Chlorine Lock ????

[poolrescue30]

Thank for all your replies , my numbers stated were corect :

Total Chlorine 4.6

Free Chlorine 0

The pool store guy said to dump 2 gallons of amonnia in to break up the organics ???? but according to your replies it sounds like high ammonia is the problem !!! Do I need to drop the water level ?? if so how much ??/ THANKS

[mas985]

Sounds like you need to shock the pool. 8 gallons of 6% bleach should do.

[poolrescue30]

I've shocked already 3 times with Non-chlorine shock , and 3 times with chlorine shock. Is the bleach better than 'store" shock ?? how do I find the percentages onf the bleach ??

THANKS !!!

[mas985]

I've shocked already 3 times with Non-chlorine shock , and 3 times with chlorine shock. Is the bleach better than 'store" shock ?? how do I find the percentages onf the bleach ??

THANKS !!!

Skip the non-chlorine shock. I don't think really does much but bleach is a much cheaper way to shock the pool and it won't add anything that you really don't need anyway. Bleach is a very effective way to remove the combined chlorine. Walmart is about the cheapest you will find 6% bleach, just make sure it is the plain version without additives.

You will need 8 gallons to bring the pool up to shock level and maybe more to keep it there for a day or so. So you might want to get a little bit more. You might also be fighting some algae which might require you to keep the pool at shock level for more than a day to ensure a good kill. Part of the problem maybe that you did not use enough chlorine for a good shock so that is why you need to start with 8 gallons. It seems like a lot but it will cost less in the long run to get things back to normal.

[poolrescue30]

Ok,
I'm going to shock today with 8 gallons of the Walmart Ultra bleach.Do I pour it around the pool or into the skimmers? I have a vinyl liner and don't want to bleach it .How will I know if I hit 20ppm ?? When should I add more bleach to "keep it" at 20ppm ??

[waterbear]

Ok,
I'm going to shock today with 8 gallons of the Walmart Ultra bleach.Do I pour it around the pool or into the skimmers? I have a vinyl liner and don't want to bleach it .How will I know if I hit 20ppm ??
By testing your water. You DO have a good testkit with the FAS-DPD chlorine test, don't you? It's a BASIC piece of pool equipment!
When should I add more bleach to "keep it" at 20ppm ??
When your testing has shown that the level has dropped below 20 ppm.

Hope this helps. You really need a good test kit, Many people don't get one until they run into a problem like yours. If you has been testing your own water all along... you get the idea.

[poolrescue30]

HI,
I dumped in the 8 gallons of 6% Bleach on Tuesday morning , then had to leave town on an emergency for work so I only got back tonight .I do not have the FAS-DPD chlorine test kit and will get one, however the pool water looks much clearer now , pool test kit shows 2-3 ppm chlorine, Alkalinity of 100, and pH of 6.8, so I added a little pH rise and we"ll see tomorrow eveneing how it is .I think we might have cleared up some of the CC problem.
Can anyone tell me where to get a FAS-DPD chlorine test that goes up to 20ppm?
thanks

[waterbear]

the FAS-DPD test will go up to about 50 ppm FC! You want a Taylor K-2006 or the TF100 from TF Test Kits (google TF Test Kits).

[CarlD]

the FAS-DPD test will go up to about 50 ppm FC! You want a Taylor K-2006 or the TF100 from TF Test Kits (google TF Test Kits).

Don't forget that Leslie's On-Line sells their FAS-DPD Chlorine Service Test Kit that is a twin to the K-2006, just re-badged for Leslie's. About $60 or $70. Sadly, they no longer have the vast range of single kits--you could buy just a FAS-DPD test or just the reagents from them but it doesn't seem so anymore. I read that Taylortechnologies.com got hacked so C/C purchases on line are closed there. I don't know if it's true.

All 3 kits are equivalent--whichever you get will pay for itself VERY quickly. I bought my PS-232 when I still had a 15'x3' Intex Donut and it STILL was worth its weight in gold to me.

[waterbear]

Thank for all your replies , my numbers stated were corect :

Total Chlorine 4.6

Free Chlorine 0

The pool store guy said to dump 2 gallons of amonnia in to break up the organics ???? but according to your replies it sounds like high ammonia is the problem !!! Do I need to drop the water level ?? if so how much ??/ THANKS

Pool store guy missed the mark. Adding anhydrous ammonia to a pool with algae and then shocking will produce monochloramine which will quickly kill the algae http://www.poolsolutions.com/tips/tip08.html but it creates a hugh chlorine demand and you will have NO FC and all CC. http://www.poolsolutions.com/tips/tip40.html

It is NOT what you want to do when you already have a situation where you have all CC and no FC. My suggestion is to test for ammonia using an aquarium test kit. If you have a lot of ammonia in the water then all you can do is either drain and refill to dilute it and then shock or shock repeatedly with bleach. Non chlorine shock is not that effective against ammonia and CC that have already formed. Shocking with chorine and UV from sunlight are.