Struggling to Keep at Shock Level

[larry2338]

Don't know why you're keeping the kids from swimming. With those numbers, I think you should be fine spending all day in the pool.

[CoffeeBean]

Thanks all. After I posted I sat and thought about numbers. If 1 gal of bleach adds 5.25ppm to 10K gal and I have 15K (give or take. Even Doughboy can't give me an exact capacity!) then it would take 1.5 gal to get me from a 5 to a 10. It got me where it should've with only a gallon.

I want to turn on the heater because the water's not very warm. Although the days are in the 70's the nights drop down to the low 50s. Without enough CA I can't do that.

How do I increase the CA by using only the BBB method?

Tonight's numbers were:

FC - 9
CC - 0
TC - 9
pH - 7.3? (hard to tell color exactly)
Alk - 100
CA - 160
Cya - 0

I've added 2# of Borax to up the pH and half a gal of bleach tonight. We'll see what it looks like in the AM.

What exactly do color blind people do for pool testing? It's hard for me sometimes to discern the subtle color changes. My son's color blind and couldn't do this to save his soul.

Thanks all.

CoffeeBean

[day1]

You kinda have a catch 22 going on here...cant' keep Cl up enough to kill algae because of 0 stabilizer, but need stabilizer to maintain Cl levels up. I have about the same size pool...18 x 34 but no deep end. You need stabilizer first off. Get a large size container at home depot/walmart (4lbs.) and pour fill a couple big tube socks, or panty hoses with it and hang in pool. I do mine by return jet and off steps. Then put remaining in skimmer with pump on...and DON'T backwash filter for at least a week. Test for CYA in 5-7 days and you should see your chlorine levels start to balance. Shoot for 30-50 ppm of CYA. As far as the algae on sides, more chlorine and scrubbing is probably all you can do. Too late for algaecide once bloom takes over, but get some polyquat for future proactive needs. Don't worry about any other #'s except cl, pH and CYA for now.

I know Bleach=Cl said not to add cya yet, but I'd go ahead and start getting it into water since it takes a good week to dissolve fully and be readable-- by that time you should have algae killed if you shock properly. You could probably use pucks if you have any since they have CL and stabilizer in them...kill 2 birds with one stone since you need both fast. In the meantime, I'd be in the pool with a scotchbrite pad or something to loosen algae. Most liners are pretty resilient to scrubbing--just go easy and don't use a wire brush!!

[duraleigh]

Bean,

Your issue is simple and should not be a struggle.....You need chlorine.

Chlorine applied in the daytime will be consumed by the Sun...quite rapidly if you get full Sun...hours, in fact.

Chlorine applied in the evening will be consumed by organics in your pool.....and you still have them.

Until your chlorine is virtually stable overnight.....you need more chlorine!!

Don't be side-tracked by peripheral issues because you will be lulled into thinking your issue is something else....it's not. You must calculate your Chlorine dosage carefully. If your shock value is 10 (it is) you will never get to that point (which you must) if you only add enough to get to 8 or 10....it'll be partially consumed before it ever reaches that level.

Carefully calculate enough chlorine to get your ppm to 12ppm....it will then probably make it to 10ppm (breakpoint) freeing up enough chlorine to make some effective headway on the organics in your pool. (that junk on your sidewalls is organic....brush it often and expose it to the chlorine)

Go swimming!! Get the kids some old swimsuits just in case (unlikely) that you experience a little fading.

You may add CYA now if you like. DO NOT think that will help clear your pool but it will help you retain some chlorine during the day.

Synopsis - You need chlorine

[CoffeeBean]

Thanks everyone.

This AM my CL is up to 12 and my pH is 7.2 after adding more bleach and borax last PM. Didn't test other things. Running out of reagents. Waiting on Ben's reorder to arrive.

Help me understand this please....I know that sun "uses" up the chlorine but others have said test 2-3 times a day to check that you're staying in "shock" level. If you aren't, the solution would be to add CL but doesn't that fly in the face of the conventional wisdom of adding it at night? If the CL levels fall in one of the daytime tests should you wait til nightfall (or sundown) to add what you need or do it right then?


CBean

[prh129]

While it is true that the sun will consume some chlorine during the day, some chlorine will also be fighting whatever you have in your pool also. By keeping the level up during the day, you will be reinforcing the troops fighting the undesireables so the battle should go faster than if you just wait until night.

Peter

[Watermom]

Until you have some cya in the pool, it is necessary to test and add bleach 2 or 3 times a day to stay at shock level. After you add cya and it dissolves, then you'll be able to go to testing and dosing only in the evenings.