Chlorine lock on swimming pool?

[MossRoad]

I've had similar issues, it's almost always caused by cya (cyanuric acid). It builds over time and that may be why it hasn't been an issue. Unfortunately if it's high the only fix is to drain some water and refill. You don't need to drain it all. Test kits or the pool store can test the level to confirm....

Less likely, but PH can also make chlorine not work, so I would check that too. Once it's all balanced make sure to brush everything down (preferably with a wire brush if the pool can handle it). That can help expose all the Algae to the chlorine. Nothing more frustrating than balancing a difficult pool.

That's one of the reasons above ground pools around here don't experience much trouble.... they get about 1/4 of their water drained each fall and replaced each spring. Then the rains, and such, and its common to get 1/2 your water changed every year at a minimum. With the pools only being open about 3-4 months a year, it doesn't have time to get out of whack.

 

[MossRoad]

I have found a couple squirrels in mine. Moles all the time. Have had a few birds drown in the pool.

Anyway, if what ever you been doing works, continue. It would cost me double to do what you are doing, even though It appears I have been using some very bad stuff, It has worked for 20 yrs and the water has been great.

I'm moving to the farm and will be selling this pool to someone else. I'll tell him what I have been using and getting excellent results.If he chooses to use something else, it will be up to him.
I also have used a polaris cleaner for 20 yrs. It may have been bad as well, but It always kept the pool very clean. Especially after a storm.

After the 30th of next mo. I'll be out of the pool business, unless I install an above ground for the grand kids

MOLES!!! YIKES! I've told this story many times on TBN>>>

I had moles. Didn't care. They just turned up the grass here and there.... then they undermined our pool at the end of August, the liner popped, and we lost 12,500 gallons of water THROUGH OUR GARAGE!!!

Now I'll say this.... I do not enjoy killing animals. Heck, I capture spiders in our house and let them go outside. I swerve to miss toads in the road! But the damage was extensive.

So I was forced to start hunting moles that August. We live on 1.1 acres.... I killed 29 moles between the end of August and the start of snow.
Year 2: I stopped counting at 50 moles killed.
Year 3: I stopped counting at 50 moles killed.
Year 4: I stopped counting at 50 moles killed.
Year 5: I stopped counting at 50 moles killed.
Year 6: I stopped counting at 50 moles killed.

So there's somewhere around 300 in 6 years on 1.1 acres.
Then they finally just slowed up.... I killed about a dozen each of the next few years, and ever since I only get about 6 per year. I'm guessing it's pushing 450 by now.

They didn't go to waste. I'd toss them in the woods and they'd be gone the next day, so something was eating them. And there's still quite a few around the neighborhood, just not a nightmare amount.

So if you ever need any help or advice on mole trappings, I do consider myself quite good at it.

 

[MossRoad]

Wow, this is kinda comical. Unless you own a real test kit and run the numbers you don't really know what you have. Go to that website and you'll see tons of people who have tested their own water (simple with the correct kit) and took the same water to a store just for the fun of it. It often didn't match but always consistent testing multiple times on their own test kit. Of course not all stores are created equal, the ones around here seem to be populated with high school kids. As for plain old bleach, it is the good stuff, just water and chlorine. The concentrated stuff at Walmart is 8.25%. I used to buy 12% in large containers from a pool store but didn't save much and usually ended up with it on my clothes. It also has a shelf life once open. My pool only needs a cup or so a day to maintain when the levels are right, it is large (18x33) for above ground at over 15k gallons but no deep end so not as much as a big in-ground. When using the SWG it seems to be around 6 hours to maintain the proper level and it's a small cheap unit.

As for the Leslie's CYA reducer, first I've heard of it but it looks like it came out 2 years ago. Here's a thread on it, I have yet to read it all but will.
Thoughts on bio-active cya reducer

Which SWG are you using?

I'm using the cheap one from Intex. On year 6 now, I think. I've bypassed the flow sensor and the screen doesn't work anymore, so I set it by the sounds! :laughing: It still makes the bubbles. But 4 hours is too much and 3 hours is too little after a week or so. Looking to replace it soon.

 

[Wsmitty]

Rusty and USTMD have my vote. I only use straight liquid bleach in my pool and never had an issue. The last couple years I have used a Salt Water Generator (SWG) which converts salt in the water to pure chlorine, talk about the easy pool life. CYA builds up when using pucks and most if not all powdered store chemicals, please post a picture or link of what is in your normal chlorine add. You may find that every time you add it you are adding CYA which is basically used so the sun does not burn on the chlorine quickly but never dissipates. The best thing you can do for yourself is get a real test kit like the big Taylor one and use the TFP website. That site has saved my butt and I post stuff on there to help others. Pool stores often mess up the numbers, especially on the CYA test. Also, forget about test strips.

Another vote for TFP. I had chlorine lock on my pool at the house I had up north. 1st pool store told me to keep dumping in shock bags until it clears. No results after dumping a lot of bags and money into the pool.
Went to another pool store and their testing showed super high CYA. This guy told me to pull the tab floater and use nothing but liquid for the rest of the season (no powered bags of shock) and hopefully this and the winter drain down and spring refill would correct it. It worked and I decided to find a better way other than trusting the advise of others.

I found TFP and got a proper Taylor test kit and never looked back. I've had 2 pools since then and followed their recommendations. I used the 8.25% from Dollar General and although you have to use more, it ends up costing less than the 12% pool store stuff. I use their Poolmath calculator using Dollar Store 8.25% bleach and the recommended chemicals and I have never been happier.

 

[kenmac]

MOLES!!! YIKES! I've told this story many times on TBN>>>

I had moles. Didn't care. They just turned up the grass here and there.... then they undermined our pool at the end of August, the liner popped, and we lost 12,500 gallons of water THROUGH OUR GARAGE!!!

Now I'll say this.... I do not enjoy killing animals. Heck, I capture spiders in our house and let them go outside. I swerve to miss toads in the road! But the damage was extensive.

So I was forced to start hunting moles that August. We live on 1.1 acres.... I killed 29 moles between the end of August and the start of snow.
Year 2: I stopped counting at 50 moles killed.
Year 3: I stopped counting at 50 moles killed.
Year 4: I stopped counting at 50 moles killed.
Year 5: I stopped counting at 50 moles killed.
Year 6: I stopped counting at 50 moles killed.

So there's somewhere around 300 in 6 years on 1.1 acres.
Then they finally just slowed up.... I killed about a dozen each of the next few years, and ever since I only get about 6 per year. I'm guessing it's pushing 450 by now.

They didn't go to waste. I'd toss them in the woods and they'd be gone the next day, so something was eating them. And there's still quite a few around the neighborhood, just not a nightmare amount.

So if you ever need any help or advice on mole trappings, I do consider myself quite good at it.

WOW ! They were attacking you for some reason. While I have found some in the pool, nothing like that amount .

You say they slowed up.. I guess so, word got out if they showed up in in your yard ,they would be murdered. No questions !

I:laughing: would consider you an expert more hunter/killer :laughing:

 

[KubotainNH]

Which SWG are you using?

I'm using the cheap one from Intex. On year 6 now, I think. I've bypassed the flow sensor and the screen doesn't work anymore, so I set it by the sounds! :laughing: It still makes the bubbles. But 4 hours is too much and 3 hours is too little after a week or so. Looking to replace it soon.

Yep Intex, bubbles are a good sign. I started with the 2 button unit a few years back and now I have 3 the button. My pool needed a new liner this year, I somehow lost 75% of my water with no discernible holes. It's been leaking slowly the last couple years. I think I got 11 or 12 years out of it so can't complain.

Last year my 4 month old SWG started popping the GFI on the plug end. May just have been water somewhere it shouldn't have been as it was fine after sitting inside for a month. We'll see what happens with it this year. I really like it when it runs as it should, the newer model does not lose its settings when power is lost. I disconnected the copper add-on, supposed to be bad for the water.

We'll call you mole hunter...

 

[MossRoad]

Yep Intex, bubbles are a good sign. I started with the 2 button unit a few years back and now I have 3 the button. My pool needed a new liner this year, I somehow lost 75% of my water with no discernible holes. It's been leaking slowly the last couple years. I think I got 11 or 12 years out of it so can't complain.

Last year my 4 month old SWG started popping the GFI on the plug end. May just have been water somewhere it shouldn't have been as it was fine after sitting inside for a month. We'll see what happens with it this year. I really like it when it runs as it should, the newer model does not lose its settings when power is lost. I disconnected the copper add-on, supposed to be bad for the water.

We'll call you mole hunter...

Thanks. I'm thinking about getting the new model just because of that stupid timer on the old one.

So back to the mole story.... moles undermine the liner at the edge. Pool blows out, floods the garage. 1' deep by 2' around hole where water blew out. Repack sand and cement block under side post. Get new liner. Install new liner.... can't install it because didn't notice pool is no longer round, it's egg shaped. It's towards end of August. Figure I'll just pack up the liner and do it in the spring. Pack up liner in box. Put away in back of shed for safe keeping. Wait out winter. Spring arrives. Find dead squirrel inside pool ring laying dead on sand.... poor guy jumped in and couldn't get out. Note: Apparently squirrels can't jump higher than about 39" straight up... pool is 40" deep (should be 52, but I put in an extra foot of sand when we got it because we had little kids at the time and I wanted them to be able to stand sooner). I wonder how long that poor thing was in there. Yikes. Clean up skeleton. Re-round the pool ring. Measure twice. O.K. Level sand. Measure again. O.K. Go to shed and dig out liner.... find side of box that was facing wall shredded to bits, and so was about 5 layers of the liner! Apparently, the clapboards have a gap under them, and when I weed eated behind the shed........ :mur:

:laughing:

So moles cost me one liner and I cost me one liner. Got a new liner. That one lasted a good 12-13 years. The pool wall was rusting out. We got it used. It was at least 15 years old when we got it free, and so I figure 30 years is a pretty good life. I patched the steel wall a few times, but the rust was going, so 3-4 years ago we took it down and treated ourselves to a new one. This one we made the normal 52" deep. :thumbsup:

So, I've put up two pools and four liners in 21 years. I got pretty good at that, too.

 

[KubotainNH]

Quite the story. We also got our pool used, Johnny Weissmuller or it's sister brand. The pool is built very well. Better than most of the new ones I see around.

I have one spot that's a bit deeper than the rest of the pool, when redoing the floor for the new liner my wife asks if I'm gonna level that part off. I told her no, that's the deep end. I like that spot....lol.

 

[MossRoad]

So back to the OP's issue about chlorine lock.... I've never heard of it. Apparently it's common?

 

[riptides]

So back to the OP's issue about chlorine lock.... I've never heard of it. Apparently it's common?

I have had pools for my entire life and never had a chlorine lock. Just lucky with the rains and chemical make up I guess.