Backwashing and shocking

[CarlD]

Just a caveat:

If your kit is the "DPD" kit, using the "DPD" test for chlorine, you cannot use the dilution method--that only works on the OTO chlorine test.

But the good news is if you can find an OTO kit that measures to 5ppm (and they are around although most are only good to 3ppm) you can use dilution with that--and they aren't expensive. You CAN use dilution with a 3ppm kit, but you have to dilute the pool water with 4 parts of distilled water to measure to 15ppm. With a 5ppm OTO kit you only need to dilute with 2 parts of distilled water to get to 15ppm--far more precise.

[jmcrae]

CarlD - Watermom

DPD? OTO? I can just barely see under the sticker on the front of my test kit... it is DPD. I guess I stopped reading when I saw the name "Taylor Technologies" on the label.

I have a headache... I think I'll have a R-0001 on the rocks and go to bed.

Thanks

[polyvue]

DPD? OTO? I can just barely see under the sticker on the front of my test kit... it is DPD. I guess I stopped reading when I saw the name "Taylor Technologies" on the label.

I have a headache... I think I'll have a R-0001 on the rocks and go to bed.

Phosphates on the rocks. Yummy.

Does your Leslies kit contain tests for Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness and Cyanuric Acid (CYA)? If not, would recommend that you get the Taylor Complete FAS-DPD Test Kit K-2006, competitively priced at Amato Industries and Poolcenter.com.

If your kit already has these other tests, you can pick up a FAS-DPD chlorine test for about $21, here.

[CarlD]

Sorry!

There is a learning curve on chlorine tests. There are 3 tests:
1) OTO. This is simple and reliable and comes in the cheap, $5-$10 test kits that test chlorine and pH. But it's got two limitations--the kits usually only measure to 3ppm and a FEW go to 5ppm--we frequently need measures up to 15 to 25ppm. Also it only measures Total Chlorine. The good thing about OTO is the color gets more and more intense with higher chlorine even if you cannot measure it.

2) DPD. This is a test capable of measuring chlorine levels up to about 10ppm--but the test kits rarely go above 5ppm. It can measure both Free Chlorine and Total Chlorine, allowing calculation of Combined Chloramines (which, if more than 0 means something's growing). But above a certain point, the chlorine BLEACHES the tests making them look like you have NO chlorine. For these reasons I don't like DPD.

3) FAS-DPD. This is the gold standard. You don't need to recognize shades of color--you add a powder to get a colored solution and then you add drops until it goes clear again. You can safely measure up to 50ppm of Free Chlorine and it also measures Combined Chloramines. (you get TC by adding Free Chlorine and Combined Chloramines). If you use FAS-DPD testing, you don't need to use any other chlorine tests.

Also there are strips, but to me, they only indicate if you have LOTS of chlorine or need to measure it with OTO, DPD, or FAS-DPD.

[jmcrae]

Thanks Polyvue and CarlD.

I appreciate the input. It rained tons last night (due to hurricane Alex) so I'm in the pool to vacuum and backwash. There's lots of stuff on the bottom but nothing on the sides yet. I'll check back in when I get the FAS kit and post the new levels. Meanwhile, I'll vacuum, backwash, bleach, vacuum, backwash, bleach, .....

[aylad]

Once the fallout from Alex is over with, I would definitely shock the pool--goodness only knows what kind of crud came with the rain from the gulf!!

Janet

[jmcrae]

I vacuumed this morning at 6:30 and put in 7 quarts of bleach. By 4:00 pm, the pool was full and I could see a layer of brown on the bottom. It's almost 7:00 pm, I've had to let more water out of the pool (so much for the bleach!), and it's still raining cats and dogs. I'm setting the alarm for 3:00 am ... thanks so much for all your encouragement everyone!

[waterbear]

Just a caveat:

If your kit is the "DPD" kit, using the "DPD" test for chlorine, you cannot use the dilution method--that only works on the OTO chlorine test.

Carl, not true!!!!!

In fact, there are instructions for dilutions on the lid of the Taylor K-2005 (and the equivalent Leslies kit) and the comparator has markings molded in for 1:1 and 4:1 dilutions. While it is more cumbersome than using an FAS-DPD kit it is no diferent from doing dlutions with OTO and it give more meaningful info since you can test both FC and CC and not just TC.
If the sample is diluted low enough it doesn't bleach out.
I suspect that the $47 Leslie's kit that jmcrae said they bought is the rebranded K-2005 that Leslie's sells.

[jmcrae]

I checked the kit I got from Leslie's - It says it's manufactured for Leslie's Swimming Pool Supplies by Taylor Technologies, Inc. and the Pool & Spa Water Tests sheet says Taylor 11/05. The back of the instruction sheet is filled with instructions to raise chlorine level by 1ppm; superchlorinaton for algae removal; to raise pH with soda ash; to lower pH with muriatic acid; to lower pH with dry acid; to raise total alkalinity with baking soda; to lower total alkalinity with muriatic acid; to lower total akalinity with dry acid; to raise calcium hardness with calcium chloride.... but no dilution instructions.

That's why I did the chlorine test with my little Walmart OTO chemicals; and the rest with the Leslie's DPD test kit.

Was I wrong? Should I have done all the tests with the same chemicals?

[waterbear]

Use the Taylor kit for all tests. What does your kit test for?