Can’t keep chlorine up and ph down—spending a fortune

[Engelpartyof8]

After adding muriatic acid and bringing our TA and Alkalinity into balance, I set out to shock the pool. I have used 4 lbs of calcium hypochlorite for two out of the last three evenings and still can’t even get the chlorine to register, PLUS, now the ph is almost at 8.
I read that cal hypo raises ph and that high ph consumes chlorine. How can I keep chlorine in my pool using cal hypo if it raises ph and high ph consumes chlorine? Do I just need to resign myself to the fact that I will be adding tons of muriatic acid and spending a fortune on chemicals? On top of this the pool got cloudy the minute I started using cal hypo.

Cya is at 60
TA is at 100
calcium hardness is at 320 (had to raise it recently as our well water is so soft so this may be a bit too high?)
ph almost 8
chlorine at 0

Note: We have feeder with trichlor pucks that is set at 2.5. I just changed to cal hypo for shock rather than dichlor to avoid cya overload after learning the hard way.

Thanks for any help!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You need to switch away from all solid forms of chlorine and use liquid chlorine, aka, bleach, instead. You likely need to SLAM your pool if it’s not holding FC.

Please read through TFP’s Pool School and get yourself one of the recommended test kits as you can not properly manage your pool unless you do your own water testing. Simple store bought test kits and strips (5-way kits, multi-parameter test strips Walmart type test kits, etc) will not cut it. Only a professional level test kit can get you the information you need to properly care for your pool.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

....pH does not consume FC.

Algae, sun exposure, pee, body lotions and other odd and assorted contaminants in the water do consume FC.

Something is in your water. You need to determine what and how you are going to deal with it. Please read Pool School about running an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test (OCLT) and stop using CalHypo to "shock" your pool. If the OCLT shows a loss, you'll need to "SLAM" your pool That is NOT a one time a night blast of chlorine but rather an extended process of keeping the chlorine high enough to kill. SLAM Process

Start by getting a GOOD test kit, learning how to use it and start using bleach to raise your FC.

Maddie

 

[aussieta]

sounds like the pool shop is helping to empty your bank balance
if those readings are anything like what your pool really is
your ta is too high which is causing your ph rise
i wouldnt be betting any money on that cya reading, i suspect it is much higher

 

[Engelpartyof8]

Thank you everyone. I do have a professional test kit (Taylor) that I am well acquainted with! As for pool contaminates, the pool hasn’t been used since last summer, but we live on 20 acres and have lots of surrounding pasture and a lot of wind, so I’m sure there are plenty of contaminates blowing in at all times. I will definitely read up on “SLAM” and the OCLT.

Is there ever a good time to use cal hypo or will I always need to use bleach to shock? And is it just the kind of bleach used for laundry?

Thanks, again!

 

[aussieta]

cal/hypo is ok to use if your calcium is too low, which yours is not
use plain bleach from the laundry aisle
no scented or splashless and check strength and date
also liquid chlorine from pool shop or big box store
do the math on the strength percentages and work out which way to go