start w BBB use up 2 items on hand

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Johnny B

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LifeTime Supporter
Mar 19, 2009
591
Charlotte, NC
Very new to this site.
Just finished TFP's Pool School- not memorized yet but I have been through it.
I still have much reading to do elsewhere on this forum.

We are soon to open our pool.
1- I have chlorine pucks on hand from last season. Use them to start or not? Hate to waste money.

2- I have a test kit unlike the 3 recommended. Will get the TF 100 for sure, do I do that now or just get the refills of what I lack.
I have Leslie’s DPD Deluxe Test Kit, $29 online, is a smaller version of recommended Leslie’s, so I lack a few items
My kit has
1- Combined chlorine FAS-DPD titration test. I have 2 yellow bottles R-0001 & R-0003 that state DPD Reagent # 1 & #2. so same?
2- I need OTO Total Chlorine/Bromine for sure; it is not in my kit.
3- Total Alkalinity- I have one bottle with Green cap & green liquid that states R-0008 Total Alkalinity. Is this all I need. I also have 2 other clear liquid with green caps that state R-0007 Thiosulafate N/100 & the other states R-009 Sulfuric Acid .12N
4- I see nothing that mentions “Calcium Hardness” so I need that, right? Or are the 3 green cap bottles I mentioned above that?
5 Same question re Cyuranic Acid
6- I don’t need salt strips, right?

My guess is to just get the TF 100 kit & trash the old one but if that is silly then I won’t. If the answer is to just get the TF 100, do I need salt strips?
Thanks
 
Hey, Johnny,

Welcome to the forum. Wait until you get a CYA test result before you decide whether or not to use the pucks. Even if your CYA is high, you will not waste them.....they are very long lasting and are perfect for most summer vacations when you are unable to tend the pool daily..

I have a dog in the fight on test kits so I need to let others respond. I'm sure they'll be along pretty quick.....the forum traffic is really picking up. It's fun to "listen" to the excitement in everyone's post as swimming season approaches.

Glad to have another North Carolinian on board!
 
Keep your pucks. They are good to use for tossing in a floater while going on vacations and such.

You need a complete, service type test kit. The TF100 is the best buy for sure. Go with that. The three green capped bottles are for total alkalinity. Calcium hardness ones will have blue caps if they are Taylor reagents. CYA testing solution has a white cap if it is Taylor. You only need salt strips if you have a SWG.

You don't really need the OTO test. I would say that the FAS-DPD is a need. I never use the OTO test at all. If you get the TF100 though, you'll have it all and for a much better price with more reagent volume than the comparable Taylor K2006. I think that the CYA kit in the TF100 will test down to 20 ppm which is kinda nice too.
 
I would go ahead and get the TF100. You have a few of the reagents that come with the TF100, but by the time you purchase all of the individual reagents you are missing you would end up spending more money. Also, you probably have 3/4 oz bottles of each reagent, and the TF100 comes with 2 oz bottles of most of them.
 
I bought a TF100 then discovered a Leslie's DPD Deluxe left behind by the previous owner. My short answer is that I'll toss the R-0001, R-0002, and R-0015 from the Leslie's kit; the rest of it can be used with the TF100 because it's the same stuff.

Now the long answer:

I have been totally unimpressed by the DPD drop test. Maybe mine is too old or something, but the two or three times I've compared it to the TF100 FAS powder test, the DPD drop test has always read way lower. I am inclined to trust the FAS test. So I'll toss R-0001 and R-0002. The R-0003 is identical to what's used in the TF100 so I'll keep that. R-0015 (acid demand) is kind of pointless if you use the Pool Calculator, so I'll toss that too.

Like 257WbyMag said, I don't use the OTO test (comes with the K1000 that's in the TF100). If you're shooting for FC in the 1-3 range it might be okay, but my target is higher than that. Even if that was my range, I have trouble distinguishing some of the color blocks (2 and 3 look the same to me) so I'd rather use the FAS-DPD anyway.

The TA test in the Leslie's kit is chemically identical to what's in the TF100. You get bigger bottles of stuff in the TF100, that's the only difference. The TA test uses all 3 reagents (R-0007, R-0008, R-0009).

CH (calcium hardness) is different from TA (total alkalinity). Leslie's DPD Deluxe doesn't have the CH test. CH mainly figures into whether you'll have problems with calcium scaling, or damage to your plaster. The "CSI" in the Pool Calculator will tell you that. If you didn't have a plaster pool I'd say it was the least important of the tests. It might be anyway.

Again like 257WbyMag said, stash the pucks to use for vacation time. I was using them consistently before I understood about CYA, and had to do a 3/4 drain and refill to recover. The rule of thumb is that for each 10ppm FC you get 6ppm CYA, when you use pucks. So now I might use one or two in a floater for a week or so, once in a while, when I'm not around to add other forms of chlorine; but basically I have a lifetime supply of pucks.

Hope this helps,
--paulr
 
Johnny B said:
My kit has
1- Combined chlorine FAS-DPD titration test. I have 2 yellow bottles R-0001 & R-0003 that state DPD Reagent # 1 & #2. so same?
No, you have a DPD test, not the FAS-DPD test. Your test uses a color comparator and is prone to bleachout and will not test over 5 ppm without doing dilutions.
2- I need OTO Total Chlorine/Bromine for sure; it is not in my kit.
3- Total Alkalinity- I have one bottle with Green cap & green liquid that states R-0008 Total Alkalinity. Is this all I need. I also have 2 other clear liquid with green caps that state R-0007 Thiosulafate N/100 & the other states R-009 Sulfuric Acid .12N
These are the TA test reagents. All three are needed.

4- I see nothing that mentions “Calcium Hardness” so I need that, right? Or are the 3 green cap bottles I mentioned above that?
Your kit does not test for this.
5 Same question re Cyuranic Acid
Your kit does not test for this.
6- I don’t need salt strips, right?
Not unless you have a SWG.
My guess is to just get the TF 100 kit & trash the old one but if that is silly then I won’t. If the answer is to just get the TF 100, do I need salt strips?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Get either a TF100 or a Taylor K-2006. If you do not have a salt water chlorine generator you do not need the salt strips. IMHO, the TF100 is a better bang for the buck.
 
Thanks
TF100 for sure.
Store the pucks for when I'm away.
We are soon to open, how many gallons of bleach should I have around, 2gal, 15gal?

I haven't ever done BBB & so don't have it mastered. Much more to read on this forum.

BTW, went to my BBB for Beginners article in the May 2008 TFP newsletter
newsletter.php?view_newsletter=6
can't get that baby to cut & paste, I need it printed so I can apply this knowledge.
Is it somewhere where I can print it?

Thanks
 
You can open the newsletter in your browser and use the print function in the web browser.

How much bleach you will actually need depends on your CYA level and if you got algae over the winter. Five gallons is probably a good place to start. If you have somewhere cool and dark to store the bleach it wouldn't hurt to get more than that.
 
Hey, John,

Perhaps none. Do your tests first and post them up here on the forum and we'll all help with suggested levels.

Borax will raise your ph (which you may not need to do) and baking soda will raise your TA (which you may not need to do, either)

There's some suggested normal levels for your tests up in "Pool School" for you to look at as well as the advice you'll get here. Your pool water chemistry really begins with your test results.

Nice, too, that if you do need anything, you can get most of it at the grocery store!
 

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JasonLion said:
I like to have a box of borax and a box of baking soda on hand at all times. They last nearly forever, and when you need them it is a pain to have to run out to the store.
Click to expand...
And if all else fails, use the borax in your laundry and use the baking soda for (gasp!) baking something. :-D
--paulr
 
JasonLion said:
I like to have a box of borax and a box of baking soda on hand at all times. They last nearly forever, and when you need them it is a pain to have to run out to the store.
Click to expand...
Ditto for a gal of Muriatic acid and a tub of CYA and Calcium Chloride!
 
I have never used anything to raise PH or total alkalinity when using bleach for chlorine - haven't needed to. And I used mostly bleach / 10% liquid chlorine last year. Started this season by using pucks; my CYA was a little low, and needed a little bit of PH booster. I would have gone the BBB route for that, but I just happened to be by the pool stuff at Lowes, and they had 2 pound canisters of PH up for $2 and something. :-D

Anyway, if your fill water isn't naturally low in PH or total alkalinity and you use bleach, you probably wouldn't need borax or baking soda.

BTW, best place to get pool chemicals - Lowes, Home Depot, grocery stores. Worst place - pool stores! :-D
 
I would suggest you check your fill water before loading up on the BBB ingredients. For example, all I need to add to my pool is chlorine and muriatic acid. My water is quite hard and very alkiline. I've a 4 lb box of baking soda that is now 3 years old that I've never opened, because I bought it before checking my fill water.

dave
 
JasonLion said:
You can sometimes find Arm & Hammer baking soda in 4 lb boxes. That is what I was thinking of. A couple of 1 lb boxes would be just as good and not too much more expensive.
Click to expand...
I have also found it in 15 lb bags at costco.
 

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