Pool will not hold chlorine

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J

jstblush

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LifeTime Supporter
Jun 3, 2015
261
Pasco, WA
Hi. My name is Bill. I have been reading around your site and just registered and decided to become a lifetime member. I also just ordered the TF-100 test kit today. My pool will not hold chlorine. I just got back from the pool store and here are the readings they gave me. I am getting very frustrated to say the least. Not to mention all the money going down the drain. Any help will be much appreciated.
FC .2
CC .6
PH 7.2
TA 85
CH 150
CYA 200
 
Yeah, if that CYA test of 200 is valid (don't bet on it), you will need to drain some water. I seriously suggest waiting until you get yout TF-100 and test then.

All CYA tests only go accurately to 100 so let's see what the TF-100 tells us. If the dot obscures before you reach 100 ppm, then you can dilute the sample 50% pool water and 50% tap water and re-run the test.

I hope it will test lower than the 200 you got.
 
Hi. Thanks for the welcome. This is Sherry, Bill's wife. Bill is draining the pool now. He is draining, then filling, draining then filling. Not draining the whole pool. Our pool has been in since 1998 so it is quite old. Pool builders and stores are always quite surprised that the liner has even lasted this long. Hopefully this will bring down the CYA. We are waiting for the TF-100 test kit and will test when it gets here. But he needed to get started on removing the water. It's supposed to be in the 100 degree range over the weekend or Monday and Tuesday. Is it strange that in 17 years we have never had this problem, then boom, won't hold chlorine all of a sudden? Bill is not sure what he wants to do when he gets the water balanced. Is it a lot more work, testing, and expense to use bleach instead of the chlorine tabs? I don't think we understand enough yet to make that decision. How often do you have to add bleach to the pool? Sorry for all the questions, but hard to do all this in between working and everything. Thanks for looking. ;)
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

Yes this is a typical story for tablet users ... things appear to be fine until suddenly they are not. This is due to the tablets adding FC and CYA and while the CYA builds up, the FC is consumed. As the CYA gets higher, you need a higher FC level to sanitize the water and keep the algae away. See the FC/CYA Chart.

If you get a lot of rain and partially drain for the winter, then using the trichlor tablets can work ... since all the water replacement keeps the CYA level down. But, in other areas like AZ, TX, where there is not (usually ;) ) a lot of rain and the pool is open year round ... trichlor is a very bad choice.

You could certainly keep using tablets, but monitoring the rising CYA and switch to bleach when the CYA gets to the top of the recommended range.

Have you discovered Pool School yet? Start with these:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool
 
Thanks! That was quick. :) How do you use the bleach to chlorinate the pool? I mean with the tabs, you just toss them in and they do their thing. How often do you have to add bleach? Sorry if the question seems silly. I have read some of the pool school links you added, but guess I am just not quite getting how much of the bleach is used and how often since the tabs are in the pool constantly.
 
It is SO much cheaper to do it the TFP way! You are not going to believe how much money you save AND how good your pool looks!

I "feed" my pool each night. It takes about 2 mins! Yeah! That is all! There are ways to make it automated. We can talk about that when you get your test kit and figure out what you want to do long term.

WELCOME!

Kim
 
Hi Kim! Thanks for the reply. So it is NOT more work or harder using bleach. So when you "feed" your pool each night, I'm assuming you're not adding a TON of bleach since it is a cheaper way then tabs. So you test your water every day?
 
Ideally you test your pool daily and add bleach to keep adequate FC levels. It is normal to lose about 2-3 ppm of FC every day. Given your pool is the same size as mine, I would guess you would need to add about 1/2 bottle of bleach every day.
 

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I am able to get chlorine at my local ACE Hardware store. It is 11%. I add about 100 oz. a night. My pool is has more water than yours so.........

I test FC every night. The PH about 3 times a week. The other test once on the weekend. It is easy and kind of fun!

I bought the test kit BEFORE I bought the pool to make sure I could do it! (long story for another time).

Kim
 
I don't use bleach ... I have a SWG.

But, you should use whatever is cheapest as a function of $/ppm of FC. You can use this: Liquid Chlorine Cost Calculator

If you have a pool store that sells the higher strength stuff in bulk, that is usually the cheapest. Besides that, the 8.25% Walmart brand is usually reasonable.
You also want to get stuff that is fresh and not sitting around out in the heat/sun like often the case at the large hardware stores pool's section.
 
Thanks Kim. ;) The funny thing is our pool is very sparklie now. And thank you to you AimeeH also. Anyhow, just thought I'd throw some more numbers up that my husband just got from the pool store after removing and replacing a TON of water. They are listed below and posted the way they gave them to him:
PH 7.4
Free chlorine (1.0 PPM min) 0/0.2
Alkalinity (120-150 vinyl) 110
Hardness (200) 160
Conditioner (20-100) 125

The CYA is still so high! I wish we had the good test kit already. I think Bill is getting very frustrated. :(
 
I hear you, Jason. He is pumping more water out right now. But it takes time and the pump is rented so it's not cheap. :( Do we want it between 30 and 50? So then if we get the CYA down, what's next? It's going to super hot over the weekend and through about Wednesday. About 100 to 104 degrees. Don't we need to get some chlorine in the pool now?
 

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