Perfect Weekly?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
therocksaz

therocksaz

0
Apr 18, 2016
10
Phoenix, AZ
So, a long long time ago (like a month ago) I stepped into the local pool supply looking for help getting started with my pool and the guy working the desk was nice enough, said I should get some chlorine tablets and a product called Perfect Weekly. He said this triple-action additive would help keep the pool chemistry and water nice and clear as long as I put three capfuls (about 1.5 cups) in weekly. Now, this stuff is $50/gal and I really haven't seen any mention of it around here. I feel like I've been duped. Is this really necessary?
 
Oh course it is not necessary ;)

I would have to go Google what it even is, but I am sure it is not needed.

You really need to be careful about the use of tablets too since we do not drain for winter or get a lot of rain around here due to the climbing CYA.
 
well yes, they got you to buy a solar shield (chemical bubble cover) and a phosphate remover and some kind of enzyme thing... it is not going to hurt anything except your wallet, and If you have your FC at the correct level for your CYA you will not need any of that.. If you do want a solar cover to warm your pool and slow evaporation get an 8 mil cover :)

You have the best weapon for great water, the TF100 :) and you have the speedstir, nice job! (I love that thing)
 
I kinda had the feeling like I was buying something I didn't need, especially since he told me 3 capfuls each week, which, according to the directions on the bottle, is 3 times as much as recommended, but I really didn't know anything so I just went with it. So should I not use the tablets at all? I've been religiously replacing them weekly because my chlorine just goes away really fast. I typically throw in a bag of granular chlorine every Friday evening and by Wednesday the chlorine is down to like 2 ppm. I know now that that's partly because my PH was out of control (thanks TF100) but is this also relatively normal for pools in AZ?
 
If your CYA is low, the tabs will be OK to use. If your CYA is high, you're going to compound the problem. I keep a few tabs around for my vacation week so I can meter them in and not trouble others to follow my crazy TFP method of doing things. Whoever heard of adding bleach to a pool?
 
My test results from yesterday:

FC - 2 (still at 2 today, didn't add chlorine yesterday because I added acid late afternoon)
CC - 0
TC - 2
PH - 8.2 (down to 7.6 today after adding acid according to PoolMath)
CH - 300
CYA - 50
TA - 200
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support


therockaz, I'll go one step further .... while you already answered what your conscience was telling you at the pool store, and now you know to raise your FC, you have something else to consider.... calcium. Your pH is rising fast because your TA is exceptionally high. I'm VERY surprised your CH itself is so low for your local area. You are very fortunate... at the moment. But your high TA and pH will cause you to get scale build-up before you know it. You have a fountain, so do this .... Pool School - Lower Total Alkalinity. Lower that TA as soon as you can via this acid/aeration method of adding acid followed by aeration. Continue this until you get your TA down to something around 80-100 or so, then leave your pH around 7.6-7.7. The lower TA will help keep your pH from rising so fast, and at the same time they will help prevent scale. Remember, some of those pool store products also add calcium.

Next time you're in the Poolmath Calculator, do me a favor ... enter ALL of your numbers in the NOW and TARGET/GOAL column. Then look at the CSI row about halfway down. I bet that CSI number is slightly over 0.6 correct? According to me it is. That puts you at risk for scale. Lower the pH to 7.7 and the TA to 100 and you'll see the CSI goes way down to about -0.15 (just below neutral). Over time, with replacement (hard) fill water, your CH is going to rise, so keeping the TA and pH at that those levels would be a good thing for you. Something to keep in mind okay. :)
 
In case no one else thinks to mention this...

If the test kit is new, the R-009 TA reagent often develops static electricity which makes the drops smaller than they should be, which makes the TA read higher than reality. The cure is to wipe the tip with a damp paper towel between drops. Just for the first couple tests.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wendy3tkl
You have this, you have spidy sense :) You knew something was up with buying that stuff and you already have the TF100 and the speedstir...

Everyone already gave you great info, you can add liquid chlorine/bleach brush some, add muriatic acid, brush some, then check you levels and see where you are at :)

You can get liquid chlorine in larger quantities and stronger 10% or 12.5% from a hasa dealer near you, http://hasapool.com/dealer_locator_hasa.php
 
Okay, so I've been doing the acid/aeration deal and I successfully got my FC under control (about 5.5 last I check, I added a little more bleach just a little while ago). Here's another quick question, as I would like to eventually be able to actually use the pool, do I have to wait four hours after adding any chemicals before it's safe to swim?
 
therocksaz said:
Okay, so I've been doing the acid/aeration deal and I successfully got my FC under control (about 5.5 last I check, I added a little more bleach just a little while ago). Here's another quick question, as I would like to eventually be able to actually use the pool, do I have to wait four hours after adding any chemicals before it's safe to swim?
Click to expand...
Half an hour with the pump on should be plenty. If you make a quick lap around the pool with the brush after adding, you can jump in as soon as you're done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply