No Free Chlorine Level

Gunite Inground Pool approx 18,000 gallon 16x32 (3.5' shallow end and 8' deep end)
Sand Filter
Currently Using 3" Tabs in two floaters.
Test with Test Strips - According to test strips my ph is 7.2, free chlorine 0, alkalinity 80, stablizer 30-50

I have had a hard time maintaining free chlorine. I started to see slight algae on the walls about a week ago so I used some algaecide. I think I used too much algaecide.

I then bought some granulated chlorine and the 2lbs of chlorine was gone by morning and I shocked the pool twice (1lb bags each.) and each time the free chlorine level was gone.

I then went to Leslie Pools to get my water tested - 7/28 Per their water analysis form:

Free Chlorine - 0
ph - 7.4
Total Alkalinity - 100
CYA - 0
Calcium Hardness - 200
Phosphates - 300

Yesterday 4 hours apart I did the following:
- Added 4lbs of Stabilizer & Conditioner (HTH brand)
- Added 1/2 bottle of (67.6 fl oz) Natural Chemistry PHOS free from Leslie
- Added 3 bags of Leslie Shock

This morning I tested my water and I still have no free chlorine. My testing strip looks just like it did prior to doing the above.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Debbie

With a CYA=0, you can lose all of the chlorine you add to your pool in a single full day of sun, no matter how much you add. You also MUST have your own test kit, if you hope to ever have your pool run well.

+ Stabilizer takes 48+ hours to dissolve . . . IF you run the pump the whole time.
+ There are several types of Leslie's shock; some contain ZERO chlorine. What -- EXACTLY -- did you add?
+ Phos Free will consume chlorine and cloud your pool, while it's removing phosphates.

I'll post a couple of relevant snippets, below.

Ben

================================================== =====



+ Get a cheap OTO (yellow drops) / phenol test kit, or if available at YOUR Walmart (check availability), get the HTH 6-way DROPS test kit, which is compatible with the Taylor K2006. Test the pool as soon and you can, and post the results. If you get the 6-way kit, ALSO test the water you FILL the pool with, especially if it's a well, and post THOSE results as well. (The HTH is the best available kit you're likely to find locally, but it's not the K-2006. It can only provide rough measurements chlorine levels above 5 ppm, and it measures "TOTAL" hardness, rather than "CALCIUM" hardness, which is not ideal.)

+ Having a good test kit makes pool care easier for EVERYONE. A good test kit means a kit that can test chlorine from 0 - 25 ppm, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and stabilizer with reasonable accuracy. Test strips (AKA 'guess-strips' ) do NOT meet this standard. Some pool store testing is accurate; most is not. The ONLY way you'll know whether your pool store is accurate or bogus, is by testing accurately your own self. On the other hand, pool store 'computer' dosing recommendations are NEVER trustworthy -- ignore them. They are designed to sell more chemicals than you need, and WILL cause many pool problems.

+ We recommend the Taylor K-2006 test kit, which meets the requirements above, for many reasons. The HTH 6-way drops kit is a great starter kit, and is compatible with the K2006 (it's made by Taylor). There are a few alternatives; for example Lamotte makes an FAS-DPD kit that's OK -- but it costs 3x as much. But, we're not aware of any test that is better, and since we are all familiar with the K-2006 (and can help you with it) we recommend it exclusively ( Test kit info page )

One caution for the 2012 season: Amazon does not stock the kits directly. So when buying at Amazon, Amato is our current preferred seller. However, they often don't list enough stock to last the whole day, so try order mid-morning. You should expect a delivered cost under $60 for the K2006A and under $95 for the K2006C. If you can't find that, wait a day.

+ Here are links to the kits we recommend (you can check local availability on the HTH kit, using the Walmart link):

HTH 6-Way Test Kit @ Walmart
Taylor K2006A (3/4 oz bottles) @ Amazon
Taylor K2006C (2 oz bottles) @ Amazon

+ If you need stabilizer, and have access to a Sams Club, buy their 24 pack of 1# bags of dichlor shock. Each bag will add about 7 ppm of chlorine, and about 6 ppm of stabilizer, per 10K gallons of water. Otherwise, order dichlor from Amazon:

Kem-Tek Dichlor 22 lbs

We do NOT recommend buying dichlor locally, otherwise, at least until you are an EXPERT reader of chemical labels. The chlorinating pool chemicals sold at Walmart, Kmart, Costco, and most other local stores are diluted blends, sometimes with copper and other products with bad side-effects.

+ Do NOT add pool store goop -- phosphate removers, clarifiers, flocculents, metal 'removers' & sequestrants, and especially, algaecides -- without instruction from us, or at least, a VERY specific reason for doing so. All of those products have side effects that you probably don't understand yet. Most are sold to pool owners who do NOT need them. Many will make things worse if over-used. Some (algaecides, phosphate removers) usually make things worse if used at all. Rarely, you may actually NEED one of those products.

+ It's much easier to answer your questions, when we have the details about your pool in one place. We often 'waste' the first few posts back and forth collecting information. So, please complete our new Pool Chart form -- it takes about 30 seconds, but will save much more than that.

Pool Chart Entry Form

I got the test kit today.

Results:
PH- 7.2
Aklanity - 110
Calcium - 250
FC - 2.5
CC - .5

I have been scrubbing the walls and vacuuming to waste. I want to make sure the yellow algae stays away.

Thank you,
Debbie

what is your CYA -- stabilizer -- level?

that's critical!

My CYA level is 52.

I have a gunite pool. How can I remove all of the yellow algae? I have some stains on the wall. Also do I need to shock the pool to make sure I have killed all of it?

Thank you,
Debbie

Yes. Take a look at the Best Guess Chlorine Chart in Ben's signature above for needed shock levels. Don't worry about the stains for now. Just work on killing the algae and you can take care of stains afterwards.

+ Get a cheap OTO kit, so you have a reliable (if not super accurate) way to measure chlorine.
+ Start adding 3 gallons of PLAIN 6% household bleach each evening.
+ Brush the pool completely after the 2nd dose.
+ Continue till you get your K2006
+ Report complete readings once it arrives.

I did purchase kit and post results.

My bad.

CYA = 50 ppm; mustard algae level for FC is between 15 and 30 ppm.

+ Add a first dose of 6 gallons of plain 6% bleach.
+ Make sure NOTHING is in the skimmer (no dirt, no chemicals) and pour the bleach in via the skimmer while the pump is running.
+ The following evening, add enough chlorine to raise the level to 25+; then brush the pool completely, then add another gallon of bleach.
+ Hold the chlorine level between 15 - 30 ppm for 1 week after all traces of mustard algae are gone

Thank you. To avoid multiple trips to the store how many gallons do you suggest I buy? I have never used bleach before. Thanks

Probably, 24 if you can get that many -- enough for 4 days. (Lots of jokes around here, about the weird looks you get when you're in the check out line with 25 gallons of bleach and 10 boxes of borax!)

Just tell people that you have really, really dirty kids!

Yeah. That'll make them think you are normal. :innocent:

Not! :p