I want ya'all to be alert if your testing for free chlorine after putting chlorine in the next day and it's showing zero, you may have nitrates in your water. I drained my gunite pool. Now, nitrates free. No other way to remove nitrates, and your add chlorine for nothing. Just an FYI
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- Thread starter jerseyshark
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reggiehammond
Gold Supporter
- Oct 4, 2020
- 2,253
- Pool Size
- 30000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Hi - welcome. Nitrates are not a concern in pool water.
Chlorine is consumed by a few things most commonly: UV (the sun) and organic sources (algae, bather load.)
Less common is ammonia, but may describe more of what you were dealing with. Ammonia - Further Reading
If your chlorine was not holding, a proper test kit and the SLAM process may have been all you needed.
Test Kits Compared
SLAM Process
Pool Care Basics
Chlorine is consumed by a few things most commonly: UV (the sun) and organic sources (algae, bather load.)
Less common is ammonia, but may describe more of what you were dealing with. Ammonia - Further Reading
If your chlorine was not holding, a proper test kit and the SLAM process may have been all you needed.
Test Kits Compared
SLAM Process
Pool Care Basics
Hey JS and Welcome !!!
Nitrogen in its normal state doesn't react with chlorine, uless you have ammonia. If so, that's its own nightmare.
Ammonia wipes chlorine in literal minutes and wouldn't need all day/night. You likely just had good old fashioned algae and were misled.
Nitrogen in its normal state doesn't react with chlorine, uless you have ammonia. If so, that's its own nightmare.
Ammonia wipes chlorine in literal minutes and wouldn't need all day/night. You likely just had good old fashioned algae and were misled.
I live in port st lucie FL. Caring for my 15x30 gunite pool on 90° + heat isn't easy. We had nitrates for one, had to drain pool. Google how do i get nitrates out of my pool. No chemicals available. Drain... they may tell you to drain 1/3 of pool. Don't work. Comes from lawn fertilizer and bird Crud over time. My pool was built in the 70s. I doubtnitvwas ever emptied before. At the bottom of draining, last 50 gallons or so stunk awful. Cleaned all inside and sides. Now, it's crystal clear
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Welcome to TFP!
Unfortunately you likely drained your pool for nothing, nitrates do not create chlorine demand and the problem was more likely a lack of chlorine allowing algae to take hold.
We can help you avoid mistakes like that in the future. Here is a good place to start: Pool Care Basics
Unfortunately you likely drained your pool for nothing, nitrates do not create chlorine demand and the problem was more likely a lack of chlorine allowing algae to take hold.
We can help you avoid mistakes like that in the future. Here is a good place to start: Pool Care Basics
No phosphates before. Had issues since March. Trust me, it wasn't an algae issue. Nitrates were 50+. Ate up all free chlorine and all available. I confirmed with multiple sources before I pulled the plug.
Trust me, it wasn't nitrates. Or phosphates for that matter. You said yourself the bottom was full of organics and you were letting the chlorine level drop to zero. Nothing to do with nitrates, everything to do with too much organic junk and not enough chlorine to handle it. I don't know what sources told you it was nitrates, but they caused you to dump your water needlessly and aren't doing anything to help you avoid problems in the future by sending you on a snipe hunt.
As I said before, we can help you avoid such unnecessary mistakes in the future. Here is a good place to start: Pool Care Basics
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