quantumchromodynamics

You note that the bromine levels jumped up and then went back down. You should maintain 10 ppm bromine until the water is totally clear and the levels don't drop right back down. If your level is 10 ppm at the end of the day and is down to less than 5 ppm overnight, that means that there are still organics that need to be cleared. Maintain 10 ppm bromine until the overnight bromine loss is only a few ppm. Use regular, unscented 6.0 % bleach to increase the bromine level. Be sure to circulate and filter the water enough to keep it clear.

The states regulate the swimming pool codes in Australia in addition to the National Standards, the APVMA regulations and the GSPO (Guidelines for Safe Pool Operation), which is published by the Royal Life Saving Society. For example, the S.A.H.C. (South Australian Health Commission) provides this code, which specifies the acceptable sanitizers as chlorine and UV/hydrogen peroxide. This supplement approves bromine for use in swimming pools. Therefore, in South Australia, only chlorine, bromine and UV/H2O2 are approved. The Royal Life Saving Society of Australia publishes the Guidelines for Safe Pool Operation (GSPO), which sets forth certain minimum standards. Here is a page describing some of the regulations that pertain to the individual states and territories. Here is the Australian Standard for sanitation of private swimming pools. http://www.apvma.gov.au/use_safely/pool/background.php http://www.apvma.gov.au/use_safely/pool/index.php Here is a reference from the WHO (World Health Organization). What state are you in?

You can get a cover pump that has an automatic on/off switch like this one. The cover is made to be wet without falling apart, so water and leaves won't damage the cover. You might want to consider getting a safety cover for your mom's safety. If she fell in, the cover could wrap around her and she might have a hard time getting out. http://www.looploc.com/ http://www.meycoproducts.com/PoolCovers.htm http://www.anchorinc.com/products/index.php?cat=Pool+Covers

I would follow the builder's instructions. That way, if there is a problem, such as structural cracks, the builder can't blame you for not doing what they ask. It does make sense that the water will act as an insulator and protect the shell from getting too cold.

Water and leaves won't really hurt the cover. Algae will build up over time and can be difficult to clean if it stays on too long. I would be more concerned about safety due to water buildup. A child can drown in just a few inches of water. Is this a safety cover or a water bag cover?

This is only true if there is a bromide reserve in the water. The OP said the tub was only filled for a week and if he did not add sodium bromide on filling there will be no significant bromide reserve built up yet. Valid point (although, not necessarily relevant). That's one of the reasons that I previously referenced your write-up on bromine where you say to add the sodium bromide. Either way, the addition of 10 ml of 6 % bleach will measure as 1 ppm bromine, so it doesn't particularly matter if the sodium bromide was added or not. I advise against using teaspoons to measure bleach. First, it would take 36 teaspoons to measure out the 6 ounces that you recommend (which would take forever). And second, it is very difficult to use teaspoons to measure liquid without spilling some. I recommend using a disposable plastic (not Styrofoam or paper) drinking cup that you have determined the correct level of liquid.

I recommend that you also use an FAS-DPD chlorine test as a verifier. The test is a titration that goes from pink to clear, so it should be readable by someone with color blindness as long as you can distinguish a pink from clear solution.. You don't have to buy the whole test kit. Just get the reagents R-0870-I, R-0871-C and R-0003-C and follow these instructions: You can use any 10-ml or 25 ml sample tube as long as you can swirl the solution. Here is a page of instruction videos that shows how to do the test. If you use MPS, then you should use the MPS interference remover reagent K-2042

The water will help keep the shell in the ground. If you get a high water table, the shell could be pushed up by the hydrostatic pressure. Also, if you don't follow the builder's instructions, then they could blame you for a variety of problems. Following their instructions helps to keep them responsible for the results. What is "item 4"?

You should add enough regular, unscented 6.0 % bleach to increase your bromine to 10 to 20 ppm. Maintain at least 10 ppm until the water clears. 10 ml of 6 % bleach will raise your bromine by 1 ppm. What are all of your levels? Bromine, pH, TA, calcium? 100 ml = 3.38 ounces

First, you should read waterbear's post about doing bromine. Then, you should read the Chlorine Demand post; it's about chlorine, but the same thing applies to bromine. Is this a new tub? If it is, then you should do the Decontamination procedure. What test kit do you have? What are all of your levels? Bromine, pH, TA, calcium? What are you using for shock? What does the water smell like?

What is your FC level? I think that if you turn off the tub for a few minutes, most of the ozone residual should be gone, and then you can get a water sample. Are you using MPS? Mps will register in the CC test. If you are using MPS, you should get the reagent to remove the MPS CC interference. I recommend that you read the following: Nitro's approach to Water Maintenance Dichlor/bleach Method In A Nutshell Chlorine Demand If your CC level is higher than 0.5 ppm, or if you have an excessive chlorine demand, then you need to shock. Also, the correct term is chloramines or combined chlorine, not chlorinates.

That source recommends adding copper, which can cause serious stains. I recommend that copper not be used.

My recommendation is not to add any chemicals unless you know what they are, what they do and why you need them. Soft is probably boric acid or phosphate. You should not use it unless you know what it is and why you need it. Soft will increase your TA, so you need to measure the TA before and after adding it to know what contribution it makes to the TA.

What is "dead" chlorine?

OK, thanks for that information. I had seen some references to its use in pools, but I thought that the references were errors where they confused the two. Here is another company selling sodium persulfate as non-chlorine shock. http://hyclor.com.au/pdfs/SpaShock.pdf http://hyclor.com.au/MSDS.aspx

Is Aqua Finesse EDTA? If not, then what is it?

Right now, you should maintain a consistent chlorine level. You shouldn't need much MPS. I was asking about this: How much after adding the MPS, did you get the 2 ppm reading? What salt are you using? Are you using cyanuric acid?

I think that the patent example shows some important information. First, that bromide, at least in the patent example, was not a major factor in creating the higher FC reading. The patent example shows that the FC level rose gradually and steadily over time. If bromide were a significant contributing factor, then the FC would have shown most of the increase almost immediately. I think that in the original poster's example bromide was probably a contributing factor due to the source of the salt. Second, the steady increase of FC over time also indicates that MPS was not a significant contributor to the FC reading in the patent example. If MPS were a significant contributor to the FC, then the FC would have shown most of the increase immediately. Because they used an MPS interference remover (probably N,N-bis-(hydroxyethyl)-2-aminoethane sulfonic acid or N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine)(1), they were able to calculate the level of MPS independently and that showed the MPS levels dropping as the FC increased. MPS does have and effect on the FC test when no MPS neutralizer reagent is used, so it cannot be completely discounted in the OP's example, especially since they used so much MPS. I think that the overall conclusion is that MPS can convert significant amounts of chloride to chlorine when added to a salt system while the salt generator is working. [speculation]MPS might be converted into sulfate radicals in the salt cell. The sulfate radicals could then convert chloride to chlorine radicals, which could then form free chlorine. Reference[end speculation] ________________________________________________________________ Also, note that the poster states that they tested their FC right after adding the MPS and it was 2.0 ppm. If they allowed enough time for the MPS to mix and react, that would rule out bromide and MPS registering on the FC test as contributing factors. glennmacph, how much time did you wait after adding the MPS before testing the FC?

The scale on new plaster comes from plaster dust (calcium carbonate and calcium hydroxide) and a high CSI. If it is not managed properly, it will form the type of scale that you have. You can use the pool calculator to calculate your CSI. To remove the scale, you will have to get your CSI below 0.0 and brush frequently.

The formation of calcium carbonate scale (calcite) CaCO3 is endothermic. That means that for calcium carbonate scale to form, it has to absorb heat. This is why calcium is more soluble in cold water than in hot water. The heat is stored in the calcium carbonate until it dissolves. When the calcium carbonate dissolves, it releases heat (it's exothermic). Since your heater element is hot, it will be more scaled than the rest of the tub. The scale will act as an insulator trapping the heat and causing the element to overheat. You should turn off the heater until the scale is redissolved. You should drain the tub and refill with a mix of softened and unsoftened water so that the calcium level is about 50 to 100 ppm. Leave the heat off until all calcium carbonate scale is dissolved. Lower the TA (Total Alkalinity) to about 50 ppm and the pH to about 7.2. Allow the tub to circulate for a few days until all of the scale is dissolved. Maintain FC at 2.0 to 5.0 with liquid chlorine. Once all of the scale is dissolved, recheck all levels and maintain your CSI (Calcite Saturation Index) at about -0.3 to -0.1. You can then reheat the water and the scale should not return. You can use the pool calculator to calculate your CSI. I recommend that you add 50 ppm borates from boric acid to help manage the pH. I recommend that you read the following: Nitro's approach to Water Maintenance Dichlor/bleach Method In A Nutshell Chlorine Demand Also, have you used any sort of phosphate based pH buffer?

Here are the chemicals that you need to measure and report: Free chlorine Combined chlorine pH Total Alkalinity Calcium Cyanuric acid Borate (when used) Temperature Also, please measure and report the pH, TA and calcium levels of the fill water. These are chemicals you need to measure and manage at all times. You can use the Taylor K-2006 test kit to measure all of these chemicals except borate. Borate levels can be measured with test strips to an acceptable level of precision. Borates can help prevent pH spikes. You will probably need to fill the tub using at least some water from the water softener.

Scale is caused by an excessively high CSI (Calcite Saturation Index). If you can post a full set of chemicals we can help you figure out what to do to prevent scale.

Scale is caused by an excessively high CSI (Calcite Saturation Index). If you can post a full set of chemicals we can help you figure out what to do to prevent scale.

Since they are only showing examples where the salt cell is generating during the test, I am wondering if the MPS is acting directly on the chloride or if it is acting as a catalyst to increase the reaction rate in the cell. The patent examples are fairly consistent with the poster's results.

No, metals should not be used in a salt system. Also, the high levels of chloride will limit the silver concentrations to less than 1 ppb. A salt level of 3,000 ppm will limit the silver concentration to 372 ppt (parts per trillion). Ksp = 1.77 x 10 ^-10 silver chloride http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=ksp+silver+chloride 35,453 ppm of chloride is 1M 1.77 X 10 ^ -10 = (0.05133M)(molarity of silver) 35.453/58.443 = 60.66 % chloride 3,000 ppm of sodium chloride = 1820 ppm chloride 1820 ppm chloride =0.05133 M 3.448 x 10^-9 M silver = 3.72 x 10^-4 ppm = 372 ppt (parts per trillion)