Chlorine keeps you from having to use an algaecide, for a lot less money.

I have only added Bleach to my pool for over 2 years. This year I had to add CYA. Provided you maintain your FC levels according to the CYA Chart, you should never get algae and you should never have to shock. Rarely these things may pop up, but with proper FC, I do mean RARE. For occasional situations we recommend Polyquat 60 algaecide, but routine use, no, not required. I've only shocked my pool 4 times in 2 years, twice before vacations, twice before winterization. That's it.

Read about ionizers here. (I used to have one BTW...my little Froggie is what led me to TFP)

well its finally holding chlorine. last night I put in like 9 gallons of bleach and when i tested it this morning it was still above 10ppm. i went to the leslies pool store today and they dont carry the tester you suggest, so i will have to order it from that site. right now i am happy that it is staying more red than the test can read. now one question that i know is very circumstantial is about how much chlorine will i go through during a typical 4 month period. 25,000 gallon above ground pool, 200lb sand filter, 2 hp pump. i know there are alot of factors that will determine that but lets say optimal. i am trying to figure out about how much money will be saved over the course of the pool being open. i need something to feed the wife to get outta the hole i have dug with all the bleech i have had to buy.

i am taking back the power ionizer as well since i bought it last week, and used it i can still take it back but will have to eat 15% restocking fee...what a crock but at least we get to get most of the money back

Good news, that's alotta dough to get back

RE: Chlorine usage...alot of variables. Covering your pool during the day when it's not in use reduces FC loss significantly. I bought a new dark blue solar cover Tuesday, put it on and didn't lose any FC in 24 hours. Works FAB! Bather load, weather factors, location, sun exposure, etc. all these things can affect FC levels.

Right now I'm losing .5-1ppm FC a day, if that. Not alot of swimming going on. I use about 1-2 small jugs of bleach a week in the heat of summer, if we are swimming a lot, etc. I think I spent less than $50 on chems last season (all bleach-didn't need to add anything else). You're pool is bigger than mine, and without knowing the other variables....So for bleach, somewhere around $100 maybe?

That is promising to hear, PoolMom, since we have similar pools. I'm afraid to add up what I spent on Baquacil last year. Heck, I've spent $200+ on Baq this year trying to clear it up and my pool has only been open a month & half.

well i have a great dane and he ate my solar cover that came with the pool. all it looked like was blue bubble wrap. now as for the solar cover i find it impossible to put this on during the summer. it is so big...30' round and all, is there an alternate solution. i was in leslies pool store and they had a product that was a pill that was suppose to apply a thin biodegradable film on the pool and act as a solar cover. have you ever heard of such a thing and do you think it would work. this would be my only option as i would have to purchase another one, but the real problem is the 2 10 year old girls getting in it every day.

Nope, unfortunately the reviews of the liquid solar solutions are poor at best.

If you would like to replace the bubble one, users report cutting it in sections to make it more manageable.

Hey, I'll ship you the pill we have so you can try it out. We decided not to put it in our pool because of a review on here....which totally made sense!

I'm posting Anna's setup of how she did her solar cover, which we plan to duplicate tomorrow, now that we picked our cover up today I don't think she'll mind if I post her link. It's a great link and a really good one to follow in setting up this pool stuff.

http://ellerbach.com/Pool/

I think you have to click on each one to get to all her pictures and explanations. Hope it comes through.

cool link to the pool solar cover, i might have to try that out. problem is first i need to get another cover. i went all last year without one and it really didnt matter much. i didnt have any problems with my baquacil the 4 years i had it just tierd of spending the money.

the guy at the pool store said thast because my pressure gauge was not going back to 0 after unplugging the pump that the gauge was bad and i needed a new one. is this true, the only reason i ask is because this guy really didnt seem to know what he was talking about with the lady in front of me. she was asking him if they sold cya and he said no. she said that she needed a stabilizer and he pointed her to "the only stabilizer product we sell" and she looked on the back CYA. i had to laugh a little. so like i said i am not sure if i can trust anything he says.

If the gauge does not go to zero when the pump is off, it needs to be replaced. They are faily inexpensive.

One member said that he can find them at the Feed & Seed store for around $5?

ok cool ill get one, one more question.....what about the automatic chlorine feeders, how well do they work do you recomend them. the only reason i ask is because my pool came with one and i never hooked it up. i seen it there in the garage and it hit me to ask.

Every now and then an automatic tablet chlorinator is handy to have, when you are going on vacation perhaps, but mostly I would not use them.