Trying to help out a friend

[primetime]

Friends of ours moved into a new house this year. They have approx a 20,000 gl vinyl lined pool. Their house is in the country close to a number of farms. They go to the same pool store where the prior owners went. Here are my two questions:

1) They are using bromine instead of chlorine. Does that make sense?

2) The pool store has them adding a chemical (they did not know the name) that makes (I am going to use their words here) "little white cotton balls" at the bottom of the pool which they then need to vacuum out. The pool store people told them they need to add it because all the nitrates that get in their pool due to the farms. Does this make sense?

Our pool was new last year and I have been following the advice here with great results. I have never heard of what they are doing so I am just checking for them.

Thanks!

 

[zea3]

Don't know much about bromine myself. The nitrate remover sounds iffy. Someone with more knowledge in this area should be along to address these issues.

 

[duraleigh]

It is quite difficult to switch a bromine pool to chlorine. YOur friends could come onto the forum and learn how but it will involve almost a complete drain.

If it were me, I would give them the link to the website and let them choose if they want to pursue it.

 

[mamasproject]

Is that the Pool builder/store in Bally, PA? They (the pool builder) pushes bromine on all their customers, claiming it will be better....no chlorine smell and better for your skin. My neighbor uses bromine and a bucket of it costs $195!!! They use about 2 1/2 buckets for the season! Yikes!!!
I was not spending that kind of money on pool chemicals and I am so grateful I found this site during my pool build! And I do not have any "chlorine" smell in my pool!!!

 

[chem geek]

2) The pool store has them adding a chemical (they did not know the name) that makes (I am going to use their words here) "little white cotton balls" at the bottom of the pool which they then need to vacuum out. The pool store people told them they need to add it because all the nitrates that get in their pool due to the farms. Does this make sense?

It is more likely that they are talking about phosphates and not nitrates and that the chemical is a phosphate remover. Some versions of phosphate removers act like flocculants precipitating phosphates to the bottom of the pool where they need to be vacuumed out. If it is indeed a nitrate remover, please let us know what chemical/brand/product this is since I've never heard of that.

Phosphates and nitrates do not have to be removed to prevent algae growth if one maintains a Free Chlorine (FC) level appropriate for their Cyanuric Acid (CYA) level (i.e. if they follow the Chlorine / CYA Chart.

 

[primetime]

Is that the Pool builder/store in Bally, PA? They (the pool builder) pushes bromine on all their customers, claiming it will be better....no chlorine smell and better for your skin. My neighbor uses bromine and a bucket of it costs $195!!! They use about 2 1/2 buckets for the season! Yikes!!!
I was not spending that kind of money on pool chemicals and I am so grateful I found this site during my pool build! And I do not have any "chlorine" smell in my pool!!!

Yes, you have the correct builder/pool store, although it is not their main store in Bally, but the one in Wernersville. I go there sometimes if I need something quickly, but they know nothing about salt water pools or concrete pools so I usually politely agree with them and go about my business.