Chemical Help

Am I close to being out of this mess with a CC of 1?? I have used about 25# of 3" pucks and too many gal of beach to even count. I have bought all of the local stores out of borax and big bottles of bleach. (They all look at me funny when I come to the store daily for 2 boxes of Borax and 4 bottles of bleach)

Today I had a low FC of .5 and CC of 1 but I put in 5 gal of bleach and now have a FC of 6 and CC of 1.

Recently I have added at least 10 boxes of Borax, but my pH still is at 7-7.2. Water still cloudy.

Thanks for the help.

The way to tell is to look and see what happens overnight. If you have 6 ppm at 7 or 8 PM your time, and still have at least 5 ppm tomorrow morning . . . you are probably close to done.

Still not there. FC still dropping to 2-3 at times. CC still at 1.5 and pH at 7.0 no matter how much borax I throw at it.

Please Help....

Am I doing something wrong???
I have continued to have 3" pucks in the skimmer and have gone through a 50# bucket, I buy at least 3 gal of bleach and add every night and I still have FC from 1-4 but CC is still 1.5 to 2.0 but what is real concerning to me is that I am doing something wrong is the pH.... I add box after box of Borax and still my pH is going down to 6.8.

Is there any advantage to "washing soda" over borax?
The only reason is that the Washing soda is cheaper where I live. I have only added Borax but I have added probably added at least 12-15 boxes since this started. (I just don't want to screw it up by adding too much, or maybe that is not possible)

Also I add the Borax through the skimmer, is there a better way???

(I don't know if this is an issue but I have a Poplar and Oak tree overhanging the pool as well as arborvitae shrubs about 10' from the pool. The Poplar trees have been releasing a long skinny "thing" when their leaves come out and collect in my skimmer, I dont know if that will effect the pH.)

My water is now clear without any real odor.

Thanks for your help

InGround Vinyl pool, 18x36, 22,000 gal, sand filter, heat pump, Live in PA, overhanging trees over the pool

This is a long thread. So that I don't have to reread 40-some posts, can you remind us what your CYA level is, when was the last time you added any and how much did you add, and what kind of test kit are you using.

I am using a Taylor 2006 at your recommendation. My CYA was 0 when I started but I did add 4lb of stabilizer a week and a half ago which should be enough to get to 20 ppm, but have not tested it because I only have the basic start up re agents for the Taylor which has only enough for a few tests. I was going to wait until I got my CC to 0 first but I just cant seem to get there.

The trichlor pucks are acidic and are driving your pH down. Continue to work on bringing it up. Washing soda will raise pH and alk whereas Borax mainly affects pH. Adding it slowly through the skimmer while the pump is running is the correct way to do it.

What is your chlorine reading in the evenings when you test (but before you add bleach)? How much chlorine are you losing overnight?

Go ahead and test the CYA level and report it. You can always buy refills on the CYA testing reagent.

My CL readings at night are between 1-3ppm, I then add 3-5 gal of bleach, then it is then 5-7 on average with CC 1.5.

My pH was 6.8 today and TA was 140 the last I checked. So it sounds like I would be better to stay with Borax so I dont get my TA any higher. My jets are aimed at the surface to raise the pH but that has not seemed to work for me.

Is there anything wrong with adding bleach through the skimmer? I normally add at the return jet in the deep end.

Oh, do the 3" pucks from Sams club raise CYA?

Thanks,

Mike

Yes the trichlor puck raise CYA. They also drop pH.

Ok I went home for lunch and took all new measurements:

I am not sure if I did the CYA test right. I went until I could not even see a hint of black and got 70 but it started to dissapear at 100. This is shock because I had 0 to start and only added enough stabilizer (4lbs) to get to 20. I have gone through a 50lb bucket of pucks. I screwed up I guess by adding any at all since I was still adding chlorine by the 3" tabs. I just didnt realize they add that much that quick.

Here are my other values:
pH 6.8
TA 140
CYA 70 (I also checked this with test strips that I had and got the 30-50 range but I do not know how accurate those are)
FC 3
CC 3

Please help!!!
The 3 CC is frustrating since I thought I was out of this mess.

Those trichlor pucks cause a lot of unsuspecting pool owners to have too much CYA in their pools. Just don't use them anymore. A CYA reading of 70 will work fine. You'll just need to maintain adequate chlorine levels per the Best Guess Chlorine Chart in my signature.

Keep adding the Borax. A reading of 6.8 is the lowest a pH test can register so in all reality, it could be lower than that. After adding Borax, wait a couple of hours to let it circulate, then retest and redose.

FC + CC = TC, so your chlorine numbers aren't quite right. How are you doing your chlorine test?

As far as adding bleach to the skimmer, that is fine and how I always add mine. Just pour it slowly while the pump is running.

Please add the fact that you have a K-2006 to your signature.

Hi mreesept;

I'm sorry you're still having problems. It's all rather confusing, so I entered the test results you reported in this thread, to this spreadsheet: mreesept pool history

After doing so, I was even more confused. You report a 22,000 gallon pool, and that you've added 4# of stabilizer and 50# of trichlor. That would raise your CYA to about 170 ppm, not 70 ppm. Those numbers are hard to reconcile, unless you have a HUGE leak. Testing error can easily confuse 70 ppm and 90 ppm, but not 70 ppm and 170 ppm.

There are some other numbers you've reported on your pool, that don't work out. So, please do these things:

1. Tell me whether you have a K-2006 or not.
2. Report a complete set of results, here: PF Pool History - mreesept Test FC with *both* the 10ml sample (0.5 ppm / drop) and 25 ml sample (0.2 ppm / drop). Also report CC, pH, TA, CH, and CYA
3. List *all* the chemicals you have used this spring.
4. Tell us how much water you've had to add to the pool.
5. Tell us how much trichlor you used last summer, as best you can recall.

Thanks!

I will plan to input all results today. I have only put in a 40# bucket of triclor pucs (that you requested early in this tread) since starting. (One gal of muratic acid at the begining when my pH was very high). One bottle of stabilizer I think 4# from Walmart which should have raised my pool to under 20ppm according to the chart. Other than that I have put in countless bottles of 6% bleach and many boxes of Borax, too many to count. I have done everything according to advice in this thread except the stabilizer which I thought had to be added since I had none when I tested at first.

Pool Doc,

Sorry but I could not find my ID # to put in that form you sent, so I couldnt fill it out. Here is my current info.

Time of sample: 4:25

FC 2.0 (I did not add any bleach today)
CC 2.8 (3.0 with the 10ml sample)
pH 7.4
TA 140
CH 20 (there was very little pink which went away almost immediately)
CYA 80 (the black dot starts to dissapear at 110 but is still slightly visible until 80)
I run the pump 24hr a day.
Water is clear to the 7.5' deep end
No odor
I have a 300lb sand filter with a 3/4 hp pump and heat pump.
Water temp is low to mid 70's (not heating much yet)
I have two skimmers and a side wall suction and two returns and use a 12mil solar cover
I have not really added much water this year but have backwashed a bunch out as we have gotten a fair amount of rain in PA so far.

This year I have put in: a 40# bucket of triclor pucs (that you requested early in this tread) since starting. (One gal of muratic acid at the begining when my pH was very high). One bottle of stabilizer I think 4# from Walmart about two weeks ago (which according to the bottle was <20ppm), two bottles of clarifier along the way. Other than that I have put in countless bottles of 6% bleach (mainly two or three 1.42 bottles a night) and many boxes of Borax, too many to count.

Last year I went through 2 40# buckets of Sams Club pucks, several boxes of shock from Sams, clarifier, Low and slow toward the end of the year at the request of my local pool store, and I used an "In the Swim" winterizing packet.

I do get a ton of leaves and "junk" in my pool from the many trees around my pool (it is lined with Arborvitae trees on two sides as well as overhanging oak and poplar trees. I also have gotten several deal moles and chipmunks in the pool this spring but they get taken out quickly.

Please help me understand these numbers.

I have been trying to follow the Taylor 2006 kit instructions for everything. One issue is that I am not always home to put stuff in my pool daily. The pucks are good for me because I am not always around. I have considered a salt water chlorine generator but just do not know which one to get. I am about ready to throw in the towel.

Your ID is mreesept, and the thread number is 15151.

I'm going let you enter that stuff, rather than me doing it. It makes it much easier for us to track especially in long threads like yours. I'll check back, after you've had a chance to get it entered. Here they are again:

PF Pool History entry form
Pool History Results for mreesept

I did put those numbers in last week.
I then dosed Sunday night to FC 15 CC 2.5 and pH 7.4. I came back from vacation today and had good and bad numbers. FC 1.0 CC.5 and pH 7.0 I put a box of Borax in, and I am off to buy more bleach.

It sounds like you have some lingering 'goop' (scientific term for unidentified chlorine eating stuff!). I think if you simply maintain good chlorine & pH levels for a week or so, it will resolve itself.

Pool problems have been cleaned up... no CC any more... Stabilizer level a little higher than I would like at 120 but will continue to let that drop over time.

Thanks for all the help. BBB method appears to be working for me.

Your CYA level isn't going to drop significantly for a long time. So, you'll need to be diligent about making sure you are keeping your chlorine at needed levels. Otherwise, you'll have algae problems. (See the Best Guess Chlorine Chart in my sig below.)

Glad the pool has cleared up! Now, time to enjoy it!