It sounds like your acid was weaker than advertised, but your TA would have been predicted to rise by perhaps 10 ppm, not 20 ppm, but that's splitting hairs. I'd just see how your pH handles over time at this point. If it tends to rise too quickly still, then you can lower the TA with the procedure again though that can get to be difficult with borates in the water (it takes a lot more acid to lower the pH for the procedure).
losing chlorine, algae in solar panels?
- Thread starter shannon
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Thanks for the replies guys. Checked levels again this morning: ta 100, ph 7.6.
This spring is the first time I have ever added acid to the pool. I did not add any for the initial fill in july 07 or any time since until this last week. It simply never moved from about 7.4-7.6. I have read about the swg making ph creep up but have never experienced this until I started aerating with a sump pump "fountain" and inverting the return on my aquagenie to raise ph/lower ta. Maybe I'm using the right combination of pump on time (10am-5pm) chlorinator setting (~= 30%) and solar cover? My ta before going to pool store this spring had been about 80.
I am still aerating and will add some acid to lower ta back to 80. Since I now have 220 mules in my pool that might take a little time!
thanks
shannon
This spring is the first time I have ever added acid to the pool. I did not add any for the initial fill in july 07 or any time since until this last week. It simply never moved from about 7.4-7.6. I have read about the swg making ph creep up but have never experienced this until I started aerating with a sump pump "fountain" and inverting the return on my aquagenie to raise ph/lower ta. Maybe I'm using the right combination of pump on time (10am-5pm) chlorinator setting (~= 30%) and solar cover? My ta before going to pool store this spring had been about 80.
I am still aerating and will add some acid to lower ta back to 80. Since I now have 220 mules in my pool that might take a little time!
thanks
shannon
About an hour ago I added 2 qts of acid and stirred. Now my ta is 70!. It starts to turn pink at 6 drops and is fully red at 7 drops. My ph didn't drop as much as I thought it would, ph is now 7.3. I will continue to aerate for 7.5. Anyone ever use a shop vac? Lots of bubbles
thanks
shannon
thanks
shannon
A shop vac can work. The trick is to rig up something so that it creates lots of small bubbles, rather than fewer large bubbles. One way to do this is to have it blow air through a pipe with lots of small holes.
Well folks I got the ph to about 7.4 and have been checking the fc levels as well. When the fc level got below about 10 I turned the swg back on to about 40% sunday. Monday the fc level dropped to about 6. Yesterday they were at 2. I adjusted the chlorinator to 50%. I am running the pump for about 10 hours a day right now. My water temp is just 61. Today the fc was still at 2. I dumped five 96 ounce bottles of bleach in. Thats all I had on hand. I did put my cover back on last night.
I rechecked my cya today, the first test showed just over 100. For the second test I diluted the pool water with tap water 50/50 and the test showed about 45 so double it and it is still 90. Even in the heat of summer last year when my pool temps were 96, I didn't have to go over 50% on the swg to keep the fc up.
Have I just not killed whatever is eating the chlorine? I know the swg is producing chlorine, I held a strip in the stream of the aquagenie resevoir(only contains water from swg) and it shows high. Perhaps I should collect a sample from that stream and measure it?
I'll also do another fc check at dark and in the morning.
thanks
shannon
I rechecked my cya today, the first test showed just over 100. For the second test I diluted the pool water with tap water 50/50 and the test showed about 45 so double it and it is still 90. Even in the heat of summer last year when my pool temps were 96, I didn't have to go over 50% on the swg to keep the fc up.
Have I just not killed whatever is eating the chlorine? I know the swg is producing chlorine, I held a strip in the stream of the aquagenie resevoir(only contains water from swg) and it shows high. Perhaps I should collect a sample from that stream and measure it?
I'll also do another fc check at dark and in the morning.
thanks
shannon
It sounds like the SWG is working. The FC level wouldn't fall that quickly, because of your high CYA level, even if the SWG wasn't working without some additional factor (like algae).
It sounds like you haven't killed everything off yet. The high CYA level and low PH would have both slowed down the process of killing the algae. Even so, I would have expected your very high FC level to have been enough.
An overnight FC loss test, with the SWG off, is the best way to be sure you have killed everything.
It sounds like you haven't killed everything off yet. The high CYA level and low PH would have both slowed down the process of killing the algae. Even so, I would have expected your very high FC level to have been enough.
An overnight FC loss test, with the SWG off, is the best way to be sure you have killed everything.
Last night's fc was 15. This morning it had dropped to 13. Grrr. I am on my way for more bleach. Must have been something on the solar cover. Perhaps I should lower my cya to say 80?
Should I shock or ma shock?
thanks
shannon
Should I shock or ma shock?
thanks
shannon
Shocking is easier at lower CYA levels, but the difference between 80 and 90 isn't that big of a difference.
Personally, I would shock to 35, which is somewhere in between regular shock level and MA shock level. I suppose it depends on how you feel about carrying bleach bottles vs the risk of having to do it all again.
The two keys to successful shocking are to continue at shock level until there isn't any overnight FC loss and to be diligent about brushing absolutely every spot on the pool.
Personally, I would shock to 35, which is somewhere in between regular shock level and MA shock level. I suppose it depends on how you feel about carrying bleach bottles vs the risk of having to do it all again.
The two keys to successful shocking are to continue at shock level until there isn't any overnight FC loss and to be diligent about brushing absolutely every spot on the pool.
So, I had my swg on superchlorinate for the last five hours. My fc went up to 17.5. I took the cover off, vacuumed the bottom because of some worms and the brown stuff, brushed every nook and cranny, backwashed, rinsed, added bleach to bring fc up to 35 and turned swg off.
I think that there might have been some algae, perhaps, in the sump pump that I used to aerate with. It's what I used to partial drain the pool with for the winter and I left it in for when the water level got too high, I would just plug it in. If I remember correctly, the water was green when I took it out.
I will keep the fc up to 35 all day and do the fc overnight check again tonight.
thanks,
shannon
I think that there might have been some algae, perhaps, in the sump pump that I used to aerate with. It's what I used to partial drain the pool with for the winter and I left it in for when the water level got too high, I would just plug it in. If I remember correctly, the water was green when I took it out.
I will keep the fc up to 35 all day and do the fc overnight check again tonight.
thanks,
shannon