Anyone ever tried this SWG?

[chiefwej]

You do not need PhosFree. If you have the proper chlorine level, phosphate level means nothing. The line you hear at the pool store is that phosphates are algae food. Well it doesn't matter how much algae food is in there if the chlorine has killed all the algae. It's quicker, cheaper and easier to kill it with chlorine than to try to starve it.

For CYA I usually buy it at Walmart. It's usually labled as stabilizer, and should say 100% cyanuric acid. Be cautious you only want to bring your level to about 70 and I would never trust a pool stores test to judge my level. That is the one test that pool stores are notorious for getting wrong. To properly read the result you really need to be outdoors with your back to the sun. PoolMath will calculate how much you need to add. Put in an old sock, tie it up and put it in a skimmer. It'll take some time to dissolve and won't show up on a test until upto a week after its all dissolved. I say be cautious because if you overshoot on CYA, the only way to lower it is draining the pool.

 

[restoman]

Thank you sir! I'll go to Walmart this afternoon. I've got a LOT of old socks so that shouldn't be a problem. The poolmath page says I need 113oz by weight (118oz by volume) to bring it up to 70. That seems like a lot, so should I start out with half that?

Also, until I get my tax return and can buy the SWG, what are your recommendations for adding the Clorox? (7.9% Chlorine) A gallon a week? Half a gallon a week? Keep in mind it's in the upper 80's for the next few weeks here.

Ed

 

[chiefwej]

If you are not using your SWG then you pool is now a standard chlorine pool and the recommended CYA is around 30. So you won't have to add very much to get to that level. If you put it higher now you will just need more bleach to reach your new higher CL target. Raising the CYA to higher levels can be done once you have your SWG back in service. Chlorine demand at water temps below 60 is very low. No one is swimming and algae doesn't grow in cold water. You can use PoolMath to tell you how much bleach to add. If you have added CYA use your new target level and dose with bleach assuming the CYA is already in there.

 

[restoman]

Thanks again. I think in this case I'll just hold off on everything until I get the new SWG. Even though it's in the upper 80's here, the water temperature is still way too cold to swim in (or have algae grow), so I should be okay for the short term.

Ed