Green pool, advice from local pool store?

[BigDave]

You can add a Taylor K-1515 FAS-DPD kit to your K-2005 and get accurate chlorine measurements at high chlorine levels. You'll have every thing in the K-2006 plus the color match DPD chlorine test.

[Darrenmv]

Please confirm. I still should put 10 gallons of 6% chlorine in my pool (take chlorine level to 20ppm and keep it there?) even though I did not put the Sodium Bromide in the pool? Or can I use less since I did not use the Sodium Bromide?

Thanks,
Darren

[PoolDoc]

20 ppm is fine, if you have a concrete pool.

If you have a vinyl pool, I'd recommend trying 6 gallons at a time first, given that your stabilizer level is so low.

Also, brush the pool after adding the chlorine, and then use an OTO / phenol red kit to check your chlorine, in the AM. If it's below 5 ppm, add more.

IMPORTANT: when the chlorine is above 10 ppm, you can NOT test with a K2005: not chlorine, and not pH! With the K2006 or the K1515, you can test chlorine to 50 ppm accurately, but pH testing is still limited to 10 ppm. There's a work around, but you should not need it yet.

The cheap OTO kit can't test pH above 5 ppm chlorine, but the OTO will go to 50 ppm or more. It's not very precise, but it's very dependable.

With your low stabilizer, the algae killing range is dark yellow to orangish-yellow (~10 - 20 ppm)

[Darrenmv]

6% Chlorine Bleach is $2.98 for 1.42 gallons.
Calcium Hpyochlorite 68% is $16.99 for 5lbs at local pool store.

My pool salt level right now is testing too high (3900+). Not a big deal at the moment since my salt cell is broken and it's supposed to rain for 3 straight days.

I need to take my pool to shock level, my CYA is 15ppm.

My pool is gunite and my hardness level is testing at 180ppm.

Should I go for the bleach or the Calcium Hypochlorite? And how much will I need to get it up to shock level? My chlorine level right now is less than 2ppm.

Thanks,
Darren

[PoolDoc]

+ 6% bleach is about 0.5lb / gallon, so . . . . 2.98 / (1.42 x 0.5) or ~$4.20/lb Cl2 equivalent
+ 68% cal hypo => 16.99 / (0.68 * 5) or ~$4.99/lb Cl2 equivalent.

So, the bleach is a bit cheaper and it's definitely easier to dissolve in cold water. The only problem is bulk. Dosing with bleach, each gallon will add about 1.7 ppm of chlorine to YOUR pool. At CYA = ~15 ppm, 6 gallons of bleach should be a good dose.

By the way, Waterbear is correct: the K1005 is NOT a complete kit. You'd probably be better off to go ahead and get a complete K2006. But, use your OTO kit in the meantime -- you did get one, right?

[waterbear]

You can add a Taylor K-1515 FAS-DPD kit to your K-2005 and get accurate chlorine measurements at high chlorine levels. You'll have every thing in the K-2006 plus the color match DPD chlorine test.

His kit is a k-1005, NOT A k-2005. It is a different and less expensive Taylor kit. While it is a serviceable DPD test kit it is not as good as a K-2005 or K-2006.

20 ppm is fine, if you have a concrete pool.

Ben, his first post said 34k gallon gunite!