Re: FAQ: Common Spring Startup Errors

[vanhout]

I believe my pool has the exact condition you're describing in #1. I had 100+ CYA at the close of last year and opened last week to CYA 0.

I've put more than 30 gallons of 6% bleach into the pool in the last 6 days. In the first few days the pool would use up more than 10 ppm Cl per day.

I have run the FC to more than 20 ppm, and never dropped below 10 ppm. I also added about 4 lbs of CYA. Throughout, I've had .5 ppm of CC which I can't get rid of. The pool water is no longer green, but is very cloudy and continues to drop quite a bit of "dirt" on the floor each day.

Right now I'm running:

FC 12
CC .5
PH 7.2
CYA 50
Pool size 36,000 gallons

I note in PoolDoc's post that I should run the pH up to 7.5. I added about a pound of Borax to increase the pH (I'm not sure how much to add - doesn't look like BleachCalc does that one).

I'm not sure why I should raise the pH. I thought that chlorine was more effective at lower pH values. Any thoughts?

I'm not sure where to go with this from here. Should I just keep dumping in more chlorine until it gets clear? Should I maintain FC higher than 10 ppm? Should I go for a super whammy shock treatment - I have a book "The Pool Maintenance Manual" by Terry Tamminen that suggests a 50 ppm dose to shock. Would my vinyl liner be in jeopardy with something like that?

Greatly appreciate any advice or comments that anyone can provide and hopefully I can one day repay the favor.

[Watermom]

Vanhout -
I moved your post out of Ben's FAQ on common spring startup problems. I think that may be one reason you haven't gotten any responses. Hopefully, you'll start to get more views now.

Update with current water testing results including alk and calcium hardness. You didn't give those two last time. They might play into your cloudy water problem. Also, tell us if you have put anything into the pool other than bleach.

Watermom

[vanhout]

Thanks for the reply.

I've now put more than 60 gallons of Clorox into my 36,000 gallon pool in the last 10 days. The pool has gone from mildly green to very cloudy. It's only gotten slightly less cloudy in the last day or two. I haven't had the FC less than 10 in the whole 10 day period, and I've had it as high as 30. It eats 8 - 10 ppm a night. The sand filter's been running 24/7.

I just added some chlorine earlier tonite, so my FC is up around 22.

I tested the TA and got 150, but it turned clear, not red, so I don't know if it's accurate or not, maybe the FC being high impacts it.

My ph is running about 7.0, again, I don't know if the high chlorine impacts that.

I'll retest everything tomorrow when the FC comes down. It'll be 10 by tomorrow afternoon.

I'm questioning myself as to whether I should keep putting so much chlorine in. What do you think?

[Watermom]

How about an update on water testing results and how your water looks. Any improvement?

Watermom

[vanhout]

Thanks.

Still cloudy.

My water results now are:

FC 11
CC .5
PH 7.2
TA 140
CH 350 ? sample never turned blue, went clear at about 350
CYA 50
VOL 36,000 gal

I added another 2.5 lbs of Borax a couple of hours ago, but it didn't really move the needle on PH. I'll check it again in the morning and if it's still down I'll add another couple of pounds, trying to get to the 7.5 recommended in the sticky for the zero CYA startup condition.

It's almost dark, I'm not going to add any chlorine and see what it drops to by morning.

Any thoughts?

[MarkC]

When you said this "but it didn't really move the needle on PH " Are you using a pH meter to test your pH. If you are MOST inexpensive pH meters are notoriously inaccurate so I would rely on a drops based test method.