Hi - From scorching hot PA

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AlBundy59

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LifeTime Supporter
Jul 22, 2011
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I'd like to thank everyone on the board for the great advice found here. I have a 20K gallon vinyl lined pool. Just a quick story on how much this site has helped (and saved me in $$$).

I started reading the information on this site in late May after having a cloudy pool and spending way too much money trying to fix it at Leslie's. I really felt like I was chasing my tail. After doing a lot of reading, I got the pool cleared up cheaply by shocking with liquid chlorine. I also changed from never getting good free chlorine levels with Trichlor to getting great free chlorine levels using Clorox. Got the pH and alkalinity in line using muriatic acid and an aerator made from a compressor and a porus garden bleeder hose (even less tail chasing). I then decided to get brave and go for the BBB method; my pool now sparkles every day. It also amazes me how stable the pool chemistry has been.

All I need to do is add about half a 192 oz jug of Clorox every day to get about 5-6 ppm of free chlorine (CYA = 50). The pH hasn't varied from 7.6-7.8, nor has the alkalinity changed...in fact, the only chemical I have added since I added Borax/muriatic acid has been Clorox. I just came back from a 2 week vacation, in which I had someone add the Clorox daily and add water as needed because of evaporation, and the pool water was crystal clear, and the chemistry spot on.

The cost saving has also been remarkable. Instead of adding algecide, ultrabright, pool perfect/phos free, and constantly fighting the pH and alkalinity battle with pH increaser, alkalinity up, and muriatic acid, I now just add about $1.50 of Clorox a day and life is good.

Thanks!!!
 
I too, also spent years chasing my tail. My pool store kept a board up in their retail shop (they are also pool builders) and they would put your name on the board if you had a "perfect pool." I did everything they told me to do to clear up my water but only twice in 3 years did I get my name on the board. I should have figured it out sooner but after lurking around TFP and finally joining I was able to say "Bye Bye Pool Store." After getting everything right after spring opening I have basically had a perfect pool--had to add acid twice in the last month to bring Ph down from drifting past 7.8. The pool store made a "perfect pool" a battle and TFP has made it easy maintenance. Welcome AlBundy59 and enjoy your TFP.
 
Check the price of 12½% bleach at a pool store, it's the same as Clorox, twice the chlorine, you use half as much. Calculating the $$$, it's cheaper here in S/E PA. It's the only chemical I buy from the pool store. I'm on my third carboy for the year, including one to get rid of the spring swamp. I get the muriatic acid at Lowe's, Borax at Walmart or Target.
 
:wave: Welcome to the land of saving $ and enjoying your pool! Glad you're having a great time w/your pool chemistry now.

Debbie... I have to admit, if I were you, I'd be tempted to take my water into Leslie's so I could have my name put up on their "perfect pool" board :)
 
The second picture is the aerator I made for raising pH, using a bleeder garden hose hooked to a compressor and a shut off valve in between. The black plates are weights to hold the hose down.
 

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Thanks. Hooked a compressor hose to a bunch of fittings and a shut off valve so that it would connect to a garden hose fitting. The guy Lowes was helpful at rigging together the connections. The garden hose (solid green) is then hooked to a bleeder/weeper hose (porus black hose) which makes the bubbles from the compressed air. I don't think the shut off valve is needed, since the porus hose seems to prevent any back suction when the air is turned off.
 
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