Newly converted...how do I lower combined chlorine level?

Hi there -

I received Ben's test kit last week and went right to work converting my Baqua-crud pool to the First Church of BBB. It took about 4 full days.

Everything seemed to go just as described by most other converts in this forum (pictures to follow), and I thank each and every one of you. Your posts have been invaluable to me.

:)

Now I'm ready to level-off the rest of my chemicals and button-up the pool for the winter.

Here are my present vitals:

Pool: Above ground vinyl, est. 12,500 gallons
Location: Upstate NY (we typically endure long, below freezing winters with occasional fluke temperature fluctuations)
FC: 5
CC: 2
TC: 7
pH: 7.2
Alk: 140
Cal: 140
Cya: 0

For starters, I just added 4.5 pounds of Cya, so we'll see what that does.

Can someone steer me from here? And how can I get my CC to 0? It seems it's going down ever so slowly, but is there something I can or should do to speed things up a bit?

Thanks in advance.

To get your CC to zero, take your chlorine up to about 10 ppm and hold it there until the CC is gone. Otherwise, your numbers look pretty good! Congrats on the conversion, you won't be sorry.

Janet

To add to Janet
Dirtect sun can also help to lower CC so if you have the pool cover on you might pull it for a day or two.
Steve

Adding a little more, I think Janet missed your addition of 4.5 lbs stabilizer....bringing you to about 40-50ppm.

About 3 more gallons of 6% clorox added initially and then holding your FC @ 15ppm will "shock" your pool and get rid of the CC.

Read the stickies at the top of the water forums for more info on shocking.

Another year, I wouldn't bring my CYA up this late in the season. By spring there won't be much left.

Thanks for all of your good advice. I'll follow it and letcha know.

:)

Here are my numbers this morning:

Pool: Above ground vinyl, est. 12,500 gallons
Location: Upstate NY (we typically endure long, below freezing winters with occasional fluke temperature fluctuations)FC: 11.5
FC: 11.5
CC: 1.5
TC: 13
pH: 7.1
Alk: 140
Cal: 140
Cya: 45

It's looking like the perfect day to close my pool today, but I'm concerned with my CC level. Do I need to bring the level to zero before I close it? Also, not sure why the pH went down. You'd think with the additional chlorine that it would have gone up. :confused:

Would it harm anything to close the pool as is and rebalance the chemicals in the spring when I open it? Also, what is your opinion on adding Polyquat 60% algecide before I close? I've read that some people use it, while others don't.

Thanks again for your help.

Double check your CYA results and repost them

Whoops, I meant that my Cya is 45, not 145 - sorry - I edited my last post to reflect the correct reading.

Yeah, I was pretty sure that was a typo. I would suggest one more dose of chlorine to reach breakpoint (shock) and get virtuallu all the CC's out of there. It will probably have dropped some more so test again, and add enough to bring it up to 15-18ppm total.....that should clear up almost all the bugs.

I personally don't use polyquat but I don't close my pool, either. Most folks that close do seem to use it as part of the closing process. Others more informed than me can help.

By the way, those are nice pool numbers.....good work!

Thanks a million!

:)