help with abreveations

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H

hayfarmer

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Mar 29, 2009
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eastern washington state
HI
I am a very new pool owner, it was installed late last year, so this is the first spring opening. could you please tell me what all the abreveations are. like CYA Fc and Swg i know some about balanceing water but not alot..
any help would help or is there some where on this site that explains the abrevaeation that you all are using
thanks so much
 
Hello. If you go into the "Pool School" found at the upper right, the very first entry under "Getting Started" is "Definitions and Abbreviations". It's a very thorough dictionary. There's tons of good stuff in the Pool School. I read it all very thoroughly when I first took over my pool care and was not disappointed. I was up and running and understanding what I was doing in a very short time ... Cheers, Gary
 
with the pool store pucks i can just put them in and forget about them...
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Well, not exactly. The pucks are constantly adding CYA to your water.....unless you refill or splashout or have to drain a lot, it will continue to accumulate and, one day, render your chlorine ineffective.

Probably 60-70% of the pool water issues we help solve on the forum are due to that problem.

Yes, the pucks are terribly convenient but they have that side effect that can really cause a big issue.

Have you tested your pool water for CYA and, if so, how long have you been using the pucks?
 
(written as duraleigh/Dave was posting)

Roughly speaking, you are correct about the tradeoff between the convenience, at higher cost, of using stabilized chlorine Trichlor pucks vs. adding unstabilized chlorinating liquid or bleach every day or two. If you have a pool cover, you may be able to add chlorine twice a week (that's what I do). There are also automated dosing systems for chlorinating liquid or bleach -- peristaltic pumps, The Liquidator, and saltwater chlorine generators (SWG) that generate the chlorine from salt in the pool.

If there were a slow-dissolving form of chlorine that didn't add stabilizer (Cyanuric Acid, CYA), then that would be ideal, but unfortunately there isn't. You can certainly use the pucks, but need to prevent algae growth by either diluting the water regularly to keep the CYA lower or raise the Free Chlorine (FC) level as the CYA level rises (hard to raise the FC with pucks, and it just increases CYA faster) or need to use a supplemental algaecide (PolyQuat 60 or phosphate remover) at extra cost.

BBB is about education and making your own choices. Some people on this forum use a mix of pucks and chlorinating liquid or bleach. Some just use pucks when going on vacation (for about a week -- for much longer than that, someone adds chlorine to their pool). Most just use chlorinating liquid or bleach alone. I use 12.5% chlorinating liquid added to my 16,000 gallon pool twice a week that costs around $15 per month. I add a couple of cups of acid every month or so. I have an opaque electric safety cover, but the pool gets used every day.

When I first got my pool 7 years ago, I used Trichor pucks in a floating dispenser. It parked itself near some stainless steel bars in the pool and rusted their mounts (Trichlor pucks are very acidic). I had to add pH Up product regularly, which added to the cost, and I used an algaecide every other week. Even though my chlorine usage was only around 0.7-0.8 ppm per day, my CYA level climbed to 150 ppm in one and a half seasons (7-month swim season and I have a cartridge filter so no backwashing) and my water turned dull and the chlorine usage climbed to the point where I had a hard time keeping up with it (the pucks wouldn't dissolve quickly enough). I had a nascent algae bloom and didn't even know it. The pool store was of no help and that's when I decided to learn more (at The PoolForum, at that time). Since I switched to chlorinating liquid, I haven't had any problems since and the water remains clear.

Richard
 
No i have not tested for CYA i do remember when i went to the pool store last fall they said it was raised a little..
The pool was installed in aug of last year. And i have been useing pucks ever since.
if when i get ready to swicth to BBB can i just switch over with no problems with the pool stores chem reacting with the BBB.
As you can i am very new to a pool.. lots to learn....Thanks for all the help
 
can i just switch over with no problems with the pool stores chem reacting with the BBB
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Yes, you can switch easily. In fact, you will learn that there is very little switching.....just more understanding of what's going on with your pool water. Keep reading up in Pool School and asking lot's of questions. This forum has some of the best minds available in pool water chemistry and pool care (one of them just posted and it wasn't me! :-D :-D ) and everyone here is willing to help with any problems or questions you may have.
BBB is about education and making your own choices.
Click to expand...
Amen, brother!
 

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Pucks are just another form of chlorine so you don't really have to "convert". So instead of using pucks you just add liquid chlorine a.k.a. bleach. The other components of BBB are secondary, for the last 2 years I've only ever needed bleach. Kinda depends on the individual pool, if you need acid or baking soda or borates, etc.

This year I'll be adding CYA as mine is finally getting too low after having dealth with Too High CYA issues from using pucks. When I used pucks I ended up with a ton of problems after 3 years. I've been with BBB for 2 now, and my pool has never looked better or been easier to maintain, and I never have to shock. I usually add bleach every other day and that's it, I test routinely but most of the folks on here end up test addicts anyway :mrgreen: beware of sparklypoolitis its a common affliction amongst BBB Newbies...

Seriously though, it really is less work for me now than it ever was with pucks and I have alot less problems and spend ALOT LESS money. That's what sealed the deal for me.
 
Let's look at "pool store chems' vs. BBB BBB is not some 'magic method', it's just good pool maintenance!
Chlorine is chlorine once in the water. There are several kinds, however, and each has various effects on your water balance
Trichlor as used in puck and dichlor, sometimes sold as 'shock' are the stabilized chlorines. Both add CYA to the water and both will eventually lead to an overstabilzied pool. They are also acidic and will cause your pH and TA to drop over time.
Untabilized chlorine does not raise CYA. There are three of them, Sodiium Hypochlorite, Calcium Hypochlorite, and Lithium Hypochlorite. They are close to pH neutral and less impact on pH and non on TA. You might need to add acid when adding them because they are not acidic like the stabilized chlorines.
Sodium Hypo is the least expensive and has the fewest "side effects". It is called liquid chlorine. It is also called unscented laundry bleach (aka Clorox and other brands). These are one and the same thing! Only difference is the concentrations available so the dosage is different to achieve the same FC level. Pool chlorine comes in 12.5%, 10%, and 6% while bleach comes in 6% (ultra) and 5.25% (regular) strength. Other than the strength there is NO DIFFERENCE!
Calcium hypo is commonly sold as shock in 1 lb bags but also sold in big drums for chlorination. It will cause your calcium hardness to rise and can make the water cloudy.
Lithium hypo has very few side effects and is fast dissolving but it is VERY EXPEN$IVE to use. If you can afford it, go for it! :wink:

There is no such thing as 'shock'. Shock means using an unstabilized chlorine to raise your FC levels high enough to break down chloramines or kill algae. Shock is a verb (something you do to a pool), no a noun (a special product). Dichlor is sometimes sold as a shock. This is a sure fire recipe for an overstabilized pool!
Total Alkalinity Increaser vs Baking Soda--one and the same. NO DIFFERENCE at all! Both sodium bicarbonate and both made by Church and Dwight (Arm and Hammer!)

pH increaser vs. Arm and Hammer Super Washing Sods--one and the same, both are sodium carbonate and both made by Church and Dwight once again. 20 mule team borax is a better choice for raising pH BTW! (and yes borax is used in swimming pools. You can buy several brands such as Bioguard Optimizer, Proteam Supreme, Poollife Endure, Guardex Enhance, Mineral springs pool salt mix is mostly salt and borax as is Salt Water magic.)

Muriatic Acid or dry acid (sodium bisulfate)--no substitutes here, we recommend the muriatic because it does not add sulfates to the water.

CYA (cyanuric acid)--no substitutes here either....If you need it buy it and put it in.

A GOOD test kit---this is a necessity!

All BBB is really is just good pool maintenance, just like the professionals use to care for commercial pools.
I know becasue I am one!
 
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