Zero Free Chlorine Reading

[killrnails]

A HUGE thanks everyone for your suggestions, I really appreciate it!

@ Big Dave: We just bought the house last October & the pool was already closed, so we don't know the cyanuric acid readings. Had we known more about water testing we definately would have asked the previous homeowner a ton of pool questions. The chemicals in Aqua Blast are 68% calcium hypochlorite. The previous owner did leave a water test kit, but it's the Taylor K-1001 so we're heading out to get the one you recommended (the K-2006 one).

@ Aylad: The water test wasn't a strip test, they used a syringe type thing & poked a hole in a small foil sealed retangular container squirting the water into the container. They then placed the container in a small machine thing which was how they got the water analysis. Is this what's called a drop test?

@ PoolDoc: The Aqua Blast chemicals say 68% calcium hypochlorite & "other ingredients" 32%, contains no cyanuric acid. It's manufactured by a company here in MI called KB Leisure, Ltd. & there's no product # other than the bar code #'s. And yes, the Aqua Blast as well as the Induclor we're using now is a shock treatment. What would cause the high ammonia?

Good news is we finally have freed the chlorine. Hopefully it'll be in the high 70's tomorrow so I can get in the pool & brush the walls instead of walking around the pool & doing it!

[PoolDoc]

+ CAUTION: you can NOT "head out" to get the K-2006. As far as we know, no pool stores ANYWHERE sell them. They are only available online. (Why would a pool store sell a kit that makes them obsolete?)

+ I'm not familiar with testing that used sealed cells - it is potentially an rather accurate photometric method. However, because of the limitations of photometric testing for chlorine, you STILL need either the K-1515 or K-2006 titration.

+ "68% calcium hypochlorite" is the good stuff -- but you need to test your TA and Calcium. Odds are, it's way too high now. Until you've tested, don't operate an SWCG or a heater, if you have those.

+ The high ammonia would be caused by bacteria eating (pretty much literally) chlorine stabilizer (CYA) and pooping (again, pretty much literally) ammonia. *IF* this happened, you probably had high CYA last fall, and none now. If that's not the case, we need to back up and reconsider: we're not aware of any other routine events that cause such enormous chlorine demand, except inch-thick layers of algal slime.