vitaminddd
07-23-2013, 11:41 AM
We are the very happy owners of a new 18x4 intex ultra frame pool that has been thoroughly enjoyed every day of the 5 it has been filled. Best idea ever!
We had the pool filled via pool water company truck (6k gallons, the other 423 from our garden hose).
We are using the HTH 6-way dropper test kit primarily, but also the test strips solely to monitor the presence of absence of free chlorine (my understanding is the dropper test measures for total chlorine?).
Our chlorine levels vary wildly because we have 0 CYA (or assuming very close to 0, there was no discernible difference in the appearance of the black dot at 30, and that's as low as the test measures.
So we have about 1.5lbs of HTH stabilizer in a sock next to the intake. We have a trichlor tab in a floater doohickey.
So, while we wait for our CYA to dissolve, what is the best way to keep the chlorine in check?
What we have been doing is dumping a pile of bleach or cal-hypo "shock" in the pool at night. This brings the chlorine level way up (beyond what we can measure), and it stays that way overnight (which I think is a good thing?). By noon/2PM, the chlorine is down to 1-2ppm, and by sundown, it's 0, at which point we repeat the process.
My understanding is that once the CYA level comes up, that will help keep the chlorine from disappearing during the day.
So my question is, is there a better way to handle the chlorine until the CYA comes up? We have been going "overboard" on the chlorine at night because the level does drop to 0 and since we don't lose chlorine at night, we figure it's doing the best possible job to kill off whatever started growing while the chlorine was 0. But should we be doing less at night, and adding a bunch in the AM?
We use the pool mostly in the late afternoon/early evening (which happens to be when the chlorine drops down to 0-2ppm).
Our water is crystal clear, and nothing slippery is on the pool surface. I'd like to keep it that way.
Test results:
Chlorine-all over the place
Ph: 7.5-7.8 (readings from the noon/2pm test when Chlorine is at a normal level)
TA: 40
Hardness: 80
CYA: 0 - not testing again until the sock is dissolved
I just don't want to wreck the pool or have it turn green.
We had the pool filled via pool water company truck (6k gallons, the other 423 from our garden hose).
We are using the HTH 6-way dropper test kit primarily, but also the test strips solely to monitor the presence of absence of free chlorine (my understanding is the dropper test measures for total chlorine?).
Our chlorine levels vary wildly because we have 0 CYA (or assuming very close to 0, there was no discernible difference in the appearance of the black dot at 30, and that's as low as the test measures.
So we have about 1.5lbs of HTH stabilizer in a sock next to the intake. We have a trichlor tab in a floater doohickey.
So, while we wait for our CYA to dissolve, what is the best way to keep the chlorine in check?
What we have been doing is dumping a pile of bleach or cal-hypo "shock" in the pool at night. This brings the chlorine level way up (beyond what we can measure), and it stays that way overnight (which I think is a good thing?). By noon/2PM, the chlorine is down to 1-2ppm, and by sundown, it's 0, at which point we repeat the process.
My understanding is that once the CYA level comes up, that will help keep the chlorine from disappearing during the day.
So my question is, is there a better way to handle the chlorine until the CYA comes up? We have been going "overboard" on the chlorine at night because the level does drop to 0 and since we don't lose chlorine at night, we figure it's doing the best possible job to kill off whatever started growing while the chlorine was 0. But should we be doing less at night, and adding a bunch in the AM?
We use the pool mostly in the late afternoon/early evening (which happens to be when the chlorine drops down to 0-2ppm).
Our water is crystal clear, and nothing slippery is on the pool surface. I'd like to keep it that way.
Test results:
Chlorine-all over the place
Ph: 7.5-7.8 (readings from the noon/2pm test when Chlorine is at a normal level)
TA: 40
Hardness: 80
CYA: 0 - not testing again until the sock is dissolved
I just don't want to wreck the pool or have it turn green.