The pool company opened my pool and added liquid chlorine. A while later, I tested the levels and came up with almost no available chlorine detected. I added 4 gallons of concentrated bleach and tested again a bit later and still barely registered. This is my first opening. Is this normal? How much chlorine should I expect to add to shock at opening? During the season last year I would add 2 gallons of bleach and that was more than enough to raise the available chlorine to high levels.
How much chlorine to shock at pool opening?
- Thread starter ragart
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 51,986
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Normal? No it is not, and perhaps a sign that you may have developed ammonia in the water - maybe. I emphasize maybe. Before we assume that, can you post a full set of all test results please? Also confirm is antifreeze was used during your closing last winter. Any other products used (i.e. algaecide, etc)? With a bit more info we can help you through it.
Last edited:
Alkalinity was 60 raised to 100. PH was at max reading lowered to 7.5. Yes antifreeze and algaecide were added at closing.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 51,986
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
I would really like to know what your CYA and CC show as well. Those two will be critical to our assessment. Can you post please?
That kind of chlorine usage is normal for me when I open, but my water generally looks like pea soup the first day. If you water is clear and eating that much chlorine...well let's get test results. Also, what kind of bleach are you using and how old is it? What kind of test kit are you using?
- Jun 22, 2014
- 51,986
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Definitely not clear. Concentrated bleach which was brand new from the store. I believe it is about 6% sodium hypo. They run out of bleach regularly so thinking the bleach is pretty new. I used both strips and the drops.
JodieM
Silver Supporter
- Jul 18, 2013
- 556
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Truclear / Ei
Are you using a TFP recommended test kit? These guys are a book of knowledge but you need to test with a reliable test kit. You haven’t told them your CYA (Cyanuric Acid/Stabilizer) level. That will be key in getting your chlorine level to hold.
Thanks. I do not have good numbers for those. The strip showed CYA in the normal range and I did not use the strip that has the combined chlorine reading. Let's assume CYA was 0, it was cloudy and cold yesterday and all the work was done in the late afternoon and evening. Would a lack of stabilizer have been able to cause chlorine depletion that rapidly? I would expect the CC number to be high when I test. My thought is the pool is just very dirty.
Yes. Definitely. The drop kit is at least. Re: the CYA, all testing and chemical adds were done between 4 and 9pm on a cold cloudy day. Chlorine wouldn't hold even for an hour.
- May 3, 2014
- 62,599
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Test Strips simply do not provide the accuracy and consistency you need. Because of this we do not make chemical recommendations based on them.
Order a TF-100
The only other real option for a test kit is a Taylor K-2006-C. Be careful comparing prices because the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. You need to get the K-2006-C to get the larger bottles that you want.
I also have the Speedstir. It makes testing much easier.
Order a TF-100
The only other real option for a test kit is a Taylor K-2006-C. Be careful comparing prices because the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. You need to get the K-2006-C to get the larger bottles that you want.
I also have the Speedstir. It makes testing much easier.
Right thanks! I used the drops in addition to a strip. The strip was purely to see if any chlorine at all registered after I had balanced the alkalinity and PH.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 51,986
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
That is why I was looking for a good CYA and CC reading. In "some" cases, the CYA degrades to a point where it becomes ammonia and can be a bit difficult to remove requiring a good amount of bleach. In some cases, owners elect to do a partial water swap to help the process. In either case, you'll want either a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C test kit available to conduct the frequent testing required to resolve the issue.
I have to step away for a bit, so I'm going to give you the following info should you have the ability ot test FC at the 10-12 range:
The big issue is your CYA level. You need to get a good handle on that with one of the recommended test kits. Strips are just not accurate enough. The CYA level determines your FC level and how much bleach you will need. I'm sensitive to that since I had to do multiple water changes to get mine under control. I also have an ammonia problem every spring ( this is unusual).