Can't Get The Chlorine Reading Up In Chlorine Generator Poolby Lynda
I have my water tested weekly at Pinch a Penny. I add Muriatic Acid about a cup weekly. I had to add maybe 2 - 3 40lb. bags of salt. Water always clear, great pool. Now 2 weeks ago (granted we did have heavy rain and we use our pool daily) My water tested with 0 Free chlorine. I put my ICG to boost (makes chlorine 100% of time while it is on) 2 days later still 0 chlorine. I was told to add Alkalinity Increaser and 1 gallon shock and algacide and run filter 24 hours then add 2nd gallon shock and stabilizer on the 2nd day. Still getting 0 reading for chlorine. Pinch a penny says my ICG must not be working. But Pentair tech says if lights are on and all lights are green then it is producing chlorine and I need to shock it. Here are my last readings after the 2nd day of shock Total Chlorine 0 Free Chlorine O Combined Chlorine 0 ph 7.8 Acid Demand 2 Total Alkalinity 85 Calcium Hardness 210 Stabilizer 50 TDS 3,600 Salt 2,500 I would greatly appreciate your help am scared to let my children go in pool with a 0 chlorine reading and they are dying to go in. Water looks great and it's hot out. Please HELP!! Thanks. Thanks for your question Lynda, and thanks for the readings. It helps tremendously. The first thing that jumps out at me is the TDS. They're much too high. Anything over 1500 and you'll want to do a partial drain. With a reading of 3600, a full drain is needed. Next is the salt level. Is this the right range for your salt cell? Normally the bottom range for salt generators is 3000. Are you manually testing the salt level or trusting the cell reading. The cell can give you a false positive. I use and recommend a Myron analog salt meter. The salt needs to be in range. if it's too low there won't be any chlorine. If it's too high the cell might burn up. Salt Water Swimming Pools Chlorine Generator Have you cleaned the cell? With a TDS level that high the cell might be clogged or calcified up. A 4:1 mixutre of water and muriatic acid will do it. Fill the cell and allow the mixutre to set for 5 minutes, then rinse well with clean water. Use a very soft bristled brush (toothbrush soft) to remove any debris. Watch the calcium level as well. With a salt cell you'll want to keep it under 250ppm or you run the risk of clogging it up or calcifying it. The CYA is in the top range. You want to run that between 30 - 50ppm. No more stabilizer. Check to see if the salt cell is throwing a code. These codes tell you what could be wrong with the cell, if anything. Your owner's manual should have a list of codes, what to look for, and what to do. If it's a relatively new cell, my guess would be a dirty cell or a low or high salt level. Clean it and check the salt level to be sure it's in range. The YMCA pool's salt range is 3000 - 3500. I keep it between 3300 - 3500, the mid-to-upper level. This gives me a slight buffer with clogging the cell up. It's best to go a bit higher, but still in range, then allow the level to come down. For chemicals, all you need right now is liquid chlorine and a PolyQuat 60 algaecide. Shock in the evening, allow for one turnover of the water, then retest in the morning. 1 turnover is normally 8 - 10 hours. You'll see how the chlorine is holding. Be sure to turn the cell off before shocking. If there's no chlorine reading you'll need to shock it again to get the chlorine in there, then retest in the evening again. Remember to use liquid chlorine. Hope this helps and have a great Summer. Robert |
