bleach, pool calculator, and one drop at a time...

[slawton]

Most of it came from Meijer (grocery store here in Michigan) although I do think I got some from Walmart as well.

Good to know!

Are you saying even if it says 6% on the container's label, it is actually less--as in false advertising!?

On another note...I have a sparklingly clean pool again!!

(Unfortunately, summer's almost over and the pool has dropped to below 70 degrees on average).

Still, the persistence did finally pay off.

If/when I have to do this again (and I hope/plan not to in the first place (lesson learned!), I am going to have tons of bleach and tons of extra test kit supplies on hand and hit it hard core, like every hour or so, and try and kill any algae more quickly and with great consistency.

Looking back, I think I may have been too lazy until toward the end. I didn't vacuum nearly often enough and I waiting to long to test again.

Thanks so much for all the help here. It was nice not to have to figure this out on my own and I did not put ANY pool store purchased chemicals in the pool. It was all done with regular store bought bleach.

 

[duraleigh]

If/when I have to do this again (and I hope/plan not to in the first place (lesson learned!), I am going to have tons of bleach and tons of extra test kit supplies on hand and hit it hard core, like every hour or so, and try and kill any algae more quickly and with great consistency.

Looking back, I think I may have been too lazy until toward the end. I didn't vacuum nearly often enough and I waiting to long to test again.

Thanks so much for all the help here. It was nice not to have to figure this out on my own and I did not put ANY pool store purchased chemicals in the pool. It was all done with regular store bought bleach.

That's a great analysis, slawton. I did exactly the same thing when I first was learning my pool and it took rereading all this info over and over until it finally dawned on me that the PROCESS can take a long time and little is accomplished with a SINGLE DOSE other than to get you started. Very nice work on your pool.....congrats!! :lol: :lol:

 

[Txmat]

Congratulations. I am glad the two days of hitting it hard paid off. When I told you Friday night to hit it hard Saturday and Sunday I almost added that I thought you would be finished by Monday. I should have said that then I could say - "Told you so>" :-D Seriously I am glad it worked this fast for you. Your diligence paid off. Bummer that it is getting to cold to enjoy the pool. To answer your question - if the bleach label says 6% then it is. Some off brands are actually less than 6%. The label correctly states the percentage, but if you do not read the fine print you may not realize you are not buying normal strength bleach. Now that you have time, you might want to check around for the best price on 6% bleach and some of the pool stores may carry 12% liquid chlorine at a better price. That way you will be prepared both for maintenance and shocking should it become necessary.

Don't be a stranger and now you can pitch in and help others.

 

[slawton]

Thanks again to both of you!

It was a challenging yet enlightening learning experience in which I learned much!

 

[anonapersona]

Are you saying even if it says 6% on the container's label, it is actually less--as in false advertising!?

I'm saying that I suddenly noticed that I was using 3 jugs a week, or 4, instead of 2, while using Walmart bleach. I cannot be certain if algae on the waterfall or coping rocks was the culprit, for that does happen, but when I switched to Clorox it very suddenly went back to 2 jugs a week. It may be that in that time I reduced the pH which made the bleach work better, or maybe I sprayed bleach on the rocks in that time. I cannot be sure. I was suspicious enough to switch brands. I cannot say if I was reading the label to be certain the Walmart brand was still 6% at the time either. It has been terribly hot here and it is possible that any bleach could have been damaged by sitting in a warehouse or truck in excessive heat.

But the point is, if you are buying bleach and it seems to not be working, you need to check the bleach itself. It may be old, been out in the heat too long, or they may have reduced the strength when you were not paying attention.

Along those same lines, I opened a new jug of MA yesterday, fresh from the box from Home Depot. It was clear, not yellow like it usually is. And normally I have to hold my breath or it will knock me over. This time, I actually put my nose above it to see if it was just water. A very slight MA odor once I got right above the cup. Call me suspicious. Tomorrow after I test and add chemicals, I will retest the pH to see if the 2 cups has the expected effect. I am not too keen on paying $7 for a jug of something that is not the strength it says on the label and the label is the same as always.

 

[slawton]

Strange you say this because I remember thinking more than once that bleach usually have a pretty strong smell and I really didn't smell anything upon opening and even pouring the bottles. (I was always using Clorax bleach). It was something I really noticed and wondered about.

Do we have a secret bleach conspiracy here...lol!?

P.S. I am also now the proud owner of my own genuine Taylor SpeedStir.

Very cool little devise and makes testing higher levels of FC much quicker. I don't regret the $30 ish it cost me a bit. The little light is nifty too!