Salt Zero after Chlorine lock issue

Avborges

Active member
Aug 9, 2023
27
Connecticut
Pool Size
15000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-9)
hello Everyone, I'm new here and a pool owner for 5 years. This year we had our first experience with "chlorine lock". It was a first and second for us. Roughly 8 days ago we had to dump 5 of those big Chlorine jugs into the pool (we were going away the following day and didn't want to return to a green pool). Now that we are back, I tested our pool and chlorine and free chlorine is still bright pink. However, as I was getting ready to leave the house for work, I wanted to set up the salt generator to superchlorinate because we will have a very hot day here in CT today. I'm very concerned that my cell read ZERO salt. What's happening??
 
hello Everyone, I'm new here and a pool owner for 5 years. This year we had our first experience with "chlorine lock". It was a first and second for us. Roughly 8 days ago we had to dump 5 of those big Chlorine jugs into the pool (we were going away the following day and didn't want to return to a green pool). Now that we are back, I tested our pool and chlorine and free chlorine is still bright pink. However, as I was getting ready to leave the house for work, I wanted to set up the salt generator to superchlorinate because we will have a very hot day here in CT today. I'm very concerned that my cell read ZERO salt. What's happening??
Welcome to the forum! I will let others with experience with SWG chime in but "chlorine lock" is a myth or statement by the Pool Companies to scare you. It's basically when your CYA is too high so all your chlorine gets held in reserve.

There's a lot of useful info on this forum that can help and guide you. Have you tested the salt levels in your pool recently?
 
Welcome to the forum! I will let others with experience with SWG chime in but "chlorine lock" is a myth or statement by the Pool Companies to scare you. It's basically when your CYA is too high so all your chlorine gets held in reserve.

There's a lot of useful info on this forum that can help and guide you. Have you tested the salt levels in your pool recently?
Thank you debunking the myth! I had never heard of that before and it has happened twice this summer. I have just ordered a Taylor K-1766 kit today.
 
Thank you debunking the myth! I had never heard of that before and it has happened twice this summer. I have just ordered a Taylor K-1766 kit today.
You should probably get either a TF-100 or a Taylor K-2006C test kit so you can test your PH, FC, CC, Alk, CH, CYA. CYA is very important since it will let you know how much chlorine to add daily. I would also review the Free Chlorine/CYA Chart as it will tell you how what you should target for chlorine based on your CYA level.
The FC test on both kits can measure chlorine levels higher than 5ppm and that's needed when your CYA is higher than 30 ppm, but especially when you are slamming your pool which requires FC higher than 10 ppm.
 
hello Everyone, I'm new here and a pool owner for 5 years. This year we had our first experience with "chlorine lock". It was a first and second for us. Roughly 8 days ago we had to dump 5 of those big Chlorine jugs into the pool (we were going away the following day and didn't want to return to a green pool). Now that we are back, I tested our pool and chlorine and free chlorine is still bright pink. However, as I was getting ready to leave the house for work, I wanted to set up the salt generator to superchlorinate because we will have a very hot day here in CT today. I'm very concerned that my cell read ZERO salt. What's happening??
It’s probably an error on the generator. I see you have the salt test kit on order so that’ll tell you for sure. Which model salt chlorinator do you have? Maybe someone has a diagnostic you can run.

But yes, chlorine lock is a kinda fake term used to avoid having to deal with high CYA. Get one of the two recommended kits (TF-100 or K2006C) so you can test your CYA level and know for sure. Don’t trust any testing the pool store does, they are pretty bad at it.
 
A Taylor K-1766 Salt test is needed to actually know - never trust the read out of the SWCG.
But, if the cell is reading no salt or low salt, it may just be dead.

Test Kits Compared
FC/CYA Levels
As it turns out, I brought a sample to the lab and the salt level was 3400! However the Aquarite still reads Zero. Can it be reset?
 
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