What is the best chlorine product to use?

[Thehobe]

I have been using Leslie's granular chlorine since the pool was new but no have to put too much in w/respect to CYA levels. I am now using liquid chlorine which is actually Sodium Hypochlorite. Will the CYA already in the pool at a high level protect the chlorine and as a result will have high bound up chlorine but diminish as backwashing and evaporation reduce the CYA levels closer to normal? This would be fine if as long as the chlorine doesn't get consumed by some other means but slowly is released into the pool as a algae killer.
I also put some sodium carbonate into the pool to raise the PH but now have cloudy white/grey water. The sand filter does not seem to work well in filtering this out. Will a blue clarifier work on this?

 

[pwrstrk]

Welcome to TFP !
The best form of chlorine to use if your going to manually add chlorine is liquid chlorine or bleach. Both are the same, only difference is in the strength. No side effects from using liquid chlorine. Your other option is SWGC.
First thing you need to know is what is your CYA level ? The pool store is usually pretty bad at getting this test done accurately and it is a key level as this will set your FC range. If it's too high your going to need to replace some water to lower it. That's the only way to lower CYA levels. I going to recommend that you get yourself one of these Test Kits. These are the only kits that will be able to give you accurate test results to maintain your water chemistry. They are also the test results that we will trust to base our advice on.
Your cloudy water can be the result of low FC for your CYA level. Again accurate test results will tell the story. Can you give any test results and how you got them ? Clarifier's are usually not needed.
Next I'm going to suggest that you take a look at Pool School. Here are a few good articles to start out with.
ABC'S Of Pool Water Chemistry
How To Chlorinate Your Pool
Recommended Levels
When you have some specific questions don't hesitate to ask. If you could add all your pool and equipment info to your sig that will help us better help you. ?

 

[tim5055]

Sodium carbonate (soda ash) is recommended to raise pH, but how did you add it? Soda ash is best added by pre-dissolving it in a bucket of water and then pouring that slowly in front of a return.

 

[Thehobe]

Sodium carbonate (soda ash) is recommended to raise pH, but how did you add it? Soda ash is best added by pre-dissolving it in a bucket of water and then pouring that slowly in front of a return.

Unfortunately, I dumped 5 lbs directly into the pool without pre dissolving. I was warned 13 years ago by the person that built my pool to not hesitate if the pool needs soda ash because it can quickly destroy the plaster. The sand filter with some diatomaceous earth is filtering out the cloud but very slowly. I assume it will take a week or two to get the pool clear again.

The only liquid chlorine I can find is 10% maximum. Is there a more concentrated solution available anywhere?

 

[pwrstrk]

Some places have 12.5%. Some pool stores, Ollie's if you have one.

 

[tim5055]

Unfortunately, I dumped 5 lbs directly into the pool without pre dissolving.

The only liquid chlorine I can find is 10% maximum. Is there a more concentrated solution available anywhere?

I kind of figured that is what you did....

The % of chlorine doesn't really matter if it is cost effective. I use 8.5% (Great Valu - WalMart) bleach that I get for $2.97 a gallon. If I'm in the mood I'll go by Aldi and save about a quarter per gallon but the hassle of renting a shopping cart and using cash usually sends me away.

 

[Isaac-1]

Also be aware liquid chlorine / bleach looses strength over time, the stronger it is the faster it looses strength so shelf life is a real concern on the stronger percentages. In other words don't but 12% that has been sitting around too long or stored outdoors exposed to heat as you may really be getting something much weaker.

 

[Thehobe]

Wall Mart is my only price effective option but it is currently $3.24/gallon in the San Francisco bay area, 10% higher than your area. I bought 10 2 packs for my 25,000 gallon pool and hot tub because the CYA levels are currently high and there is an extreme water shortage in California right now so replacing water is not an ecological option right now. I hope the cya level will help to slowly release all of the chlorine over time and act as a long term, slow release agent. I will have to keep fighting the algae and cloudiness on a daily basis until the battle is won.

 

[tim5055]

I missed the comment in your original post, but evaporation does not remove CYA. Only the water evaporates. CYA, CH and everything else is left behind. While CYA does degrade naturally, it is a slow process. It is reduced faster by water exchange (which would include splashout) or a Reverse Osmosis treatment if it is available in your area.

Di you get a recommended test kit so you can determine the actual CYA level?

 

[Thehobe]

I have several test kits, one with about 8 reagents (Taylor DPD) but it is pretty easy for me to go to Leslies for the infrequent (no trouble) water chemistry checks. This test kit cannot measure CYA levels. Pool color is improving but cloudiness continues.

 

[jblizzle]

You need to invest in one of the recommended test kits. Pool store testing is notoriously inaccurate and not worth what you pay for it.

 

[tim5055]

You need to invest in one of the recommended test kits. Pool store testing is notoriously inaccurate and not worth what you pay for it.

The test they seem to mess up most is the CYA test. You probably have the Leslies branded DPD kit which is the same as the Taylor K-2005. Leslies is famous for telling folks that is all you need.

You can get the individual tests to upgrade your kit to K-2006. Should you ever need to SLAM the ability to detect FC levels above 10 (which is your limit now) will be needed. Heck, when my CYA was over 200 I had to keep my FC around 15 so FAS-DPD was the only way to go.

 

[Thehobe]

I bought some Insta-test strips and verified that my CYA is somewhere in the range of 150 - 200.

I KNOW DRAIN THEPOOL.

In a few months.

 

[jblizzle]

Test strips do not "verify" anything. They are worthless.

 

[tim5055]

I bought some Insta-test strips and verified that my CYA is somewhere in the range of 150 - 200.

I KNOW DRAIN THEPOOL.

In a few months.

You said, "I KNOW DRAIN THEPOOL". No, the correct answer is to test properly and then determine a course of action. Even with high CYA you can maintain your pool as long as you are vigilant and don't let algae get a foothold. Draining is almost mandatory to SLAM your pool, but if you don;t need to SLAM you can live with it as long as you understand how much FC you need to maintain.

Test strips do not "verify" anything. They are worthless.

As Jason said!! The only thing you know using test strips is that the CYA is somewhere between 1 and 1,000. You need the CYA Test kit to measure it yourself.

As you only have a DPD test, you should really have a FAS-DPD Test Kit.

But, buy the time you buy those two you are getting close to a TF-100 kit.

We just provide the advise, you decide how you want to proceed.

 

[pwrstrk]

The other downside to the high CYA is the high FC level that needs to be maintained. That makes your PH testing invalid. With FC levels of 10 or higher the PH test reads a false high. Something else to consider. ?