Bromine pool eating tabs but test comes up clear

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znelson said:
I did drop 4lbs of 68% Calcium Hypochlorite shock in three weeks ago and then another 3lbs two weeks ago.
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When you add chlorine like this, does the water turn yellow where the chlorine is added?

This is what high bromine and low pH create.

8748695428_012cd508fd.jpg


"Expert" needs help. LOL

Ok, I'm stumped, never seen anything like this before. Here is the pool as I arrived. Opened by homeowner 24 hours ago. Nothing added. CAM00033 by poolmom11, on Flickr PH test came out pale yellow - not even registering. TA test registered nothing. It turned a color I've never seen. FAS DPD...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
JamesW said:
When you add chlorine like this, does the water turn yellow where the chlorine is added?

This is what high bromine and low pH create.

8748695428_012cd508fd.jpg


"Expert" needs help. LOL

Ok, I'm stumped, never seen anything like this before. Here is the pool as I arrived. Opened by homeowner 24 hours ago. Nothing added. CAM00033 by poolmom11, on Flickr PH test came out pale yellow - not even registering. TA test registered nothing. It turned a color I've never seen. FAS DPD...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
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Yikes! No, when I added the Calcium Hypochlorite it was just a little cloudy as it entered the water as normal but dissolved quickly without color. My pH and alkalinity are optimal. The pH *did* drop with the shock but that's normal and I bumped it back to normal pH levels easily.
 
Get the OTO reagent to see what that shows.

In any case, I think that a drain and refill is the best choice.

I know that it's not what you want to deal with, but I think that it's necessary.

It's no different from a chlorine pool with a 500 ppm cyanuric acid level. It's just not manageable.
 
JamesW said:
Get the OTO reagent to see what that shows.

In any case, I think that a drain and refill is the best choice.

I know that it's not what you want to deal with, but I think that it's necessary.

It's no different from a chlorine pool with a 500 ppm cyanuric acid level. It's just not manageable.
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Thanks! Can we get by for a few weeks until we can schedule that by just shocking with chlorine bleach to activate the bromine?
 
I don't know exactly what you have in the water. In my opinion, it's just not water I would want to swim in.

You could do a water replacement by filling and draining at the same time by getting a giant tarp and adding water on top of the tarp while removing water from below the tarp at the same rate so that the water level in the pool stays the same.

You would need a tarp big enough to line the pool like a liner plus about 10 feet length and width.

For example, a 20 x 40 pool 8 feet deep would require a tarp about 45 x 65.

Only do this if you're sure that you can do it safely.

Do at your own risk.
 
Had the water professionally tested. Turns out the bromine was present at 2ppm but a high copper level affected the tests. Applied two bottles of Metal Free and was told the bromine should be readable in 24 hours. Thanks for the help, everyone!
 
JamesW said:
Copper does not affect the bromine test.

Do you have a reference that says that copper affects the bromine test?

Metal free isn't going to do much for you.
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I guess I’ll find out tomorrow once the water is turned over. That’s what they told me to expect. I tried the DPD test with very little water and even multiples of the #1 and #2 drops and could never get a pink result. From what I read even if the bromine ppm was like 30 there should still be a reaction with a lower sample volume and it never happened.
 
When it doesn't work, and you go back to the pool store, they will test the water again and find something else that you need to treat.

That's another $100 every time you visit them.

Then, when that doesn't work, back you go for another test and another treatment and another $100 all with the assurance that it will definitely work this time.

It's always something, metals, phosphates, nitrates, TDS, blah, blah, blah.

You get stuck on the endless loop of enzymes, clarifiers, floc, super duper shock, metal free, etc.

I get that you really don't want to accept that the water is unmanageable, but it is what it is.
 
Believe it or not, I'm now getting a bromine result of between 1-2ppm about 18 hours after dumping the metal free in. I hear what you're saying though and do appreciate the help. I couldn't find much in regards to possible interference between copper and bromine/chlorine measurements either. But I can't explain the results nonetheless.
 

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