I'm just wondering how you're getting water in the skimmer yet the return jet is still above the water line.
Fairly new pool owner.....Need advice.
- Thread starter krashhole
- Start date
I'm just wondering how you're getting water in the skimmer yet the return jet is still above the water line.
Sorry for the mix up. I put the chlorine tablets in the filter housing for now because I need a new hose for the skimmer basket. So right now I just have the little plastic screen attachment on the suction port.
Ok, I'm making my list of stuff to pick up from the store this evening. Only one I'm not sure about is Dichlor. Do I just get regular pool shock like HTH? Or is it something specific such as this http://www.amazon.com/Nava-Chemicals-65 ... 749&sr=1-4
"Shock" is typically either dichlor or cal-hypo. As long as you get a dichlor based shock, and not one which is cal-hypo based, you will be fine. Any pool store should have both kinds. The full chemical name of the one you want is either Sodium dichloro-s-triazinetirone or Sodium dichloroisocyanurate (both the same, ie dichlor).
Searching on here I found this topic: difference-between-hth-shock-n-swim-and-super-shock-n-swim-t24342.html
I see you mention of it, but then a couple posts down I see "frustratedpoolmom" saying it's ok to use. Walmart only carries the HTH brand. Can someone tell me a brand to use? I know Lowe's carries pool supplies, but I dont know if I can use that either. I dont have a pool store by me and the closest (Leslie's) is about 30 minutes down the road.
EDIT: Lowe's carries Aqua Chem, but I can't find the ingredients anywhere even on aqua chems website.
I see you mention of it, but then a couple posts down I see "frustratedpoolmom" saying it's ok to use. Walmart only carries the HTH brand. Can someone tell me a brand to use? I know Lowe's carries pool supplies, but I dont know if I can use that either. I dont have a pool store by me and the closest (Leslie's) is about 30 minutes down the road.
EDIT: Lowe's carries Aqua Chem, but I can't find the ingredients anywhere even on aqua chems website.
I checked the levels in my pool again from the initial test this morning and the only thing that has came down is the TH. I also checked just the FC level after I added the 36oz of bleach and it was up around 4 now it's back down to 0. I'm guessing because there is no CYA in the pool yet? I assume I need to add more bleach?
TH 200
FC 0
PH 8.2
TA 180
CYA 0
TH 200
FC 0
PH 8.2
TA 180
CYA 0
When you don't have any CYA in the pool you lose all of your chlorine to sunlight each day. Until you get CYA in you want to add about 2 ppm of chlorine each evening after sunset.
Your PH is too high. If possible you should lower your PH down to around 7.2 to 7.4 tonight before adding chlorine.
Aqua Chem Shock is dichlor. Avoid the Aqua Chem Shock Plus if you can, which has additional ingredients you don't really need. You want dichlor because it will add CYA, which you need right now. Cal-hypo doesn't have any CYA in it. Cal-hypo will add chlorine but not CYA.
Your PH is too high. If possible you should lower your PH down to around 7.2 to 7.4 tonight before adding chlorine.
Aqua Chem Shock is dichlor. Avoid the Aqua Chem Shock Plus if you can, which has additional ingredients you don't really need. You want dichlor because it will add CYA, which you need right now. Cal-hypo doesn't have any CYA in it. Cal-hypo will add chlorine but not CYA.
The plus was all Lowe's had. I figured since it had the Dichlor, I was good to go. I am going to add some PH minus in the pool now and check it again in about a hour. So if I add the shock tonight using the 1oz per 500gal method which is roughly 8oz for my pool , should I also add the bleach?
I waited a hour and checked my PH and it's now at 7.5. I went ahead and added 26oz of bleach to bring the FC up to 4. Thanks for all the help so far. I will test the water in the morning and post my readings then.
I don't mean to hijack but now I'm worried. I'm sure the answer will be informative to krashhole as well as me.JasonLion said:
What is the difference between the three Aqua Chem products?
Shock
Shock PLUS
Shock Xtra Blue
I noticed the Xtra Blue variety says "Kills bacteria and algae."
I used the Shock PLUS to open our pool. The label says "Sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione 58.2% and OTHER INGREDIENTS 41.8%" Part of the other ingredients has to be CYA but I wonder what else it contains?
Aqua Chem Shock is 99% Dichlor dihydrate
Aqua Chem Shock Plus is 58.2% Dichlor anhydrous (67.7% Dichlor dihydrate)
Aqua Chem Shock Xtra Blue is 63.05% Dichlor anhydrous (73.4% Dichlor dihydrate) plus 0.26% copper as metallic (in the form of copper citrate and copper gluconate)
Remember that when a product lists Dichlor this is chlorine and CYA combined into a single chemical compound. They do NOT list CYA separately for this. When you add Dichlor, for every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) it increases Cyanuric Acid (CYA) by 9 ppm. So even the "Shock" product that is 99% Dichlor dihydrate increases CYA. ANY product with Dichlor increases CYA just as ANY product with Trichlor (i.e. Trichlor pucks/tabs or granular) increases CYA. CYA is never listed separately for such stabilized chlorine products. You are expected as a consumer to have a degree in chemistry and calculate the side effects of using these products (I'm being facetious). Just remember the following chemical facts that are independent of concentration of product or of pool size:
For every 10 ppm FC added by Trichlor, it also increases CYA by 6 ppm.
For every 10 ppm FC added by Dichlor, it also increases CYA by 9 ppm.
For every 10 ppm FC added by Cal-Hypo, it also increases CH by at least 7 ppm.
By the way, all three products kill both bacteria and algae because all three contain chlorine. The "Xtra Blue" also contains copper which is an algaecide so kills algae, but it can stain pool surfaces, make blond hair turn green, etc. so we don't recommend it. As for "Shock Plus", it only lists Dichlor as the active ingredient, but this MSDS says it is a "Swimming pool oxidizer, buffer, clarifier and flocculant" so explains some of those "other ingredients". It is best to stay away from such combination products and get only specifically what you need.
Aqua Chem Shock Plus is 58.2% Dichlor anhydrous (67.7% Dichlor dihydrate)
Aqua Chem Shock Xtra Blue is 63.05% Dichlor anhydrous (73.4% Dichlor dihydrate) plus 0.26% copper as metallic (in the form of copper citrate and copper gluconate)
Remember that when a product lists Dichlor this is chlorine and CYA combined into a single chemical compound. They do NOT list CYA separately for this. When you add Dichlor, for every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) it increases Cyanuric Acid (CYA) by 9 ppm. So even the "Shock" product that is 99% Dichlor dihydrate increases CYA. ANY product with Dichlor increases CYA just as ANY product with Trichlor (i.e. Trichlor pucks/tabs or granular) increases CYA. CYA is never listed separately for such stabilized chlorine products. You are expected as a consumer to have a degree in chemistry and calculate the side effects of using these products (I'm being facetious). Just remember the following chemical facts that are independent of concentration of product or of pool size:
For every 10 ppm FC added by Trichlor, it also increases CYA by 6 ppm.
For every 10 ppm FC added by Dichlor, it also increases CYA by 9 ppm.
For every 10 ppm FC added by Cal-Hypo, it also increases CH by at least 7 ppm.
By the way, all three products kill both bacteria and algae because all three contain chlorine. The "Xtra Blue" also contains copper which is an algaecide so kills algae, but it can stain pool surfaces, make blond hair turn green, etc. so we don't recommend it. As for "Shock Plus", it only lists Dichlor as the active ingredient, but this MSDS says it is a "Swimming pool oxidizer, buffer, clarifier and flocculant" so explains some of those "other ingredients". It is best to stay away from such combination products and get only specifically what you need.
So am I headed in the right direction given the information and the steps I have provided so far? What should I do or add next? I have read through nearly all of the pool school stuff, I guess I just want to make sure I am doing things right so far.
krashhole said:
You just need to get your CYA up to 30-50ppm. Once you've done that you can bring your FC up to the level on this FC/CYA chart.
I ended up putting 8oz of Aqua Chem plus in the pool last night after I lowered my PH from 8.2 to 7.5 as well as 26oz of bleach. Using the strips and the drops my FC reading was the same. Still nothing on the CYA reading though. Maybe after adding another 8oz of shock this evening it will start giving me a CYA reading?
Pool readings this morning:
TH 200
FC 5-10?
PH 7.5
TA 180
CYA 0
Pool readings this morning:
TH 200
FC 5-10?
PH 7.5
TA 180
CYA 0
krashhole said:
You're still probably below the threshold the CYA test on the strip can read. Remember for each 10ppm FC the Shock Plus adds it adds 9ppm CYA. To get all of your CYA at once, you'd have to bring your FC up to 34ppm which is a bad idea. That's why standalone CYA is probably a better option for you.
Can someone confirm this as correct as I am still a newb but am learning fast!
I assume thats why adding the Dichlor is done over a 4 day period to bring the CYA up slowly? Where can you get CYA alone?
Pool stores and pool departments of big box stores usually have CYA, also called stabilizer or conditioner. Look for something that lists 99+% cyanuric acid. The word stabilizer often appears on other products, so it is occasionally a little confusing.
So would I just buy a container of stabilizer and conditioner and place it in a sock?
Readings as of 8pm:
TH 200
FC 3-6
PH 7.5
TA 180
CYA 0
I pulled both filters and washed them out. The first one was pretty green. I guess the pool was already developing algae since filling it Sunday night? I also added the 2nd treatment of Dichlor (8oz) The water has a teal look to it right now.
TH 200
FC 3-6
PH 7.5
TA 180
CYA 0
I pulled both filters and washed them out. The first one was pretty green. I guess the pool was already developing algae since filling it Sunday night? I also added the 2nd treatment of Dichlor (8oz) The water has a teal look to it right now.