Chlorine and calcium low

[mrszaff]

I received my test kit in the mail today. Here are the readings I get,
Free CHlorine 0
CC .2
PH 7.3
Alk 70
CYA is showing > 100 is that possible?

I will shock again tomorrow and try watermom's advice

[Watermom]

Yes, it is possible to have a cya > 100. The cya test is the hardest test to read. Try it again and see what you get. If you have been using trichlor tabs for a long time, it may very well be over 100. If that is the case, if it were my pool, I'd do a partial drain and refill. (probably about half the water which would take your cya down to 50 and would be much more manageable.)

Alk and pH are ok.

Also, do shock the pool. How does the water look?

[mrszaff]

I'll try it again tomorrow, the pool looks perfect.
thanks

[mrszaff]

hi all,
Since my last post 6/16 I only added 1 gallon of liquid shock and my chlorine has stayed pretty steady.I haven't added anything since. I Just let the chlorinator run. Here are the readings I got today with my very own test kit.

Free Chlorine 4.5
CC .5
PH 7.1
Alk 60
CYA is still>100 unless I am doing it wrong, I noticed when Leslies did it a month ago it was 35

how much baking soda and borax should I add?

The pool is clear and 80 degrees, I back washed this morning and it looked a little cloudy/white coming out of the hose, I rinsed it as well.

thanks!

[aylad]

It doesn't surprise me that your CYA is over 100--the trichlor pucks in the chlorinator are not only raising your CYA with each puck that you add, but also driving your pH downward. I strongly recommend that you stop using the pucks except in emergencies (vacations, etc) and switch to liquid chlorine, or bleach.

Also, with a CYA that high and keeping the chlorine at 4-5, you are walking a very fine line between a clear pool and algae problems. With a CYa at 100 or above, you should be keeping your Cl at 8-15 ppm at all times.

If you stop using the trichlor and aerate your water, the pH will probably rise on its own. If you plan to continue using the trichlor, I'd start with about 1/2 box of Borax and aim for somewhere in the 7.5-7.6 area for pH. It's always better to add a little at a time and "sneak up" on your target number, than to overshoot it and have to correct. Same goes for baking soda to raise the alk--it only needs to come up a little bit, so I'd start with a box and go from there.

Janet

[mrszaff]

so I should shut off the chlorinator, and run the filter(is that what you mean by aerate) and add liquid chlorine? Is that correct?

[aylad]

If it were my pool, I would shut off the chlorinator, switch to bleach or liquid chlorine (same thing, bleach is 6% sodium hypochlorite, liquid chlorine is 10-12%), and aerate the water by either tossing in a group of rowdy kids, turning your return eyes upward so they ripple the water surface, and/or adding a fountain. This will stop the CYA rise, stop the pH plunge, and raise your pH to a little higher level.

If you continue to use the chlorinator, it won't be long before you have CYA levels so high that you can't maintain high enough chlorine levels to keep it clear. I'd hate to see you fighting algae all summer when it can be prevented!!



Janet