Liquid or dry acid & chlorine?

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D

desertOasis

Member
Jul 30, 2022
19
Palm Desert, CA
Pool Size
15000
Summer in the desert! Trying to keep up the chemistry in our sw pool. The SWCG produces the chlorine, but I'm putting in LOTS of liquid muriatic acid to keep the pH in line. How does that compare to the powdered acid? Which is cheaper? Does either last longer than the other?

We also have a freshwater decorative pool that really uses up the chlorine. Currently using chlorine tabs, occasional shocking, and adding stabilizer. Is the liquid Cl more effective? Cheaper?

Thanks,
Ron
 
Post a full set of current test results from only of the recommended test kits.
Test Kits Compared

Are you using PoolMath?
Tracking CSI?

How much is "LOTS" of muriatic acid?
My guess is your TA is quite high and you should target about 60 for TA
When the pump is on, is the spa spillway continuously spilling into the pool?

FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
Salt
Water Temp

As for the decorative pool - how many gallons?
You could use tabs in the decorative pool, but may need to drain it to keep CYA in check.
 
desertOasis said:
How does that compare to the powdered acid?
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Most SWCGs do not recommend the use of dry acid. This is the note in a Jandy SWCG manual
“Never use dry acid to adjust pH in arid geographic areas with excessive evaporation and minimal dilution of pool water with fresh water. A buildup of by-products can damage the electrolytic cell.”
 
desertOasis said:
Looks like liquid acid it is. It's not that the amount I add is terribly great but it needs it almost daily to maintain pH. I suppose this is normal, esp. for summer?

And -- anybody use liquid Cl?
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I am a little confused as you show to have a SWCG for your main pool. This does require to add MA on a periodic basis to control pH. Can you post your current test results?

LC is better to use in a pool than trichlor pucks because the pucks also add CYA which will continue to increase over time. You can only remove CYA by draining. So is your question regarding the decorative pool?

How much volume in your decorative pool? It is easy to drain and replace water in it? If so, you can use either LC or trichlor pucks.
 
I use electronic meters for pH & salt levels. Otherwise test strips. Lately:

Salt water pool - salt 3500ppm
Daytime pool temp lately 90F+
Yes, spillway from spa flows into pool
Total hardness - very high
Total & free Cl - "ideal" (after adjusting SWCG down to 20% & adding stabilizer)
pH 7.8 but add ~24 oz/day to keep down
Total alkalinity - low - OK
Stab - OK ~50ppm

FYI I also add Leslie's Perfect Weekly per directions.

Re decorative pool: why keep CyA "in check"? I thought cyanuric acid protected Cl from being broken down by sunlight, which we get a lot of here. My stabilizer reading seems ok, low if anything.
 
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We need specifics on the tests - and test strips won't provide that. Neither will pool store test results.

As for the Leslies Perfect Weekly - it's just watered down phosphate remover. And a low grade phosphate remover at that. If you don't have algae, phosphates aren't anything to worry about.
That product lists for $64.99 online. Three bottles of that costs more than a TF-Pro Salt test kit.

The TF-Pro Salt contains everything you need to correctly test your pool water at home. It also provides the accuracy needed to properly manage your pool.
Being that you are in Palm Desert, have hard water and high evaporation rates, you really need to better monitor your CH, TA and CSI. All that can be easily done with one of the Test Kits Compared, using PoolMath and following the TFP methods. Additionally - you will SAVE money and have an easier to care for pool that is sanitary.

Any chance you have a water softener and can plumb it to your autofill? This would greatly help keep your CH in check.
 
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desertOasis said:
Yes I know results can be vague but for the Cl at least it tracks closely to results when I take samples in to Leslie's.
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Neither of which are reliable.

We won't provide advise based on test strips or pool store testing - they aren't reliable or repeatable.
Get a good test kit and we can help you easily maintain a trouble free pool at a lower cost.
Test Kits Compared
 
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Advice on water chemistry is only as good as the data we base that advice on. GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out. So it was decided way back in the beginning that we will only offer advice based on data we trust. That data is not from a pool store (pages and pages of reasoning behind that) and obviously not from test strips with such fantastically useful data points as "ideal", "ok", and "very high".

Unfortunately there are a some who take offense at our request that we be provided with useful data for which to offer our free advice. As always, the choice of water care is up to the owner of the water in question.
 
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Donldson said:
Advice on water chemistry ...
Click to expand...
I think the point had already been made. I am not deaf to good advice, however expressed. I have a TF test kit on the way. To translate some of the descriptive readings from the strips

Total hardness - ~1000ppm
Total & free Cl - 3ppm
pH 7.8 metered
Total alkalinity - 40-120ppm

I REALIZE they're still strip results & give only ballpark values. There were some questions I had which didn't require chemical readings. One, someone asked if water constantly flowed down a spillway from the spa to the pool. Yes it does; what effect does that have?
 

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