Are there any pitfalls with using Dichlor during a SLAM if you need to increase the CYA and lower the PH, as long as you stop when CYA gets to 30 or your PH gets to 7.4? Will it lower the alkalinity if I use it? If so, how much? Right now, it looks like the CYA is around 20, the PH is around 7.8 and the TA is 50. Last night, I added all of baking soda I had to increase the alkalinity and it only raised it to 50 ppms. If dichlor could lower alkalinity, I will go buy some more baking soda to increase TA to 60 before adding the Dichlor. I’d really like to use Dichlor unless there is a legitimate reason not to use it because strong thunderstorms are expected tonight and tomorrow and I don’t want to go out in the rain to squeeze a sock full of cya and I don’t like handling muriatic acid. It looks like 3 pounds of Dichlor will lower the PH by .42 and raise CYA by 10 which will get us close to the recommended targets.
Any pitfalls with using Dichlor shock during a SLAM to quickly increase CYA and lower PH?
- Thread starter al27
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 66,249
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
First of all, dichlor contains chlorine and CYA. It does not contain acid and will not change your pH or TA.
Trichlor contains chlorine, CYA, and acid.
Use liquid chlorine.
Add the CYA after the storms.
You can start the SLAM Process with your pH, it will just be a bit less effective and take longer.
How do you adjust your pH if you don't like to handle muriatic acid?
Trichlor contains chlorine, CYA, and acid.
Use liquid chlorine.
Add the CYA after the storms.
You can start the SLAM Process with your pH, it will just be a bit less effective and take longer.
How do you adjust your pH if you don't like to handle muriatic acid?
While not nearly as acidic as trichlor, dichlor is most certainly acidic and will lower pH and cause a TA reduction.
I will, however, second that while using trichlor or dichlor to solve multiple issues with one chemical, during a SLAM is probably not the time to play around with things. A SLAM is the time to worry about chlorine almost exclusively and get whatever is contaminating the water fixed.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 66,249
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The reduction is small and immaterial to the OPs problem and thus was not mentioned.
The pool math calculator says that 3 pounds of Dichlor will lower the PH in my pool from 7.8 to 7.4 so I don’t understand why you say it won’t change my PH. I’ve used it before and it seemed to lower the PH. The pool calculator says that 3 pounds will increase my CYA to 30 and lower the TA to 7.4. There is no mention of it lowering TA. Is the pool math calculator wrong? It’s going to storm off and on tonight and tomorrow so I’d like to use the Dichlor to quickly raise the CYA and lower the PH. During the storm, I will add liquid chlorine and will use it for the remainder of the slam. If I need to use muriatic acid to lower the PH, I will have to wait until the storms are over because I won’t be home to add it until dark. I don’t like handling muriatic acid unless I absolutely have to and I thought using Dichlor would help me lower the PH, increase CYA and increase chlorine at the same time. I just wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t decrease the alkalinity if I used it or if there were any pitfalls for using it.