Green pool, here we go

[DorsalSpine]

As noted above add your LC and retest within 20 - 30 minutes. If it is all gone that quickly you have an ammonia problem. I'm repeating advice you were already given but I find that advice works better if you understand why we are asking something that specific.

 

[zinprogress]

tested 45min after adding chlorine, got 2ppm of fc. I am using the fas-dpd test but its 25ml (would explain the low numbers if its actually supposed to be 10ml) of water with two scoops then the drops till color is gone. also it might be worth noting that all chlorine added till this point was kem-tech from lowes. Will be going to a pool store today for a bulk liquid chlorine.

 

[zinprogress]

As noted above add your LC and retest within 20 - 30 minutes. If it is all gone that quickly you have an ammonia problem. I'm repeating advice you were already given but I find that advice works better if you understand why we are asking something that specific.

I appreciate the patience and every bit of advice!

 

[Stoopalini]

The 10% kem-tec from Lowe's should be fine, assuming it's not really old (you can check the date stamp on the side of the box).

How much are you adding? 256oz (2 gallons) should take you from 0FC to 20 FC in a 10,000 gallon pool.

 

[zinprogress]

I added 2gal

 

[red-beard]

I'll bet the bottles are old. Try to find the batch number/code.

The 10% bleach from Home Depot measured about 7% after 3 months.

 

[Stoopalini]

Wow, that's a huge loss in a very short period of time. For the test, you can use 10ml, with one scoop of powder, and then each drop will account for 0.5ppm of FC.

Where are you storing the chlorine jugs? Are they outside by chance? I had a bottle stored outside, for just 2 weeks ... and in the Texas heat, it significantly reduced the potency of it.

You may need to start off with adding 2 gallons, then test 20 mins later ... if it's down to 10ppm, add another gallon, and then repeat until you get some movement.

If it is ammonia causing the issue, like DorsalSpine mentioned ... Its out of my experience for dealing with it in any other way that hitting it with SLAM levels of chlorine. Your challenge will be maintaining the level during the 1st day, and being able to keep it at the 20ppm until you break down enough of it.

 

[zinprogress]

I'll bet the bottles are old. Try to find the batch number/code.

The 10% bleach from Home Depot measured about 7% after 3 months.

April of 2020, so 5 months old

 

[zinprogress]

They went straight from Lowe’s to the shed but were stored outside at Lowe’s and the cases had seen some obvious weather. I’ll be leaving in an hr to buy some jugs from a pool supply store

 

[Dirk]

5 months is pretty old. And it's not just about the date stamp. If your HD/Lowes is storing the pallet outside, in the heat and/or sun, that will degrade chlorine even faster than some other place that stores indoors in a cool room. Which is why I buy my chlorine from Leslie's instead of the slightly cheaper stuff at Lowes, both in the same parking lot. The few extra coins is not worth the uncertainty of Lowe's stocking procedures.

Edit: Zin, we were writing at the same time! Sounds like you're on the right track.

 

[Stoopalini]

If the Kem-Tec has been reduced in strength by 50%, you can dump 4 gallons in (if you have enough left) to reach the 20ppm. Since you're not swimming in it right now, even if you overshoot 20ppm, it will be fine.

 

[zinprogress]

That would explain it, we just barely got under 110° and these boxes were definitely wet at some point and we haven’t gotten any actual rain in about twoish weeks so I’m sure they were sitting outside cooking. I just dumped another bottle and it really lacks that strong bleach/ chlorine smell

 

[zinprogress]

Will update results in a few hrs, thanks again!

 

[Stoopalini]

I store my unopened bottles of chlorine (and muriatic acid too) inside my home. Then once a bottle is opened, I store it in a wooden deck box. Probably not necessary with the chlorine, as you store bleach in the laundry room .. but definitely necessary with the muriatic acid.

If you're storing the chlorine in a non-climate controlled shed, and it's been 110*F, and the chlorine was manufactured in April, and Lowe's had it outside in the heat too ... well, it's definitely not 10% anymore.

How much of it do you have left? I'd pour 4 gallons in if I were you, and test 20 mins later ... then run to the pool store (or another Lowe's/Home Depot) and get some with a more recent date.

 

[red-beard]

Yep, pour it all in. It won't hurt and you need lots more anyway.

 

[Dirk]

As a sidebar (and not likely what's going on here, but just to say): If you consistently get unexpected results from testing/dosing, then your water volume number is a suspect. Calculating from pool dimensions is iffy. Getting that number from the original pool builder is even more iffy (iffier?). Under proper conditions, you can use testing/dosing to test and fine tune a suspicious volume number.

 

[zinprogress]

When I bough the house less than a year ago I called Shasta and all they had was the options I had, plaster, kool deck, spa, but they had long since gotten rid of the specific specifications. The home inspector and original pool company I hired both told me the pool was about 10,000gal but I’ve always been curious as to how accurate that was, but figured I could get a better estimate using the pool calculator and fine tuning my results.

 

[Stoopalini]

My wife called me crazy when I told her I was going to turn off the water to the house while the pool was filling after construction was complete She still brings it up to people when we talk about the build process LOL

I did it specifically so I could know the EXACT volume of our pool. I turned off the water to the house using our water softener loop, then checked the water meter main, then began filling. Then checked the meter again, when it was completely full. This is how I know my pool is exactly 14,060 gallons

Of course, it's impractical to do this once it's filled ... but as Dirk points out ... once your pool is stabilized, you can get really close using your k-2006 test kit, and tracking the impacts of specified amounts of chemicals being added.

 

[DorsalSpine]

You don't have an ammonia problem or your FC would be zero. It sounds like you have a handle on your issues with old LC.

 

[Dirk]

My [now X-] pool company was off by about 4K. That's 33%! Builders sometimes don't get any closer. Stoop, was the water meter trick my doing? Keep in mind it's not exact (but could be, or very close). Those meters generally have a 1-2% margin of error, which is nothing when it comes to pool water test results. I had an extra one at the time of my fill, so I screwed it on to the end of my fill hose, no shutting down required.