I think I fixed my chlorinator!!!

[jessib618]

I have been having trouble with my chlorinator since the pool guy opened it. I started testing about 5 days after he opened it with a Taylor kit and have had 0 chlorine. He wouldn't come back, insisting it was set up properly (and clearly bitter that I decided not to hire him for weekly service this year). After trying so many fixes for this chlorinator, the pool store owner suggested I try switching the tubing to see if they installed them backwards. Well, my chlorine levels jumped from yesterday to today! So now, a month into opening my pool and trying to manage chemicals myself, I am realizing I don't even know what the ideal chlorine levels are for my pool. Pool math and Pooli apps both give different suggestions and this is confusing me (I suppose I shouldn't even be using both apps, but I am trying to learn here and like that Pooli saves the info even if I don't add anything)! I would really appreciate your advice. I only see suggestions for Liquid, SWG, or SLAM.. but I use tablets in a chlorinator. So...what is the ideal chlorine range using tabs in a 50,000 gallon gunite pool?

Current levels:
Free Chlorine 10.4ppm (last night it was 8.6 after using liquid chlorine the night before. The fact that it's up today and I haven't added anything in 2 days makes me think the tubes were in fact installed wrong by the pool openers.. right?!)
Ph 7.6
Alkalinity 150
Calcium Hardness 260
CYA 100

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! The FC/CYA Levels should help you find the ideal FC range based on your current CYA, but the chart below may be easier to read.

 

[Texas Splash]

Hopefully you know by now after reading some of our articles that your CYA is too high. It might even be higher than 100, and that's all becasue of those chlorinen tabs. So if you have tabs in a feeder, take them out right away. Save the tabs for later, but stick to liquid chlorine. Refer to that chart above to see what your FC level should be based on a high CYA level. That's to avoid algae. Hope that helps.

Also see -----> Pool Care Basics