Battling to maintain adequate Chlorine level

clearandblue

Member
Jul 28, 2020
5
Brick NJ
Hi there,

Love this website and forum. so helpful and amazing to hear from the real pool experts...not the fake ones at our local pool store LOL..

I have been having this issue for the past 2 weeks.
My chemistry is all within normal range except for Chlorine that keeps going to zero (or close to) by the end of the day. CYA was 29 and I increased it to 50 because we have been having a heat wave for the past few weeks in NJ and thought maybe the high heat/sun was burning off the chlorine too quickly. My SWG seems to be working fine. No buildup. Set to 100% but even by the morning after running pool pump and generator for 12 hours, it goes to maybe 2. and then zero by the end of the day.
(As a background, I usually have SWG between 50 to 75% and this keeps chlorine levels within perfect range relative to the CYA level. But now I'm struggling.)

I have high phosphates (approx 900) which I know you all say is nothing to worry about. But in my case, I'm wondering if the high phosphates is encouraging algae to stick around and causing a high chlorine demand.
My pool is mostly clear with a drop of algae starting to form on the steps I'm assuming because the chlorine is not enough relative to CYA level.
But how do I increase and maintain Chlorine level? Something is not working properly and I dont know what. :-(

I just put in Phos remover as a last resort. Has been less than 24hrs. So wont know till maybe tomorrow.
Just wondering if anyone has any ideas or possible solutions to my problem?

Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome to TFP.

900 is not high for phosphates which is measured in ppb - parts per BILLION - not million, billion.

Over 10,000 ppb could be considered high for phosphates.

But such is the pool store that managed to sell you high priced phosphate remover you did not need.

Tell us about your pool - what pump and filter do you have?

You have an algae problem and not a phosphate problem. The SLAM Process fixes that.



 
Just because you have a SWG, does not mean you can't use Liquid Chlorine(LC).

Obviously, you need LC for the SLAM, but even when finished, you should always keep a bottle on hand to increase Chlorine level quickly. Use LC to raise Chlorine levels and the SWG to maintain it.
 
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Welcome to TFP.

900 is not high for phosphates which is measured in ppb - parts per BILLION - not million, billion.

Over 10,000 ppb could be considered high for phosphates.

But such is the pool store that managed to sell you high priced phosphate remover you did not need.

Tell us about your pool - what pump and filter do you have?

You have an algae problem and not a phosphate problem. The SLAM Process fixes that.



Oh interesting. thought 900 was quite high...yeah, i happened to have had this downstairs for the past year or more. now that im more educated lol, I prob wouldnt have bought it. but tried shocking and SLAM and that chlorine disappeared just as quick.

i guess i should have prob just repeated SLAM until it improved.

always a learning curve.

Sand filter, 1.5 hp single phase pump. vinyl above ground, approx 12k gallons.

Thanks for your help!
 
Algae, even if you can't see it is consuming your FC. Visible algae=== follow the SLAM process. Link-->SLAM Process
I tried it once. but maybe it was worse than i thought. algae prob been harboring with this intense heat.
do you recommend to shock every week even with SWG?

or only when you see certain indications...and if so, what are they?
dont want to wait till this late next time.
 
Just because you have a SWG, does not mean you can't use Liquid Chlorine(LC).

Obviously, you need LC for the SLAM, but even when finished, you should always keep a bottle on hand to increase Chlorine level quickly. Use LC to raise Chlorine levels and the SWG to maintain it.
Do you recommend LC instead of Granular?
which is cheaper? which is more effective and potent?
If Granular is ok, which type is preferred especially for SWG pool?

Do you recommend to shock every week?
Heard some say that you dont and shouldnt shock with a SWG pool.. but I dont really believe that to be the case.
 


Shocking does not make your pool free of algae. You need to follow the entire SLAM Process step by step without shortcuts.

There is no need to "shock" using TFP pool care methods.

 


Shocking does not make your pool free of algae. You need to follow the entire SLAM Process step by step without shortcuts.

There is no need to "shock" using TFP pool care methods.

thanks!

Curious. what is the reason they recommend LC instead of Granular shock? Are you not meant to use granular in SWG pool?
And when adding LC, should I be diluting first? A little nervous to pour straight in since I have Vinyl liner.
 
Curious. what is the reason they recommend LC instead of Granular shock? Are you not meant to use granular in SWG pool?
Granular adds either CYA or Calcium to the pool. It's ok if you know what you are adding and why. We teach and recommend adding CYA and Calcium separately based on need.
And when adding LC, should I be diluting first? A little nervous to pour straight in since I have Vinyl liner.
Pour it VERY slowly in front of a return with the pump running and brush after. Should not damage liner.
 

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