Always getting low FC

[JVTrain]

Chlorine... pool stores generally will carry 10-12.5% jugs of it if you want to minimize your number of containers to recycle.

Some big box hardware type stores carry them as well. Here, we have Menards and Fleet Farm that carry it seasonally. Some Home Depot stores carry liquid bleach/chlorine of high strength. Some Wal-Mart stores do as well, but not many. If there are no readily available sources of high % bleach, you can go with the higher concentration household bleach from Wal-Mart or other retailer. Look for good prices on the 8.25% bleach, preferably a place that sells alot of it so it's fresh. The disadvantage of liquid bleach is that it degrades over time. The fresher the better. Most bottles will have a date or "decodable" date code to tell you how old it is. Stay away from low concentration, old stock "dollar store" bleach. Lower household bleach concentrations means more containers to lug/recycle but it doesn't degrade from original concentration quite as fast.

 

[pooldv]

I buy Kroger brand 8.25% "concentrated" bleach. It is on sale often enough around 3 bucks. make sure not to get any of the scented varieties.

 

[JVTrain]

I would call around on the chlorine. I need to do that myself. Cheapest I found last year, without doing extensive searching, was 8.25% for $2.98 at Walmart. I need to find that 12.5% for $9.99 that kiss4afrog got. That's a great deal. If I have that readily available, I may use bleach instead of buying a new SWG.


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I'll limp by with household bleach after opening until Menards has their Memorial Day sale. Typically 2 for 1 sale on 12.5% at $5, so $2.50 a gallon!

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

"I need to find that 12.5% for $9.99 that kiss4afrog got. That's a great deal. If I have that readily available, I may use bleach instead of buying a new SWG."


NO, NO, NO. The older you get the heavier those four packs get and that's one thing they don't calculate for. Go with the SWG !!

 

[n240sxguy]

"I need to find that 12.5% for $9.99 that kiss4afrog got. That's a great deal. If I have that readily available, I may use bleach instead of buying a new SWG."


NO, NO, NO. The older you get the heavier those four packs get and that's one thing they don't calculate for. Go with the SWG !!

I've got $10 for bleach. $1000 is a little bit harder to come by. Maybe I'll put a tank in the garage and pump the bleach to the pool. That would be a long line to run though, so I'll probably pass on that idea.


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[Poollife]

You can not trust kemtec liquid chlorine it says 10% but there was a test I read that since they arnt required to date stamp and that big box stores store them in the garden section that in reality the % is closer to 6%. I buy liquid through scp but have a buisness so it's cheaper but most pool stores local buy from scp and their mark up I think is fair so you may want to pay the carton deposit at a pool store and get fresh full 12.5% if you want someone thing strong

 

[dannieboiz]

BTW does anyone use pentair rainbow cya tester here? Instruction say take the reading when the dot fade. Do they mean take the reading as soon as it starts to fade away or when it disappear

 

[n240sxguy]

If it's like the cya tester in the tf-100 kit, you read it when you can no longer see the dot.


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[dannieboiz]

approx 59 oz of the Muriatic acid and 30 minutes later, my PH is now reading 7.2....

I did not test for FC but the other reading is like this now..

TA = 100
CYA = 40 (thanks n240sxguy for that)

They had some HTH chlorine at Ace but I didn't pick it up since it probably sat on the shelf for months.


I think I'll have to stop by walmart and get some regular chlorox bleach, remember they were 2g for $5 can't seem to find any stronger stuff here in San Jose.

 

[Swampwoman]

Dannie, there are a boatload of Leslie's Pool Stores in San Jose, they will usually have cases of at least 10% . Better still, if you have a local indie pool store, it might be worth a call to see if they do recycle/refills on the 12%. My regular pool tec company here in Michigan does and I LOVE not wasting all that plastic.

Now, we warn against pool stores in this thread because of the things they say and the products they push. BUT they are typically conveniently stocked with MA and chlorine and I don't find a huge difference in price (versus convenience). So I just smil, nod, buy what I'm after, and get outta dodge

If you do buy dept store bleach, be sure NOT to buy anything that says "splashless" or "easy pour". Those have a chemical in them that will cause foaming that can be difficult to get rid of.

Before I discovered the enviro refill option when I was first recovering my swamp, I found lots of cheap bleach at Aldis. Don't now if you have one near you, or if its fresh, but it worked when I used it.

Hope that helps! Happy shopping. I'd love to be going out for a case of chlorine ths morning but my pool cover still looks like a skating rink so I'll have to live vicariously through you!

Kimkats, re the cases...I agree they're heavy. Bought myself a little pop up dolly that works wonders for hauling cases to the back

 

[dannieboiz]

I called Leslie pool, they have liquid chlorine (not listed on their site) said it's 90% sodium hypochlorite, for $7.99 a gallon did I hear him wrong? WHat does that equates to?

 

[n240sxguy]

Not a chance it's 90%. Probably crossed lines and its 90% water.


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[dannieboiz]

Just confirmed that it's 10% chlorine @ 7.99/gal

 

[ping]

I called Leslie pool, they have liquid chlorine (not listed on their site) said it's 90% sodium hypochlorite, for $7.99 a gallon did I hear him wrong? WHat does that equates to?

That sounds more like the Leslie's around my house which means 10% and it would be closer to $7.99 for 2 gallons.

Go to Target or Walmart and buy the bleach there. Their prices will be decent and not way out of line like that Leslie's price.

 

[Patrick_B]

Maybe 9% he meant to say?

I wish he was right, but he isn't. Above 8.25% it comes in 10 or 12% but not 9. It may be 9 by the time you get it depending on how fast it sells there, but it is NOT 90%.

There is no such strength sold to anyone because it isn't made in liquid form.

Industrial strength on the high side only comes in 12.5% at the highest obtainable concentration.

 

[f3justusc]

Wow, chlorine is expensive for you. Leslie's and Pinch a Penny sell 10%, 2.5 gallons for $5. Sounds like Walmart may be you best bet. I sure hope that our doesn't mean chlorine prices are about to go up.

 

[dannieboiz]

Just picked up 2g from leslie it's actually $8 for 2g of 10%. I just dumped in 100oz into the pool how soon should I wait before testing for FC after adding it?

I remember buying regular Bleach from Walmart $5 for 2g i believe folks here say they're 6% much cheaper than leslie. I was next to one so I decided to pick it up but next round it'll be walmart.

 

[Patrick_B]

Give it 30-45 minutes before re-testing.

Walmart store brand (I think its Great Value brand) is 8.25% as are most now. If it doesn't say on some other store brand it's usually less than 6 percent now.

Keep up posted on your SLAM, and good work man!

 

[dannieboiz]

so 30 min went by, did a test and my FC is reading about 4. For the 1st time I'm seeing colors in a month when testing for FC. I'll test again in the morning.

This forum has been a great wealth of information and saved me tons of money.

I spent a few hundred bucks the first few months of owning the pool just to get it clear by listening to the pool store for all these ridiculous shocking treatment plus paying the pool guy for a one time treatment of $125 OUCH!

Now that I think of it, I could have done everything for under $100 worth of chemicals.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

It is so ........ much cheaper doing it this way and the best thing is instead of someone handing me something and saying "try this", I test and add what I need to and know what I'm doing and what it's going to do.
That's a huge win win in my book.