Did I over shock?

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cjizzle

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Jul 3, 2017
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Hi all, and thanks so much for this awesome forum.

Have a 4K gallon above ground pool for the kiddos. Been keeping the chemicals right (I think at least) all season up until yesterday. Four days ago it was Ph 7.2, free chlorine and total chlorine 3 and cya 30. Shocked every week since opened for the season about 2 months ago. Perfectly clear water all season.

So after the test listed above I had a pool/slumber party for 5 kids all 10 and under. They were in the pool multiple times throughout the hot sunny 98 degree day, then got back in again the next morning (I did not retest). Again they were in and out all day and I like a fool didn't test that day either. The following day (yesterday) I noticed the pool was a bit cloudy, so even though I shocked it the night before the big day I figured I should shock it again since so much usage. Today the pool is super cloudy, has that chlorimine smell, and tested 6.2 Ph, 5 free chlorine, 10 total chlorine and 0 cya.

Did I over shock? From what I have read I should just let the sun do its work to lower the chlorine levels... Not really sure what is right and wrong to do as of this point. Obviously with those chlorine levels the pool was off limits today. Hoping someone may be able to assist in getting me back up and going again.

Thanks for any help and advice you may have!!!

CJ
 
I have a hard time with going from 30 CYA to 0 in a matter of two days. I'm not sure what could do that, other than a complete drain and refill of the pool with fresh water.

Why are you shocking the pool so much? What levels of FC are you currently hitting when you do shock the pool?

Test strips are not a good method of testing for most things. I'd invest in some kinda proper test kit, even if you don't shell out of the TF100 (which I recommend you do).
I'd at least take a sample of pool water to a pool store if you have one fairly close. They will analyze it and most will spit out a list of what you need to add to your pool. I
wouldn't buy anything from them, at least not off the bat... but their testing has got to be better than a test strip result.

If it were me, I'd be buying a decent test kit.
 
Ty for the test kit advice. I will go ahead and do that next payday.

I shock once a week and have gotten great results so far. Is that too much? And by shock I mean I use the Clorox Pool & Spa Shock Plus and follow the directions on how much to add according to pool volume. Last night because of the cloudiness I added an additional one cup of 6% chlorine bleach. Maybe a bad move there?

EDIT: Sorry I did not test immediately after shocking, I thought that was pointless since I knew levels would be thru the roof until the next day. Am I mistaken in thinking that? Every other time I have shocked it the free and total chlorine was between 3 and 4 the next morning
 
Setting aside the discussion of test strips...

10 FC is shock level for zero CYA. For 30 CYA it is 12. So the short answer is, "No, you didn't over shock."

Cloudy water and that smell tell me you're on the right track. One or two kids lets go... that's a lot of ammonia via urine that the bleach needs to eliminate.

I would keep the FC levels up there around 10 until the CC goes away and the water clears up. That's the best you can do with what you have.
 
Thank you so much. So if I am reading your post correctly, I should add more chlorine to the pool to get the FC level to 10?

EDIT: That was a dumb question for me to ask. Did the calculations and added the correct amount to get the FC to 10. Thanks again for the advice. Will see how it goes in the next few days.
 
Having a CYA (stabilizer) level of zero is asking for it. Sunlight will nuke your chlorine down to levels below safe in a matter of a few hours. You need to get that CYA up to at least 20ppm if not 30ppm.


You'll need much less chlorine in the water, and it won't dissipate so fast. That will save you time, money and headaches.


Just an informational tidbit... "shock" is not a product. "shocking" your pool is nothing more than increasing chlorine to a much higher than normal level very quickly. Any product that has the word "shock" on it is just chlorine and perhaps some other additives but the most important thing is the central ingredient is a form of chlorine. Don't fall for the "super shock" or Xtreme shock"... they are all the same product at their core... just WAY more expensive that that gallon jug of bleach sitting on the shelf. Most of the time, you don't "shock" your pool unless it's necessary. If your stabilizer levels are kept in check and you maintain a FC level that meshes with where your CYA levels are... you'll never need to "shock" the pool. Not unless you wake up to find a few of the local beavers have started damming it or something.
 

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Thanks again for the above advice all... Kept FC at 10 and now about half as cloudy as yesterday.

Noticed pH dropped significantly. Will this return to normal as the chlorine levels drop or is it advisable to purchase something to raise pH?
 
cjizzle said:
Thanks again for the above advice all... Kept FC at 10 and now about half as cloudy as yesterday.

Noticed pH dropped significantly. Will this return to normal as the chlorine levels drop or is it advisable to purchase something to raise pH?
Click to expand...
Question: how are you adding chlorine? Liquid, powder, tablets?

If you're using Dichlor or Trichlor, they both add CYA and they are both very acidic. They can lower the pH quite a bit. The FC will dissipate. The CYA will remain. The pH may bounce back if the Total Alkalinity is high enough.
 
I appreciate the quick response and apologize for the late reply..for some reason the last few days vbulletin showed no response on my end??

Anyways, I am using 6% bleach. Followed the advice you gave. Last few days the total chlorine dropped slightly each day, so as a guess I made sure I added enough bleach (using the pool calculator) to make certain the free chlorine added was higher than combined by at least one. Today the water was crystal clear, the forbidden test strips I use showed 3 free and 3 total first thing in the A.M.

pH was 6.8..the same as when i first filled it so my assumption is to add the proper amount of borax to increase?

TA shows consistently at 180.

Is CYA really needed or worth it? I already bought some so have on hand, but before I used it I didnt have these problems, I just checked chem levels every day. If indeed it it worth it I will use the sock method, but not really convinced I really need it. Suggestions are welcome. Btw the pool only gets about 3 to 4 hours of direct sunlight per day (if skies are clear) due to tree cover.

Thanks so much again for this awesome knowledge sharing community!!!

CJ
 
The only potential issue is that the CYA will lower your pH and it is already quite low. If you have a plaster pool this could be problematic. I would use the Pool Math to balance out adding the chemicals. They all affect echo their.

Edit—I see that it is an above ground pool so no issues with the plaster—but I would still recommend using PoolMath to get all the chemicals balanced properly. Good luck!
 
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