High Combined Chlorine

[vkrishna009]

Hi TFP Fam!

New home owner with pool for the first time. My pool guy left the pool green past couple months so took things into my own hand (it gets worse before it gets better right?)

Pool was dark green and large amounts of shock were barely putting a dent (apparently my skimmer might be leaking and needs a replacement?) Pool guy says thats the reason chlorine doesn't hold. My water bill so far has not been too high, so I'm assuming its a slow leak and under 500 gallons per month if even. I have an auto water re filler in the pool. (calling leak detection is on the list). I am in California and in the winter months there is no algae, less UV demand against the chlorine probably.

Anyways....went to Leslie's and bought some yellow out. Was suppose to use just 2 pounds of it and I gave him all the instructions.... pool guy uses 5 pounds.....and when I Ask him he just shrugs....I proceed to facepalm.

Next morning:
The pool has never been more blue (albeit cloudy). However as I have been researching on here....the chlorine demand is out of control. So the ammonium sulphate in yellow out probably created all sorts of chloramines and probably still large amounts of ammonia in there?

I don't have my taylor kit yet just strips (my pool guy does and he tests once a week when he comes), but I've been to different Leslie's and testing seems consistent with what they have (from what I read here its not accurate and many people here dont accept but I'm assuming its in the ball park and lets me know the big cc problem)

On day 1 he added enough liquid chlorine 12% to bring FC up to 10 initially


Leslie readings:
Day 3:
FC: 1
CC:13
PH: 8.7
TA: 155
CYA:5
Phosphates: 1325


day 4:
FC: .79
CC:11
PH: 8.7
TA:150
CYA:5
Phosphates:1322

I am assuming the excess ammonia is what is causing these insane CC numbers and not holding FC

So now that I am learning SLAM seems to be the method, where I keep it at 10 ppm consistently over a couple hours and initially checking every 15 minutes. I'll need my own chlorine kit for this obviously.

How much liquid chlorine do I need to stock up on to wage this war? Purchase 20-25 gallons?

Also would non chlorine shock help lower cc? It is an outdoor pool with heavy sun all day, will the cc continue to drop naturally? From my research here I assume some of it will and some of it wont. So maybe naturally it will come down to like 5-6ppm over the next couple days.

Continuing to learn! Thanks for any help/suggestions.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
Tell us the ingredients of the Yellow Out --- any sodium bromide?
I suggest you read through Pool Care Basics - Trouble Free Pool and even look at a few of our videos TFP-TV - Trouble Free Pool

 

[vkrishna009]

Hi! It is ammonium sulphate, no sodium bromide.

 

[mknauss]

Great!
You need to follow the SLAM Process. To do that, you need a proper test kit. I suggest the TF-100 or Taylor K2006C. A proper test kit is needed to get the accurate water chemistry results needed to follow the TFP protocols.

While you are waiting on your test kit, add 5 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine / plain bleach to your pool each evening with the pump running. This will replenish the FC lost each day to the sun and also inhibit any algae in the water from growing further.

 

[reggiehammond]

From your original post, you’re in the pool company and pool store spin cycle. Buy a bunch of stuff to fix some issue; get distracted by other things, spend more money, rinse, repeat.

Without a proper test kit, you don’t know what your water is doing. Fire the pool company, stop going to the pool store.
Test your water - you’ll likely find you have no free chlorine, and low/high CYA from pool company and pool store practices. Instead of exotic problems (ammonia, mustard, etc), you likely just have a raging algae outbreak that’s going on left untreated.

Getting your pool back to clear blue water is easy and maintaining that even easier. But it relies on simple testing that you don’t have right now, and simple chemicals (CYA, Liquid Chlorine, Muriatic Acid.)

 

[vkrishna009]

Ok understood! Went and bought bleach to keep me floating until I get my test kits. Will start adding tonight to prevent algae. Thanks!

I got tested by them again today also, seems like CC burned a little more as expected.

FC: .7
TC: 8.65
PH:8.7
CYA:5

1. I do have 2 packets of 73% cal hypo also, is it ok to alternate that with the bleach on some days?
I know it raises calcium but my levels tested at 200ppm, so fairly low.

2. How many jugs of bleach should I stockpile for the slam? Im guessing the first 2 days will use up the most.

 

[Bperry]

Ok understood! Went and bought bleach to keep me floating until I get my test kits. Will start adding tonight to prevent algae. Thanks!

I got tested by them again today also, seems like CC burned a little more as expected.

FC: .7
TC: 8.65
PH:8.7
CYA:5

1. I do have 2 packets of 73% cal hypo also, is it ok to alternate that with the bleach on some days?
I know it raises calcium but my levels tested at 200ppm, so fairly low.

2. How many jugs of bleach should I stockpile for the slam? Im guessing the first 2 days will use up the most.

Nothing but chlorinating liquid, you can buy it at Walmart or Home Depot. Be careful of supermarket bleach and make sure it doesn’t have scents, fabric softeners or any “cloromax” or “blue” technology. It’s gotta be plain.

Any don’t test at the pool store, even for fun. It’s a waste of gasoline driving there, it really is.

5ppm of chlorine in your pool comes out to about 1 gallon so add that each day in the evening until your test kit comes.