Can I add chlorine and acid?

[Tnutt]

FC: 0
CYA: 0
TA: 130
pH: 8.2+

I keep reading that you can’t shock the pool until your pH is right. Mine is clearly not right yet. Added dry acid yesterday with no effect. Adding 106oz of liquid Baume (31.45%) today hoping that we see a change.

My question is should I also add chlorine? I don’t want to mess up my testing of pH but I also don’t want my pool getting worse than it already is. Thoughts?

 

[mknauss]

I assume you wish to SLAM Process?

Adjust your pH to 7.2. Using PoolMath, I suggest you use 8.2 as Now, be sure the TA of 130 is input in the Now section, and use 7.4 as target. Add the muriatic acid into the pool at the return stream with pump on. Use your brush to mix it around and circulate for 30 min. Check pH, use the test value as Now and 7.2 as target. Add acid,

Is your CYA 0 as none has ever been added? Is the pool a swamp or just cloudy? It matters to how you go about adding CYA or checking for ammonia.

You can add 10 ppm of chlorine. It will be consumed quickly.

Get back with us on the CYA as you need to add it to get to 30 ppm, but, if you might have ammonia, then there is a protocol to manage that first.

Do not add acid and chlorine at the same time. Space them by at least 15 minutes. With pump on.

 

[Tnutt]

Pool is a swamp. Green and nasty. Can’t see down more than a few inches. Definitely want to SLAM.

Cya was likely never added but I can’t say for sure. I don’t have a test for ammonia I my kit. Should I buy something more?

I use pool math with 130 TA, 8.2 pH and a target pH of 7.0. I thought I should drop the pH low so that I can get TA lower?

I’m mixing now with the pump on and will retest in 30 minutes to see what we get.

 

[mknauss]

Really should not make that big of jump with acid at once. PoolMath is not real accurate when you get outside the confines of pH in the 7's and making small adjustments. Will have to see what your pH lands at.

To check ammonia, once your are done with your pH adjustment, follow this
Add liquid chlorine to get to 10 ppm FC in the water. Circulate pool for 30 minutes. Test FC. If 5 ppm or below, add enough liquid chlorine to get back to 10 ppm, circulate for 30 minutes, check FC and repeat until your FC holds above 5 ppm after the 30 minutes.

 

[Tnutt]

Just retested. pH 6.8 and TA 70. You were right. I went too far. So now looking at pool math again I should adjust back using a target of 7.2, right? Looks like I need to add 63oz of washing soda.

I’ll follow those steps for the ammonia. Thanks!

 

[mknauss]

You should get the pH back into the 7's. So some borax is in order.

 

[Tnutt]

I added 61oz of washing soda. Will post results again shortly

 

[Tnutt]

Progress!!

Started like this:


Now looks like this:


My tests last night where
pH 7.5
TA 110
FC 0
CYA 0

I added chlorine and retested with FC 13.5

Today I retested and FC is 1. So I added more chlorine and some stabilizer.

I can can see the second step in the pool now! Great to see some progress

 

[mknauss]

Great progress. Keep that FC at SLAM level as often as you can. Brush like a crazy man. Really helps speed it along.

 

[Mendy48]

Good Job Tnutt.

 

[Tnutt]

Last tests were
CYA 38
FC 12
CC .5

Its still super cloudy and not seeing a lot of change day to day. We are keeping the chlorine around 10 most of the time and brushing every day.

I don’t think we are getting the best suction from the filter. In fact, I think only one of the skimmers is working and I don’t think the main drain is working at all or at most very little. The pressure only goes up enough to backwash when we brush or vacuum. I think all the junk has sunk to the bottom and doesn’t have a great way to get out cuz of the main drain not working. Should I still keep the filter on 24/7 or just when we vacuum?

I know sand filters are slower with the SLAM process but how long should I expect it to take?

Also, we are loosing sand when we backwash. Is that normal?

 

[mknauss]

CYA is 40. You cannot measure a CYA of 38. The scale is logarithmic. Round up.

Your SLAM level FC is 16 ppm. You should be maintaining that by testing and dosing with LC every few hours.

It will take time to clear the pool with a sand filter.

Not sure on the sand. I do not think you should be losing any during a backwash. Folks with sand filters can give you better guidance on that.

Take care.