Cannot get chlorine reading

[pharpe]

Ok I know this will be long winded but I hate post that don't give any detail. My neighbors is out of town for a month and letting us use his pool. He said there is nothing we need to do just swim.

Details:

• Freshwater pool
• About 18,000 gallons
• Direct sun
• Dallas, TX
• Owner uses pucks in a floating duck to maintain chlorine

I few weeks go by and all of a sudden it's green and full of algae. I called him and he said to throw a bag of shock in and it should be good in 24 hours. I used to have a pool about 8 years ago, and followed all the TFP guidance, so I knew this was probably not the best approach. However, I was in a hurry so I figured it's his pool I'll just do what he says.

Next day there was no real improvement. I talked to the owner again and he says it needs more shock. I put 4 bags of MAXBlue fast-dissolving, 6-in-1 and a gallon of Pool Time Algicide and Clarifier Stabilizer. Next day is a little better but really dirty. Lots of small dirt and debris suspended. Like something was wrong with the pump or filter. I checked out the equipment. The accessory pump and Polaris were working but nothing was being pulled in from the sk8immer and run through the filter. Tested the controller and it was providing 240v to the pump it just wasn't working. I spent the afternoon replacing the pump. Fired up the pump and everything is working as of yesterday.

Next step is to get the chemistry back. I tested the chemicals using the Leslie's test strips he had.
FCI - 0
Alk - 80
pH - 7
CyA - 40

I just couldn't figure out how after all the shock I put in over the last couple days FCI could be at zero. I figured lets plug all this into the pool math calc and do this right. Per pool math we added 8 cups of baking soda to get the TA up and a gallon of 6% bleach. Tested again after an hour and FCI still does not read anything so I put another bag of MAXBlue in. Floating duck has like 5 pucks in it.

This morning I checked again.
FCI - 0
Alk - 100
pH - 7.2
CyA - 40

Clarity is a lot better. Still not back to normal but ~80% improvement. Still no FCI at all. Not sure what to do now. Just keep putting in bleach until I get a reading? Take sample to pool store? I thought the test strips might be bad so I tested in the spot I poured bleach in right after and the strip reacted to that.

 

[Newdude]

Just keep putting in bleach until I get a reading?

It will be consumed by the algae bloom that's brewing. Without seeing the SLAM to completion, you'd just be spinning your wheels with $6 a gallon jugs.

To properly SLAM, he/you needs a test kit for the many testings needed. They'll likely return to their old ways as soon as they return and it will all be for naught.

 

[pharpe]

It will be consumed by the algae bloom that's brewing. Without seeing the SLAM to completion, you'd just be spinning your wheels with $6 a gallon jugs.

To properly SLAM, he/you needs a test kit for the many testings needed. They'll likely return to their old ways as soon as they return and it will all be for naught.

I get that but this isn't my pool. I just need to get through to next week and then he can deal with it.

 

[Newdude]

You can swim if you can see the bottom for swimmer rescue and it will be sanitary between min and SLAM FC. Algae, while unsightly, is harmless. The FC may not last long if the bloom is raging, but if you were to dose to SLAM, it would likely last long enough for a swim.

 

[TeanyV]

Hi pharpe,

You're in a difficult situation. I'm sorry. That bites.

I think NewDude's advice is good. If you can add liquid chlorine once or twice a day to keep the pool from getting worse, that might be the best you can hope for. This is a situation where doing the minimum is probably the best course of action. I think the test strips are going to make it really hard to resolve this problem. You need a solid CYA reading to solve the problem the TFP way (SLAM), but that requires a reasonable amount of effort in order for it to work.

If your neighbor chlorinates with trichlor tabs, it's likely that his CYA is higher than 40ppm. If he has very high CYA and an algae bloom, his chlorine is going to get used up pretty fast, which is why it might not be showing up on your test strips. I would recommend against adding anything else that contains CYA (stabilizer or trichlor pucks/powder) or is described as an algecide. Algecides (especially those with "blue" in the name) usually contain copper, which can create staining issues. Keep it simple and count down the days! (And when your neighbor gets back, do him a favor and recommend he check out TFP's Pool School.)

Good luck,
~Teany

 

[pharpe]

Ok thanks. Going to Sams to get more bleach

 

[Newdude]

Going to Sams to get more bleach

Steer away from the chlorox 'household type' bleaches. They all have chloromax technologies or spashless / scents that are polymer based. Too much of them will create foaming, which ironically will need more chlorine to undo.

You want liquid pool shock or chlorinating liquid. It's also 10% or 12.5% instead of 6%

 

[Bperry]

Ok thanks. Going to Sams to get more bleach

Be careful of the bleach nowadays. It usually has a bunch of other junk you don’t want in the pool. Try a hardware store for chlorinating liquid.

 

[pharpe]

Well I was out getting bleach and didn't see the last couple posts. This is what I put in.

Robot or human?

www.walmart.com

Hope it's ok
Based on the chart I need FC level of 16 for SLAM. Pool Math told me 472 oz so I put in 4 gallons of bleach. I waited an hour and tried another test strip. Still reads nothing on the chlorine tab.

I'm assuming it's an issue with test strips at this point. Either not reading FC correctly or CYA is way off so my SLAM value is too low.

 

[pharpe]

I've got updates. I went to Leslie's and had a water sample tested. FC was 0.4 so still really low. CYA is 61 so my SLAM FC is 24 not 16. Also the TA is only at 74 so I have to get that up. Finally it showed the phosphates were high but the stuff that the guy at Leslie showed me was really expensive so I'll leave that for the owner to deal with.

 

[TeanyV]

Given your situation, let's just assume Leslie's numbers are accurate. I would focus only on the chlorine and leave the TA alone. The TA will have no bearing on the algae. A TA of 74 is fine. (Leslie's TA range is much higher than the range recommended here.) If you raise the TA too high, you could wind up pushing the pH out of a good range and bring on other issues. Focus on the chlorine level and leave the rest up to the owner when he gets back. Don't let your good intentions cause unnecessary problems (e.g., metal staining, scaling, etc.).

 

[pharpe]

lol. I see these post minutes after I do something. Just dumped 5 lbs of baking soda in. I put less than the total needed because I wanted to take it up gradually so at least thats something. I won't put in anymore baking soda then just chlorine.

 

[mknauss]

You need to get your own proper test kit and stay away from the pool store. Adding the baking soda, while unnecessary, now puts you in the position to add lots, and mean lots, of acid. Your pH will be very high and that can lead to scale, irritated eyes and skin, etc. Please, please get a test kit.

 

[Bperry]

I've got updates. I went to Leslie's and had a water sample tested. FC was 0.4 so still really low. CYA is 61 so my SLAM FC is 24 not 16. Also the TA is only at 74 so I have to get that up. Finally it showed the phosphates were high but the stuff that the guy at Leslie showed me was really expensive so I'll leave that for the owner to deal with.

The test strips aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. They are probably bleached out with the Im high chlorine. Same issue maybe with Leslie’s. Don’t spend any more money on your neighbors pool.