What is normal daily chlorine usage?

[Electrikkoolaid]

What would be a normal PPM usage of chlorine?

I am using 5ppm per day for the past few weeks, and this seems high to me.

Intex 4300 gal. 15ft. pool
Intex 1600 gph sand filter/pump
Full-sun, using BBB principles, pumping 6 hours/day.
Light use by 2 adults/ 2 kids.
No rain for past week.

Today's numbers:

• fc (morning) = 9.0
  
• fc (night) = 4.2
• cc= 0
• tc= 9
• cya = 55
• alk = 100
• borate = 40
• ph= 7.4
• ch = 70

Added 46 ounces of Walmart bleach at bedtime.

This is pretty much the standard routine every day - varying from 36-55 ounces of bleach. I've seen others reporting using 2-3ppm of chlorine per day, or going days without adding chlorine. If I miss a dose, I bottom out.

Normal usage? Or do I need to look for a problem?

[PoolDoc]

Look at the Best Guess chart. Your chlorine is high for CYA=55; running higher levels than recommended will, in sunny weather, lead to excess chlorine loss.

But . . . there's no way you know that your CYA=55ppm. There are NO test kits available outside university or major water analysis labs that would allow you to get those results ACCURATELY. I'm guessing you have test strips and some sort of reader?

Using an electronic reader with 'guess-strips' is a case of trying to make a "silk purse out of a sow's ear". Guess-strips are ESPECIALLY bad at CYA readings, and often can't tell the difference between 20 ppm and 50 ppm CYA. These readers 'make up' extra numbers so you think you are getting a really accurate reading, even though you are not. Sometimes, however, they can be consistent in the bad reading they deliver, as long as you use the same type of strips and reader each time. But consistency does NOT equal accuracy, either.

What this means is you may have CYA much lower than 55. If you want test results that are as accurate as possible (+- 10 ppm CYA on the low end of the scale), order a K2006 or K2006C. Amazon links in my signature.

[Electrikkoolaid]

I used a new Taylor 2oo6k kit for the above readings.

My wife said the CYA dot was invisible at 50ppm, I said "almost" 60ppm. (The 55 is a compromise since the range gap between the 50 and 60 is quite large on the turbidity tube.)

[PoolDoc]

Ok, that make sense. But you are still at the upper end of what you want your FC to be normally in a pool at 60 ppm.

Other possible reasons for high chlorine consumption:
+ recent use of a sodium bromide product -- ANYTHING from United Chemical Company
+ early stages of algae growth
+ use of any algaecide
+ kids peeing in the pool (urine uses up a lot of chlorine)