Chlorine not registering

[shhurs]

- wouldn't algae be visible?

- so, if I get one of these kits and the readings for chlorine as provided by Leslie's turn out the same as doing it myself then I don't really know any more than I do now. Leslie's is reading chlorine at 1.0 and CYA at 40 as of Tuesday.

shhurs

[duraleigh]

wouldn't algae be visible?

No

Your call on the kit. All we can do is provide you the info we know to be accurate.

[shhurs]

understand. And I truly appreciate the help and advice. I'll get the kit.

What baffles me is that I never, never, never had a chemical problem until I treated the stain with the asorbic acid. Now . . . . . . . . . .

I'll write back when I get the kit and test.

shhurs

[James Watson]

shhurs
I used a total of 2 lb of ascorbic acid; (2 treatments total) over a one week period.

By the time you let the chlorine drop to zero and then waited for the ascorbic acid to work, you have had zero chlorine for over a week. That is enough to allow algae to get a good start. Part of your chlorine demand was from the ascorbic acid. I think now that the demand is from algae.

You just have to trust us on getting the FAS-DPD kit, it really does matter.

I think that your best course of action is to keep on this and you will get it cleared up. Test, add the chlorine and retest. Keep adding until the chlorine holds. Every time you stop, the algae increases, and you lose ground. You could use 100 gallons and not get anywhere if you are not consistent.

[James Watson]

Also, what is happening with your filter? Is the pressure going up? Have you had to clean it?

If you can't get the FAS-DPD kit right away, at least get a cheap OTO kit to verify that your chlorine is not actually high and bleaching out the strips.

FAS-DPD doesn't bleach out until the chlorine gets pretty high, so you won't need the OTO if you get the FAS-DPD right away.

[James Watson]

A few more questions:

Do you know where the copper came from? Copper usually comes from a heater, copper algaecide or an ionizer.
Do you have a heater?
How big was the copper stain?
What did the stain look like?
What color was it?
Did the ascorbic acid work?
Is all of the stain gone?
Feel the liner, is it slippery, or does it feel clean?
Have you had the copper level tested?
What is the copper level?

[shhurs]

I have always been good about cleaning my cartridge filter - it is 3 yrs old and looks brand new. I did go ahead and soak it overnight recently so I thinks it's good.

shhurs

[shhurs]

Do you know where the copper came from? Copper usually comes from a heater, copper algaecide or an ionizer. I'm told that our area (midwest) can have some copper in the water; another thought was that maybe from the algaecide

Do you have a heater? No
How big was the copper stain? sporadic over the entire bottom
What did the stain look like? brownish, irregular shape. Didn't move like an algae would, when using Jack's magic test stain kit, the #2 kit (for copper and Iron) identified it

What color was it? brownish (not slimey)

Did the ascorbic acid work? at first no; that is why I treated with the remainder of the container (another 1 pound).

Is all of the stain gone? appears to be; my water is still not sparkling clear but appears to be gone

Feel the liner, is it slippery, or does it feel clean? my husband said below the water line feels a little slippery as compared to above the water line.

Have you had the copper level tested? Yes, Leslie's tested for metals (not specifically copper) but they said iron is not found in this area . I don't have that info with me but the clerk said it was within normal range.

What is the copper level? seems like it was .3

shhurs

[James Watson]

Copper is usually blue, green or black. The stain was probably not copper. It was most likely iron.

You can get your water back to clear. Just keep the filter on 24/7, and keep the chlorine at about 5 to 8. It might take another 20 gallons, but this will clear up as long as you are consistent.

If you get a chance, have the water tested specifically for copper and iron.

[shhurs]

should I brush down the wall surfaces (vinyl liner)?

So, when explained to me the copper and iron can pretty much be at a minimum acceptable level in our public water. More iron if in a rural area (which we are not) or if on a well (which we are not). Testing available at local pool supplier (I know you are fond of that), but don't know where else to go?

[shhurs]

You know i do have a current water analysis report with me. It reads:
fac .5
tac .5
cya 40
ta 100
ph 7.2
copper 0
iron 0 so if i had copper or iron i guess they're gone now!!!! Yipee
tds 1000
phosphates 1000

[James Watson]

Brushing would help. Be careful not to cut or puncture the liner with the brush. Sometimes sharp debris can get caught in the bristles and cause damage to the liner as you brush. Check the bristles often for sharp debris.

The slippery feeling on the vinyl is an organic biofilm. I think that it is probably algae, but I'm not 100 % sure. Either way, brushing and shocking will get rid of it. Vinyl should always feel squeaky clean.

Don't be concerned about the phosphates. Some stores will try to tell you that they need to be lowered, but they are not an issue as long as you maintain sufficient chlorine. For routine chlorine levels, you need to maintain about 7 to 8 percent of your cyanuric acid level. For a cyanuric acid level of 40, you need to maintain a consistent 3.0 ppm chlorine, or higher.

For shocking, you should be about 25 % of your cyanuric acid level. You should be maintaining between 5 and 10 ppm for your chlorine until this clears.

Don't be so sure that all of the metals are gone. They don't go away so easily, so you want to still be somewhat cautious when adding chemicals. I would advise against using calcium hypochlorite or sodium carbonate.

When adding liquid chlorine, I like to dilute at least 5 to 1 in a plastic bucket before adding it to the pool. When adding, you can get locally high concentrations that might cause a precipitation reaction.

I would also caution against adding chlorine through the skimmer. Cartridge filters can catch some metals. If chlorine is added through the skimmers, the metals in the filter might be forced back into the pool.

Be sure to clean the filter once you get this cleared up. Pay close attention to what the cartridge looks like to help identify what was in the water. Follow the cartridge cleaning procedure posted here. http://www.unicelfilters.com/pool_owner ... _users.asp

[James Watson]

You should get a spare cartridge so that you can clean one while the other one is in the filter. That way you can pull the dirty one and put in the spare one with no filter down time.

[shhurs]

well guys I got an OTO test and have good news (I think) - I do have chlorine at a 5.0+ level. Darn pool store! I turned my automatic feeder down to begin lowering the chlorine. I did have to order a Taylor test kit and am awaiting its arrival but purchased an OTO test as I said.

The water is still a bit cloudy as compared to my norm but the stain does appear to be gone. Maybe I'll get a clarifier and I probably should shock since I haven't done that in a while.

A pH test came with the OTO test and it only read 6.8 so I added soda ash to bring it's level up.

I am so relieved and at the same time upset with Leslie's. Thanks for your help. I have alot of bleach to return!!!

[lbridges]

Caveat - didn't read the whole thread.

If your chlorine is kept at a good level with respect to the amount of CYA you no longer need to shock (with possible exception of large pool party, yard waste getting dumped in etc.).

My current pool, and the previous one were never shocked.