0 Chlorine Level?

[spahopeful]

My chlorine levels have registered 0 the last 3 times I tested them.  I use the Leisure Time test strips and use All Klear dichlor after every soak.  My alkalinity levels are also registering a little high, but I haven't adjusted for them yet.  I typically use a couple teaspoons of Dichlor.  Last night I used about 3 tablespoons of dichlor and still got a reading of 0 chlorine after 15 minutes and again after 30 minutes.  I have a J385 and turn all the jets on after putting in the dichlor.  The water looks crystal clear.  Any ideas why I'm not showing any chlorine?

[Brewman]

If you put 3 tablespoons of dichlor into your spa and circulate for 15 minutes, you should get a strong reading.  

Maybe your strips are shot?  

Try taking your spa water to your dealer after you dose with dichlor, and ask them to read it for you.  Take your strips with.  

 Or bop over to your nearest big box, and go to their pool department.  You might find a cheap liquid chlorine test kit, and could try that.

[SerjicalStrike]

How old is the water?  Are you gettin a strong chlorine smell?

You may just need to add more chlorine.  If you don't get the level up after using the spa and then use the spa again, you will need to add even more chlorine.  

[spahopeful]

My water is only about 6 weeks old.  I have been gone on a couple of trips and it did not get used and had no dichlor added during that time.  Maybe it does need more dichlor to get the readings back up.

[cooltoy2000]

Definitely get it tested. It should be free. And they will tell you exactly what and how much to add to make the chemistry correct.

[SerjicalStrike]

I doubt they will be able to tell him exactly how much chlorine to add as there is no way to know the demand.
Chlorine is pretty simple.  Generally, if you don't get a reading, you need to add more.  If the spa has gone for a week or two without chlorine, there could be biofilm in the lines, using up all the chlorine as soon as it is introduced.

[spahopeful]

What is "biofilm" in the lines and how can I solve that problem?  It did go a 11 days in a row without dichlor, and then it was used for a couple days and went another 5 days without chlorine.  My test strips were working just fine before I went on the trip and were stored inside the house out of the sun, so I can imagine they suddenly went bad.  Also, the test strips are working for the chemicals (PH, Alk, CA).

[In Canada eh]

What is "biofilm" in the lines and how can I solve that problem?

Biofilm is a biological growth that forms on the inside of pipes due to low chlorine levels or in some instances low flow rates.  The only way to eliminate it is to super-chlorinate.  Add enough dihlor to achieve about 5ppm(test 15 minutes after adding), once you reach 5ppm leave the tub sit for about 12 hours and you should be OK.  I would probably shock the tub at this point cause things could get a little stinky as the chlorine starts to break down the YUK.  Don't worry, its not as bad as it sounds.

[spahopeful]

I believe my test strips work since they measured 5ppm chlorine when when I tested in a gallon of water with a few granules.  I also got a high reading in my hot tub about 2 minutes after adding 3 tablespoons of dichlor.  However, when I tested about 12 minutes later I got a 0 reading again.  How would I know if I have biofilm? I don't seem to have white flakes and my water looks clear.

[SerjicalStrike]

What is "biofilm" in the lines and how can I solve that problem?

Biofilm is a biological growth that forms on the inside of pipes due to low chlorine levels or in some instances low flow rates.  The only way to eliminate it is to super-chlorinate.  Add enough dihlor to achieve about 5ppm(test 15 minutes after adding), once you reach 5ppm leave the tub sit for about 12 hours and you should be OK.  I would probably shock the tub at this point cause things could get a little stinky as the chlorine starts to break down the YUK.  Don't worry, its not as bad as it sounds.

To super-chlorinate a spa, you need to get the chlorine level over 100ppm.  A 5ppm level of chlorine is the normal level that the spa should get to after you are done using it.

11 days without dichlor is a good recipe for biofilm.  Try taking your filter out and seeing if any flakes come out of the filter.  If they do, I would reccomend super-chlorinating the spa and dumping the water.  

[Bonibelle]

I was in the pool store the other day talking about water tests with a new employee. Somehow we got on the subject of inaccurate water tests and how certain situations can mask accurate reading on strips. One thing he told me was that phosphates can really create problems for strip tests. I guess phosphates come from bathing suits that haven't been rinsed enough to get soap residual out. But he said it can occur in potable water and even in well water...I don't know about that? I know Leslie's makes a product to remove phosphates but I can't figure out if this is a sales ploy or is there can actually be a problem with phosphates. Does anyone know about this?

I was talking to my spa sales person about different things the other day and she said that she had a customer that was unable to maintain a sanitizer reading..no matter how much he was putting in ...turns out he hadn't cleaned his filters in months!  ANd they were really a mess! So the sanitizer was being used up by the bioburden on the filters before it could even build up a measurable level.

I guess this is one advantage to bromine, either injected or in a floater. At least a level of sanitizer can be maintained when the tub is not being used. :-/ Can you do that with chlorine too?

[Brewman]

All you'd really need to do is to add daily whatever dose of chlorine is required to keep your readings at the suggested level.  

 Using Vermonter's method, I dose right after we soak.  Sometimes a few days pass when we don't use the spa, and in that case I'll add a dose every couple days.  
Once a week, give or take, I shock with a higer dose of dichlor.

Once per month I shock with MPS, but not too often since it make the water go out of balance.

 So far this routine has worked well for us- water has never been clearer or easier to maintain.  And sometime when we're too busy to use the tub, we go a few days in a row without any chlorine.  But I always check at least 2 times per week.

[spahopeful]

OK - about 8 hours ago I put 1.5 cups of dichlor in the tub.   I know I was well above 10PPM even after checking after 15 minutes.  Now I get a reading of 0 again AND all my other levels (ALK, PH, CH) are reading 0!  My water still looks crystal clear.  What now?  Is the water still safe?  I was in it last night with no problems (before I tried this process).

[Brewman]

Get to a dealer asap and have them test your water.  If they get a zero reading you have water issues, and if they get a reading and you don't you have test issues.

IMHO.

[Tatooed_Lady]

OK - about 8 hours ago I put 1.5 cups of dichlor in the tub.   I know I was well above 10PPM even after checking after 15 minutes.  Now I get a reading of 0 again AND all my other levels (ALK, PH, CH) are reading 0!  My water still looks crystal clear.  What now?  Is the water still safe?  I was in it last night with no problems (before I tried this process).

My uneducated guess is that the dichlor reading is way high, which is good....and that's bleaching out the strip. I've read posts about taking a cup of tub water, mixing it with a cup or two of tap water, and trying to get readings that way. The tap water dilutes the super chlorinated tub water enough that the strips don't get bleached out...don't panic yet, sounds like you're on the right track.