) and the fixture should rotate up off a clip on the top. there should be sufficient cord hidden in the niche to get the fixture up to the pool deck, but you may just want to slowly lower it to the bottom so it gets a good bath of the chlorine. if you have a manual vacuum that is what I stuck into the niche to clean mine out. Lots of gunk in there.
The short answer is no. All the phosphate could do is have algae grow faster IF there was insufficient chlorine in the pool. With enough chlorine in the pool, the phosphate level won't matter.
Daily pool readings update:
Overnight FC drop - 3.5 ppm (up from 1 ppm Mon/Tues night)
FC - 23.5 ppm
CC - 0
TC - 23.5 ppm
I used 7 gallons of bleach yesterday (up from 6 gallons on Tuesday)
I noticed this morning that the oak trees around the property have begun to let loose their pollen strings last night and just doing a quick survey, I saw that their branches are fully loaded with more to come. Skimmers weren't full, but had somewhat of an abundance of material in them. Also, the pine pollen is in no short supply either this week. Car is again covered in green.
Overnight FC drop - 3.5 ppm (up from 1 ppm Mon/Tues night)
FC - 23.5 ppm
CC - 0
TC - 23.5 ppm
I used 7 gallons of bleach yesterday (up from 6 gallons on Tuesday)
I noticed this morning that the oak trees around the property have begun to let loose their pollen strings last night and just doing a quick survey, I saw that their branches are fully loaded with more to come. Skimmers weren't full, but had somewhat of an abundance of material in them. Also, the pine pollen is in no short supply either this week. Car is again covered in green.
Yeah, pollen will increase chlorine demand and at your higher FC level it will show up significantly since the increased demand results in a percentage chlorine loss per time interval.