What do my chlorine levels need to be?

[cnk]

I was in the middle of my Baquacil conversion when the forum went down. (Talk about panic when I couldn't read what to do next. LOL) Anyways, I survived and now have crystal blue water. My question is what do I do next? I have one of Ben's kits on order, but am using a cheapo that we got with the pool until it arrives. My ph is balanced, but at what level do I need to keep the chlorine at? Should I add the CYA now? I've never put any in this pool. Also, I've seen where people have talked about polyquat to prevent algae. Do I need to add this since it's never been in the pool or do the chlorine only? I live in Oklahoma average 90s during the summer. Thanks for all of your help. I'm kind of lost without the old posts to read through.

[Watermom]

Go ahead and give us test results and then you'll be able to get more help. Don't know what all your kit will test, but we would like to have the following:
FC, TC, PH, Alk, CH, CYA - which I assume is 0

Also, tell exactly what all you have put in your pool thus far and tell us what type of pool you have. (vinyl, gunite, etc.)

As far as the polyquat, you'll get some conflicting advice. On another thread today, this has been discussed. I never use it except at closing and then I add a double dose per Ben's suggestion. I know others who close their pool and don't add it and then others who add it periodically during the summer. I have never had a problem with not adding it. I take the time every day to test my water and maintain adequate chlorine levels and my pool is fine. It doesn't hurt to use it but if you don't need it, why have the expense of adding it?

At any rate, repost with as many numbers as you can give us and somebody here can further advise you.

[cnk]

My ph is down to 6.8 however this pool always tends to try to stay in the high ph range. I recently lowered it. Obviously by a litttle too much, but I feel that it will come up on its own. My alkalinity was 70. My chlorine is back down to 0. My test doesn't separate FC & TC. Nor does it test for hardness. I have a fiberglass pool. 12,500 gallons.

[Watermom]

A couple of things:
I know you think your ph will come up on its own, but since 6.8 is probably the lowest value on your tester, the ph actually could be much lower. Any reading below 7.0 is acidic and can damage your pool. I'd go ahead and add a couple of cups of 20 Mule Team Borax slowly to the skimmer while the pump is running. Wait a few hours, retest ph and redose until you at least get it to 7.2.

Also, you need to get some chlorine in there or you'll be surprised how quickly your pool will turn green. Since I assume that you still have not added any stabilizer (cya), you can do one of two things. You can either use trichlor pucks to chlorinate with which also contain cya. You say that you usually have high ph. Trichlor is acidic and will drive your ph down with use. If you do decide to use trichlor, you'll need to test your cya level periodically. After you get it where you want it, (I like 30-40ppm of cya), then you'll need to discontinue the trichlor and just use bleach. Another option is to go ahead and just add an initial dose of cya and then just use bleach to chlorinate with. That is what I do. Add enough cya per the label instructions to get you to a level of about 30. (Pour it directly into the skimmer.) Then be patient. CYA takes a long time to dissolve in your filter, so don't backwash or add more for about a week. Then, retest your cya level before deciding if you need to add any more. You want to go slowly. You can always add more cya, but reducing it isn't as easy.

Until you get a cya reading in your pool, you'll have to watch your chlorine level closely as you will quickly lose the chlorine to the sun. As your cya level comes up, this won't happen so fast. Hope this helps.

Watermom

[cnk]

I think that I will just do the bleach and CYA since that is what I've already purchased, but what I need to know is what level I need to keep the chlorine at. I thought that I had read 3 ppm on the previous board, but I'm not sure.

[Watermom]

It depends on your cya level. The higher your cya level is, the higher you have to keep your chlorine level. If you add enough cya to have a level around 30-40, then maintaining a cl level of around 3ppm should be OK. Again, it just depends on your cya level.

[cnk]

Thanks alot for your help. That at least gives me a level to shoot for.

[ScottS]

I saved this chart on my PC from the old site. Hope it helps!

-------------------

Ben's 'best guess' FC/Stabilizer table for algae free operation of OUTDOOR pools
-- as of July 2003 --

Stabilizer . . . . . . Min. FC . . . . Max FC . . . 'Shock' FC
=> 0 ppm . . . . . . . 1 ppm . . . . . 3 ppm . . . . 10 ppm
=> 10 - 20 ppm . . . . 2 ppm . . . . . 5 ppm . . . . 12 ppm
=> 30 - 50 ppm . . . . 3 ppm . . . . . 6 ppm . . . . 15 ppm
=> 60 - 90 ppm . . . . 5 ppm . . . . . 10 ppm . . .. 20 ppm
=> 100 - 200 ppm . . . 8 ppm . . . . . 15 ppm . . .. 25 ppm

[apoolman]

CNK, The answer to your question is a MIN of 1.5 If your pool has a CL level lower than 1.5 then it is not safe to swim in. The NSFP reg book shows this year for 2006 for CL levels to be between 2.5 and 7.5. Your CYA should not go over 100 PPM. the only way to reduce this level is to drain water off the top of the pool and replace with fresh water. There is no chemical to reduce CYA in a pool. CYA stays at the top 3 inches of the surface of the pool on a calm steady day. Draining from a skimmer or a scum ledge is the best way to lower CYA if it gets too high.

[DavidD]

the only way to reduce this level is to drain water off the top of the pool and replace with fresh water. .... CYA stays at the top 3 inches of the surface of the pool on a calm steady day. Draining from a skimmer or a scum ledge is the best way to lower CYA if it gets too high.

That is the first time I’ve heard that. Any studies/documentation that backs this up? If this is true, it would make lowering CYA much easier. Sorry to be skeptical but sounds way too good to be true. Chemistry was a long time ago so hopefully I'm wrong in my un substantiated doubt, I HOPE!.