How to Correct Chlorine Lock in Swimming Pool
- Measure the pool temperature and record. Test the pool water with the good test kit. Record the pH, free chlorine, total chlorine, CYA and calcium ...
- Calculate the pool size factor. Divide the number of gallons in the pool by 120,000. All pool measurements are in parts per million. One pound of ...
- Look up the minimum chlorine level in parts per million based on the pool's temperature and CYA level. See chart 1 in "Avoiding Algae in ...
- Calculate the amount of "pure" chloride to be added by multiplying the pool size factor from Step 2 by the chlorine breakpoint number. The result ...
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What causes chlorine to lock up in a pool?
Chlorine lock is a supposed condition that occurs when your pool has too much cyanuric acid in the water. The confusion surrounding this event comes from the use of the term “lock”. Essentially, adding too much cyanuric acid (chlorine stabilizer) is believed to “lock-up” the functionality of your chlorine.
How do you fix chlorine demand in a pool?
The only way to cure chlorine demand is to give your pool the chlorine that it needs through consistently shock treatments. A general rule to follow is to use 3 pounds of calcium hypochlorite pool shock for every 10,000 gallons of pool water. This may vary depending on the degree of chlorine demand that your pool has.
Can chlorine lock cause cloudy water?
But while it is possible to have both cloudy water AND high chlorine levels in the pool, the cause of cloudiness is NOT because of high chlorine levels – rather, your pool's cloudy water is caused by some other underlying issues such as water balance, filtration, algae, or water mold issues.
How do you remove chlorine lock?
The fastest and most accepted way to break a chlorine lock is by shocking your pool and achieving breakpoint chlorination. This is done by triple shocking your pool with UNSTABILISED CHLORINE. Don't use stabilised chlorine as the added cyanuric acid will worsen the problem.
How do you know if you have chlorine lock?
A chlorine lock can be a common problem for pool owners. One of the most common signs you are dealing with this issue is having a strong bleach smell coming from your pool. Your pool water may also be causing itchy skin or burning eyes.
Can you swim in chlorine lock?
1:224:23Regularly. But high cya does not cause your chlorine to become useless. Or locked up what's actuallyMoreRegularly. But high cya does not cause your chlorine to become useless. Or locked up what's actually occurring is a lack of chlorine. And that's called chlorine demand. So what is chlorine demand.
Will baking soda clear up a cloudy pool?
Baking soda can work wonders in a pool. Baking soda can: Help to clear cloudy water and restore the sparkle. Spot-treat algae.
Will baking soda clear a green pool?
Will baking soda clear a green pool? No. Baking soda will only raise your alkalinity and pH levels and this will not kill algae. Chlorine is what kills algae.
Why is my chlorine demand so high?
The consistent inability to maintain chlorine levels is also called “chlorine demand” and is most often caused by a high level of inorganic and organic contaminants in the water. Those contaminants force the chlorine to work extremely hard to oxidize them, leaving little chlorine to protect swimmers.
Why won't My chlorine level stay up in my pool?
If you test your pool water and can't get a chlorine level reading at all it may be due to very high chlorine demand. High chlorine demand is the inability to keep an adequate level of chlorine in the pool water even though the water appears to be balanced and properly maintained.
Why won't the chlorine level in my pool go down?
The most common cause of chlorine lock is an overabundance of cyanuric acid (CYA). Cyanuric acid is commonly referred to as a "stabilizer" and is vital to maintaining healthy chlorine levels in your pool.
What is chlorine lock?
Well, sort of. “Chlorine lock” is a controversial subject in the pool industry and has been found to actually be a misnomer — a term that some pool companies will use interchangeably with the term “chlorine demand”. These are actually two different things. Chlorine lock is supposedly a condition that affects your pool when there is too much ...
Why isn't my pool chlorine on my test strips?
The need for more and more chlorine is just part of having a swimming pool. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, chlorine doesn’t even register on your test strips. There’s a reason for that: chlorine lock.
What Causes Chlorine Demand?
Despite chlorine demand being a fairly rare issue (as pool issues go) it can happen. When it does happen, it’s usually in the spring when you’re opening up your pool for the first time after a long winter of being closed up.
Why are chloramines bad for your pool?
Since chloramines have no real or functional purpose as sanitizers whose mere existence reduces the levels of available chlorine in your pool, it stands to reason that they are the actual culprits of “chlorine lock”.
Why is chlorine unusable?
The idea is that the excess cyanuric acid, which is a chlorine stabilizer, causes the chlorine to be unusable, even if your chlorine levels are where they need to be. The term chlorine “lock” is playing on the notion that an abundance of cyanuric acid is locking up your chlorine, holding it hostage, and making it unusable.
What is the chemical that sanitizes a pool?
As chlorine sanitizes your pool, it works to decompose all of these nitrogen-based waste products in your pool and the resulting byproducts are chloramines. Chloramines are those unpleasant compounds that cause eye and skin irritation for swimmers. They are also responsible for the chlorine-like smells near pools.
What does it mean when you don't get a chlorine test?
So if you’re not getting readings on your chlorine test strips or liquid test kit, it probably means you have chlorine demand. All this means in a nutshell, is that your pool needs to slake its everlasting thirst for blood— I mean, chlorine.
What is chlorine lock?
Chlorine lock is a term that’s well-known for the pool owners. If you add excessive pool stabilizer or Cyanuric acid to the pool, the pool gets the chlorine-lock state. Cyanuric acid protects the chlorine molecules from ultraviolet rays.
What happens if you add too much chlorine to a pool?
If you add too much pool stabilizer, the cyanuric acid in the pool stabilizer locks the chlorine molecules completely. So, it becomes useless. A Chlorine Lock occurs when your Total Chlorine is Higher than your Free Chlorine, resulting in High Combined Chlorine.
What happens if you refill 1/4 of your pool water?
It will give your pool sort of a refresher and allow you to start with some cleaner water. If the issue persists, drain some more water and test the chlorine again.
What is the difference between chlorine and chlorine?
The difference is all the organic and inorganic chloramines. Combined Chlorine should ideally be at zero. Total Chlorine and Free Chlorine should be equal to each other. In order to get rid of a Chlorine Lock, you must achieve Breakpoint Chlorination.
What pH level should chlorine shock be?
Before adding chlorine shock, check the pH level. It should be balanced and between 7.2 – 7.6.
What is free chlorine?
Free Chlorine is the chlorine that sanitizes.
How long should you let a shock in a pool?
When you add the shock to your swimming pool, let it rest for a 3, 4 hours. Now test the chlorine.
What is chlorine lock?
Chlorine lock or stabilizer lock is a term used inaccurately and inappropriately by many uneducated providers of pool advice, service and chemicals. Contrary to the myth that too much stabilizer, most commonly cyanuric acid, or CYA, locks the chlorine to be unavailable and causes algae bloom, stabilizer is a critical part ...
How to reduce CYA in pool?
Regular back-washing and splash-out with routine water level maintenance will gradually reduce the CYA. Maintain the free chlorine levels at the level looked up in Step 2. Superchlorinate as necessary to remove chloramines and ammonia while maintaining pool clarity.
How to calculate chlorine breakpoint?
See chart 1 in "Avoiding Algae in Chlorinated Swimming Pools." Also, calculate the chlorine breakpoint for superchlorination. Subtract the free chlorine from the total chlorine and the remainder is the combined chlorine. The breakpoint is the combined chlorine times 10. So if the combined chlorine is 0.5 parts per million, then the breakpoint would be 5.0 parts per million.
How to calculate pool size?
Calculate the pool size factor. Divide the number of gallons in the pool by 120,000. All pool measurements are in parts per million. One pound of "pure" chlorine will raise the chlorine concentration of 1 million pounds of water by one part per million. Therefore, adjust the pool in question by the ideal pool of 120,000 gallons, or 1 million pounds of water.
How to keep chlorine in pool?
Make sure you have a rigorous maintenance schedule to add chlorine regularly and test your pool water often. Sometimes, a proper schedule isn’t enough to combat chlorine demand. If your pool is highly susceptible to leaves and dirt, adding a pool cover to place over the water when it’s not in use is a fantastic idea.
What is Chlorine Lock?
Chlorine lock is a supposed condition that occurs when your pool has too much cyanuric acid in the water. The confusion surrounding this event comes from the use of the term “lock”. Essentially, adding too much cyanuric acid ( chlorine stabilizer) is believed to “lock up” the functionality of your chlorine.
Why is chlorine so high in spring?
Chlorine demand is more prevalent in the spring when pools begin to open. The reason being is that the water has remained stagnant throughout the winter. During this time, a buildup of contaminants would have likely occurred. That requires additional chlorine to create a balance.
Why is chlorine needed in a pool?
For example, if your pool placement is susceptible to organic contaminants or debris such as tree branches, additional chlorine is needed to stabilize the water quality. So, the demand of chlorine in your pool is higher. If you don’t add more, the chlorine will become less effective overall.
Why is my pool closed in winter?
While a pool is closed, it is susceptible to bacteria buildup due to a stagnant nature. In cold climates, where pools must close during the winter, it is crucial to execute this task with the utmost care. Covering your pool is a great idea. In addition, you can put a Winterpill to great use.
Why is chlorine demand so bad?
Chlorine demand occurs when something throws a wrench in your pool’s chemical balance. Ultimately, your swimming pool isn’t getting the chlorine it needs to sustain its quality.
Why is my pool stagnant?
Apart from the time of year, it is crucial to treat your pool continuously. If a pool is not maintained continuously, the water becomes stagnant. Stagnant water hoards organic matter such as dirt, debris, and leaves, which will consume your water’s chlorine.
Why does chlorine lock in pool?
The problem with a chlorine lock is that attempts to add more chlorine to the water to raise the levels of free chlorine will likely just compound the problem. You have to remove some of the pool stabilizer from the pool to bring the levels back to such a point that the chlorine can remain active again. The easiest way to do this is ...
What is a chlorine lock?
In short, a chlorine lock is a phenomenon that occurs when you add too much cyanuric acid (pool stabilizer) to your pool. As we have discussed in other articles, cyanuric acid (CYA) is often used in tandem with chlorine as a means to help protect the chlorine from the sun. UV rays from the sun will break down chlorine very quickly without a pool stabilizer, which renders it unable to sanitize the water.
What happens if you break a chlorine lock?
When the chlorine in your pool is rendered inactive, it means that it cannot properly sanitize the water and will not only lead to an icky smell of chloramines but will also render the water unsafe to swim in. Problems like a chlorine lock can be highly frustrating if you don’t understand the problem and the methods you can use to address it. Any one of the solutions we discussed in this article can be effective for breaking a chlorine lock. It is up to the pool owner to determine which efforts they wish to try first.
What to do if you smell chlorine?
The first thing you want to do if you notice the intense smell of chloramines is to test your water. This will help confirm the problem as a chlorine lock. Ideally, free and total chlorine should be roughly equal.
What pH should a pool lock be?
You want your pH to be between 7.3-7.6. There is a bit of debate about how much shock is needed to reach that chlorination breakpoint, but many pool experts agree that performing a regular shock according to the manufacturer’s instructions is often enough to break the lock.
Why does my pool smell like bleach?
One of the most common signs is an intensely bleachy smell. Most people would assume that a pool that smells strongly of bleach may have had an overshoot of chlorine, but this is not the case. There are substances called chloramines which produce this smell. Chloramines are the result of improperly treated water.
Does chlorine break down quickly?
UV rays from the sun will break down chlor ine very quickly without a pool stabilizer, which renders it unable to sanitize the water. Cyanuric acid, in essence, helps protect chlorine from being degraded by sunlight.