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If a corona discharge ozonator is left operating full-time but all water pumps stay off, is there any potential damage to the ozonator? We're talking maybe a full day of operation with no suction from the injector. I'm trying to figure out why my ozonator stopped putting out ozone but haven't...

I've been reading through old posts on here about removing phosphate with lanthanum, and there are lots of posts, and lots of answering by Matt. But I'm a little unclear about some things: Does the lanthanum react simultaneously with carbonate and phosphate, or does the it react with carbonate...

I've been doing some reading about the various types of phosphates and their use in water supplies. This Link says in its section titled "The Functions of Orthophosphates/Polyphosphates" that Ortho is an anodic inhibitor and Poly is a cathodic inhibitor, when talking about electro-chemical...

Pool Hippo leaves behind a mess. Might need to do a little shock & brushing...

I have a need for either clarifier or flocc that is anionic (for some experiments I can't talk about). I'm assuming that some of the "metal out" products are anionic but not sure if any work as clarifiers or floccs. Simply deactivating or sequestering isn't enough, I need to be able to filter...

Interesting to see this after years of discussion of CYA vs FC on this forum. CYA and Chlorine in Plain Language

OK, this has bothered me for a long time. Does CYA actually interfere with ORP sensors, or is the sensor giving a true indication that most of the chlorine is bound to CYA and not truly "free"? My inclination is toward the latter one but I don't have enough experience with them to know.

I see that Natural Chemistry is going to come out with the 2-part "CYA Removal Kit", and apparently they were talking about it at the Pool & Spa Expo in Las Vegas this week. What little I've seen online makes me think it is just a bottle of their Thiotrine and a bag of Bioactive CYA Reducer. Has...

I looked at some other threads about pre-filters but didn't really address what I was looking for. I currently have 10 spas going for various kinds of testing. A couple of years ago I started using a HydroPure Metal Trap pre-filter because my source water is terrible. It doesn't look too bad and...

This may be a stupid question. Is the CYA in pool water not part of TDS (because it is an acid and not a salt) or is it part of TDS? I realize that the magnitude of the ppm is very small compared to the ppm of TDS. I'm thinking about the effects on TDS of spa BCDMH vs Dichlor, and my assumption...

I'm not sure where (or if) this belongs in the forum. I still haven't seen this place in person despite driving through North Minneapolis a couple of times per week during the summer...

I normally use individual test methods such as a Hach colorimeter for sanitizer, a calibrated digital pH meter, and for TA I use the Taylor drop kit. Someone thought it would be a good idea if I had the LaMotte system to "same me time", and I've been using it to take additional measurements to...

I wasn't sure where / whether to post this. I've already contacted the National Plasterer's Council so we'll see what response I get. I am preparing to do some testing and need to gather info to help me make a plan. I'd rather communicate via private messages instead of posting all the details...

Watch out chem people, I'm trying to learn again by asking a question. I know that aerating chlorinated water will slowly dechlorinate it. But what I'm trying to understand is how it actually works. You don't have a bunch of chlorine gas bubbling around in the water, so how does aeration get rid...

As part of my work, I sometimes field questions from customer service people. Yesterday, one of them showed me a pool store test printout that a customer had scanned and emailed, asking for a 2nd opinion. It was one of those computerized things where it tells the customer they need to buy and...

I don't currently have an algae problem and rarely use algaecide, but I want to do a "sanity check" on my understanding of algaecide terminology, since I haven't paid much attention to them before. Please let me know if any of this is wrong or needs further definition: "quat" means "quaternary"...

When there are blue stains we obviously say it is copper, but copper what? I'm asking partly because I'm wondering if it might form copper phosphate, which is one kind of blue compound. I just helped someone understand what causes copper cyanurate, and that has me thinking about other types of...

I've read several postings on here including the Pool Water Chemistry one by Chem Geek. That has gotten me pretty far along in understanding that Na+ and Cl- are separate ions when dissolved, which by itself dispels lots of mythology. And I'm on-board with aeration being the primary cause of pH...

This is a more than a bit absurd, and I'm not 100% sure it belongs in The Deep End (if not, please correct me). It also give insight into how my brain connects things. Suppose you had a swimming pool where your source water tended to be low in alkalinity, and your pH tended to run a bit low...

The typical instructions for raising or lowering pH say to add X amount, then retest later. I assume that is so that you don't over-adjust or end up "see-sawing". (That said, I have never overcorrected, it always seems like the doses are about half as much as they should be.) Outside of the...

I've been looking at this paper by Wojtowicz where he calculates the amount of chemical addition needed to adjust the pH, taking into account the total alkalinity and cyanuric acid (at least that's what I think he means by "CA"). Unfortunately his graphs for increasing the pH are targeted to...

I've been reading about phosphate removers, orthophosphates, HEDP metal sequestrants, and have found some good posts on TFP. One question I have, though, is whether the form of phosphates found in a spa pH buffer would be removed by a phosphate remover such as lanthanum. I figured there would be...

I did some searching on here and found lots of threads that mention potential damage to SWG plates or other potential problems from sulfates. The Wikipedia entry on Salt Water Chlorination says that HCL is a necessary part of the system to convert the Sodium Hydroxide back into Sodium Chloride...

I'm doing a little self-teaching to reinforce what I thought I knew, but I'm chasing my tail and getting more confused. Let me step through my thinking. Please tell me what I'm missing: 1. An oxidizer can be defined as a substance that gives oxygen to something else, or as a substance that...

I have been searching a lot on here and elsewhere about CYA tests and effects. I know that temperature and light both affect the test results. Are there any other factors (outside of my eyeballs :cyclops: and the dilution) that might affect the results? Since it is a precipitate, I wondered if...

Figured I'd better start a separate thread with my data. First, information about my test configuration: Tank Equipment: 250 gallon cubicle IBC tank (plastic bulk tank w/ metal cage, sometimes called a pallet tank) with rectangular opening cut into the top. A plastic flap is used as a loose...

Hi from Minnesota. After 5 years I've finally decided to quit being just a lurker. I had 15' and18' Intex pools for years and made lots of "textbook" newbie mistakes. You know the ones: Algae blooms from inadequate sanitation, followed by massive chemical additions I shouldn't have needed, and...