Cannot raise a low free chlorine level

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Your fill water has high CH. As your pool water evaporates, you add more fill water. The CH builds up. If you do not manage your pool water chemistry you go into the scaling region of your chemistry.

If you used softened water for fill water, it does make life easier from a scaling tendency issue.
 
Add a gallon of liquid chlorine per day until your new test kit arrives....brush the pool daily, especially the areas you found algae.
When test kit arrives run full battery of tests and tell us the results:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Salt (do you need a new salt test kit too???)

Maddie :flower:
 
YippeeSkippy said:
Add a gallon of liquid chlorine per day until your new test kit arrives....brush the pool daily, especially the areas you found algae.
When test kit arrives run full battery of tests and tell us the results:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Salt (do you need a new salt test kit too???)

Maddie :flower:
Click to expand...
Another question regarding removing algae is, will dead algae after treated with liquid chlorinator be filtered by going through the filter or will they pass the filter and return to the pool (I have a DE filter)? If the latter is the case, I'm wondering what's the reason for brushing? This is the question that I had even though I used to brush once a week. Thanks.
 
Algae has a biofilm that is a hard coating making it difficult for chlorine to attack its cells. Brushing breaks the biofilm and lets the chlorine do its work.

The filter then traps the dead algae and gets the cloudiness out of the water.
 
Algae makes a biofilm to cover it, which protects it from the chlorine. Smart lil devils, huh? Brushing daily when you have algae disrupts that biofilm to allow the chlorine to get at the algae.

DE filters will require frequent cleaning/recharging when clogging up with algae (dead or alive). That is the one downside of a DE filter. They clean marvelously hence they grab it all. Another reason to avoid algae at any cost!

Maddie :flower:
 
YippeeSkippy said:
Algae makes a biofilm to cover it, which protects it from the chlorine. Smart lil devils, huh? Brushing daily when you have algae disrupts that biofilm to allow the chlorine to get at the algae.

DE filters will require frequent cleaning/recharging when clogging up with algae (dead or alive). That is the one downside of a DE filter. They clean marvelously hence they grab it all. Another reason to avoid algae at any cost!

Maddie :flower:
Click to expand...
Got it. Thanks so much!
 

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mknauss said:
The SWCG cell should be full of water regardless of what rpm your pump is run. Maybe a picture of your equipment would help. Also filling out your signature keeps us from asking the same question over and over.

The CYA test in the K2006 is a quality test.
Read CYA - Cyanuric Acid Test - Trouble Free Pool
Click to expand...
I now found out what you meant by filling out signature. I will do that soon.
 
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mknauss said:
The SWCG will not generate if not full of water. You are getting air in your system, do you get air out of your returns? Does that filter have an air release valve on top?

Never, never, use Cal Hypo in Arizona. Our high CH water and high evaporation raises CH in a pool very quickly.
Liquid chlorine only.
Click to expand...
Last night, I shocked the pool yesterday using 1 gallon of liquid chlorine, and it's level is still "high" currently when measured using a test strip. This may indicate that the reason for a low FC was not its consumption by algae at least. I'm not still sure what the major problem for having a low FC level.
Another issue is air in the system. While the pump is running, I opened the air lock located on the filter and let the air out. Then it seemed fine while the pump was running, but as soon as the pump was turned off, the cell was immediately fully emptied while the pump was still full of water. I don't know whether I should let the air out by opening the air lock repeatedly until all the air is out. Please, advise. Thanks.
 
Test strips are useless. I thought you had a K2006 test kit.

The system should not be draining down when the pump stops. That means you have a leak somewhere. Typically on the suction side.
 
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mknauss said:
Test strips are useless. I thought you had a K2006 test kit.

The system should not be draining down when the pump stops. That means you have a leak somewhere. Typically on the suction side.
Click to expand...
I was also recommended not to use the expired kit. That is why I used the strip instead. Expired kit vs, test strip?
Where do you mean by the suction side? Does this mean that you have to dig the dirt out and check all the pipes under the ground? Do you know approximately how much this would cost?
Most importantly, do you think this has anything to do with a low FC level observed?
 
TFTestkits.net has refill sets for K2006.

Suction side leaks are normally at the pump basket lid, the pump drain plugs, and any valves before the pump.
There is a small chance you have a leak on the pressure side, normally at the filter, that will not leak water under pressure but will suck air when the pump is off. See if you can hear anything when you turn the pump off.
 
mknauss said:
TFTestkits.net has refill sets for K2006.

Suction side leaks are normally at the pump basket lid, the pump drain plugs, and any valves before the pump.
There is a small chance you have a leak on the pressure side, normally at the filter, that will not leak water under pressure but will suck air when the pump is off. See if you can hear anything when you turn the pump off.
Click to expand...
I was looking for one that also includes salt measure.
I tended not tightening the pump basket lid because sometimes it was hard to open. I've just tightened the lid and two plugs as well, and hopefully this solved a leaking problem.
 
If you still have the air, get some silicone pool lube and use that on the gaskets.

For salt you need the K1766 kit. TFTestkits.net sells that too.
 

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