Cloudy Water & CL Going Going Gone

[mbar]

You need to take your chlorine level up to 20ppms and keep it there. You are fighting something , that's why your chlorine is dropping overnight. You have to be consistant - get your chlorine up to 20ppms with regular bleach, and test 3x a day and bring it back to 20ppms. If you stay consistant, your water will clear faster. Everytime you see it under 20 - add more bleach. You can use the bleach calc to see how much to add.

[Jakebear]

So --- Shock --- That's it?

We're OK with that, but it seems like we should have some other indicator, like chloromines or something. Could the cloudyness just be from the heat or excess calcium?

We really don't want to shock with the temp near 100 and all the other indicators are good. We want to swim!!

[mbar]

You can shock and swim! Sometimes the water is cloudy, and the combined chlorine is 0, but the chlorine starts to get eaten up = this is because there is enough chlorine in the water to keep the algae from taking over, but not enough to completely kill it all, leaving you with cloudy water. The good news is that if you take it up to shock levels now, you won't have to continue at shock level because it should kill it all once and for all. If you wait, and the aglae takes hold, it will take a lot more effort to kill it - you will have to keep it at shock until it holds overnight. You can swim with shock levels of 20ppms, just wear an old bathing suit.

[Jakebear]

Surely you jest?????

I cannot even imagine swimming in anything above 7 or 8 ppm. There are many posts on this forum that relate to burning eyes and other ill effects when swimming at high CL levels.

Many web sites say nothing above 5 ppm and some state regulations close down the community pools if the Cl is above 10ppm.

Swim at 20 ppm?? ---- you can't be serious!!!

[Rangeball]

It's all relative with your CYA.

20 ppm shock for you is 10 ppm shock for me. The reason you use more is the higher the CYA the less effective the bleach.

I'd swim, but I'd wear older suits you don't mind fading a bit

[GraceByDesign]

........... There are many posts on this forum that relate to burning eyes and other ill effects when swimming at high CL levels. ........

I think perhaps what you saw related to CC, or combined chloramines. These are the baddies, not the free chlorine.

[Jakebear]

So when I take the FC up to 20 ppm ----- How long do I keep it that high??

I still don't understand how swimming at 20 ppm can be OK --- If it bleaches your suit it can't be good for the various exposed organs, the skin being the biggest and most exposed. I think I understand the relationship of the CYA and the effectiveness of FC but it is not like it's (the CL) not there.

Also I do not have any CC so again how does this figure into the need to shock equation.

[Simmons99]

Also I do not have any CC so again how does this figure into the need to shock equation.

You are using chlorine overnight? If so - it is because you have something alive in your pool that is using the chlorine. Right now it has not grown to a level that looks bad, but it will continue to grow and use chlorine until you kill it with high chlorine levels.

[Jakebear]

OK --- Here goes nothin' --- NO swimming tomorrow though -- I still don't buy it's healthy!!!