Blowing through FC...

[dunginhawk]

So ever since (a couple weeks ago) I let my tub go cloudy because my CYA dropped to zero, FC also ive been blowing through FC at about 4-5 PPM per day (with no use).
I cleaned it up , its crystal clear. No more gunk is collecting, and things are generally great... Smells fine, as I said its clear.. However each day I need to add about 4-5 ppm of FC (bleach 6% , 4oz) just to keep up.
What could be the cause?
My only thought is that there is still enough stuff in there thats eating it (from when it was cloudy). Its basically not done breaking everything down... I figured id just keep doing 5ppm per day and eventually it would stabilize and that number would hold relatively steady (slow drop as would be expected).
Any help here would be nice.
thanks

 

[Jimrahbe]

D,

When was the last time you changed the water?

I would bring the FC up to the SLAM level for a couple of days and if that did not fix it, I'd just change the water..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[dunginhawk]

So Yeah... i just changed the water a few weeks ago after it went green because of the CYA drop.. AFTER that happened my wife and her friends went cray cray in it for 3 hours and I worked the next day to clean it up... It wasnt super bad, but enough that I got a LOT of gunk out from oxidizing (non chlorine shock). Its been clear since just burning through FC still.
I actually just got my shipment of non chlorine shock in (i ran out) and its in there now with NO gunk to speak of... so I guess thats good.

Thank you for the advice Jim... I may do that tomorrow. We have a cold snap here today and might like to use it

 

[dunginhawk]

Also i just noticed my salt is about 3100 which is quite a bit too high (i want 2600-2800 for my swg) so im doing a partial drain and refill... Want to get that in a more manageable level... I think the SWG auto shuts off somewhere near that, which would absolutely affect the FC burn... So we shall see what comes of it

 

[Oly]

You need to purge the plumbing when you drain your tub. Do a search for biofilms that protect microorganisms. Get a good surfactant, elevate your sanitizer level and run the pump on high long enough to remove the buildup inside your system. Ahh-some is a product many have used for this purge.

 

[dunginhawk]

I do ahhsome every time... Preaching to the choir on that one but I appreciate that you responded.. thank you

 

[Oly]

 

[dunginhawk]

Im still having this issue... I cant seem to crack the code. Lets assume for a sec my SWG was damaged when I soaked in in 4:1 (water to MA) which seems unlikely. My salt is now at 2800ppm which is right in line with where it should be. Pumps are running 8 hours a day, as they should.
But lets assume its not working. Im still adding at least 4-6oz of 6% bleach daily... its quite insane. There is no biofilm in there (visible) water is GIN clear. Nothing really seems amiss..
Also
PH -7.7
CC - 0
TA - 50
CYA - 40

Any ideas on what could be happening? Its my thought (and maybe im wrong) that if FC has nothing to clean it should sit there, for a fairly long time right? Not saying a week, but at 4ppm, if there is nothing to eat, it should be still showing a little pink after a few days right? Is it feasting on something else im not aware of?

 

[splashpad]

CYA - 40

With your CYA I would suggest this:: Raise your FC to shock level for CYA/40, recheck in 10min, 30min, see what happens

CYA (Stabilizer)	Minimum FC	Target FC	Shock FC
40	3	5-7	16

 

[dunginhawk]

Splash, i may do this (i should) my question is if im at 16 and it doesnt move much from there, how long would it take to get back in to 5-8 range where I could use the tub? haha

 

[splashpad]

Splash, i may do this (i should) my question is if im at 16 and it doesnt move much from there, how long would it take to get back in to 5-8 range where I could use the tub? haha

You can use it as long as the FC is above min & at/below shock level for your CYA FC/CYA Levels Preferably with 0.5 or less CC's

 

[dunginhawk]

so after 10 mins, it was 13.5ppm... Now I didnt test to ensure it was exactly 16ppm when i added it, but pool math said it should be . Ill test again in 20 minutes and see whats up.

 

[dunginhawk]

20 more minutes... still the same FC... 13.5 ppm roughly...

 

[splashpad]

20 more minutes... still the same FC... 13.5 ppm roughly...

Did you happen to test CC's?

Maybe it just need(ed) a bump in the FC

 

[dunginhawk]

CCs are less than .5 always since Ive flushed the tub and started fresh a few weeks back. Ok, so lets assume this slam did something to correct it. Once it sits around 5-7ppm of FC. assuming the SWG is broken (just saying) how long should I keep 5-7ppm steady without use? a week? 2? Im just trying to get a feel for how long I should hold some FC in there assuming its not being used.

 

[splashpad]

CCs are less than .5 always since Ive flushed the tub and started fresh a few weeks back. Ok, so lets assume this slam did something to correct it. Once it sits around 5-7ppm of FC. assuming the SWG is broken (just saying) how long should I keep 5-7ppm steady without use? a week? 2? Im just trying to get a feel for how long I should hold some FC in there assuming its not being used.

That honestly depends on how fast the FC drops. I would suggest to start aiming for FC/5 and see if that "holds" better

 

[dunginhawk]

So I noticed some oily film on the top, so I added some clarifier.. 20 minutes late, thick grey/brown much (like what ahhsome gets) around the outside. So i cleaned that up... FC still holding at 13... What I dont get is why my filter isnt catching that stuff. Its just forming bubbles in the calm spots and building up... I see a nice whirlpool where my filter is sucking stuff, but its frustrating, I end up cleaning the sides all the time.

Next time i do a drain/refill im doing 2 ahhsome treatments thats for sure...

 

[dunginhawk]

2.5-3 hours since slam its down to 10ppm... so its eatin on something...

 

[dunginhawk]

7 hours later, its holding around 10ppm...

 

[splashpad]

2.5-3 hours since slam its down to 10ppm... so its eatin on something...

Did you bump/raise FC back up to 16?

7 hours later, its holding around 10ppm...

Did you bump back to 16?

The reason for the FC/CYA Levels shock level, is because you have to get above the CYA "protected/stabilized" FC level to let it work on whatever is in the water. You need to keep bumping/raising the FC to 16 until it holds 16 the next time you test. (30min - 1hr later)