New to pool ownership, tons of question :)

[what_the_deuce]

Hi,

Bought the house last summer, so in reality this is my second season with the pool. I did buy the TF-100 test kit straight away though and have lurked on this website since and learnt a ton about pool maintenance.

My CH was around 450, CYA was over 150 (previous owner used pucks) and I did struggle to get these down. Even partial refills didn't help. But thanks to the recent rains in Texas, CH is at 300 and CYA is down to 30 (may be I'll have to increase that a little to 50ppm).

Now my first question is about chemical storage. I had the Cl and Acid bottles sitting in the garage. I thought the whole rusting probably takes a long time. But, boy was I wrong. Luckily there is not much of value in this garage, but I did see some metal trim on a bag turn completely brown recently.

I tend to buy Acid and Cl in bulk if I see a deal. I understand that Cl and Muriatic acid gas off, but what about the bottles that are sealed with a little plastic film from the shops? Can some gas leak through the seals?

I've just gone ahead and bought two deck boxes and will try and place them in shade near the pool (separate boxes for Cl and Acid). But was wondering if the sealed bottles can be left in the garage with no risk.

Also, how much worse is the Cl and Acid loss when stored at elevated temperatures outside? Does the gas accumulate inside a sealed bottle and would release when opened, hence, even a sealed bottle would've lost strength when left outside (not in direct sunlight but still at temperatures over 100F)?

Thanks.

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! Great to have you with us, and even more pleased you have a TF-100. Like you, I learned the hard way about storing acid when it rusted several pieces of my sporting equipment. Grrrr. Yes, even my new "sealed" bottles managed to get rust started on some cabinet hinges when I used to have it in my laundry room for a while. Now that my pool chemicals have stabilized, I actually don't use acid as much as I used to. When I do, I put the lid back on then keep it stored separately in a Rubbermaid container away from everything else.

I haven't had any bad experiences with chlorine yet. I keep my liquid bleach in the laundry room and have never had a problem there. But yes, temperature can/do effect our checmicals and reagents, so any time you can keep them stored in a controlled environment, it is best. I suspect other replies will follow. Great to have you with you with us.

 

[kimkats]

At Lowes I have seen where the bottles of MA that have been there for a while "burn" through the plastic on top after a while! Scary stuff!

I understand wanting to save money and time but with these two things it does not pay off.

I buy enough to get me through about 2 weeks with the chlorine.

The MA I keep in a WELL vented area well away from anything it could hurt.

I like the two deck box ideas. I have a deck box I keep my chlorine jugs in right by the pool. My MA is a wood storage building with LOTS of air.

Kim

 

[woodyp]

Heat alone will degrade bleach pretty quickly. I don't keep over about a 3 week supply on hand. Don't store it and acid close together either. Once opened, MA will outgas as you've seen.

 

[BoDarville]

Welcome to TFP!

I buy chlorine bleach in reasonably large quantities but only a single carton of MA (carton contains 2 bottles). Like most TFP'ers I store the two well away from each other. MA is stored outside in a ventilated container. Do not store MA in the garage or metals will begin to show signs of rust for seemingly no apparent reason.

 

[pooldv]

Store bleach inside and store MA outside.

 

[what_the_deuce]

Thanks for all the quick responses guys.

So if I understand correctly, it is MA that's causing rust. What about Cl?

My local store is selling 2 gallons of Cl for $5. I want to pick up my summer's supply

But having seen the rusting I'm not so sure now.

 

[what_the_deuce]

Heat alone will degrade bleach pretty quickly. I don't keep over about a 3 week supply on hand. Don't store it and acid close together either. Once opened, MA will outgas as you've seen.

So what you are saying is that in heat Cl gases off but is still trapped in the sealed bottle. But that does render your bleach weak. Correct?

Does out-gassing of MA reduce its potency?

 

[what_the_deuce]

MA is now out in the open in a polypropylene box (Suncast SSW1000) near the pool equipment. There is fencing around that area so it should only see the sun for 2 to 3 hours at the most.

But, I would still like to understand the following:

1. Does Cl also cause rusting? These bottles are still in my garage, sealed and opened ones.

2. If I store the Cl bottles outside, then due to the heat will it lose potency even if the bottle is sealed? If yes, then is it because the Cl is gassing off inside the sealed bottle?

3. Does out-gassing of MA reduce its potency?

 

[pooldv]

Store bleach inside, laundry room, pantry, etc.

 

[what_the_deuce]

Store bleach inside, laundry room, pantry, etc.

Thanks pooldv. I'm doing that now, i.e., Cl in the garage, and MA outside.

My next few questions are regarding testing. I hope I can continue my questions in this thread. If not, then please let me know.

1. TA test - while adding the drops, the colour changes to purple, then to light pink and then to bright pink. At what point do I consider the test complete? For now, I've been assuming that I have to keep adding drops till the colour doesn't change any more.

2. pH test - is there a better way to test for this? I must be colour blind because I'm never sure if I'm reading it correctly. A test similar to Cl would be brilliant (i.e., a definite change in colour).

3. CYA test - again, I'm never sure when to stop adding the mixture to the tube. I can usually see a faint outline of the black dot and it takes a fair amount to make it completely disappear. I have been assuming that the reading point is where the black dot is completely gone.

4. Why is the sizing of the bottles in the TF-100 testkit not in line with the test requirement? For example, CH test requires 10 drops of R-0010, and yet its volume is the same as R-0011L.

5. How long are the chemicals in the TF-100 test kit good for? I keep it in the laundry cupboard, so the temperature is well controlled. I bought my current kit last season. Any way to know when the kit is giving erroneous results, or is it better to just ditch it after a certain time period?

Thanks guys for the support. Glad to see the website is behaving now.

 

[kimkats]

2. pH test - is there a better way to test for this? I must be colour blind because I'm never sure if I'm reading it correctly. A test similar to Cl would be brilliant (i.e., a definite change in colour).

I got this one! I bought a plastic white plate to hold the PH test in front of. I do it inside where there is a good light right over where I do the test. The white plate all of the difference for me. I pull the plate the in and out until I see the color match.

Kim