Need help balancing chemicals

[Renee1]

We opened our pool about 2 weeks ago. Since then, the chlorine has been in range, except for the past 4 or 5 days where we add the correct amount of chlorine, but the next day about half of it is gone. I am using the Test Kit i purchased from this site for chlorine but am waiting for fresh chemicals to test everything else. Here are my numbers:

Free Chlorine 1.39
CYA 23 (per pool store.....I tested it at 20 using the test kit)
Combined Chlorine: .43 (per pool store)

Alkalinity.....38 (pool store number) Range is 100-150
Phosphate: 1087 range is 0-500 (pool store numbers)

pH....7.2 range 7.2-7.9

Of course, the pool store sole my husband all sorts of things to correct everything. He is now out $100 and I don't know what to tell him when he says we should listen to the pool store. ANyway....what is your opinion on any of this with these numbers.

Thanks so much,

Renee

P.S. I know it doesn't mean we don't potentially have algae, but I wanted to mention that the water is crystal clear.

 

[mknauss]

So your CYA is too low and your FC is burning off due to the summer sun.

You need to get your CYA to 40 to 50. Add chlorine to raise the FC to Target Level based on [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] plus whatever you lose each day. Assume you will lose 3 ppm per day. So when you test your FC each day, add enough LC to get to your target level plus 3 ppm.

If the pool is still consuming too much chlorine, you need to SLAM Process.

Take care.

 

[Renee1]

Thank you so much for your help, as usual. We are adding the CYA and will follow the rest of your recommendations. Is it ok to add some CYA through using shock with CYA in it? We are prrepared to use the sock method, like we did in the past when we had our pool refilled after a liner replacement, but thought it would be quicker this way.

Thanks again,

Renee

 

[ctrav]

First clue "per pool store"...

 

[mknauss]

You can use dichlor if you have it. Raising CYA that way is very slow. So be aware of that. Record how much you use so you know what your CYA level is from it.

 

[Renee1]

Thank you again....I understand the pool store is not reliable, but try convincing someone else that is stubborn!!! Anyway, we added some CYA per the sock method yesterday, my level (per home testing kit) is still at 20 or below. My chlorine tested 1.5 today. CC test was BARELY pink, so I added 1 drop and it cleared up. So that means .5 CC correct? Does it look like I might have algae?

Water is still crystal clear

I will keep adding the CYA, but don't want to discount the possibility that there may be algae. I'm seeing that with a CYA of 20, my minimum FC is only 2 anyway.

Renee

 

[mknauss]

Best way to tell if you have excess organics in your pool water is the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. Your CC you show above is of no concern.

That low of CYA allows your FC to burn off rapidly in the sun. So raise that soon. Always wait 24 hours after the powder is dissolved from the sock before testing for CYA.

Keep your FC at 3 ppm minimum for 30 ppm CYA or less. Use the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA].

 

[Renee1]

Thank you. I appreciate your time.


I'm concerned about why the CYA is so low to begin with. Does it dissipate over the winter if we have a mesh cover? This is the first year we have had a mesh cover vs. a solid cover.

Thanks

Renee

 

[mknauss]

How much CYA was in the pool when closed? How much did you drain when you winterized? Did you have to drain off water over winter due to rain/snow melt?

A complete loss of CYA can mean ammonia. But if you are testing some CYA in the water and are holding any amount of FC in the water, then ammonia is not a concern.

 

[ctrav]

Not sure if the cover has anything to do with it as I don't use one. My CYA was 80 last summer and after winter I was down to 60 if I remember correctly. Im back at 80 and Im sure it will be fine until next year...

 

[Renee1]

I have to be honest and say I don't recall the cya level when we closed it. I don't think we had to drain much to winterize it... but there was a LOT of snow this winter, and with a mesh cover I'm assuming the CYA became diluted to some degree. Then we had to drain a few inches twice so far due to so much rain that it was over the top of the skimmers. So hopefully that is the reason it is low now. And hopefully we can get it to the proper level within a few days. I will post again if having the CYA increased doesn't help the FC numbers.


Thanks so much

Renee