If I decide to purchase a "liquidator," can it be installed exactly where my tab feeder is currently installed?
Thanks,
Alan
Thanks,
Alan
Adding Chemicals
- Thread starter alanrmeadows
- Start date
The whole idea is to know your water and know your chemicals. I found this site before I got "pool stored" and so when I do wander into a pool store, I look at all those expensive bottles of stuff and wonder what on earth that could be used for. I've never bought clarifier or flocc or algaecides or any other sort of magical potion. I did follow the pool store suggestions for a few months, using 7 pucks a week and 2 bags of "shock" but my CYA was way over 100 and algae was a constant issue with FC never above 3.
I have bleach and cal-hypo and pucks on hand and muriatic acid. I still have some calcium increaser and conditioner from the prior owner I think. There are some other bottles, I have no idea what they are for but I'll keep them in case of another hurricane, maybe they are needed to clear a black pool.
Normally I use the bleach. When calcium is low (like right now) I use the cal-hypo instead. When CYA is low (like right now) I use the pucks, but for now I am saving them for vacation use and so I will let CYA sit at the bottom of the tolerable range until then.
All winter I just maintained the pool by sight, using a jug of bleach when I thought about it, when it was not quite sparkly, thus the tiny bit of algae that has me shocking the pool right now. Once the temps heat up it is more important to keep on top of FC. We saw 97 degrees yesterday again -- what happened to Spring?? and how can my pool be too chilly to swim?
In the swim season, I tested every 3rd day for the most part and typically I could count on adding something like 1/2 to one big jug of bleach every 3rd day. I could go 5 days without creating a problem but I would be out of range and needed maybe 2 jugs and sometimes that would start some algae on the waterfall but not in the pool. I'd stay run FC up to the top of the range and keep at it a few days and all was fine.
I'll admit that I am a bit sloppy about keeping up on the regular schedule. You'd think I'd add it to the calendar, maybe I need to do that.
But, it is interesting to me that the neighbors commented on how blue the pool was. This neighbor came to swim frequently with the prior owner and so was familiar with the pool then. I have to wonder what color it was when they swam in it.
Sometimes I grumble about the cost of bleach and acid. Then someone shows up here and mentions that they spent $200 or $400 at the pool store and still have problems. Then I add up my costs at about $5 for bleach and maybe $3 for acid per week and maybe $80 for cal-hypo per year, and realize that for less than $45/month I can do this on my own. Compare that to the pool store recc; 3# of tabs/wk + 2# "shock"/wk costs $14/wk or $65/mo including acid. Plus I had to drain water to keep the CYA in range and I still had algae all the time.
I have bleach and cal-hypo and pucks on hand and muriatic acid. I still have some calcium increaser and conditioner from the prior owner I think. There are some other bottles, I have no idea what they are for but I'll keep them in case of another hurricane, maybe they are needed to clear a black pool.
Normally I use the bleach. When calcium is low (like right now) I use the cal-hypo instead. When CYA is low (like right now) I use the pucks, but for now I am saving them for vacation use and so I will let CYA sit at the bottom of the tolerable range until then.
All winter I just maintained the pool by sight, using a jug of bleach when I thought about it, when it was not quite sparkly, thus the tiny bit of algae that has me shocking the pool right now. Once the temps heat up it is more important to keep on top of FC. We saw 97 degrees yesterday again -- what happened to Spring?? and how can my pool be too chilly to swim?
In the swim season, I tested every 3rd day for the most part and typically I could count on adding something like 1/2 to one big jug of bleach every 3rd day. I could go 5 days without creating a problem but I would be out of range and needed maybe 2 jugs and sometimes that would start some algae on the waterfall but not in the pool. I'd stay run FC up to the top of the range and keep at it a few days and all was fine.
I'll admit that I am a bit sloppy about keeping up on the regular schedule. You'd think I'd add it to the calendar, maybe I need to do that.
But, it is interesting to me that the neighbors commented on how blue the pool was. This neighbor came to swim frequently with the prior owner and so was familiar with the pool then. I have to wonder what color it was when they swam in it.
Sometimes I grumble about the cost of bleach and acid. Then someone shows up here and mentions that they spent $200 or $400 at the pool store and still have problems. Then I add up my costs at about $5 for bleach and maybe $3 for acid per week and maybe $80 for cal-hypo per year, and realize that for less than $45/month I can do this on my own. Compare that to the pool store recc; 3# of tabs/wk + 2# "shock"/wk costs $14/wk or $65/mo including acid. Plus I had to drain water to keep the CYA in range and I still had algae all the time.
There's a whole section of the forum devoted to automation of various kinds, including the liquidator.alanrmeadows said:
chemical-automation-and-the-liquidator-f81.html
--paulr
Without knowing which feeder you have and how it's plumbed it's hard to say. If you could take a photo and post it we'd be better able to answer this question.alanrmeadows said:
As you guys instructed, I added my first two bags of shock yesterday evening. I just checked my cholrine level with one of the cheaper and simpler test kits (I have ordered the TF 100) and the reading was very low...probably not even 1. How soon should I add another couple of bags of shock? Is there a period of time that you need to wait between shockings while trying to get the pool to stay at shock level? How long should the pool stay at shock level...I'm assuming this is an indicator of success and that you've rid your pool of unwanted things like algae, etc.
Also...I've shut my automatic chlorinator off at this point until I can maintain my shock level with the Turbo Shock. Is this a good idea?
I really appreciate all of your help and look forward to converting to "Trouble Free" very soon.
Thanks,
Alan
Also...I've shut my automatic chlorinator off at this point until I can maintain my shock level with the Turbo Shock. Is this a good idea?
I really appreciate all of your help and look forward to converting to "Trouble Free" very soon.
Thanks,
Alan
Since you can only test to 5ppm, test it every hour and as soon as it comes back into range add enough according to pool calculator to get it back to where you want it. This is not ideal and will likely slow down your progress but at least you're not guessing too much.
I've been able to test (with a simple OTO test) and shock (with Turbo Shock) about every three hours since yesterday evening (excluding sleeping hours). Is it reasonable that after shocking with two bags every 2-3 hours that I'm still not maintaining free chlorine above 1 or 2? I'm assuming at some point my little simple test should read off the charts if I'm maintaining any where near shock level?
Thanks,
Alan
Thanks,
Alan
One thing about the OTO test: If it shows little or no chlorine, you really have little or no chlorine. It's very reliable that way. If you have algae or something in the pool, then it can consume chlorine pretty quickly. You need to be adding enough chlorine to kill it off faster than it grows.
If you have chlorine at 1 or 2 when you go to bed at night, and first thing next morning (before the sun hits the pool or you add anything) it's zero, then you definitely have something in the pool that needs killing off.
--paulr
If you have chlorine at 1 or 2 when you go to bed at night, and first thing next morning (before the sun hits the pool or you add anything) it's zero, then you definitely have something in the pool that needs killing off.
--paulr
Let me ask you this...I feel fairly confident that I've accurately measured the size of my pool (22,400 gallons). The Turbo Shock I am using suggests 1 bag for every 10,000 gallons. I'm currently shocking with only 2 bags, and without my TF 100 test kit I have no idea what level I'm reaching with the 2 bags. Can I cause any harm if I use 3 bags instead of two? Is it harmful to get above your shock level?
Thanks,
Alan
Thanks,
Alan
As Paul said, it's very reasonable to be using that much chlorine.
The package suggestion is just that, a suggestion for people that don't test.
If you're still reading 1 or 2 ppm chlorine the next time you test, throw 4 bags of shock in there, give it 30 minutes to an hour to circulate then test again and see if it brought the chlorine level up a good bit. Once you run out of shock you can switch to bleach, it'll be much cheaper. It won't hurt to go over your shock level a little just don't keep it there for a long time.
According to The Pool Calculator you need to add 3½ pounds of the Turbo Shock to reach 16 ppm FC. You do know how use the Pool Calc don't you?? If you don't, we can help with that too.
The package suggestion is just that, a suggestion for people that don't test.
If you're still reading 1 or 2 ppm chlorine the next time you test, throw 4 bags of shock in there, give it 30 minutes to an hour to circulate then test again and see if it brought the chlorine level up a good bit. Once you run out of shock you can switch to bleach, it'll be much cheaper. It won't hurt to go over your shock level a little just don't keep it there for a long time.
According to The Pool Calculator you need to add 3½ pounds of the Turbo Shock to reach 16 ppm FC. You do know how use the Pool Calc don't you?? If you don't, we can help with that too.
Bama Rambler,
Thanks for pointing out that you can determine the amount of cal-hypo required to reach shock level. I've been using the calculator but have only noticed the calculation for reaching shock level with bleach. With that said, my current CYA level is around 25...when I input 25 into the CYA box and .5 into FC, it calculates a shock level of 12 and 3lbs of cal-hypo 73%. Does that seem reasonable?
Also, let's say I go home and add 3 bags, then wait an hour and test again. If the OTO test is reading above 5, what should I do at point?
Thanks,
Alan
Thanks for pointing out that you can determine the amount of cal-hypo required to reach shock level. I've been using the calculator but have only noticed the calculation for reaching shock level with bleach. With that said, my current CYA level is around 25...when I input 25 into the CYA box and .5 into FC, it calculates a shock level of 12 and 3lbs of cal-hypo 73%. Does that seem reasonable?
Also, let's say I go home and add 3 bags, then wait an hour and test again. If the OTO test is reading above 5, what should I do at point?
Thanks,
Alan
That sounds perfectly reasonable.
If it's reading above 5 you can dilute the sample with half pool water and half distilled water (or water that contains no chlorine) and test it again and multiply the result by 2. Accuracy will suffer but that'll give you a ballpark.
If it's reading above 5 you can dilute the sample with half pool water and half distilled water (or water that contains no chlorine) and test it again and multiply the result by 2. Accuracy will suffer but that'll give you a ballpark.
I'm convinced too. Just had the same problem. I have had my pool for 10 years. Noone ever told me that CYA was already in trichlor tabs and that is what I have always used. Also used shock in the bags (also containing CYA) I have always been a fanatic about testing and taking care of my pool. Then one day I came home to find green growing in my pool and couldn't figure out why! Opened it last week to find a pond and couldn't figure out why I went through almost a 40 lb. bucket of granulated chlorine in 6 days. CYA!!!! Yesterday I had to drain over half of my water and I am still waiting for it to refill. I don't want anything else to do with CYA!!! I almost covered the darn thing back up and then decided since I had already spent $400 on it this week (a lot of that on Stabilizer "CYA") that was just harming the pool more! I found out that when your CYA gets to high you can get a false "too low" reading and that's what happened. It's bleach for me from here on out unless the CYA gets low and I will feel blessed then. LOL!