I have a large tub of power powder plus that I purchased at the end of last season. Would I be doing any damage if I used this along with my 6% liquid in maint. doses just to use it up? The label says 73% cal- hypo 23% other ingredients. Would it be better to just not use it at all?
Cal-Hypo and Liquid Bleach
- Thread starter tnewton7
- Start date
That all depends on your current CH level. Cal-hypo adds calcium, which can be a problem in the long run but might be fine for a while if your CH level isn't too high.
With a vinyl liner the CH level can't be too low but it can be too high. High calcium levels can lead to scaling, which is fairly easy to remove from vinyl but can cause serious problems for the pump and pipes.
I currently do not have a way to test for CH. Ordered the tf-100 today. Assuming CH levels are o.k. would this cause a problem?Just trying to get an idea of how much liquid bleach to buy. Aldi store opened up locally and I plan on doing a raid tomorrow!!
shadylady23
Well-known member
Is calcium hardness the same as total hardness? I'm looking to use up my calcium hypo too and had the same question. If they are the same then mine is already very low if not 0. (but I'm using the guess strips so who knows what it really is.) My TF kit is on they way!
Also, how do you add it? Just dump it in and swish it around?
Thanks!
Also, how do you add it? Just dump it in and swish it around?
Thanks!
Total hardness (TH) is calcium hardness (CH) plus magnesium hardness. Magnesium levels vary, but for a rough guess you can multiply TH by 2/3rds to get an estimate of CH. Most test strips report TH instead of CH.
shadylady23
Well-known member
TH can be zero. Test strips are always imprecise, meaning a reading of 0 might mean any level from 0 to 50. Test strips are only occasionally inaccurate, meaning they read 0 when the actual level is well above 50.
So, should I not use the cal-hypo in conjunction with the liquid bleach until I am able to test for CH? I have added a significant amount of water to pool this season, so I am worried that CYA levels are also low. I was able to keep pool crystal clear with low levels of chlorine until this week. I am talking 1 to 2 ppm. Heavy bather load the last 3 days has clouded up the pool up very badly, and chlorine consumption has also highly increased. It looks like I lulled myself into thinking I was going to be able to get by like this, but higher temps. combined with full sun and heavy bather load have snapped me back to reality. I have added 4.75 gallons of liquid bleach in the past 15 hours, and pool is still cloudy. Current readings are
FC 2.0
CC 2.0
PH 7.2
ALK 90
These are the only levels I am currently able to test until tf-100 comes this week. Hurry up , Dave!! :-D
FC 2.0
CC 2.0
PH 7.2
ALK 90
These are the only levels I am currently able to test until tf-100 comes this week. Hurry up , Dave!! :-D
Are you reading the CC correctly? Ive never used strips so I dont know how they read FC vs CC.
If you are, you need to bring the pool to shock levels of chlorine, pretty quickly. Even if CC was 1.0 instead of 2.0, you are still looking at *something* growing in the pool, so it needs to be shocked.
pH needs to go up too, but you are better off waiting for that until the CC has disappeared (chlorine "works better" with lower pH).
How many gallons of water in your pool? If you can figure that out, look for Jasons Pool Calculator and then calculate how much bleach you need to add at least 10ppm of chlorine to your pool. This is assuming CYA is low (or none). It will require a decent amount of checking and re-checking to keep that chlorine level up, without CYA the sun will just eat it away.
As far as how long to clear it up, it takes time. The first time I ever really had a "problem" with my pool was after a July 4th picnic and a huge bather load. Ive since learned to just dump a whole bunch of bleach in after heavy bather load, at night. By the time swim time comes around the next day, its usually low enough to not hurt anyone.
-Chris
If you are, you need to bring the pool to shock levels of chlorine, pretty quickly. Even if CC was 1.0 instead of 2.0, you are still looking at *something* growing in the pool, so it needs to be shocked.
pH needs to go up too, but you are better off waiting for that until the CC has disappeared (chlorine "works better" with lower pH).
How many gallons of water in your pool? If you can figure that out, look for Jasons Pool Calculator and then calculate how much bleach you need to add at least 10ppm of chlorine to your pool. This is assuming CYA is low (or none). It will require a decent amount of checking and re-checking to keep that chlorine level up, without CYA the sun will just eat it away.
As far as how long to clear it up, it takes time. The first time I ever really had a "problem" with my pool was after a July 4th picnic and a huge bather load. Ive since learned to just dump a whole bunch of bleach in after heavy bather load, at night. By the time swim time comes around the next day, its usually low enough to not hurt anyone.
-Chris
You are right . cc level is zero. TC 2.0 minus FC 2.0= CC 0. Oops. 24000 gallon IG vinyl. Will I have to bring pool up to shock level to clear? I never have gotten a conclusive answer to original post concerning using up the cal-hypo that I have. Can this be used to bring pool up to10 ppm and then use 6% to maintain shock level for 24 hours?
Almost surely you can use the Cal Hypo. The exception would be if your CH was over 400-500ppm which is pretty rare....but not impossible.
To be perfectly safe, why don't you use just Clorox for now and when the TF-100 gets to you, do a CH test and then use the Cal-Hypo.
To be perfectly safe, why don't you use just Clorox for now and when the TF-100 gets to you, do a CH test and then use the Cal-Hypo.
Will do. I am just nervous about how cloudy the pool currently is. I did not know if the 6% would clear this up very quickly or not. The fact that I have put in 4.75 gallons of 6% in the past 24 hours leads me to believe CYA is negligible. I am assuming heavy bather loads the last 2 days have also contributed to the cloudiness. Do you recommend that I go ahead and bring pool up to shock level and see if this helps resolve cloudiness issue?
The problem is you don't know what shock level is unless you have CYA test results.
Clearing a pool is quite troublesome without the kit.....actually, I should say trying to get on cleared up over the net like this is tough withour current, accurate test results.
I would suggest you put in 1 large jug of Clorox each evening until your kit arrives. That way your pool probably will only get better and you'll be chlorinating it safely.
Clearing a pool is quite troublesome without the kit.....actually, I should say trying to get on cleared up over the net like this is tough withour current, accurate test results.
I would suggest you put in 1 large jug of Clorox each evening until your kit arrives. That way your pool probably will only get better and you'll be chlorinating it safely.
Probably a good idea. It looks like I got lucky with it staying so clear for so long. I am sure low temps and no bather load had a lot to do with it. How long does shipping usually take to get kit to Louisville, KY? Looking forward to using the kit, as I have read a lot of good reviews on this site. Thanks for all you that guys do to make this a great source of info for pool owners.