Pulling the trigger

Jump to latest Follow Reply
J

jeffrey.bean

0
May 21, 2015
3
Middle River Md
Hello all,
Getting ready to purchase a 24' x 54" deep AGP.
The sales person put the frog mineral system into my quote. Should I go with that, or just add chemicals the old fashioned way? I was reading some older post, and the frog system seemed to be frowned on.
Also, can someone provide a link to the chem's I need if I don't go with the frog. I see posters talking about bleach, is this opposed to chlorine ?
Thanks all
 
The frog chlorinator can be a nice thing to have for when you go out of town but should NOT be used for regular chlorination over long periods. They use trichlor tablets which add chlorine and CYA (cyanuric acid). CYA in your pool is not consumed by sunlight, bacteria, algae... nothing so it builds up and makes your chlorine less effective. You need some to protect your chlorine from sunlight but too much is a bad thing. This dynamic is covered in Pool School. Take the time to read the articles in there that interest you and I suggest starting with ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry.

Bleach IS chlorine. Tablets are chlorine. Powdered shock is chlorine. However, tablets are stabilized chlorine, meaning they are dry and stabilized by either CYA or CH. Same with powdered shock. Liquid chlorine AKA bleach (they are the same thing) is stabilized by being dissolved in water but the shelf life is much less than solid forms of chlorine. However, liquid chlorine or bleach is the ONLY way to add ONLY chlorine to your pool without other stabilizers that over extended periods are undesirable. Unless you go with a salt water chlorine generator system, which might be a nice alternative for your frog mineral system. SWCG do very will in above ground pools.
 
:goodpost:What he said.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new pool :party:

You can always buy the Frog system later if you choose or just get a cheap chlorine tablet floater at walmart, HomeDepot or .... for those times you're away for a few days. The big problem is building up CYA using these methods.

Before you guy any chemicals from the store you might want to do a little more reading on how we do it and what we use. Can save you some $$ and be easier.
You will need a good test kit, TF100 or a K2006. Don't settle for one of the cheap kits.

You might want to go through the articles here -> http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/169-TFP-Home-Page
 
Don't get the frog system. All mineral systems add copper to your pool. They say it doesn't hurt anything, but you can search on here for the green hair and stained pools it has caused. I'm literally 5 minutes from cutting my old pool frog hybrid swg system out to install my new circupool si-60+ swg. If you want ease of maintenance, a salt water chlorine generator is where it's at.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I am a former Frogger, although unlike the game I would like to see the Pool Frog run over by a semi.

Let me just give you an overview of my maintenance before and now.

To open the pool with the Frog I had to buy a new Mineral Pac for $100, and Bac Pacs for $20 each. The mineral pac is full of silver and copper, which have algaecidal and anti-bacterial qualities that help prevent problems with the low FC you are using. The Bac Pac is your chlorine, it contains a few dollars worth of trichlor tablets and lasts about a week each. Of course you might want some extra protection, so remember to add your BAM! to give some extra algae protection (apparently the mineral pac isn't enough?), another $25. So add in the powdered shock (calcium hypochlorite) I used to open and it cost something like $200 just to open the pool and get the water "OK".

To open now I take the cover off, fill it to the pump level, test everything and add enough liquid chlorine to get up to SLAM level. For me this year, that was only 1.5 bottles, which cost me about $5. Even if I count the kit (which only needs refilled every 2-3 years for me) it has cost me $45 to open my pool. The water looks incredible. Completely clear even though I still need to sweep the leaves up.

So to recap: Frog = higher cost, possible metal and CYA problems, lower water quality. TFP = lower cost, no metal or CYA issues, pristine water quality. I keep my pump running 24/7 on low so when I go away I use trichlor sticks in the skimmer (not always recommended, but that is how I do it). So you make the call, but I am quite happy to never use it again.
 
Most of what you need to learn can be read in Pool School. Going through past posts can help clear things up when experts add more detail to specific situations. What really makes it sink in is when you start putting it into practice on your own pool and asking questions when needed.

I doubt they'll give you a decent test kit. Most builders will only provide/sell basic kits, at best a Taylor K-2005 which has most of what you need, but not all of it. If they happen to provided a Taylor K-2006, I'd be impressed. Otherwise order your own K-2006 or better yet, a TF-100.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
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.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply