High phosphate & combined chlorine after pool opening

[fmercury84]

Hi TBF,

Looking for some advice for a new home-owner on my first pool opening (performed by pool manufacturer staff).
At pool opening, a leak on the pump a leak was found, and system was off for 5 days until the repair took place. 5 bags of shock were added at pool opening.
When able to start the pump & filter again, the pool store tested a very high value of phosphate & combined chlorine (possibly from mulch? There aren't many trees around the pool)
Pool store recommended Phosfree. Added 1.5L as per instructions which brought the phosphate down after ~18hrs, from 4900 to 4400.
Plan is to backwash after 48hrs and then add the remaining 1.5L of Phosfree.
Store also recommended Scorch treatment AFTER the phosphate levels are back to normal.

Can the oxidizer be added before the full phosphate reducer cycle? Is a backwash mandatory if pressure is still within normal range?
Store also recommended to remove chlorine tablets from chlorinator during this process. Would you agree?

Free Chlorine: 0.33 ppm
Total Chlorine: 1.69 ppm
Combined Chlorine: 1.36 ppm
pH: 7.7
Hardness: 263 ppm
Alkalinity: 88 ppm
CYA: 27 ppm
Phosphate: 4911 ppb -> 4400 ppb after 18hrs

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
You will find TFPC is quite a bit different than pool store methods. We advocate the pool owner doing their own water testing with a proper test kit. See Test Kits Compared
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.

I suggest you read through Pool School - Trouble Free Pool and even look at a few of our videos TFP-TV - Trouble Free Pool

 

[fmercury84]

Welcome to the forum!
You will find TFPC is quite a bit different than pool store methods. We advocate the pool owner doing their own water testing with a proper test kit. See Test Kits Compared
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.

I suggest you read through Pool School - Trouble Free Pool and even look at a few of our videos TFP-TV - Trouble Free Pool

Thank you for your answer. I am looking into the Test Kits & articles and understand the pro's of doing my own water testing.
However, the TF-100 does not include a phosphate test, which I believe is my biggest concern at this point. Do you suggest test strips for that?
Should I keep focusing on lowering the phosphate level?

 

[mknauss]

If you wish to test for phosphates, get a Taylor K1106 kit. TFTestkits does not sell them as phosphates, in general, are not a concern for pool owners.

If, and big if, your phosphates are really as high as you say, then a quality phosphate remover should be used. Such as Orenda PR-10000.

Phosphate Removers - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[fmercury84]

If you wish to test for phosphates, get a Taylor K1106 kit. TFTestkits does not sell them as phosphates, in general, are not a concern for pool owners.

If, and big if, your phosphates are really as high as you say, then a quality phosphate remover should be used. Such as Orenda PR-10000.

Phosphate Removers - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Thanks again.
I don't have liquid chlorine/bleach handy but I have 56% Cal-Hypo shock bags. Pool Math does not have 56% as an option but I am getting around 2lb for the 53%, so I'll go with that.
As per my initial post, I wanted to be sure that what I am doing to get the chlorine levels back to where they should be, will not affect/is not affected by the phosphate reducer.

 

[fmercury84]

I also have a Pentair Rainbow 78DPD test kit that I can use, if you think it would be helpful to determine the way forward

 

[mknauss]

Chlorine levels will not effect phosphate remover.

The DPD test will measure to 10 ppm, color match. You need a FAS-DPD test to measure FC correctly.

 

[fmercury84]

Due to shortage of liquid chlorine I was fooled into the chlorine lock myth by the pool store and used 2x 4lbs of Scorch plus, which dropped the TC marginally but left the pool still cloudy.
Anyways, after some further reading of forum posts & product research, I will be picking up a stock of 10% liquid chlorine from Walmart tomorrow while I ordered a K2600 test kit, arriving on Thursday, in preparation for a SLAM.

 

[fmercury84]

Just got my K2600, repeated the Chlorine & CYA test twice and got consistent results:
FC: 2.2
CC: 6
CYA: 35

I started a SLAM last night, based on a FC of 0.5: 3 gal of chlorine, then 3 bags of shock in the morning (since I was confident enough that my CYA was actually below 30 at the time) then 2 more gallons of Liquid chlorine 2 hrs before the kit arrived, all while running the chlorinator.
Now that the CYA reading is above 30, I turned off the chlorinator.
The water is clear on the shallow side, not as much on the deep end.
Pool Math recommends 3 gal of liquid chlorine for a SLAM Target FC of 14.
Should I wait for the sun to go down or the sooner the better?

 

[fmercury84]

3 gal of liquid chlorine went in at 4:30pm and 2hrs later I am reading
FC 1.8
CC 6.6

Did I just waste 3 gallons of liquid chlorine?
Pool is being brushed on each application and filter is running non-stop

 

[MITBeta]

Not wasted. Keep adding chlorine until you reach SLAM level.

There is no interpolating between lines on the CYA test. Round up. Your CYA is 40 and your SLAM target is 16.

 

[fmercury84]

Not wasted. Keep adding chlorine until you reach SLAM level.

There is no interpolating between lines on the CYA test. Round up. Your CYA is 40 and your SLAM target is 16.

Thank you. I will do so.
It was just surprising to see that the FC was not even at the recommended value, let alone the SLAM level

I read that my DE filter could benefit for some “rest” hours instead of running 24/7. Is there any truth to that?

 

[MITBeta]

No. Filters don't need rest.