Ascorbic Acid Treatment

[Phenom300]

After reading the sticky several times I decided to try the ascorbic acid treatment to remove some light staining that I had around the edges of my 27 foot AG. I first started by adding Polyquat 60 and when the FC got below 1ppm I added 1.75 pounds of ascorbic acid. The FC stayed at the same value for the rest of the day and the stain remained. I added HEDP at the end of the day. The following morning my staining was gone and my FC was 0. My pool looks like new. I have been adding bleach 3-4 times a day to try to keep my levels it at my best guess minimum, but it's vanishing quickly. It's been 6 days and I have been through roughly 12 gallons of bleach. Can someone give me an idea of how long it takes the affects of the ascorbic acid to stop eating my chlorine?

Also, I purchased a CuLator packet and basically said See You Later to $23, it doesnt appear to be doing anything, no color change to it at all.

My current levels are

FC 2.0
CC 0.5
TC 2.5
Ph 7.4 (I just added some muratic acid to keep it at 7.2)
ALK 80
CH 160
CYA 55

[Phenom300]

I'll answer my own question, it took about 2 weeks for the ascorbic acid to stop eating my chlorine. The process was a pain, but it was well worth it, the pool is stain free. I would not recommend the purchase of CuLator.

[chem geek]

The CuLator doesn't always change color and it's slow. The key is whether you tested metals before adding the CuLator and have a lower tested metal content afterwards. Without the CuLator, you'd have to add the HEDP metal sequestrant periodically forever or at least until the water got sufficiently diluted.

That is strange that it took so long for the chlorine to hold. Even if you added too much ascorbic acid, the chlorine would react with it quickly so you should have been able to shock through it in a day or two. What you describe sounds more like what happens when someone uses an EDTA-based sequestrant/chelator since EDTA reacts with chlorine more quickly than HEDP and creates a noticeable chlorine demand.

[PoolDoc]

Also, I purchased a CuLator packet and basically said See You Later to $23, it doesnt appear to be doing anything, no color change to it at all.

You may have already removed the metals. Depending on how you shocked to remove the ascorbic acid, you very easily could have put the metals on the filter, and then backwashed them away.

This happens very regularly -- the problem is that we don't have a good enough handle on it to make it predictable EXCEPT with cal hypo dosed via the skimmer, which is potentially dangerous.

The bottom line is, you can only be sure that the CuLater is NOT working, if you are FIRST sure there are still metals in the water.

Don't throw the CuLater away. If nothing else, test it!

Put it in a plastic container with a couple of copper pennies, a gallon of water, and a cup of vinegar. Over a several day periood, it should pick up copper dissolved by the vinegar, changing color as it does. If you see it change color, remove the pennies as soon as you see the color change, and then leave the CuLater for a week, shaking or stirring occasionally. It should remove any remaining copper. Take out the Culater and add baking soda till the fizzing stops. Then add another 1/2 cup and mix till dissolved. Allow it to stand overnight. IF there's still copper in the water, you should have some colored precipitate. If NOT, the CuLater did work, at least after a fashion.

Alternatively: get a skimmer sock, and just leave the Culater in the skimmer UNDER the sock (so it doesn't get fouled).

Poolmaster 16242 Poolmaster Skimmer Basket Liner (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004XUIRQW/poolbooks)
If you have any continuing metal addition to the pool, you should see a color change.