Cloudy water after filter change

[JMann]

Alright, so I just realized that the 1/2 box prescription for borax was for 10,000 gallons. And I had my Pool Calculator on my iPhone set to "soda ash." Pool Calculator says I need to add 154 oz. of borax to raise it from 7.0 to 7.6. So I added a whole box (76 oz) and I plan on adding another box later tonight after testing. That should get me back on track.

[aylad]

Liquid chlorine does not raise pH--it in itself is alkaline, but the reaction with junk in the water is acidic, so basically you have a draw--no real measurable pH change. However, if you start using the dichlor or trichlor, keep in mind that it will drive your pH way down, so you'll need to keep an eye on it. If you're using dichlor or trichlor, bumping the alk up a little to the 110-120 range will help stabilize the pH, but if you're going to use any other form of chlorination long term, you'd be better off leaving the alk at 70.

Right now, just concentrate on keeping the pH above 7.0, and your chlorine at 12-15 ppm until whatever's causing your CC burns off (I'm betting it's ammonia demand from last year's CYA degrading--do you know what your CYA was at closing last year? Did you use a lot of stabilized chlorine last year?)

Janet

[JMann]

Yeah, ammonia demand sounds right. I don't know what my CYA was last year, but all we have used the last two years is dichlor shock once a week and trichlor mini-tabs all season. We moved in two years ago and I have been relying on the pool store for everything. No more!!!

Glad I found this site. I would have been further in the pool store web of chemicals. Thank you so much!!

[JMann]

Okay, I just wanted to give you an update.

So far I have put in 15 bottles (1.42G) of 6% household bleach and 5 carboys (5G each) of 12.5% liquid chlorine. That's 21.32G of 6% and 25G of 12.5%. By my calculations that is (21.32*.06)+(25*.125) = 4.4G of pure chlorine. Or (4.4G/27,000G)*1,000,000 = 162.96ppm for my pool.

Here are my readings as of 5:45 this morning:

FC: 3
CC: 1
pH: 7.0
Alk: 75 (test turned dark red at 7, pink at 8)

I have put 5 boxes (76oz each) of borax and it has stayed above 7.0 for most of the time. But something in the shocking process is bringing down my pH.

For the first time in 2 weeks I can see the deep end!!!

My FC levels obviously didn't hold overnight, but its the first morning test I have had where FC is over 2 and CC is less than FC. Most of my morning tests have been around FC 3 and CC 5. I have to work today, so my plan is to put another box of borax in to try to bring the pH up during the day and start shocking again in the evening (around 6-6:30). Then I will test every hour and bring FC level back up to 12-15ppm until bedtime (11:00) and test again in the morning. I will keep repeating this process throughout the week until I can hold my FC level overnight.

Thanks again for you help and support!!

[Watermom]

You are welcome. Keep us posted how it is going.

[aylad]

Hang in there--it'll work, just don't give up

[JMann]

UPDATE:

Water looks amazing...crystal clear!! I am still losing FC overnight, but all of my readings for CC have been at or below 1. My last test at 10:30 last night showed FC 10.5 and CC at 1. Here are my results from 5:45 this morning.

FC: 3
CC: 0.5
pH: 7.6
Alk: 85

I do have one question. I am going to continue to shock until I can hold FC overnight, but should I start using Dichlor to raise my CYA levels?? They are at zero and I am concerned about have NO chlorine in the pool during the day. Using the Pool Calculator, I could use 5lbs of Dichlor and bring my FC into my 12-15ppm range while also introducing 11ppm of CYA. Obviously, I would watch these levels with a target of about 30ppm(??). Once I hit those levels, I could switch back to liquid chlorine if necessary. Anything wrong with this strategy??

Thanks,
Jim

[Watermom]

You can use dichlor but just be aware that as the CYA level comes up, so does the needed shock level to kill whatever is in your pool. If you haven't already done so, please read the Best Guess Chlorine Chart in my signature. I would also suggest a CYA level of around 50 as opposed to 30. (Actually, maybe aim for 40-45ppm and that way if you overshoot a little, you'll still be ok.)