Chlorine Demand

[gfritz1]

Well its been 8 days since we did the partial drain and the shock using bleach to above 20ppm . The water has remained excellent and the grandchildren were here for weekend and enjoyed three days of swimming .I am losing about 2-3 ppm per day of FC as each day need to add roughly 1 gal of bleach (6%). Is this normal ? Weather was actually more overcast than sun . I have been able to hold between 5 ppm and 9ppm by moring add of bleach.My new readings Sat were as follow
My cya appeared to increase to 80 which I was suyrprised as no tabs are bing used and teh chlorinator is actually turned off
PH is 7.8
FC was 5.6 and CC was o
Alk was 150
Hardness was 170

Have not added anything other then bleach

[PoolDoc]

I am losing about 2-3 ppm per day of FC as each day need to add roughly 1 gal of bleach (6%). Is this normal ?

That's on the high end of normal . . . but still normal. You may find the results improve if you lower the pH some. If you'll fill out the pool chart

Pool Chart Entry Form

I'll try to look and see what you might do to improve the situation a little.

Something else you can try: adding large doses of bleach in the late evening, via the skimmer. This can help clean out any 'goo' in your filter. Again, if you'll complete the chart, I can calculate doses.

[gfritz1]

I initially filled out the pool chart a few weeks ago. Is it not saved?

[Watermom]

Yep! It's there. Sometimes we forget that we have already asked somebody to fill it out with all the people we help each day!

With a CYA of 80, you need to be keeping your FC between 5-10 all the time. Losing 2-3ppm of FC in a day is very normal. In a 23,000 gallon pool, each gallon of 6% bleach will add about 2.5ppm of chlorine.

If you want to shock the pool to try and make sure the filter is clear of any goo, your shock level would be 20ppm. So, use the reference I gave you above to figure out how much bleach to add when you test to take it up to 20. If you can go from sundown one evening to within two hours of sunrise the next morning without losing more than 1ppm of chlorine, have a CC reading no higher than 0.5ppm and have clear water, then you are good to go and can let the cl drift back down to 5-10.

Hope this information helps.

[gfritz1]

I did the 20 ppm about a week ago from sunset to sundown but for sure lost more than 1 ppm so what does that mean? I have been able to hold a FC reading above 5 ppm the last week but until yesterday had been losing 2-3 ppm . Im away again so had my brother in law check pool the night before and it was at 3 ppm so he added like 5 quarts of bleach at sunset and let pump on. Last night was still 7 ppm so will check tonight. question with much time away am I overall better looking at SWG or do all teh same issue stay the same with checking daily etc? Thanks

[PoolDoc]

I initially filled out the pool chart a few weeks ago. Is it not saved?

I'm working on a plan to convert some of the data in the Pool Chart into signatures that will show up each time you post, but right now, it's just a plan. We have to do a search on the pool data, which is getting to be rather large set!

[Watermom]

With a CYA of 80, if you let your chlorine drop below 5, I'd suggest shocking the pool. It doesn't take long for something to get started in the water.

[gfritz1]

Update and a few questions - Reading tonight as it has been holding well since did the drain and 8.5 gal bleach . Tonight PH 7.8 FC 3.6 CC 0 TC 3.6 ALK 140 HARDNESS 140 CYA around 60 All tested with Taylor kit. So what do I add under BBB to raise hardness or domt you worry aboyut it at this level? Would you do anything to adjust AlK a little or leave ? I am using between 3 qt and a gal of bleach a day to keep FC above 5 . Is this normal as at this rate the bleach is about $1.60/day or $48/month ? Would a SWG be less expense to operate ?Water has been excellent

[Watermom]

Where do you live? Some pools in places with really hot climates do better with CYA a little higher.

In a vinyl pool, you do not need to worry about calcium hardness.

Your TA is fine where it is.

An SWCG is a very costly unit. It would take a long time to recoup your cost as opposed to just using bleach, but some people really do like having them.