Adding Lliquid chlorine vs pucks

[etbrown4]

I understand that liquid chlorine will help keep cya low, as opposed to using pucks, so we are headed that way

We've got a 30,000 gallon pool that has had a persistent algae problem for years, and high cya.

So as the season closes we want to transition to liquid chlorine. I suppose it's the same as 12% liquid shock.

Other than just pouring in the required amounts, and balancing the pool chemistry maybe twice a week, is there anything special that one needs to know about using the liquid shock?

I assume that it can be used in conjunction with pucks if needed?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Sodium Hypochlorite (aka, liquid chlorine, liquid shock, etc.) comes in many different concentrations. The commonly used concentrations used for pools is usually from 6% to 12.5%. "liquid shock" is usually 10% or 12.5%.

Once you get everything balanced it's just a matter of testing and adjusting pH and FC daily or every other day and everything else weekly or monthly.

You can use it on conjunction with other forms of FC but it's usually easier to adjust things separately.

 

[Stuamurr]

Nothing special you need to know, simply pour in near your water inlets to disperse evenly around the pool, It's just a simple form of chlorine that will oxidize your water in the same way as the pucks do now, without raising your stabilizer level.

Store bought bleach contains around 4-8% Sodium Hypochlorite (Chlorine), whilst poolstore or chemical company Sodium Hypochlorite contains slightly more at 12-19%, avoid scented bleach, just plain regular stuff is fine. Also avoid storing bleach for long periods of time or bleach that has been on the shelf of your local corner store for a few months as it's strength degrades the longer it sits.

Only use pucks when you need to increase the level of stabilizer in your pool, high stabilizer levels lead to chlorine inefficiency. Keep the pucks though for when the stabilizer level needs topping up.

Regards
Stuart

 

[cody21]

Why would he not just use Cyanuric Acid (dry - in a sock) to raise the CYA (stabilizer) levels? Instead of reverting back to the "pucks" ??? At least that's what I've been reading & learning about the BBB method ... confused, again .. :-(

 

[Stuamurr]

If you have pucks, then you might aswell keep them to use when you need to raise CYA in small amounts, indeed once you have run out of pucks with the BB method you will switch to a stabilizer product to raise CYA instead.

 

[Smykowski]

Why would he not just use Cyanuric Acid (dry - in a sock) to raise the CYA (stabilizer) levels? Instead of reverting back to the "pucks" ??? At least that's what I've been reading & learning about the BBB method ... confused, again .. :-(

The BBB method isn't anti-pucks per se....it's about understanding what you're putting in your pool and why you're putting it in there, no matter what chemicals you use. In general, most people avoid pucks because they are more expensive than liquid bleach plus dry stabilizer.


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[cody21]

thanks for clarifying.

 

[Durk]

For me, pucks are cheaper than LC + pure CYA as long as I get 25lbs at a time. I run pucks in the Spring until I get to the CYA I want, and any time I am away for a few days. I can usually kill 25lbs. in two years.

Get the prices available to you and run your own numbers. And nothing beats pucks (except an SWG or Liquidator) if your pool is unattended for several days as long as you have headroom in your CYA level.

 

[anonapersona]

What you need to know is what your CYA is now. Then you need to know what the proper range for FC is for that CYA (see the chart here http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock. Then you need to see how much chlorine that has you adding to your pool to compensate for 2 - 3ppm chlorine consumption per day. It may be that you pool consumes more or less than that, based on lots of different things, including the current algae that may exist in the pool.

If you do have algae in the pool now, you ought to shock it properly and completely as described in Pool School. You must kill the algae absolutely, positively, undeniably dead. You must prove that it is dead by passing the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test as described in Pool School. Then you allow the FC to decline below shock level.

It may be that in order to get your pool FC up to shock level for your measured CYA level now, you find that the chlorine needed is exorbitant. That typically will be for CYA levels above 60 - 70 - 80. In that case you may choose to drain and refill the pool to some extent to get the CYA level down to 30 which is much more tolerable in terms of chlorine additions. Not to mention that you are also draining off some algae in the process. If your fill water is iron laden, or you are on water restrictions, this may be a hard choice to make.

In any case, you must have good test data, and you need to have a test kit that you can use many times a day in order to maintain shock level. Running to the pool store for a test is not workable.

Finally, you ought to keep those trichlor pucks for use at some point in the future when your CYA level is low, 40, 30 or less. You should regard those pucks as a luxury item that can allow you to take a vacation and leave the pool unattended when the CYA (and TA) levels will allow. Note that pucks also reduce TA so if you will transition to pucks you need to get the TA up to a reasonable level so their effect does not allow your pH to crash and damage pool equipment.

 

[bassmasta]

In all the time that I have had an above ground pool, I have only used liquid chlorine added to my pool in small amounts each day or as one daily addition using automation. I add stabilizer (CYA) according to the rate recommended in the spring (May) and boost it in mid-season (July). I also add a little copper based algecide and for the most part I have no problem with my pool water. Recently, after I moved to an area with water that was harder and more basic, I found I had to add a little muriatiic acid to lower the pH of the water, again, by automation, this cleared my algae up. To boot, liquid chlorine adds sodium chloride "softness" to the water.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

Other than just pouring in the required amounts, and balancing the pool chemistry maybe twice a week, is there anything special that one needs to know about using the liquid shock?

I assume that it can be used in conjunction with pucks if needed?

Daily liquid dosing is required for the most part. But you can - once you have the experience with your pool - get by with checking chemistry less than daily

Pucks advice given by others in the thread is dead on. Use when you need cya or when you have no one to watch the pool and you are out of town.



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[duraleigh]

I also add a little copper based algaecide and for the most part I have no problem with my pool water. Recently, after I moved to an area with water that was harder and more basic, I found I had to add a little muriatiic acid to lower the pH of the water, again, by automation, this cleared my algae up.

This forum does not suggest ever using a copper based algaecide. Copper (or any metal in a pool) is very difficult to deal with and can have unwanted side effects.

Controlling pH up or down in any manner has nothing to do with algae. Algae is best controlled with the use of chlorine alone negating the use of algaecide in the first place. These practices may be working for you but they are not practices associated with having a good understanding of pool water chemistry and so not really something that would be related to the BBB practices we teach here.

 

[BoDarville]

The BBB method isn't anti-pucks per se....it's about understanding what you're putting in your pool and why you're putting it in there, no matter what chemicals you use.

The above quote succinctly describes what BBB is all about.

The only time I use pucks is when I'm out of town for an extended period and the pool will be left unattended (a rarity for me) or when I need to increase the CYA level. I can safely use the pucks while on vacation because I manage the CYA so that I have some headroom to safely use the pucks when I have to. Since that is the only time I use pucks, the CYA added by the pucks will drift back down over time due to splash-out, backwashing, and rain dilution.

With all of the above said, I need to cast a vote against ever using a copper-based algaecide, though. While there are a few circumstances where using an algaecide is justifiable, there is no reason to ever use one that is copper-based. When an algaecide is called for, stick with Polyquat 60.