What chlorine level to shock -- now that half my CYA is gone

[JimK]

7am this morning (no sun on the pool yet) OTO test was still dark orange....yea!

Since I was still getting a strong CL indication with the OTO test, I also checked it with the Taylor kit and got this;

FC 25.5 (Taylor site says FAS-DPD can measure up to 20...the test behaved normally, so can I count on this result being accurate?)
CC 0
pH 7.6

So CL looks good, yes? I know high CL can cause inaccurate pH results, but this is real close to what I got when I checked pH before adding bleach (FC was at 0 at that point). Any chance this pH reading is good?

I'll check CL again after sunset using the Taylor kit, and if it's still at shock level I'll hold off adding anymore bleach and recheck early in the morning to see how much is lost overnight. Am I correct that if the loss is 1ppm or less I'm good to go?

At this point with the high CL level is it OK for me to test and start addressing TA, CYA, borates, and salt? Or do I need to wait until CL and pH are balanced first?

Sorry for all the questions. I realize this is a very busy time for y'all, but I'd really like to understand all this so I don't have to bug y'all again should the same situation occur again. With this knowledge I can contribute more/answer questions instead of asking questions all the time.

Thanks!

[PoolDoc]

Those chlorine levels indicate your chlorine demand is gone. Whether you have chlorine this PM will depend on how much sun you get today, and how much CYA is actually in your pool. BUT . . . you're on the home stretch here.

Take this opportunity (while chlorine is high) to brush your pool carefully in any spots where there might be slime, debris, or algae. You want to knock the goo loose, break it up, and then let the high chlorine wipe it out.

Once levels drop back to 10 ppm or so, do a full set of pool tests (FC, CC, pH, TA, CH, CYA) so you can see what 'tweaking' is needed.

[JimK]

Thanks Ben.

That's good news! So it ended taking 16 jugs of bleach total (about $50). Not too bad....I had fears it would be much worse!

Btw, this whole time since removing the cover Saturday, the water has been clear, and after vacuuming yesterday morning the pool looks great.

[Watermom]

Good job!

[PoolDoc]

Not too bad....I had fears it would be much worse!

Me, too! I'm glad we were both wrong.

Happy to hear it's looking good.

[JimK]

Good job!

Me, too! I'm glad we were both wrong.

Happy to hear it's looking good.

It looks real inviting....except for being 68 degrees! Brrrrrrr.....

Tomorrow I'll post some more numbers.

[JimK]

Just checked FC...dropped to 16 (from 25.5 early this morning). Today was sunny all day. Hopefully it will hold overnight. If not, should I bump it back up to 20?

[PoolDoc]

Nah. Unless you have algae or slime, let it drop to levels appropriate for your current CYA level