Saltwater Pool, No Chlorine

[irresistible72]

Hello I have a 16x48 saltwater pool. When we put our pull up last month I only used salt water for my start up. I ran my intex filter pump for 24 hours to let my salt dissolve and distribute throughout the pool. After 24 hours I started my saltwater chlorinator. For several days we haven't had any cloudiness with the water. Recently since the weather has gotten really hot, we have been keeping our solar cover off. Since then, we have been noticing that our water is looking slightly cloudy. I have been testing my pool daily and my Ph, alkalinity, copper is right on track. We are a little low on saltwater and need to add about a half a bag more this evening because my saltwater strips was reading a little low. I have never tested my CYA because I need to get those strips this evening. The problem that I am having, is that I run my boost cycle literally all the time to make more chlorine and my strips still read 0 on FC. Do I need to add some CYA to my pool? I am skeptical of adding it because I read it can slow down sanitation. I am new at this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DanielJ]

You need stabilizer. Without it, the chlorine will be rapidly consumed by the sun.

 

[irresistible72]

Would you happen to know what kind of CYA to buy? I don't even know how much to add, or even how to add it.

 

[KarenNJ]

Yes, the CYA keeps the sun from eating up the chlorine right away. You need to keep the levels per the chart - https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock

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You can get it at walmart, lowes or homedepot usually. Or from a pool store if you can't find it otherwise. I get mine from walmart (labeled as stabilizer). If it is a fresh fill pool you will have 0 CYA so you can use pool school to figure out how much to add until you get your test kit. I wouldn't use strips. I got the tf kit recommended here and LOVE it. Very easy to use.

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this is the one I usually get - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Clorox-Pool-and-Spa-Chlorine-Stabilizer-4-lbs/41466055?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227038584135&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=92172029777&wl4=pla-183826829537&wl5=9052486&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=41466055&wl13=&veh=sem

They also make liquid stabilizer. The liquid you can measure and pour in front of the return slowly. The granular bits you can put in a stocking (I use a knee high) tied to a pool noodle so it drapes infront of the return and slowly dissolves. You don't want to just dump the granular bits in as they will just sit on the liner and may discolor it.

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How many gallons is your pool? You may want to update your sig with all you details so it is easier for people to help you (quick links/edit sig)

 

[FattyLumpkin]

Yes, you definitely need to get CYA in your water to prevent UV from burning through it before it can sanitize. CYA = cyanuric acid. As others noted, it's often called "stabilizer", and is available online. I got mine off Amazon. Just make sure it's 100% cyanuric acid. However, the only way you're going to know how much to add and what the level is is through investing in a reliable test kit. This is really the first thing you should do -- strips and pool store testing won't cut it. There's a link in my signature to a comparison of recommended test kits.

With a SWCG, your recommended CYA level is 70-80 ppm. Once you have the CYA and know how much to add based on the size (in gallons) of your pool -- using PoolMath link to calculate how much is needed -- you can put it in a sock and dangle it in front of one of your returns to dissolve. It can take a little bit, so you can also squeeze the sock every once in a while to help speed the dissolve. I would recommend shooting for 50 at first, as you don't want to overshoot your target. You can always add more if required, but lowering CYA requires water replacement or other not-so-easy options.

As far as your chlorine, it's generally a good idea to bring your chlorine up to the high end of the recommended range for your CYA, and then let the SWCG maintain it. Even on superchlorinate mode (which, by the way, will shorten the life of the cell), not enough FC is generated to bring your FC up from 0 -- especially with no or too little CYA. You can add 8.25% plain bleach, shock, cal-hypo, or other chlorine source to get that initial level. Your cloudiness is the first sign that your chlorination isn't sufficient. It will get worse if you do not get additional FC added to the pool along with CYA.

Depending on how far along it is, you may also need to perform a SLAM (link in my signature). However, I would start with getting a test kit, adding CYA, and getting some additional FC by way of bleach into your pool to prevent anything from worsening.

I might also recommend reading some of the Pool School -- it helps form a good foundation for understanding how the chems interplay with eachother.

Once you have a test kit, you can post a full set of numbers (FC, CC, CYA, pH, TA, CH) and there are many here that will help you. Good luck!