Ask the Expert: I put a new Bac Pac® in my Pool FROG® Cycler but when I test my water my Free Chlorine level is zero!
Sounds like an air lock. It’s an easy fix.
Somehow, when changing your Bac Pac an air bubble got into the system. When that happens, the only place for an air bubble to go is into the Bac Pac. And when there’s an air bubble in the Bac Pac it prevents chlorine erosion. If you check your Bac Pac, it’s probably dry.
To get the air bubble out:
- Turn the pump off.
- Remove the Bac Pac from the Cycler.
- Submerge the Bac Pac completely in your pool.
- Hold the Bac Pac under water until it fills completely with water and no bubbles occur.
- No worries – this will not cause premature chlorine erosion; the chlorine erosion process is slow, and this will not accelerate it.
- Remove the Bac Pac from the water, replace it in your Cycler.
- Turn the pump on.
- Test your water again to determine Free Chlorine Level.
Good News: You can prevent air locks!
To prevent an air lock in your system, take the steps above whenever you replace the Bac Pac . Think of this as priming the Bac Pac.
Why does an Air Lock Happen?
We don’t know when or why – but we know it can happen once every 10 years, or even every time you change your Bac Pac. It’s an uncontrollable variable with a pressurized system, but easy to fix.