Help w balance

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J

Joe DeRenzo

Active member
Oct 13, 2020
30
Gibsonia, Pa
Pool Size
17500
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Total chlorine is 2.5, free is 0.3. TA 133 ph 7.3, phosphate zero. Water cloudy afternoon being clear all summer.

My cya has been 50-60. On this test, it’s 11. I thought cya doesn’t go anywhere. So I’m told it’s because my free chlorine is low and it is all bound up. Is this true???

Pool store said to buy a powder shock w 78% chlorine w cya. I said can I just use non chlorine shock (micro floc) to free up the chlorine and then add liquid chlorine to increase chlorine? They said it won’t work. I’m not sure what the difference is if I just add liquid chlorine over the powder chlorine shock. They also told me liquid chlorine had cya. I know it doesn’t. I’m careful with cya since it was just high at 60. So I’d rather do liquid assuming the cya comes back up when I shock? Is this true?

Do you know how my cya went to 11? When I opened the pool it was 16. They had me at cya. It went to 50….then I learned about high cya needing higher chlorine. I have a frog system that has a chlorine feed and we keep our levels 1–3 but obviously infuses cya. I wanted the cya to be 30 So I drained the pool in proportions and got it to 40. Since then, it has been around 50-60 w each test for 2 months. We had a busy swim weekend , pool got cloudy, chlorine got bound, and now it’s 11? Can cya get bound up ? I don’t want to add too much more.

Am I correct that the oxidation from the shock is what frees up the chlorine ? So if I use non chlorine microfloc shock, that 0.3 should go to 2.5
 
Have you considered doing your own testing? Pool Stores can provide erratic results. Don't want to give recommendations on what could be bad data. See Test Kits Compared

you are correct - LC does not contain CYA. Chlorine pucks (Trichlor or Dichlor) do have both chlorine and CYA and even some acid.
You are correct that as CYA goes higher, then your FC should also increase. See FC/CYA Levels

Please update your signature - go to Settings (at left) and then to Signature to provide the critical info of your pool - type, volume, equipment used, test kit used, etc.
 
I do use a Taylor test kit. The results are pretty similar. No clue where my cya went? Doesn’t make sense. With the Taylor kit, I could see the black dot the entire time so cya essentially not existing
 
I did. I need to SLAM. But why did my cya drop from 60 to 11? Makes no sense. If I go with 11, then I need FC 3. How do I go from 0.3 to 3???? Pool math says add 53 Oz. That’s a half a jug. I added 5 last week abd go no wheee
 
CYA falls due to overflow from rain and draining/backwashing.

Run a full set of tests with your own test kit.
 
Donldson said:
When was the last time your test kit (not pool store testing) registered 50+ CYA?
Click to expand...
Yes. When was it last measure at 50-60. And, how was it measured.

What’s your pool temp? You’re in PA so I’m going to assume it’s nowhere 90 degF. If it’s at or over 90, CYA can slowly degrade.
 

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Taylor kit basically shows no cya and we didn’t drain the pool other than backwash filter but that’s not enough to change
Donldson said:
When was the last time your test kit (not pool store testing) registered 50+ CYA?
Click to expand...
i used pool store in May then started using Taylor in June. On June 20 or so, CYA was 50-60…. We went away 10 days. Came back and clear and then 3 days of kids swimming. Cya now 11 at pool store, undetectable on strips and Taylor test. Can cya be bound to chlorine and not reading?
 
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Please don't reference pool store or test strip numbers. They make attempting to diagnose problems more difficult, like throwing out random numbers to someone trying to do a math problem.

Did your FC drop to zero? You said your current FC is very low and you have CC? This is from your own testing?
 
Hi Joe, One thing you can't do is mix pool store advice and TFP. They, the pool store, will confuse you and have you adding chemicals (magic potions) to your pool that won't do anything but empty your wallet.

Do you have a Taylor test kit? Which one? You'll need the K-2006, preferably the K-2006C. If your Taylor kit shows you have zero CYA because when you fill the test vial all the way and you still see the dot at the bottom. Then you have less than 30. Are you viewing the CYA test vial outside, on a bright day, with the sun to your back so the test vial is in the shadow of your body, held at waist level when glancing for the dot. Don't stare at it, glance.

It is extremely difficult to sanitize your pool water without accurately knowing your CYA level. There is a correlation between amount of FC/CYA that is why there is a chart, posted up above by various members.
 
So if your test using Taylor kit showed CYA of 30 or less, then there is nothing protecting the chlorine you added from UV.
So first order is to buy granular stabilizer and add it in increments to reach your target of 50ppm.
Also, in meantime, you need to add LC to protect you from getting algae. Even though you may be losing FC to UV, it is better to have FC in your pool.

I am a little confused in an earlier post that FC was 0.3 and CC was 2.2 - any CC above 0.5 indicates some organics are also consuming your FC so you in fact may have algae. You may want to test again to verify.

But, if you think you have algae, then only bring up your CYA to 30 then use the SLAM Process. You use less LC with a CYA of 30 to perform a SLAM. Refer to the SLAM portion of the FC/CYA Levels
 
Donldson said:
Please don't reference pool store or test strip numbers. They make attempting to diagnose problems more difficult, like throwing out random numbers to someone trying to do a math problem.

Did your FC drop to zero? You said your current FC is very low and you have CC? This is from your own testing?
Click to expand...
On my own test FC dropped to zero. CC was 5 plus. Pool store was 0.3 and 2.5. I added 2 gallons liquid chlorine and 4 lbs microfloc shock and 32 Oz forever clear. Re home test has FC at 5. So I will retest tomorrow maintain FC at 5 per slam until clear ..Sound right?

I just have no idea how cya went from 60 to 11. Do you?

Also I assume it’s better to just add a little chlorine each day per slam than a lot at once?

I don’t want to add cya. I have a frog and I have a constant infusion of chlorine and cya from that. Agree?
 
I ask again, do not reference pool store numbers.

Sounds like your FC dropped to zero and your water was infected with a somewhat uncommon strain of bacteria that consumes CYA and excretes ammonia. It is the chlorine reaction with that ammonia that is keeping your FC low and your CC high. You will want to follow the link Marty posted.

That Forever Clear is a cheap ammonia based algaecide. Since your problem wasn't algae it was not useful and in fact just added to the problem. The non-chlorine shock you added is also messing with your CC readings, so no way to know whether you still have ammonia. If you are holding FC then probably not, but both of those things were unhelpful and caused further problems that need cleared up. Testaments to the quality of pool stores. They got paid to make your problem more complicated.
 
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100% correct thank you both. You nailed it. That explains why when I added 5 gallons of chlorine the chlorine didn’t budge abd ph went to 6.8- the ammonia created more acid. So I am finally getting it to hold free chlorine after 2 hours. I assume at this point just add chlorine daily until pool clears?

Pool store totally got it wrong. I knew I was in trouble when they told me liquid chlorine had cya and that the cya was just bound up and would go back to normal after I bought a case of their high potency shock. I didn’t buy anything, but I did add the forever clear I had from before since the printout said ti and so did she
 
With that said, I will slamming by adding chlorine every few hours as it drops until stable….could I help myself by turning up the chlorinator? That way I get a consistent feed in addition to the boluses
 
Pool Store strikes again. Love it.

Let’s get 48 hrs or 60 minutes or some other show to do an undercover expose on the whole pool store shenanigan scheme. It would be pretty easy.

What a scam.
 

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