Mustard alge??

Not sure if this is my problem but from what I read here it might be. First let me say I am waiting on Ben's test kit should be here any day. I have a 5-way kit from wal-mart that I have been using since I bought the pool last year and has worked well until now, here's what I have:
27 AG (16000 gal.)?

Ch. 15
ph. 7.4
alk 125-130
CYA 80
Hardness 0

Last year my cya ran around 30 after opening this year seems that it is around 80-90, (not sure what took place over the winter). All was well everything was staying balanced only problem was I didn't have a tester that could test my Ch. to the level it should have been with a cya of 80-90 and by that I just guessed. Now I know about distilled water.
after a couple days of hard thunder showers and hard rains my pool tirned a cloudy milky color and then yellow stuff appeard on the bottom of my pool.
after reading other post here I just swept bottom of pool and backwashed and rinsed and just added another gal. of bleach. I went through all this just to ask you guys/gals if I am on the right track. I can see the bottom it,s not terribly bad but I want to keep it from getting that way. I am adding bleach every day (about a gal) and have been for 3 days now. Not sure I see much progress with the condition of water, but now I vaccumed the bottom maybe that will do the trick

One gallon of bleach in a pool your size is only going to raise your Cl by about 4 ppm, and with a CYA of 80, if you're trying to get up to shock level, you need to get to 18-20. The things you are doing are the right things to do, just up your Cl a bit!

Janet

does anyone know what percent ch. that wal-mart bleach is? It's not printed on the lable. it,s the generic great value brand
Thanks

If it is the ultra, it should be 6%. At the bottom of the middle part of the back label under where it says - danger: corrosive, it notes that it is 6%.

OK, pool is all clear. I would have never known that that was alge, I always think of green slimy stuff. I guess it could have gotten that bad if it had gone untreated. This site has saved me lots of $$$ since I bought this pool last year. Ijust received Ben's kit yesterday, just wish the CH. tester went higher it's the same as the 5-way from walmart (only goes to 5). Just have to do the dillution or do a partial drain.
Thanks again for this site and all the help. You guys are good.
Tim

Which kit did you buy?

I bought the PS234. Is there another one with higher CH. readings?

The PS234 will go much higher. You should have a vial with some powder called R-0870. (Unless the number changed on the new kit, which I don't think it did. It may also be labeled as DPD powder.) You fill one of the collection bottles to the 10 ml mark and then add a scoop of the powder. If that doesn't turn the sample pink, you can add another scoop. Swirl to mix (don't worry if every bit of it doesn't dissolve completely) and then slowly add one drop at a time of R-0871 (FAS-DPD reagent), swirling after each drop. Count the number of drops it takes to turn the sample clear and then multiply the number of drops by 0.5. (Ex. 6 drops x 0.5 = FC reading of 3 ppm.) Then, to test for CC, add 5 drops of R-003 to the sample. If it stays clear, you have no CC. If it turns pink, you again add one drop at a time of R-0871 until it turns clear again and then multiply the number of drops by 0.5. That will be your CC reading. TC = FC + CC. This chlorine test can go way higher than 5. Hope this helps.

EDIT: I'm assuming that the PS234 also comes with the quick OTO chlorine test where you use the testblock that goes to 5. That must be why you thought the kit only went to 5. With the DPD/FAS test described above, you don't use this little test block.

Thanks watermom,

I just completed my first test with the PS234 and I did use the FAS DPD test although I thought it was just testing cc and fc. I had to dillute with 5parts distilled water to 1 part pool water because my pool sample was almost red and I lost count of drops I put in the sample with no color change so here are my readings. Let me know if this seems right.

CL. 10 OTO test wit 5ppm dis. water and 1ppm pool water
FC. 7 used same dillution as above
CC. ? when dillution method was used only added 1 drop to clear water
PH. 8.2
CYA 70 Really like thie bigger tube can see better.

now these readings are 2 days after keeping my pool at shock level around 15-20 for about 3 days to clear a alge bloom
I think I have done these tests right but not sure.
Thanks agin for the help

How do I register my kit to get into the other part on this site?

The DPD/FAS test does just test FC and CC, but if you add those two numbers together, you get your TC reading. I'm still a little confused about what you did, though. You do not need to dilute the sample when doing the DPD/FAS test. Just take a 10 ml sample of pool water, add a scoop of DPD powder, swirl and then add drops of R-0871 one at a time, swirling after each one. When the sample turns clear, multiply the number of drops by 0.5 and that is your FC reading. To check for CC, take the same sample (not a new one) and add 5 drops of R-003 and swirl. Then, add more drops of R-0871 one at a time, swirling after each. Multiply the number of drops by 0.5. That is your CC reading. Add the FC and the CC readings to get your TC reading. I hope this will clarify for you how to do the test.

Retest without diluting the sample and then repost your readings and somebody here can help you.

Ok, pool water to 10 ml line, added scoop of powder, dropped 1 drop 23x to clear red color added 5 drops #3 solution and color remained clear. Checked it 2 times readings were the same.
Does that mean:
FC 11.5
CC 0
TC 11.5
Do these #'s look right??

Oh, my PH. is at 8.6
what could have raised this from 7.4? All I added is bleach to shock levels

Quote:

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Originally Posted by conductor500

Ok, pool water to 10 ml line, added scoop of powder, dropped 1 drop 23x to clear red color added 5 drops #3 solution and color remained clear. Checked it 2 times readings were the same.
Does that mean:
FC 11.5
CC 0
TC 11.5
Do these #'s look right??

Oh, my PH. is at 8.6
what could have raised this from 7.4? All I added is bleach to shock levels

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Those numbers look correct.

I can't answer about the pH, but I am sure someone will come along and help with that.

You did the test correctly and your numbers look just fine. Although bleach does raise ph in some pools, (never does in mine, however), I can't imagine that it would have caused that much of an increase in ph. Maybe testing error one of the times it was tested. Test the ph one more time, and if it is that high, add some muriatic acid to lower it back down to 7.4-7.6..

Is it conceivable that I could purchase just the 3 chemicals mentioned to test the high levels of chlorine (R-0003, R-0870 and R-0871)? I have ordered Ben's kit, but could use some help in determing high chlorine levels now.