OCLT help!!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
3kidsAndAPool

3kidsAndAPool

Well-known member
Apr 17, 2021
129
Kentucky
Pool Size
25500
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Yesterday we had about 7 people in the pool. Last night when everyone got out I noticed that the water (only by the light) looked cloudy. Once everyone got out I raised the FC to shock level, which is 12ppm for my CYA. I decided to come out before sunrise just to see if there was any loss and my FC was down to 10.5. My question is, is that a failed OCLT or would that be normal for the amount of people we had in the pool yesterday? It is very hot and humid here plus I’m assuming there would be organics that the chlorine would have to consume after the heavy bather load. Am I think correctly? I raised it back to shock level and I’m trying to maintain that until I get feedback from you experts 😉 My CYA is 30, which I know is on the low side. I considered putting in some leftover pucks from last year to help maintain shock level and slightly raise CYA. Is that a bad idea? Thank you in advance!!!
 
Once you get that water clarity back and pass an OCLT, feel free to augment your FC product with pucks since you have plenty of CYA wiggle room. But have liquid on hand as well as the sun/heat might lower the FC a little faster than normal until you get the CYA to 40-50.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wobblerlorri
Texas Splash said:
You did good by maintaining that SLAM FC level. While it may be short-lived (hopefully), you did fail the OCLT, so the sooner you knock it out the better. :goodjob:
Click to expand...
I’m having trouble keeping it up today so I’ve decided to check it every hour. The kids are wanting to swim and it’s hot and humid. Is it ok to keep adding liquid chlorine while everyone is swimming? Or how long should they wait after I add? Thank you!
 
You can add bleach (slowly at a jet) if everyone is at the other end of the pool. Or have the kids step out of the water briefly while you add and give it a couple minutes to mix. It will dilute quickly. The kids can have a quick drink then hop back in and help it mix. :swim:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mdragger88 and 3kidsAndAPool
Texas Splash said:
You can add bleach (slowly at a jet) if everyone is at the other end of the pool. Or have the kids step out of the water briefly while you add and give it a couple minutes to mix. It will dilute quickly. The kids can have a quick drink then hop back in and help it mix. :swim:
Click to expand...
Perfect! Thank you! Hoping to get this cleared up soon!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Texas Splash
3kidsAndAPool said:
Perfect! Thank you! Hoping to get this cleared up soon!
Click to expand...
I can’t seem to keep it up to 12. In an hour, it dropped from 12 to 8. I didn’t test it right away after I added the last dose, but I did use the pool math app so it should’ve reached 12. Should I start checking every 30 minutes instead? Or is it ok that it drops for a short period of time?
 
3kidsAndAPool said:
In an hour, it dropped from 12 to 8.
Click to expand...
That's a significant drop. I'd add chlorine right away and consider more frequent testing intervals until it begins to hold better. Starting to sound like you caught this thing just in time. Plus, it's HOT.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3kidsAndAPool
I added skimmer socks, hoping to filter out any fine particles. It’s so frustrating because the pool looks completely clear in the daylight. I am also in direct sunlight all day. I have to get that CYA up. On a typical day, I’ve been losing 2-3 ppm.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
What Hayward VS pump do you have?

600 rpm for most VS pumps is not really moving any water. 1000 rpm is a typical minimum for actually moving water, in most cases.

FYI - I see you have a UV/Ozone device. Those consume chlorine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: duade
mknauss said:
What Hayward VS pump do you have?

600 rpm for most VS pumps is not really moving any water. 1000 rpm is a typical minimum for actually moving water, in most cases.

FYI - I see you have a UV/Ozone device. Those consume chlorine.
Click to expand...
It’s a MaxFlo VS 500. You are right, it doesn’t move much water at night. It runs at 3450 rpm from 8am-8pm per PB setup, then goes down to 600 rpm at 8pm. We do have UV/Ozone and it’s on, only bc I don’t know how to shut it off. The UV is hardwired to the pump and I’m not even sure the ozone is working properly as the flow meter ball is stuck at the top of the tube. With the pump down at 600 rpm, the UV light shuts off. I did run the pump higher last night because I ran the deck jets over night to cool the water down. Do you think that may be part of my issue? Thank you!
 
3kidsAndAPool said:
It’s a MaxFlo VS 500. You are right, it doesn’t move much water at night. It runs at 3450 rpm from 8am-8pm per PB setup, then goes down to 600 rpm at 8pm. We do have UV/Ozone and it’s on, only bc I don’t know how to shut it off. The UV is hardwired to the pump and I’m not even sure the ozone is working properly as the flow meter ball is stuck at the top of the tube. With the pump down at 600 rpm, the UV light shuts off. I did run the pump higher last night because I ran the deck jets over night to cool the water down. Do you think that may be part of my issue? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Since I ran the pump higher, the UV light was on.
 
There is no reason to run a VS pump at full speed.
I would start at 1200 rpm to see if that skims your pool. If so, change the schedule to run at that speed 24 hours per day.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3kidsAndAPool
What Marty said. Full speed is a killer for your electric bill, too. According to Pentair, a 3450rpm pump running at 1/2 speed uses 1/8 as much power. Mine at 3450 draws 2530 watts; at 1300 it uses 111 watts. I run mine 9am to 8pm at 1650 (260w; 25gpm); then 1am to 5am just for the skimming at 1600rpm. As people here will quickly point out, it's the chemistry not the pump and filter that keep the water sanitary and algae free.

BTW, that little ball on the ozone generator, you set between the two lines at full pump speed and then leave it regardless of lower speeds. If it's really stuck at the top, just flick it with your finger and it should come loose.
 
The VSP only needs to keep water (and chemicals) moving. The only time you would need it at a high rpm is to purge some air out of the pump basket or for vacuuming, but you have a robot so not even for that. Easy stuff. At least you seemed to lose a little less chlorine since earlier.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3kidsAndAPool

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply