Chem log, to see....

[Watermom]

Any time you have organic stuff in the water, you will use a little more chlorine. But, obsessive Charlie, a bug and a leaf won't matter!

[BigDave]

I still say Proud! not obsessed. And watermom, what if that bug were moving?

[Watermom]

Oh, I didn't say that I would like that bug. I certainly would NOT! But, I meant as far as chlorine consumption goes, a bug wouldn't matter.

[Charlie_R]

Yes, I AM proud! In years past with this pool, it would have already been drained and refilled, in just the first month due to yucky water.

[Charlie_R]

I have another question about my pool chemistry.

At what concentration would calcium try to precipitate out? I ask because lately I have been seeing little white flakes in the pool, and on close examination they appear to be the consistency of wet flour but just a tiny bit of grit to them. Not very many of these flakes, and nothing like this is showing on the filter.

Before it is asked, no, I haven't been able to order the K-2006 kit yet. Lack of $$ is the only reason. So I'm still using the HTH 6 way.

Another oddity happened in the last couple of days. I've been trying to keep the chlorine level up between 5 & 8, but lost a LOT of it overnight between monday and tuesday. Was down to 3, so I dosed the pool with a gallon of 6%, in several doses tuesday. Seems to be holding now. There was no slimyness to anywhere on the liner prior to this, but that doesn't mean I wasn't about to get an algae bloom. Something used up the chlorine though. No clue why it would drop like that overnight, And without the FAS-DPD, I don't know what the CC level was.

Last night test results:

cl 6
pH 7.3
TA 110

Water remains clear, and no eye or skin irritation.

[aylad]

I haven't been able to isolate a particular range that would precipitate calcium--it is different for different pools, and part of it is also a function of the pH and TA levels. Plaster/concrete pools have to keep a calcium level between 200-400 to keep the calcium from being leached out of the pool surface, but there have been folks with vinyl pools on this forum that have had calcium precip at any range between 250 and 400, depending on their other water parameters.

The 6-way kit measures total hardness, not calcium hardness, but do you know what your calcium hardness level is, by any chance?

As far as the chlorine loss goes, you never know--might have had a critter swimming in the pool overnight, an influx of pollen or other airborne stuff, or a bit of algae that was just trying to get bigger, who knows? The great thing is that you were on top of it, stopped it before it became a problem, and now can continue to enjoy your pool. Ain't it great

Janet

[Charlie_R]

I have a link to the .pdf from our local water company, a detailed water quality report. Thanks to this forum, I would not have known to look for it!

http://www.amwater.com/files/MO_2010519_CCR.pdf

And the typical water report, showing the CaCO3 (calcium carbonate?) levels:

http://www.amwater.com/files/MO_2010519_TWQ.pdf

This is where I got my info about the fill water. Rather nice, I must say, saves me from having to do several bucket tests.

[Charlie_R]

I now know for sure what ate all the chlorine in my pool.

Listening to the pump, I heard air in it. Based on the construction of these intex single units, that meant that my filter was getting clogged. Took it out, and replaced with another.

Looking at the filter I removed, it had a definite green look to it. I can only assume that this indicates the start of an algae bloom, even though the water is still clear.

I am currently ramping up the chlorine levels today, but I'm unsure of how high I need to go. I'm thinking based on the best guess chart, I'll need at least a 15-20 level. How close am I? CYA level is holding between 70 and 80.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++


Just got in from brushing the pool. For sure, it was the beginnings of an algae bloom. Floor feels a whole lot different after brushing than before. I'll keep the chlorine levels high for the next couple of days, with daily brushing.

Anything else I should be doing while this is going on?

[Charlie_R]

How blind can one person be?

Even with reading multiple threads describing the "dusty bottom" or "mustard" algae, I still thought that the dust and dirt collecting in the small wrinkles on the bottom of our pool was just that. Dirt.

We've had this from day one, and I didn't think anything of it until today. When I looked at the pool early this morning, there wasn't very much of this "dirt" in the pool. It has visibly increased in just a few hours, even with a high level of chlorine in the pool. Dilution method with the OTO shows a TC of ~20, yet this stuff seems to still be growing.

Should I bring the chlorine level up even more?

I have no choice now but to order the K-2006 kit ASAP. To any other members that are following this thread.......Please don't make this same mistake, buy the kit as soon as you possibly can! This guesswork on chlorine levels alone makes the kit very much worth having. What I can tell from this experience is that knowing only the TC is definitely NOT enough. We really do need to know the CC level in order to properly adjust the dosage levels.

[Watermom]

Good advice, Charlie! You do need to know the CC readings. Glad you are going to order the good kit.