Depends if you trust them or not. If so, the CYA is a little on the low side, 30ppm would be good. And the pH should be lowered a bit before starting the shock process.
Swamp Help Please
- Thread starter j_walker
- Start date
Thanks for the reply. I will make some adjustments.
I also wonder why pool store testing is not very trusting. Or at lest questionable at best. Is it the test equipment they may use or is it that they me be giving you the wrong results on purpose?
I also wonder why pool store testing is not very trusting. Or at lest questionable at best. Is it the test equipment they may use or is it that they me be giving you the wrong results on purpose?
Some of the "equipment" just reads the colors off of test strips ... which are inherently garbage.
If they actually do use a drop kit ... often the kids working at the store do not how to do it properly.
But, they never have the correct type of lighting to do the good CYA test properly.
Too many times have we seen the same sample taken to 3 different stores and gotten 3 different answers.
Or results between 2 days that are different and just not possible given what was or was not added to the water.
Or results on tap water stating high levels of CYA ... when in reality there is 0 in tap water.
If they actually do use a drop kit ... often the kids working at the store do not how to do it properly.
But, they never have the correct type of lighting to do the good CYA test properly.
Too many times have we seen the same sample taken to 3 different stores and gotten 3 different answers.
Or results between 2 days that are different and just not possible given what was or was not added to the water.
Or results on tap water stating high levels of CYA ... when in reality there is 0 in tap water.
Ahhh I see... Well that is where owning your own recommended test kit comes in.
Quick question. I noticed on the pool calculator that adding Dichlor or Trichlor will add CYA and lower the PH.
Since I need to add CYA and lower PH, Would it be a good idea to use Dichlor or trichlor to bring FC to shock level and then continue to remain at shock level with bleach or liquid chlorine? Would that be to tricky to do? Should I just adjust PH with muriatic acid then adjust CYA with stabilize then bring to shock level with bleach or liquid chlorine?
Just trying to get on the right track. Thanks for your patience.
Quick question. I noticed on the pool calculator that adding Dichlor or Trichlor will add CYA and lower the PH.
Since I need to add CYA and lower PH, Would it be a good idea to use Dichlor or trichlor to bring FC to shock level and then continue to remain at shock level with bleach or liquid chlorine? Would that be to tricky to do? Should I just adjust PH with muriatic acid then adjust CYA with stabilize then bring to shock level with bleach or liquid chlorine?
Just trying to get on the right track. Thanks for your patience.
It is up to you to decide if that is too tricky for YOU.
If you understand the effects and know how to use the calculator ... then you could try to kill 3 birds with one product.
If you understand the effects and know how to use the calculator ... then you could try to kill 3 birds with one product.
Late to the party but I determined last night that it was cheaper for me to dump a bunch of water and re-fill than chlorine to clear it. This may not be the norm for everyone here but it was for me.
My water is is $1 per CCF (778 gallons) on the high tier... where adding water to the pool puts me.
Just another option that may or may not work for you.
My water is is $1 per CCF (778 gallons) on the high tier... where adding water to the pool puts me.
Just another option that may or may not work for you.
Killing three birds with one stone would be nice. But I am very much a novice at this pool chemistry. I'm trying my best to take the right approach to defeat the green menace. I don't want to over or under do anything. I'm going to look more into the use of Dichlor or Trichlor to see if its easy enough to achieve the desired results I will need to rid the algae. In the mean time, as always, I'm open to any suggestions and advice. Thanks again.
First step would be to figure out how much you can use to get the desired CYA increase as that is the most critical "do-not-exceed" number.
Then make sure you do not use more than that. Whether you can add it all at once to get a large FC increase (making sure the pH does not plummet) or if you just add it a bit at a time to slowly raise the CYA and lower the pH while using bleach to get the rest of the FC you need.
It is certainly more advanced, and much simpler to stick with the separate chemicals.
Then make sure you do not use more than that. Whether you can add it all at once to get a large FC increase (making sure the pH does not plummet) or if you just add it a bit at a time to slowly raise the CYA and lower the pH while using bleach to get the rest of the FC you need.
It is certainly more advanced, and much simpler to stick with the separate chemicals.
I believe Your chlorine number changes with rain, swimming, sunlight and algae. The rest change due to the amount of rain you had.(or the pool store person testing your water) 
Ok, I'm getting a better understanding of my numbers and what I need to do. Just a few more questions and I should be able to start shocking...
I noticed in the pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock and the pool-school/recommended_levels I need to raise my current CYA 20 to CYA 70-80 with SWG. If i do raise the CYA to recommended levels I will need a lot more chlorine to raise and maintain FC at shock level. I do know the CYA needs to be higher than it currently is but... My question about that is... Do I need to raise my CYA all the way up or can I shock with the CYA at a lower level say around 30-40 to be able to save on chlorine cost? Then after shocking process and water is clear or close to it. I can then raise my CYA up to 70-80.
Also, I'm not running the SWG at this time. I was wanting to know if I should start using it to aid in the shocking or just wait?
I noticed in the pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock and the pool-school/recommended_levels I need to raise my current CYA 20 to CYA 70-80 with SWG. If i do raise the CYA to recommended levels I will need a lot more chlorine to raise and maintain FC at shock level. I do know the CYA needs to be higher than it currently is but... My question about that is... Do I need to raise my CYA all the way up or can I shock with the CYA at a lower level say around 30-40 to be able to save on chlorine cost? Then after shocking process and water is clear or close to it. I can then raise my CYA up to 70-80.
Also, I'm not running the SWG at this time. I was wanting to know if I should start using it to aid in the shocking or just wait?
Everything I've read here suggests you keep your CYA at about 30 for the shocking process in order to save on the amount of chlorine needed. (At least the labor intensive beginning.) You'll be monitoring consistantly (every hour until chlorine starts to hold). Also adjust pH to around 7.2 before beginning as the readings are unreliable with chlorine levels >10ppm.
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,765
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
Only after you get the water cleared and all algae is dead and gone from the pool, will you raise the CYA level, make sure you pH is correct, add any salt that is required, THEN turn on the SWG.
I would like to thank everyone for your replies.
After reading over everything again and again. And using the pool calculator. I believe I'm almost ready to start shocking the correct way.
A couple things that have came to mind while researching this is. A few things I have read elsewhere and every pool store I have talked to, try to sell me some sort of algaecide to go along with whichever shock I chose to use. They say there are some types of algae that is resistant to chlorine alone. And if I have one of these types of algae. Shocking without adding algaecide will not work.
The other thing is about maintaining FC shock level. This will come directly from the pool stores staff. I have been told that as long as FC stays above as little as 5ppm it will be in shock level range according to my current CYA level of 20. Is there any truth to that statement or about needing to add algaecide just in case its a rare strand of chlorine resistant algae.
I truly value the opinions on this forum which is why I'm here. I also understand that pool supply stores are there to make money. At the same time they need to stay in business. So using there suggested methods may clear the pool but it might take longer which will require one to buy more product from them.
After reading over everything again and again. And using the pool calculator. I believe I'm almost ready to start shocking the correct way.
A couple things that have came to mind while researching this is. A few things I have read elsewhere and every pool store I have talked to, try to sell me some sort of algaecide to go along with whichever shock I chose to use. They say there are some types of algae that is resistant to chlorine alone. And if I have one of these types of algae. Shocking without adding algaecide will not work.
The other thing is about maintaining FC shock level. This will come directly from the pool stores staff. I have been told that as long as FC stays above as little as 5ppm it will be in shock level range according to my current CYA level of 20. Is there any truth to that statement or about needing to add algaecide just in case its a rare strand of chlorine resistant algae.
I truly value the opinions on this forum which is why I'm here. I also understand that pool supply stores are there to make money. At the same time they need to stay in business. So using there suggested methods may clear the pool but it might take longer which will require one to buy more product from them.
Algaecides are better at preventing algae from starting than killing it. They are not ever needed if the recommended FC levels are maintained. Period.j_walker said:
If you do not maintain the recommended shock levels, you may never fully kill off the algae ... or at a minimum it will take a LOT longer. This is actually an odd statement from a pool store as typically we hear them recommending adding gallons (pounds) of chlorine (granules) which elevates the FC VERY high ... well above our recommended levels which puts your pool and equipment in danger of damage.j_walker said:
The recommendation of adding algaecide and then lower levels of chlorine certainly would liking end up costing you more money. That is not to say that the employees are looking to pad the books. However, many pool store employees just do not actually understand the chemistry and just repeat what they have been told by the previous employee.j_walker said:
Would you say this would kill algae at a much faster rate than the recommended levels would?
Not sure how much faster, but it certainly would put your liner at risk. This is also the method that the pool service companies use because they only want to throw chlorine in once and come back in a few days ... not hourly like we recommend. But they also do not care about shortening the life of you pool either.