Please, help me understand the TFP way and why anyone would want to work on their pool daily?

[IceShadow]

Save the pucks. If your CYA is low enough, they’re useful when you go on vacations and can’t be adding daily. They’ll add some CYA, but if you’re only doing it for a short time it won’t be a whole lot. And they last forever if you keep them dry.

What is in the powdered shock you have? If it’s Cal hypo, it will add some calcium to your pool and it sounds like you need to add some calcium hardness anyway. So you could chlorinate with that until it’s gone if you do need hardness.

You can wait to return the hardness plus until you see the results of your own hardness test. It might have use. You can get a generic version if you can find calcium chloride 100%, used to melt ice, but that might be difficult in your area.

 

[zea3]

What is the main ingredient in the shock? Some of the Chlorox brand pucks will add copper to your pool, and you don't want that. If they don't have copper they will stay good as long as they are kept in a tightly closed container, and kept dry. You can use them occasionally to top off CYA when needed or when you expect to be out of town and don't have another way to chlorinate while your gone. Bags of shock don't have as long of a shelf life. If you bought calcium hypochlorite shock you can use it occasionally when you need to raise calcium hardness a little bit. If you need to raise calcium by a lot other products are more effective. I would wait on returning things if you can until you get reliable test results.

 

[Carnut12]

My neighbor paid $150 per cleaning, she had a green pool multiple times and constant chlorine smell. I get it right when the pool is opened, this does take a little effort, but it’s not too bad. After I get it right and the salt generator is set correctly I test my water like once every 2 weeks and it’s very rare I have to do anything. Between the 2 weeks I’ll check with a strip on the off week. I spend about $150 per year on chemicals, the same amount my neighbor pays for one visit. I am also confident that everything is 100% to standard, I would bet most pool services aren’t that accurate.

I also use a robot and in 6 years haven’t had to vacuum manually one time. I brush when opened and maybe 1-2 more times the whole summer.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Have you been using Clorox XtraBlue pucks? Could explain that high copper number.

Maddie

 

[NextGallon]

Chlorinate xtrablue tabs
94.05% - Trichloro-s-triazinetrione
less than 2% boron salt - the rest is listed as trade secret.

Xtrablue Shock
63.05% sodium dicholoro-s-triazinetrione
0.26% copper
36.69% other ingredients

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Uh oh..... no bueno <sigh> Copper can cause some wicked pool stains, and if high enough any blonds can get green hair.

Please stop using those evil things. I refuse to use ANY Clorox pool products as they've been problematic for folks. Even their salt has stained some pools due to iron contamination. Evil, I tell ya!!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I called Clorox about two years ago and they confirmed that all the XtraBlue products contain copper.

Maddie

 

[IceShadow]

Yeah, those need to go away. :/

 

[Orion7319]

Chlorinate xtrablue tabs
94.05% - Trichloro-s-triazinetrione
less than 2% boron salt - the rest is listed as trade secret.

Xtrablue Shock
63.05% sodium dicholoro-s-triazinetrione
0.26% copper
36.69% other ingredients

I’m not sure about what’s in the tablets. You want to stay away from the xtrablue 6 in 1 shock. It has copper and you don’t really ever want that in your pool. In general you don’t want to use a sodium dicholoro-s-triazinetrione shock. I will use the The 4in1 stuff on rare occasion. That occasion being pool opening and only if the CYA is low. Every winter thousands of earth worms in my yard wind up in my pool for some reason... I find the 4in1 great at super chlorinating the pool and giving an immediate bump to my CYA levels. I never use it in any circumstance other then that.

EDIT:
I have a salt cell and so far this year I have spent $0 on chemicals. I have plenty of stuff on hand from last season. I do by all new reagents for my test kit every year. So far this year I have spent my money on new reagents, this thing. Amazon.com : Taylor 6190 - Samplesizer, 10 & 25 Ml, Anodized Aluminum : Swimming Pool Liquid Test Kits : Garden & Outdoor a really cool pool thermometer that transmits wirelessly to a networked base station so I can see what my pool temp is on my phone, a robot that skims all the pine needles (that was kinda pricey actually) and a hammock stand.

 

[DeanP66]

That shock is not cal hypo. It has trichlor as the main ingredient so it will raise your CYA level with each bag you use. I'll agree with what others have said. Don't make any decisions on returning the chemicals except the copper stuff, until you can get reliable test results from your new test kit. After that, if the calcium level is anywhere near where they say it is, you could keep that and use it.

If your Polaris requires a booster pump, you could build your own aerator like I did, and attach it to the Polaris hookup on the wall. I built one from pvc parts from home depot for under $20. It looks like this.

 

[NextGallon]

I took the tablets out. Going to hunt for a kit tomorrow. Here is my pool. Can you see the staining at the bottom? Is that copper staining? How do you get rid of it? Pool was built in 2006.

 

[mknauss]

Going to hunt for a kit tomorrow.

Very rare to find a proper test kit anywhere but online.

See TFTestkits.net

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

We'll need a photo in strong daylight and still water to see any stains.

You are unlikely to find the 2 kits recommended by TFP in physical stores. The best I was able to do was get the equivalent of the Taylor K2005 at Leslie's. Then I had to get the outboard FAS-DPD chlorine test online to get to the level of kit required for TFPC.

 

[mknauss]

Is that copper staining? How do you get rid of it?

Stains in Your Pool

The stained pool is beyond embarrassing. Our in-depth Guide to remove stains in your pool will help you to remove the stains and prevent them in the future.

www.troublefreepool.com

Copper stains are very difficult to remove. Especially if the copper has been in the pool water for a long time. The pool must be drained after any stain removal process to get the copper out of the pool.

 

[PoolGate]

Looks like a pool with no chlorine.

 

[NextGallon]

Very rare to find a proper test kit anywhere but online.

See TFTestkits.net

Looks like they only have refills for t kits. I ordered the TAYLOR TECHNOLOGIES INC K-2006 TEST KIT COMP CHLORINE FAS-DPD fro Amazon. Arrives Thursday.

 

[NextGallon]

Stains in Your Pool

The stained pool is beyond embarrassing. Our in-depth Guide to remove stains in your pool will help you to remove the stains and prevent them in the future.

www.troublefreepool.com

Copper stains are very difficult to remove. Especially if the copper has been in the pool water for a long time. The pool must be drained after any stain removal process to get the copper out of the pool.

Thanks. i wonder if it’s organic staining since I am in the woods. Going to try the vitamin c trick.

 

[mknauss]

Looks like they only have refills for t kits. I ordered the TAYLOR TECHNOLOGIES INC K-2006 TEST KIT COMP CHLORINE FAS-DPD fro Amazon. Arrives Thursday.

Great. Hope it was the K2006C. The C really matters. The smaller kit you will need a FAS-DPD and CYA reagent refill nearly immediately.

 

[NextGallon]

Great. Hope it was the K2006C. The C really matters. The smaller kit you will need a FAS-DPD and CYA reagent refill nearly immediately.

Lifesaver. Just cancelled and ordered the c. Thank you!

 

[mguzzy]

That is a cool looking pool! Now lets get it cleaned up. Until you get your Testkit add about a half gallon of liquid chlorine each day. That will help it not get any worse. Do you have access to liquid Chlorine?