Cloudy water plan of action

[wsommariva]

This is my fourth year. And maybe I'll get it right with you help.

[waterbear]

The only help I can offer to solve your problems is to get rid of the ClFree and either start using the BBB method as taught on this forum (It's really just good pool care and maintenance) or install a SWCG if you don't want to deal with daily bleach additions (it's still BBB since the generator is making sodium hypochlorite in your water which is what bleach is).
Your pool problems are mainly due to your ionizer system. They are common with ionizer systems. When people get rid of the ionizers and start taking care of their pools properly the problems go away. I've already told you this a while back on the other forum and chem geek had also given you input about your system and it's shortcomings.

[wsommariva]

I also appreciate Chem Geeks input. Can you tell me the normal levels of CL in the SWCG system for a fiberglass pool. And what is the normal level of CL just by using CL tablets?

[CarlD]

"normal" depends on the CYA (stabilizer) level. Check out Ben's Best Guess chart link on his signature above.
We usually refer to it as the maintenance level of FC (Free Chlorine) as opposed to "normal". Again, CYA levels determine that.

But for an SWCG, Chem_geek tells us that the chlorine level should be 5% of the CYA level. Since most SWCG manufacturers recommend a CYA level of between 60 and 80ppm (check your manual), that would mean the SWCG should be set to keep between 3 and 4 ppm of FC in the pool. Note that this is NOT the same level as the Best Guess table--you use a different set of standard chemical levels with an SWCG. I don't think an FG pool matters.

Carl

[wsommariva]

Thank you Carl. Seems from Ben's chart FC might be similiar in both cases. Maybe a dumb question, but is CL generated by a SWCG the same as CL in tablet form?

[waterbear]

Chlorine from a SWCG is sodium hypochlorite, same as liquid chlorine and bleach. Your unit is not a SWCG and will not generate enough chlorine to be able to keep your pool chlorinated properly (as chem geel already stated).
Tablets are generally trichlor, a stabilized form of chlorine that addes 6 ppm CYA for every 10 ppm of FC added.
All forms of chlorine form hypochlorous acid (Free Chlorine) and hypochorite ions in the water, the difference between them being what else they add (and if these additions can be detrimental) and the effect they have on pH.

Generally, with a SWCG FC is kept at 4-5 ppm and CYA at 80 ppm.
In a manually (and this includes automated chemical feeder systems, chlorinators, and floaters) chlorinated pool (chlorine source does not matter, btw) IF the CYA is in the "normal" range of 30-50 ppm then generally FC is kept at 3-6 ppm.
IF the chloirne source is a stabilized chlorine (dichlor granules or trichlor tabs) then the CYA will continue to rise with useage since both of these also add CYA to the water. Dichlor adds 9 ppm for every 10 ppm FC added and trichlor adds 6 ppm for every 10 ppm FC.

[wsommariva]

Thank you.