I´ve been visiting my ex- and kids in Brazil for the last month and the pool guy and I are having the predictable lack of understanding. He basically throws in an inadequate dose of Cal-hypo once a week (even though he comes Mondays and Thursdays) and makes up for it with cheap copper algaecide and flocculant. It was cloudy when I got here, and I gave it a quick fake slam (done by guess rather than testing, but it worked) and some 24-hour filtering, and cleared it right up. Maintained it perfectly with Cal-hypo every day for the past three weeks--all say it has never been so clear. But he is fighting me tooth and nail. Increased chlorine use and stopping algaecide will cost more and won´t work well, blah, blah. Meanwhile, decent testing equip./supplies beyond test strips and OTO/phenol red are unknown. The ´pros´ use basic Aqua-Chem strips.
Today, he throws a new one at me. Chlorine is an evaporant, he says, and higher levels increase water evaporation and thus usage. The city I am in, Itu in São Paulo state, is in a drought caused water shortage crisis, and this is a big deal. Is there any basis to this, or can I call chemical BS?
Pool is 100k liters, 35 year old 100% full-tile, 7m x 12m x 1.2m avg, big sand filter, 1.5 hp Pentair pump (Triton?) set to run 3hr/day, water sits at 80°F and air gets to low 90°s. Open all year. Brutal sun right now as right on Tropic of Capricorn.
TESTs: pH 7.5, CYA <40 but some (strips--gag), Cl 4.0 target, 1.0 pre-dose (what I did and worked), CH 200-300(strips again), TA 70-80 (likewise). CYA is there because they use powdered tri-chlor (yes, trichlor) and cal-hypo pretty much interchangeably. No pucks.
Today, he throws a new one at me. Chlorine is an evaporant, he says, and higher levels increase water evaporation and thus usage. The city I am in, Itu in São Paulo state, is in a drought caused water shortage crisis, and this is a big deal. Is there any basis to this, or can I call chemical BS?
Pool is 100k liters, 35 year old 100% full-tile, 7m x 12m x 1.2m avg, big sand filter, 1.5 hp Pentair pump (Triton?) set to run 3hr/day, water sits at 80°F and air gets to low 90°s. Open all year. Brutal sun right now as right on Tropic of Capricorn.
TESTs: pH 7.5, CYA <40 but some (strips--gag), Cl 4.0 target, 1.0 pre-dose (what I did and worked), CH 200-300(strips again), TA 70-80 (likewise). CYA is there because they use powdered tri-chlor (yes, trichlor) and cal-hypo pretty much interchangeably. No pucks.