Water Balance while SWG not producing FC

[slcoulby]

FC - 11.5
CC - .5
pH - 7.6
TA - 125
CH - 175
CYA - 80

Water is cloudy (can see bottom of deep end (8ft)) but not clear and has a green tinge to it (not like a dirty pond or anything, just not the beautiful blue it normally is).

So a little (or a lot) of background info....I've spent countless hours reading all the wonderful info you all have available and I'm really struggling for 1 main reason. Our pool was completed in Oct. 2018 and then closed (without being used) for the winter and opened on May 1, 2019. Once the pool was opened (by local company) we got the water temp up, added salt, turned on our SWG and no FC was produced. Pool store test indicated not enough salt despite our SWG saying 3.4. Added salt, emailed Zodiac for instructions on how to recalibrate salinity on SWG and had water tested. Salt at 3.5, calibrated SWG to 3.5 and still no FC. Called Zodiac. They told me to shock the pool, boost the SWG for 24 hours and test. That was 2 weeks ago and still no FC. Zodiac agrees something is wrong with our SWG (which is under warranty) so we contacted pool builder. They can't get out until June 21st, go figure, and want me to try all sorts of things in hopes the SWG will work. I feel like they're jerking me around, but that's neither here nor there at this point. I have a salt pool which should be fairly easy, but I feel I need to convert to liquid chlorine so we can safely enjoy our swim season. As a side note, I have your recommended test kit now and that's what yielded the results above. I had pool store test this morning (my kit arrived this afternoon) to ensure everything was ok prior to shocking, on their tests everything was fine. Since then FC has obviously gone up (.5 to 11.5), TA gone up (91 to 125), CH gone up (152 to 175), CYA gone up (75 to 80) but I have no idea if that's a result of the shock or bad test results?! An why is it turning cloudy and green?!

I felt I needed to follow builders directions, since they are the ones I need to convince that it's not working. So, they told me to backwash and then add 6 lbs of Sodium Diochlor. They told me to turn SWG to 50% and test chlorine twice a day. If it starts to fall then SWG isn't working. So today at 2pm I added the Sodium Diochlor and now my pool is cloudy and green tinted. Test results above are from 7pm today so 5 hours after that shock.

Would you all recommend I follow whatever advice you may give to get my water balanced as a liquid chlorine pool while I wait for pool builder to get out here and test the SWG? If I do that, how will they know that the SWG isn't working if I've gotten the chlorine and water all straightened out? They were horrible during the building process so I wouldn't put much past them.

Most importantly, it's our daughters 9th birthday and she's having her birthday party this weekend and I'm desperate for her sake to get this sorted out. Pool builder tonight suggested I just throw chlorine tabs in the skimmers tonight to get me through the weekend, but with a green cloudy pool I feel I have more issues.....PLEASE HELP!

 

[Texas Splash]

Pool builder tonight suggested I just throw chlorine tabs in the skimmers tonight to get me through the weekend,

That's a clear indication the builder doesn't understand water chemistry. They just do industry dumps and move on. Wrong. Do not add any pucks to the skimmer. In fact, don't add anymore dichlor or any bags of shock. Your CYA is already reaching a maximum level and may require water exchange if it get much higher.

Switch to liquid chlorine (aka regular bleach) ASAP. No side effects. Treat your pool as a non-SWG pool as noted on the FC/CYA Levels. You mention green water, but we don't know if it's algae right? Are you on a well? Have you done a TFP SLAM Process before? Tell you what, you should consider doing an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to rule-out algae. If you have post-winter algae, the SWG will never keep-up and your FC will crash. Read and perform the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test if you can starting this evening (SWG off!) and let us know the results tomorrow morning.

 

[slcoulby]

Switch to liquid chlorine (aka regular bleach) ASAP. No side effects. Treat your pool as a non-SWG pool as noted on the FC/CYA Chart. You mention green water, but we don't know if it's algae right? Are you on a well? Have you done a TFP SLAM before? Tell you what, you should consider doing an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to rule-out algae. If you have post-winter algae, the SWG will never keep-up and your FC will crash. Read and perform the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test if you can starting this evening (SWG off!) and let us know the results tomorrow morning.

Thank you so much for the info. I don't know if it's algae. I am on a well. I have never done a TFP SLAM. Since opening I was holding out hope listening to SWG company and pool store would help and SWG would work, silly maybe?

I didn't see this in time to do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test, but I did test at 7pm last night, yielding the 11.5 FC above (that test was at 7pm and sunset was at 8:21pm) and my SWG was on (although I've yet to see it produce any chlorine) and this morning prior to dawn, the FC was 10.6. I know this isn't a true overnight test, but maybe it adds some insight? I can definitely do it tonight if needed.

In the meantime if I treat my pool as non-SWG using FC/CYA chart that would mean my CYA is currently 80 and my target FC is 9-11 so technically I'm ok? If CYA of 80 is ok for SWG but not recommended for Bleach should I attempt to slowly do water to waste and add more water from our well or is that pointless given it's relatively small amount and hopes that eventually I will get the SWG working/replaced? So I just reference the chart and add bleach when FC drops below that target range for my CYA? I feel like this is a dumb question but how much bleach would one usually add to maintain FC, I'm just trying to determine how much I should buy and use when needed. If I notice it drop do I add 1 gal and test immediately?

Based on my test results should I do anything else to adjust to TFP recommended levels with bleach? Like decrease TA or increase CH? I've been referencing all the charts and info for SWG so I know my numbers are out of whack for bleach plaster pool.

As for the green color, I haven't seen the pool in daylight today and I'm at work but any chance that will clear up as I work to get numbers in line? (if we determine it isn't algae)

Lastly, given my current numbers, are we safe to swim this weekend? Thank you again. I'm starting to feel little glimmers of hope and can't tell you how much I appreciate the advice.

 

[ajw22]

For the short term just focus on managing your FC within targets and pH in the 7s. CYA, TA, CH are ok. Your pH is fine. Only thing you need to manage daily is top off your FC level. The targets assume you will be checking your FC once a day. Use PoolMath to calculate how much liquid chlorine you need to add to get back to a FC of 9-11.

Testing and adjusting your FC more often then once a day is fine if you have the time.

If you can see the bottom of the pool and your FC is below shock value the pool is safe to swim in. The water may not be perfect by the weekend but it is likely better then any natural swimming hole.

Don’t get Clorox bleach. Just about all of it says it contains Cloromax Technology which are polymers that create foaming and are not suitable for pools. See if your local Walmart has Pool Essentials Chlorinating Liquid which is 10% liquid chlorine. Or Hone Depot has 10%. If you buy bleach you want no additives, fragrances, or splash proof.

How much liquid chlorine you should buy depends on the strength you find. A gallon of 10% gives you 2.9 ppm. A gallon of 6% gives you 1.9 ppm. Once you get your FC to target your pool may consume 2-4 ppm a day. If you see your FC dropping by more then that it is a sign you have some algae and need to follow the SLAM Process process after the weekend party.

And note that pH tests are unreliable when FC is above 10. So check your pH when your FC has dropped below 10 then add chlorine as needed. Add chlorine and muriatic acid at least 15 minutes apart.

 

[slcoulby]

How much liquid chlorine you should buy depends on the strength you find. A gallon of 10% gives you 2.9 ppm. A gallon of 6% gives you 1.9 ppm. Once you get your FC to target your pool may consume 2-4 ppm a day. If you see your FC dropping by more then that it is a sign you have some algae and need to follow the SLAM Process process after the weekend party.

And note that pH tests are unreliable when FC is above 10. So check your pH when your FC has dropped below 10 then add chlorine as needed. Add chlorine and muriatic acid at least 15 minutes apart.

Thank you so much. Looks like our local Lowes has the 10% liquid chlorine so I'll maintain FC, test PH when FC drops below 10, handle with muriatic acid and liquid bleach for FC and look at SLAM after the weekend if I'm seeing more than 4 ppm drop. Sorry I do have 1 more question. Should I test in morning (Before party) and adjust as needed and that night (after party) and adjust as needed. So whenever I test, I can immediately add based on Pool Math, even if multiple times in a given day? Any period of time I should wait before swimming after adding chlorine?

 

[ajw22]

Should I test in morning (Before party) and adjust as needed and that night (after party) and adjust as needed.

That will work. Share here what test results you are getting and chemicals added and we can help you along or confuse you more. You can use PoolMath to keep track of test results and chemicals added.

So whenever I test, I can immediately add based on Pool Math, even if multiple times in a given day?

Yes

Any period of time I should wait before swimming after adding chlorine?

I would give it about 15 minutes to circulate.

 

[slcoulby]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Feeling ok about it all for the first time in weeks. Now I can focus on celebrating my daughter!