Needing advice

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J

Jubenez

Well-known member
May 15, 2019
71
Indiana
Hello!
Well after years of just checking total chlorine and PH and lately being less than successful with it, I have found this community. Here is my situation:
30k gal inground vinyl, sand filter, 15 yr old with 4 yr old liner, sand changed 2 yr ago.
FC 2
TC 2
CH 90
CYA 0
TA 70
PH 6.8
I have added 16 gal of 10% liquid chlorine over the past few weeks. Even with the chlorine levels very high, the pool will not clear up. (PH was originally okay but has lowered). I thought maybe it was the sand filter so I tried the method of adding DE as described on this site with no results.

What should I focus on 1st? I assume I should get the CYA up? I took water sample to Leslie's and they told me it was 0, then bought their kit and checked it myself and the dot on the tube did not disappear until the tube was completely full so I assume they were correct.

Should I add the CYA, more shock, and baking soda all at once or get one leveled out before working on next?

Thanks!
 
J,

Even if your pool was perfect, without any CYA your chlorine (FC) will be burned off by the sun within a few hours...

In your case, the pool is not clear, which means you have algae which will consume the FC. This is true even if you can't see any green..

You need to get your CYA up to 30 and then perform what we call a SLAM... SLAM Process

To SLAM you need to be able to test your FC level up to 50 ppm.. Most cheap test kits only go up to 5 or 10 ppm.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Thank you for your quick responses. We are adding the stabilizer now and I will recheck tomorrow. I have a sinking feeling I just spent $60 on the wrong test kit at Leslie's bc I was in a hurry to have one. It does have CYA and TC/FC test which my other kit did not. But it won't read high enough :(
When should I add the baking soda, before or after I SLAM?
Thanks so much
 
You can use parts of that kit but you do need a proper one going forward.

The pH should rise with some aeration. Your TA is fine so do not add baking soda.
 
Okay. A few more questions... Jim can you help me understand where you get the 50ppm for shock level? On the chart Insee 12ppm so I must be looking at the wrong thing.

Is there a kit that I can get that only has the chlorine tests so I don't need to purchase another whole kit?

Thanks. Pool is still ugly but I'm optimistic that I understand how to fix it this time! :)
 
Jubenez said:
Okay. A few more questions... Jim can you help me understand where you get the 50ppm for shock level? On the chart Insee 12ppm so I must be looking at the wrong thing.

Is there a kit that I can get that only has the chlorine tests so I don't need to purchase another whole kit?

Thanks. Pool is still ugly but I'm optimistic that I understand how to fix it this time! :)
Click to expand...
Jim didn't say you need to get to 50ppm to shock level. He simply said that the FAS-DPD chlorine test included in the recommended kit will measure to 50ppm accurately. The other kits usually stop at 5 or 10 or sometimes even lower. Your SLAM level for a CYA of 30 is 12. See here: Chlorine / CYA Chart - Trouble Free Pool

I am assuming the kit you bought at Leslies is only missing the FAS-DPD test which you can buy here: FAS/DPD Chlorine & CC's test
 
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Jubenez said:
Ah okay I reread the post and now I understand.
The kit I purchases does have FAS-DPD but doesn't go uo that high.
Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Usually the regular DPD chlorine test uses drops and a color comparator where you have to look at kind of guess at what color you think the chlorine is. It's not as accurate and has a much lower range. The one we recommend (and I linked to for you to order) has you adding powder first to turn the water a pink color, and then you add drops of reagent and counter each drop until the water turns clear. This way you have a known end-point from the color change. It's so much easier to use and like Jim said will let you measure values over 10 and up to 50. It has an accuracy of down to 0.2ppm chlorine if you use a 25ml sample and 0.5 if you use a 10ml sample. So you can get very accurate measurements that are very reproducible (because you aren't guessing at a color shade and instead just noting the change from pink to clear).
 
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Sorry I thought of another question. Why would my cc be 0 since there is obviously algae in the pool? Shouldn't that be high?

I bought my CYA maybe a bit too much. I added less than instructions said, planning to raise it a bit at a time so as not to go too high. Now it is 45 :(
 
Jubenez said:
Will adding algaecide and DE to the filter speed this process up?
Click to expand...

Please put details of your pool in your signature.

Algaecide will do nothing good for you.

What type of filter do you have?

Where are you in the process? Did you get the FAS/DPD test kit? Post your current test numbers. What does your water look like? Post pics.
 
Sand filter, changed sand 2 yr ago
CYA ~50
PH 7.2
TA 90
I am still waiting on the new FAS/DPD kit to arrive. I do have one that does those tests but only goes up to 5. I can tell you that both the TC and FC are very high but idk exact.

2 days ago my CYA tested 0. By that point I had dumped 2 or 3 cases of 10% in over the course of a week and no help. I added stabilizer, less than I calculated I needed, but unfortunately now my CYA is high.

Since Wed I have added another 12 gallons. I have never put this much in and not been able to see the bottom after a few days, in the 15 years we've had the pool.

One thing that seems strange is that most years when we backwash after shocking, the water comes out bright green. This year it looks a bit dirty for a minute or 2, but not like we are used to seeing. I'm beginning to wonder if it is a filter issue. My husband can't check it until Sunday. I will say that he has turned the handle from filter to backwash and back without shutting off the pump (I always shut it off and I do 90% of the pool maintenance). Could that have caused damage? I sent him the info from this site saying to always shut it off :)

I realize that until I get the new test kit it is somewhat of a guessing game. Just based on past experience though, this seems very unusual (and frustrating!)

Temp has been cool until about Wednesday then it hit the 80s.

Thanks!
 
Maintainng the proper level of chlorine is what clears up water, not filtering. Without the FAS/DPD test to know what FC level are you are maintaining you should not do more then continue dumping in liquid chlorine. Once you get your test we can assess what to do next.
 
Okay... it still hasn't even shipped yet so it might be mid next week :( making it challenging to get it ready by Memorial Day! Unfortunately there is no where Incan go purchase the kit.
Forgot to post the requested pic.
 

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Hello,
I have the Taykor K-1515-A test ordered but they have been slow to ship (ordered 2 days ago and still not shipped). I was calling around today trying to find someone who carried it and no go. I did have one pool supply/contractor tell me he could sell me the powder and drops? He said you add so much water to the vial I already have from previous test kit, 2 full scoops of the powder, then add drops 1 at a time to test free chlorine. Each drop is 1ppm. Should I try this? It is about an hour drive to the store. I really wanted to get the pool ready by next weekend!
Thanks.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If they are selling R0870 and R0871 Taylor reagents, then yes, that will work.
You use a 10 ml water sample, add one scoop of R0870, and then each drop of R0871 to clear is 0.5 ppm FC.
 

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