Liquid chlorine vs powder shock

No, you need an actual CYA test. Read in Pool School what this is. Small graduated cylinder with a black dot at the bottom.

Walmart 6-way kit has the CYA test.

BUT! If you have either the TF100 or the K-2006, you can get new reagents for them. Link also in Pool School. If you do NOT have either of those kits, you really really need to get one!! You will not regret the purchase.
 
ndully said:
On Tuesday, I put in two 1lb bags of Suncoast Super Shock 4-Way Sanitizer and treatment along with 1 gallon of muriatic acid. On Wed, I added a gallon of liquid chlorine, another gallon muriatic acid, and 4lbs of Suncoast stabilizer/conditioner. The test kit I have test for Chlorine, ph, alkalinity, and acid demand. It looks like I will be heading to the pool store in the morning to try some Drop Down?1?!???


Wow 2 gallons of acid.....1 gallon at a time. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but thats way too much at one time...especially if your PH was already 7.0. The correct way would have been to airate your pool to raise PH then use enough acid to lower it to 7.2 then airate again to raise ph back up and repeat. I recall reading something about it being bad to make large swings in PH, and to lower it that much at one time. If you were at 7.0 ph and added 1 gallon...assuming it was 31.45 percent...that would take you down to 5.5

Did you test before adding the second gallon of acid? When was the last ph test and what was it?
 
I know little when it comes to this stuff. The ph was 7.4 on Tuesday when the water was tested. On the print out it said to add 1 gallon of acid and then wait 8 hours before adding the other one. I just did what they told me. I am getting the water tested again in the morning as it has been 72 hours since I have added anything. I will post the water results then and hopefully, get some more feedback from you all. They want to me to buy the Suncoast Drop Down product...they said that on Wednesday.
 
ndully said:
I know little when it comes to this stuff. The ph was 7.4 on Tuesday when the water was tested. On the print out it said to add 1 gallon of acid and then wait 8 hours before adding the other one. I just did what they told me. I am getting the water tested again in the morning as it has been 72 hours since I have added anything. I will post the water results then and hopefully, get some more feedback from you all. They want to me to buy the Suncoast Drop Down product...they said that on Wednesday.
I'm sorry, but without your own test kit, you're going to be stuck on the expensive pool-store merry-go-round all summer long.You can't mix our philosophy with the pool store's. I will not be replying to this thread anymore. It's just too painful to read.
 
It might be a good idea for you to hold off on any more pool store advised purchases. From what I've read here, you are heading for a massive problem with your pool that could well require professional total drain and refill.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Try our way, we will save you money and frustration, all we ask is that you spend a little time learning with pool school (link in the upper right) and invest in a quality test kit so you can find out what is going on in your pool. There are thousands of satisfied trouble free pool owners out there, sure we do have the very occasional failure, but those are universally the ones that either did not follow our advice, or that decided to give up after just a couple of times before giving things time to work.

Ike
 
Stole this from another topic:

Richard320 said:
 
I know this place is one of those places that just seems too good to be true, one of those processes; one of those methods that just seems too simple and too easy to ever possibly work. Nothing is that easy in life right? Like sheer snake oil when you first look at it, seems like everybody here is drinking all the Kool Aid and they all seem to think that the stuff is just the only Kool Aid ever made. Like we're a bunch of brainwashed occult followers. But that isn't the case at all.
I'm as skeptical as it gets, just about anyway. I was very skeptical when I 1st landed here too, but once I started reading it and saw the science behind it and the success stories, I was sold!

I guess you could say the "problem" is that we're just all so darn happy that it works we just can't hardly contain ourselves and can't help but want to help others and shout it from the mountain tops to the world. :party:
 
The funny thing is, the test kits is $68 and when you use it, you buy chemicals ( bleach, borax, baking soda mainly) at the grocery store or Wal-Mart for $2 or $3 per bottle or box but when you go to the pool store the test is free but you spend $30 to $60 each visit for "free" testing , each week. The TF100 test kit is easier faster and more accurate than most pool store tests and pays for itself in less than one summer, even for an easy, clean pool. A green mess may cost more with its higher bleach costs but it's a lot cheaper than the algaecide at the pool shop.
 
The liquid seems to work so much better than the powder shock! But, when you have two seater car and are in work clothes to pick it up, the powder is just so much easier! Any thoughts?
Wanted to add some other comparisons to the original question. Our former pool guy lost his storage for liquid chlorine and began using the powser chlorine only. He insusted the trichlor was better since its more expensive. I noticed significant etching in the plaster while a strange grey buildup was forming in crevices and dormant areas on the plaster. The infloor popups were failing at a rate about two a year. After a few years I fired the guy and do the pool myself. Use liquid chlorine in a "Liquidator", and muratic acid. no tablets, nothing else. the plaster ceased deterioting and have replaced two popups in the past four years.
 
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.