Perplexed in MD

[openland]

Hello! Having issues with FC in my IG pool. Pool looks clear - can see all the way to the bottom; no visible signs of algae or other debris. SWG not showing any errors (it is set to 80%, shows "Generating Sanitizer", and Salt Readout is 3100). My pump runs 24 hours and is programmed to run 3450 RPM 6a-6p; 1800 RPM 6p-6a.

My tested levels are as follows:

FC: 0.2
CC: 1.0
pH: 7.4
TA: 55
CH: 190
CYA: 60
SALT: 3400 (as tested yesterday; calibrated SWG yesterday evening to 3400, this morning shows 3100)

Yesterday evening I added 1 lb of "Burnout 3" (leftover from pool store) and FC reading a few hours after was ~5.0. This morning, it was closer to 3.0. I have put 2 Chlorine pucks in the skimmer (since my CYA is on the lower end of acceptable level).

My hunch is that I have a bad Salt Cell. It's Hayward Goldline TurboCell TCELL940 #4E19161 - 201435. I opened it up a couple of weeks ago to see if it needs cleaning but there was no build up).

Any suggestions on what I should do?

 

[openland]

One thing I forgot to mention is that my phosphate level is very high. It's at 4000 (last year during the season it was the same, but I did not worry about it because the FC was holding).

 

[swimmingjax]

Welcome to the forums openland. I can't be of much assistance other than to say that I don't think you should be losing chlorine overnight unless you have an organism that is causing the chlorine to get used up. However, if you are troubleshooting using the color match chlorine test, then I suggest getting the fas/dpd test which is much more accurate. The color match test is great to quickly verify the presence of chlorine but not useful to determine actual fc/cc levels.

 

[MITBeta]

Hi Openland,

Take the pucks out of the skimmer right away. 1. You don't want any more CYA right now and 2. You should never add chemicals to the skimmer. Always use one of those $15 floaters if you need to use tabs.

Your pool is cloudy, and with the low FC reading, I'm going to guess you have any algae colony on the verge of blooming.

At TFP, we rely entirely on good testing, so if you want to get things back on track asap, the best thing to do is to get your own test kit. See Test Kits Compared.

While you wait for your kit to arrive, add 5ppm per day of liquid chlorine only. Use PoolMath to figure out how much this is.

Once you get your kit, post a full set of results here and we'll get you on the right path.

 

[MITBeta]

Also while waiting, you should peruse the treasure trove of articles on the TFP way, such as Pool Care Basics and then once all that makes sense, start brushing up (no pun intended) on the SLAM Process, because that's the method we'll be using to get you back to sparkling.

 

[openland]

Thanks for reply, @MITBeta! I do have a test kit (Taylor 2005c) and that’s what I used to get the test results. Copy on taking the tablets out. I was thinking of it as a short-term solution because I know it raises CYA.

I’ll get the liquid CL for the SLAM session.

My pool is not cloudy. Maybe it’s the angle of the photo. It’s an older pool (20 years) and the floor is not crisp. The water is clear.

 

[MITBeta]

My pool is not cloudy. Maybe it’s the angle of the photo.

Is it TFP clear, though? See link.

How Clear is TFP Clear? Let's See (Pics Only Please).

How clear should my water be? A very common question. Here is mine on a calm morning where I could finally vacuum. Yes I know, I'm still manually vacuuming. It took me 7 years to finally get an SWG, I'm working on a robot. :) So now let's see your water clarity.

www.troublefreepool.com

Does your Taylor kit have the powder and drops test for chlorine? Can you post a full set of results from it?

 

[openland]

Is it TFP clear, though? See link.

How Clear is TFP Clear? Let's See (Pics Only Please).

How clear should my water be? A very common question. Here is mine on a calm morning where I could finally vacuum. Yes I know, I'm still manually vacuuming. It took me 7 years to finally get an SWG, I'm working on a robot. :) So now let's see your water clarity.

www.troublefreepool.com

Does your Taylor kit have the powder and drops test for chlorine? Can you post a full set of results from it?

TFP clear? I am guessing not. Working on getting all the supplies to do a SLAM (Pool Essentials Chlorinating Liquid for Swimming Pools, 1 Gallon - Walmart.com, namely)
Apparently it does not. I just ordered a FAS DPD Chlorine add-on as well (arrives Monday).

 

[openland]

Just added 1.7 gal of HTH Pool Care Liquid Chlorine (10% solution). Will do another test and 5ppm increase application tomorrow. The test kits should arrive by tomorrow evening.

 

[MITBeta]

Given that your CCs were 1 while your FC was approximately zero, I think SLAM is the right way to proceed. I think it will be a quick one based on how the water looks.

 

[openland]

Given that your CCs were 1 while your FC was approximately zero, I think SLAM is the right way to proceed. I think it will be a quick one based on how the water looks.

All signs point to something lurking in the water eating my FC. So I am also thinking a SLAM. I do want to get an accurate CYA reading again the use the CYA-Chlorine chart to calculate the SLAM level. I think om Friday my CYA (using friend's kit) tested at 60 which showed SLAM level of 24. Using Pool Math, that said that I'd need about 7.1 gal of 10% solution to do the SLAM.

Am I correct to assume that the HTH Pool Chlorine Liquid (10%) is the same as Bleach in the chemical dropdown?

Again - thanks so much for helping me through this and your vote of confidence!

 

[pjt]

My pump runs 24 hours and is programmed to run 3450 RPM 6a-6p; 1800 RPM 6p-6a.

Run your pump at the lowest RPM that still achieves your goals (SWG, skimming, IFCS, etc.). You should never have to run your VSP at full speed. What's the minimum speed needed for your IFCS?

 

[MITBeta]

Am I correct to assume that the HTH Pool Chlorine Liquid (10%) is the same as Bleach in the chemical dropdown?

Yes.

 

[openland]

Run your pump at the lowest RPM that still achieves your goals (SWG, skimming, IFCS, etc.). You should never have to run your VSP at full speed. What's the minimum speed needed for your IFCS?

I am actually not sure. I would venture out 2000 RPM? Is that something I'd find in the pump or SWG Users Manual?

 

[MITBeta]

No, you figure it out by trial and error. Lower your pump speed until the SWG gives you a low flow error, increase it slowly in steps until the error goes away, and then add a couple of hundred RPM to account for a dirty filter.

 

[openland]

Ok. I can definitely do that. Do I do that now or do I wait until after the SLAM party?

Also, once I find the lowest+200 RPM setting, do I run the pump 24/7? I know some folks don't run their pumps all day long.

 

[MITBeta]

It's up to you how long you run. I run about 8 hrs/day myself and that provides all the skimming and chlorinating that I need. You can use PoolMath to figure out what a given combination of runtime and SWG percentage setting will give you in chlorine addition.

 

[openland]

Good morning, @MITBeta! I finally got all the pieces for my kit, including the FAS-DPD Chlorine test kit and Taylor Smart Stir. I am attaching the screenshot from today's test (I have not added 1.7 gal of Bleach yet today). Wondering if I should be good to go to SLAM now. I think based on my CYA =60, it shows SLAM level of 24, which is 7 gallons of 10% bleach. Am I on the right track?

I have also set up to share my test results/logs on the forum - PoolMath Logs

Thanks!

 

[PoolStored]

Good to go! 7 gallons is correct.

I would switch to 10ml sample for testing. Each drop is .5. This will save reagent, you will need it.

 

[openland]

@PoolStored - on it and thanks for the reagent saving tip!