Help- should I buy liquid shock?

[musikal]

I have an 8,000 gallon above ground Intex pool I installed last year and kept beautifully all year with a SWG. I have not gotten the pool running yet this year yet as the SWG isn’t working. I have been trying to shock/clear the pool in between the insane amount of rain we are having in the Houston area- I am going to float away.
My CYA level is non detectable- I added the recommended level of granules several weeks ago but it’s not showing up in the test. I was afraid of adding too much CYA since I need to SLAM the pool, but I can’t keep chlorine levels up to SLAM with the CYA level so low. I had tried dissolving the CYA granules in a bucket before adding, but it wasn’t fully dissolved , so maybe it got picked up by the filter . Would I be better off getting liquid shock instead of separate CYA/ bleach since my CYA levels are so low? How would I calculate the amount to use? Is the one labeled “liquid stabilizer” the same as the granules? I’m trying to see what I need to do until I get the SWG replaced to be able to use the pool.

 

[HermanTX]

What type of test kit are you using?
Liquid Stabilizer can work but usually more expensive then the granular product. It is always best to dissolve granular CYA using the sock method (hang in front of a return or put in skimmer). this way it does not get caught in filter. But agree with you that all this recent rain has played havoc on pool chemistry. So if you want to try Liquid Stabilizer it may work.

You should be putting Liquid Chlorine in your pool now since your SWCG is not functioning. 1 gal of LC will raise your FC by 12ppm for 8000 gal pool. I used 10% LC which is available at Home Depot or Pinch A Penny pool store.
Post all your test results so we can get a better understanding.

 

[musikal]

I have been adding one or two gallons of liquid bleach daily, my problem is the chlorine level never gets high enough, when I test it will be barely there.
I have a TF-100 kit
I added liquid stabilizer yesterday. I just tested. Chlorine was 1 if I am being generous. CC .5. CYA was around 35. I added 162 oz of 7.5% bleach (2 of the 81 oz bottles.)

 

[musikal]

I tested 2 hours after adding 2 gallons of bleach. Chorine is at 6. CC 1.5. I will add another couple gallons bleach.

 

[HermanTX]

I tested 2 hours after adding 2 gallons of bleach. Chorine is at 6. CC 1.5. I will add another couple gallons bleach.

So with a CYA of 40 your SLAM level is 16ppm of FC. If you have a CC of 1.5 ppm you may have some algae. Although you tested 0.5ppm CC earlier. So verify again your FC and CC levels.
Also, it may take 24 to 48 hours for your stabilizer to increase your overall CYA for your pool. Remember, using the TF-100 test kit you round up to the highest decade number for CYA - i.e. 30, 40, 50, etc.

 

[wireform]

Also be sure the regents you're using are up to snuff and not expired.

 

[musikal]

I've been testing twice a day and adding bleach each time if needed. I just tested and FC was at 10, and it looked like small trace of CC .5. Yesterday afternoon when I tested FC was a 11 and I added 91 oz (full container) of bleach when the calculator said to add 69. CC was again trace, .5. I have not gotten a FC reading above 10, and most tests have been around 6 even when I add much more chlorine than the calculator says. The pool looks beautiful. Is it OK to go ahead and end the SLAM process even though I haven't seen a high FC reading? I'm assuming it is getting high enough but it just dropping before I test again. Could we go ahead and swim at these chlorine levels? My plan would be to tonight add a little more stabilizer to get the CYA levels to 50, and then keep chlorine around 6.

 

[HermanTX]

Have you done an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test? that would determine if you are finished with SLAM or not.
If you test 30 mins after you add chlorine, then you should see the increase in FC based on what you are adding.
Also, you can swim in pool up to SLAM level. If you add stabilizer, I would wait several hours before swimming. Also, it may take 24-48 hrs for the increase in CYA to be detected.

 

[musikal]

I will do that tonight, thanks. I'm not a morning person so am not usually up early enough to check the pool before the sun comes up. If I test when the sun goes down and then again around 4 or 5 am is that good enough?

 

[HermanTX]

I will do that tonight, thanks. I'm not a morning person so am not usually up early enough to check the pool before the sun comes up. If I test when the sun goes down and then again around 4 or 5 am is that good enough?

Your times should work. The goal is to remove the loss of FC due to UV exposure. So if your pool does not get morning sun you can delay but best to do after sunset and before sunrise. Also try to have 6-8 hrs between the 2 tests. Good Luck.

 

[Lilypad]

Be sure the SWCG is off during the OCLT or it can skew the results.