Alternating pucks and bleach

[javasnow]

Anyone using a puck/bleach alternation to maintain CYA? It makes sense to me - use bleach as the primary chlorinator, but switch to the stabilized pucks occasionally to ensure CYA levels are maintained. If you have an inline chlorinator anyway, those "insidious" pucks seem to be a convenient way to maintain CYA and keep the pool chlorinated at the same time. Why ever buy stabilizer?

I found TFP in 2021 when I learned my CYA was 200+. I had never tested CYA before, just FC and pH. Luckily, no ill-effects from the ridiculously high CYA, but six years of pucks and I was probably headed for a reckoning. After eight months of bleach only and NO pool draining, my CYA is fine, maybe a little low. I have pucks from before my bleach switchover, so I figure why not use them for their convenience and CYA, rather than buy stabilizer. And now I'm thinking it's more than just utilizing the sunk cost of the pucks - maybe make it part of my routine. Bleach on the regular; pucks on occasion - like when I'm gone for a week.

If anyone has some experience or thoughts on that, I'd appreciate it. I can't see a downside as long as I'm testing the CYA and not overusing the pucks.

Also, many, many thanks for the advice and knowledge from all of the TFP posters who know way more than I do about pool chemistry. I admit I got snookered at the pool store on some wasted phosphorous treatments last year (less than $100, but it still smarts because it was dumb). Once I found TFP, I knew I had found my people: math and science ftw.

--javasnow

 

[mknauss]

Certainly. It is all about testing and understanding what your pool needs. Do realize that pucks are very acidic so the monitoring of pH is also critical.

 

[Neefer]

Anyone using a puck/bleach alternation to maintain CYA? It makes sense to me - use bleach as the primary chlorinator, but switch to the stabilized pucks occasionally to ensure CYA levels are maintained. If you have an inline chlorinator anyway, those "insidious" pucks seem to be a convenient way to maintain CYA and keep the pool chlorinated at the same time. Why ever buy stabilizer?

I found TFP in 2021 when I learned my CYA was 200+. I had never tested CYA before, just FC and pH. Luckily, no ill-effects from the ridiculously high CYA, but six years of pucks and I was probably headed for a reckoning. After eight months of bleach only and NO pool draining, my CYA is fine, maybe a little low. I have pucks from before my bleach switchover, so I figure why not use them for their convenience and CYA, rather than buy stabilizer. And now I'm thinking it's more than just utilizing the sunk cost of the pucks - maybe make it part of my routine. Bleach on the regular; pucks on occasion - like when I'm gone for a week.

If anyone has some experience or thoughts on that, I'd appreciate it. I can't see a downside as long as I'm testing the CYA and not overusing the pucks.

Also, many, many thanks for the advice and knowledge from all of the TFP posters who know way more than I do about pool chemistry. I admit I got snookered at the pool store on some wasted phosphorous treatments last year (less than $100, but it still smarts because it was dumb). Once I found TFP, I knew I had found my people: math and science ftw.

--javasnow

I relate so much to your situation and question. I use a mesh winter cover and end up draining some water usually 2 or 3 times toward the end of winter/early spring before pool opening. So with all of the rain refills, my CYA dilutes a lot. I do use pucks in the spring at first opening (which I do in mid April and haven't even bought a nice stock of liquid chlorine yet). My CYA at opening has always been too low, so this has worked for me. And also agree that they are nice for when I'm away. My understanding is that the chlorine in pucks is rather stable so if I buy a moderate sized tub, they last me quite a long time.

 

[bljamison]

I do the same thing. I occasionally use pucks based on my CYA levels. Easy way to keep it where I want it. Also convenient to use if you go on vacation and aren’t home to test and add chlorine.

 

[Mdragger88]

I use them on occasion but very sparingly as I don’t care for their acidic effects. (My friend’s pool died so I was blessed with a huge bucket)
They upset the apple cart if I’m trying to gain more than a few ppm of cya - without them my ta & ph stay rock solid. I find it’s much simpler to just add the exact amount of cya I need than to deal with the ph & ta constantly changing & having to adjust them. I do use them in a floater for vacation as insurance incase of power failure & i am constantly worried it will get stuck & bleach my liner or get lodged in the skimmer. I probably check my pool cam way more than I should while on vacation With the pool I had before this I had to drain & re-level it. I forgot to remove the floater & went out to see a big ole bleach spot on my brand new liner so I am a tad bit traumatized

 

[ladylonghorn]

This is my plan eventually - - but still working on bringing down CYA which is at 90. I figure when I go out of town, I will have to use the pucks a bit especially in the summer heat of Texas. Curious, what things did you do to bring down your CYA. So far I've overfilled from the bottom deep end that's all. It brought my CYA down from 100.

 

[Deb04]

That will work just fine, since you plan to continue to monitor everything. Just make sure that there’s no copper in your tablets. If the word blue is in the name of the product, there’s probably copper. I bought some tablets once that turned out to have copper in them.

 

[MITBeta]

They upset the apple cart if I’m trying to gain more than a few ppm of cya - without them my ta & ph stay rock solid.

This

 

[Katodude]

If they were cost effective I would use tabs a bunch. I lose CYA like nobody’s business. However, have you looked at the price of tabs recently? They are crazy expensive. Its just cheaper to add CYA when I need it (which is a lot) and extra LC when its super hot and sunny, or when I have a lot of people in the pool.

The only time I use tabs is when I am traveling for a longer period and it helps with the CYA and FC as an extra buffer. At that point the cost does not bother me.

 

[javasnow]

Curious, what things did you do to bring down your CYA. So far I've overfilled from the bottom deep end that's all. It brought my CYA down from 100.

I did nothing but switch to bleach for the last 9-10 months. My CYA is in range now, maybe a little on the low side. I'm cheap, but patient. Houston rainfall did the trick...

My pH did a flip-flop too, instead of trending low it started trending high. I finally worked through the remaining jugs of muriatic acid the pool builder left me six years ago!