JoeSelf
Gold Supporter
New pool owner - Chlorine saga
- Thread starter kaminski54
- Start date
I appreciate the advice, but I am trying to do what you advise and I can't seem to keep the level elevated. I'm using an amount of bleach that should raise FC to 70+ and the best I could achieve is 16ppm. Even that only holds for about 2 hours. I have used the equivalent of 60+ gallons of 6% bleach over the past 2 days and just took another level. FC <0.5, TC 1.8. The pool has been that clear or close to it for the past 2 months. Is it normal to use 100 gallons or more of bleach to SLAM? Thanks.
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I do have a light and latter. Possible nasty monster of bacteria/algea living in them?
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I do have a light and latter. Possible nasty monster of bacteria/algea living in them?
- May 3, 2014
- 62,729
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
What brand bleach are you using? Does it show 6% sodium hypochlorite on the label?
It would be unusual to use that much chlorine in a clear pool for a SLAM.
Take care.
It would be unusual to use that much chlorine in a clear pool for a SLAM.
Take care.
I've used Chlorox, Walmart brand, and 12.5% pool store. Mostly Chlorox. The strengths were 6%, 8.25%, and 12.5%, respectively. Total equivalent of 70+ 6% jugs. Thanks.
Not in the light, but behind it, in the cavity. There should be a screw (maybe two) that holds the fixture in. There is rarely good circulation in the crevice. Ditto for the ladder, particularly if the cross beams are fiberglass. there are nooks and crannies on the underside of the steps.
Mknauss makes an interesting point. Most extra strength (8.25% or more) bleach detail it on the label. I've seen only a few 6% labels do the same. If it is not indicated, you may be dealing with as low as 2% concentration.
See posts below from someone more experienced.
It was definitely 6%. The "new and improved" chloromax technology from Chlorox at Sam's. (Sarcasm - just a new gimmick with lower strength). Will be switching to 12.5%, but can't keep adding, or affording, 10+ gallons a day.
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Would it be cheaper to just drain and refill then? Thanks.
- Jun 22, 2017
- 861
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45
With a pool that's blueish, and that much chlorine going in and it still not holding, is gotta be ammonia. Just adding chlorine, preferably the highest concentration you can find, and it should start holding.
It was lightmaster that said use higher concentration of chlorine, just saying
It was lightmaster that said use higher concentration of chlorine, just saying
- May 23, 2015
- 25,727
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
It is highly unlikely to be ammonia as you have proven that your pool can achieve a high level of FC but just can't seem to hold it. If ammonia were present in the water, you'd never get it up to 16ppm FC.
A couple of things - stick with straight bleach or liquid chlorine, highest strength you can find (10% is usually a good trade off between concentration and shelf life). Cheap bleach (6%) is often very old (check the date codes) and will be nothing more than salt water with a hint of bleach flavoring.
When was the last time you opened up your sand filter and deep cleaned it? If you are experiencing high FC demand and persistent CC levels, then you need to hunt down every possible location where stagnant water and organics can hide and make sure they are clean.
As for the Baquacil AlgaeDefense, well, other than wasting your money, that product did little or nothing for your pool. It did add sulfates to your pool which is not a good thing if you had a plaster pool or salt-water chlorine generator. But, in your case, it shouldn't cause too many problems. The zinc will eventually come out of solution as a white precipitate (zinc oxide) that will mostly be captured by your filter; at the concentrations you added, you probably won't even notice it.
Let us know what the inside of the filter looks like and we can go form there.
A couple of things - stick with straight bleach or liquid chlorine, highest strength you can find (10% is usually a good trade off between concentration and shelf life). Cheap bleach (6%) is often very old (check the date codes) and will be nothing more than salt water with a hint of bleach flavoring.
When was the last time you opened up your sand filter and deep cleaned it? If you are experiencing high FC demand and persistent CC levels, then you need to hunt down every possible location where stagnant water and organics can hide and make sure they are clean.
As for the Baquacil AlgaeDefense, well, other than wasting your money, that product did little or nothing for your pool. It did add sulfates to your pool which is not a good thing if you had a plaster pool or salt-water chlorine generator. But, in your case, it shouldn't cause too many problems. The zinc will eventually come out of solution as a white precipitate (zinc oxide) that will mostly be captured by your filter; at the concentrations you added, you probably won't even notice it.
Let us know what the inside of the filter looks like and we can go form there.
Ha! you beat me to it. i was just reviewing previous posts to see if the filter had been addressed yet. also the obvious point of emptying the skimmer and pump baskets..these seem so obvious but i recall seeing a recent post about someone having one full of leaves.....
- May 23, 2015
- 25,727
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Both my skimmer and pump strainer baskets fill up with dead beetles, grass hoppers (we get the very large horse-lubbers around here) and flower petals from a Texas Ranger quite regularly ....
Thank you so much for the feedback and knowledge. I just replaced everything including Sand filter and switched to "ruby" sand. Was told glass based and more efficient. New pump and SWCG as well. 2 weeks ago. Thanks.
Strainer cleaned daily.
Oly
Gold Supporter
Think of anywhere organics can hide. Not long ago someone found an algae reservoir in their automatic fresh water fill line. Every time the auto fill ran it added more than water. Stay with it.
- May 3, 2014
- 62,729
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
In reading about Ruby sand, it is porous. That is interesting. It is fired Montmorillonite(clay).
Not sure what curveball that could include.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,727
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Hmmm...well, unless the filter was cracked or damaged in some way, the new filter and sand was probably a waste. Honestly speaking, TFP never recommends changing sand; unlike pool stores, we recognized that sand is tens of millions of years old and can not, in any way, shape, or form, "go bad". But, what's done is done.
If you want to definitely rule out ammonia, you can go to any pet store and purchase an ammonia test kit for about $8. It would be highly unlikely that you do have ammonia as the reaction between ammonia and chlorine is immediate and complete (forms chloramine) but $8 would bring some peace of mind if you're willing to spend it.
Other than that, the only thing you can do is to get the freshest bleach possible and SLAM the pool. Maintaining the shock level is critical and so that usually requires someone to sit pool side and babysit it for a day or so by doing testing every 2 hours or so and dosing as needed. It's frustrating and annoying to have to waste that kind of time, but you should see the CC levels drop faster that way as well as FC levels begin to hold. With the constant swings in FC up and down, whatever it is that is causing the CCs to stay elevated gets a rest when the chlorine is low. FC's down below 2ppm with your water and sunshine is a recipe for algae and bacteria propagation (even if you can't see it).
If you want to definitely rule out ammonia, you can go to any pet store and purchase an ammonia test kit for about $8. It would be highly unlikely that you do have ammonia as the reaction between ammonia and chlorine is immediate and complete (forms chloramine) but $8 would bring some peace of mind if you're willing to spend it.
Other than that, the only thing you can do is to get the freshest bleach possible and SLAM the pool. Maintaining the shock level is critical and so that usually requires someone to sit pool side and babysit it for a day or so by doing testing every 2 hours or so and dosing as needed. It's frustrating and annoying to have to waste that kind of time, but you should see the CC levels drop faster that way as well as FC levels begin to hold. With the constant swings in FC up and down, whatever it is that is causing the CCs to stay elevated gets a rest when the chlorine is low. FC's down below 2ppm with your water and sunshine is a recipe for algae and bacteria propagation (even if you can't see it).
I'm going to check behind the light tomorrow as a last resort.
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It was recommended by my installer. Was only $10 more expensive so I went with it. Not sure about it. My guess is at best it is a better filter, at worst the same as sand.
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It was recommended by my installer. Was only $10 more expensive so I went with it. Not sure about it. My guess is at best it is a better filter, at worst the same as sand.
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I did have a crack in the filter, but could have waited untill next year. Because we were converting to salt, I went ahead and replaced everything. I'm not sure if it would be cheaper to drain and refill (although I risk the liner) or keep dumping liquid chlorine. Feels like I'm literally pouring money into a blue/clear pit.
It was lightmaster that said use higher concentration of chlorine, just saying
Oh no!! My apologies!!
ale:Has anyone seen this much Chlorine needed before? My pool store owner (also my neighbor) says he hasn't seen this in his 40 years the store has been open. Not even trying to sell me anything. Just stumped. He is going to try to get his pool chemical company to come to my house to analyze for free.
So do I buy 50 gallons of 12.5%, add 20 to start, test every hour and keep adding? I added 6 jugs of 12.5% as the calculator suggested... should have brought me to ~30ppm FC. Tested and got FC 7, CC 3.6. This is nuts!
Thanks for any help!
So do I buy 50 gallons of 12.5%, add 20 to start, test every hour and keep adding? I added 6 jugs of 12.5% as the calculator suggested... should have brought me to ~30ppm FC. Tested and got FC 7, CC 3.6. This is nuts!
Thanks for any help!
- May 3, 2014
- 62,729
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
There is some kind of pool store potion put in this water before you bought this house. You continuously have high CC -- that is a marker that is telling us something.