Specks In Water Only When Chlorine Generator On

by Steven
(New Egypt NJ USA)

When my chlorine generator is working I see small specks of something flowing through water. It is only noticeable at night against the glow of the pool lights. I originally thought it was dead algae but it remains after repeded shockings and days of filter operation. I had turned off the chlorine generator before I dumped in the shock and in a few minutes they cleared up but one day later I turned on the generator again and they returned.

Bottom line is when generator is working these small particles flow in the water and when it is off they disappear. The pool is perfectly balanced
Free CL 5
CC 0
CYA 60
PH 7.5
CH 80
Inground fiberglass pool
6000 gal
Cartridge filter
3800 ppm salt

Since the calcium level is very low I dismissed the possibility of any kind of build up. The water is crystal clear and all particulate that I see disappears completely a few minutes after turning off generator The light I see these specks are 20 ft from the water outlet could it be nitrogen? Could they travel that far in water without rising to surface and disapating. This is driving me crazy trying to figure out what this is.

---

Thanks for the question Steven

First I'll start at the suction side of the pool. Is the skimmer basket intact and cleaned out? Debris can get through cracks in the basket. Then there's the possibility of an underground suction side leak that putting dirt into the piping. How about the bottom drain? Possibly an underground leak there. Next is the pump basket. Is it broken or cracked? Have you checked the motor impeller to be sure it's working? It might have some debris caught in it.

Then we go to the return side. You have a cartridge filter. Does it have more than 1800 - 2000 filter hours? If so you'll need to replace it. You can't go by "swimming seasons" or

"years". You must go by filter hours. The cartridge may be worn out or have small holes in it. Next is the chlorine cell. Have you cleaned it out properly. Even though the CH is a bit low (and that's alright for a fiberglass pool) you still should unhook it and clean it out.

Is there a heater? Are the coils intact or are they starting to show some age? And we end at the returns. Did anyone shove anything in the returns? Have you checked them?

And last I'll touch on shocking the pool. Shocking a pool is not a product you can buy, it's a process of maintain a FC level of 12ppm or > to kill the organic matter in the pool. This can be accomplished by simply using liquid chlorine or even grocery store bleach. Shock is nothing more than regular stabilized or unstabilized chlorine. It has virtually no special properties that regular chlorine doesn't have. You purchased chlorine that is marketed as "shock". My questions would be did you maintain a FC level of 12ppm? Was it tested? How was it tested? Was the FC checked after 8 - 10 hours of filtering to ensure it held at 10 - 12ppm? Was the filter sprayed out every 8 - 10 hours?

I would start troubleshooting with the above info. and get back to me if you didn't find anything.

If you feel your situation is more complex than this, I do phone consultations. It makes things go much faster and many people have found it extremely beneficial, saving them time and money in the long run. All your questions will be answered. I have nothing to sell you so you know I'm not bias. If you purchase a personal phone consult you'll get all 3 eBooks for free.

Pool Consultation

Clear Blue Pool eBook

How To Clear Up A Green Pool eBook

Swimming Pool Resources

Hope this helps and have a great Summer.

Robert