Does the BBB method save me money?

[JayJer]

:?: I am new to the world of chlorine pools. I was drawn into the Baquacil products when I purchased my pool 8 years ago. I had decent results, however I spent $600+ last year in chemicals. My pool is above-ground, vinyl liner, 24' - round. I am using 3" chlorine tabs I purchased from the pool store (1 every 2-3 days), 1 bag of shock/week, and baking soda (as needed, when alkalinity is low). My water is sparkling clear and comfortable. However, after reading all the posts ... can I merely use bleach on a weekly basis and nothing else? I have looked over the articles on the section "pool school" but all the chemicals and names are a bit overwhelming.

 

[woodyp]

Yes, liquid bleach can replace your 3" pucks and withut adding any additional CYA as with those. Maintain levels per pool school and stop all that so-called "shocking" on a weekly basis. Welcome. Read pool school at least twice!

 

[Charlie_R]

In a word, YES! Most emphatically YES!

The highest "expense" you are likely to see AFTER converting your pool to BBB is if you ever have to shock your pool. There are many examples here of people who have never had to shock once they started the BBB method.

Re-read the pool school several times, that alone will help you to understand the simplicity that pool care should be.

As far as a once-a -week addition of bleach, I wouldn't go that far, but I will say depending on the size and volume of your pool it could be as low as a gallon of bleach a week.

Consider this: Even though my pool (see my signature block) is a small one, the time it takes me on a daily basis to test and brush my pool is on the order of less than an hour, closer to half hour. My bleach and other chemical needs run me about $20 for a whole month.

 

[woodyp]

Mine has about the same volume as yours, full sun all day, and it uses 70 to 80 ozs. per day as a guide for you with CYA roughly 50.

 

[Patrick_B]

Yes it will. The chems are really not that complicated. Just take a bite at a time and it will make sense. Really pretty easy to grasp with some time spent and asking some questions here. If you want to learn, we will help.

 

[duraleigh]

While certainly saves money, BBB is more about the satisfaction you gain from understanding your own pool.

It's quite rewarding to be the one in charge of your pool....not the pool store.

 

[Richard320]

Hmmm... let's see...

100% Sodium Bicarbonate.
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, Costco, 13.5lb bag $6.16 = 45.6¢/lb.
pH Increaser, Leslies 10 lb $21.99 = $2.19/lb

If you maintain the pool our way, you also won't be buying clarifier, floc, phos-free, or the packages of "shock" for the weekly blast.

Let's wait and see what BoDarville has to say about expenses...

 

[msgtdan]

Welcome

You will need one of the good test kits we recommend to do it our way, but the money you save on chems and trips to the pool store will pay for that. We recommend the TF-100 or the Taylor K-2006, the TF-100 is more expensive but the better value. You can get it by following the link in Duraleigh's signature, he always passes on good advice even when it doesn't benefit him financially.

 

[march2012]

Im not entirely sure it saves money. Pucks are actually pretty expensive. As long as you are ok with draining your pool once the CYA level gets too high and stay on top of that the different methods are comparably priced. However they are still all BBB

BBB doesnt prohibit pucks at all, it is more about understanding the impact of pucks.


For example Im watching my neighbors pool while he is on vacation. He is using pucks while he is out. He normally has to add about 1/2 gallon of acid a week, but with the pucks, the pH hasnt moved. His CYA started at 50 and will probably be about 75 when he comes back, but he knows that.

For a 20K gallon pool.

$119 for a 50lb bucket of trichlor on amazon
$.43per FC (20K pool) (1 FC = 2.9oz, 50lb = 800 oz, = 275 units of FC

Bleach is about $3.30/121oz of 8.25% @ 4ppm per bottle so about $.825 per FC

Might have made a mistake in my calculations, but FC from pucks is actually cheaper.

 

[chem geek]

See Cost Comparison of Chlorine Sources. Though the prices are old, their relative amounts are still valid. Yes, looking only at Trichlor alone has it be less expensive per FC compared to any other source of chlorine (though bleach is close). However, you can never just add Trichlor alone to a pool and need to add a pH/TA adjusting chemical so if you add that, even if you use Arm & Hammer Washing Soda for the least expensive adjustment, then Trichlor becomes more expensive per FC than bleach, chlorinating liquid, and Cal-Hypo.

By the way, your bleach pricing is higher than some others are seeing. I get 12.5% chlorinating liquid by the gallons (128 fluid ounces) for $3.50, but off-brand bleach can be quite a bit less per FC. this post shows 3 8.25% 121-ounce bottles for $6 (usually it's $8) so $2 per bottle though usually $2.67 per bottle which is still less than the $3.30 you used.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

I am paying closer yo $4 per 121oz.

Sent via Tapatalk...

 

[TCJ4]

Do you guys still recommend using bleach on a 15x48" intex instead of trhriclor tablets,i usually add 1x week a 3" tablet??

Price of bleach here is pretty expensive it's like $5 or 6 for a gallon

 

[jblizzle]

Do you guys still recommend using bleach on a 15x48" intex instead of trhriclor tablets,i usually add 1x week a 3" tablet??

Price of bleach here is pretty expensive it's like $5 or 6 for a gallon

Generally yes.

But if you have low CYA, short swim season, and a lot of water replacement (backwashing, rain, closing for winter), then sometimes the tablets can be enough. You still need to be accurately testing to determine that the pool is balanced.

 

[TCJ4]

Swimming is year round,i'm assuming that after installing the sand filter there will be allot of water replacement.

 

[TCJ4]

Today i started filling the pool and went to the pool store to check some alkalinity increaser just in case in need it ,so when i got there they wanted to sell me a 50lbs bag of alkalinity increaser for $80 so long story short i went to the supermarket i got 3x2lbs box of baking soda for $12.

At the pool store the sales person kept telling me that there not the same thing,and the most ridiculous thing is on the bag there is a big Arm@Hammer sign on it.

 

[Richard320]

Swimming is year round,i'm assuming that after installing the sand filter there will be allot of water replacement.

How expensive is fresh water in Aruba? That pool's not that big, so you could drain a quarter of it and refill it in a couple hours, no problem, if CYA buildup occurs.

 

[TCJ4]

To fill the whole pool is around 600 florins which is like $400

So really really expensive

 

[chem geek]

Today i started filling the pool and went to the pool store to check some alkalinity increaser just in case in need it ,so when i got there they wanted to sell me a 50lbs bag of alkalinity increaser for $80 so long story short i went to the supermarket i got 3x2lbs box of baking soda for $12.

At the pool store the sales person kept telling me that there not the same thing,and the most ridiculous thing is on the bag there is a big Arm@Hammer sign on it.

This post goes into detail about the equivalence of grocery/hardware/big-box store products and Pool Store products including links to official material on the purity of these products.

 

[TCJ4]

i was starting to have a discussion with the sales person because she kept telling me their not the same product and i told her that baking soda is 100% sodium bicarbonate but she kept saying that what they sold was specifically made for pools and that baking soda wasn't.

Long story short i just left and went the supermarket and got some baking soda

 

[Richard320]

To fill the whole pool is around 600 florins which is like $400

So really really expensive

Wow... you're really stuck in a hard spot. Bleach is pricey and so is water.

Have you considered a salt water generator? http://www.tdchlorinators.com.au/bleach1.php