Chemical brands?

[gjpj11]

I have just added water to my first pool, and can find no information on which company has the overall best chemicals. I realize this may be subjective, but if I could get some sense of what your members use would be helpful.
Salt will be added Monday, vinyl, 16000 gallon, aquarite Tcell-9,

 

[Richard320]

Welcome!

We look at ingredients before we look at brand names. I'd much prefer to buy generic baking soda at the big box store than pay five times as much for it under a Bioguard or Leslie's label. Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals explains what does what. The only thing you probably can't find at the grocery store is the stabilizer aka Cyanuric Acid, and that is sold at big box stores like Walmart and Lowes, but maybe not this time of year where you live.

 

[Steve_in_C]

My list 2018 prices:

Muriatic acid (to decrease pH) (Lowes) $9.98/gal
20 mule team borax (to increase pH) (Walmart) $4.47/65 oz box
PuriTech cyanuric acid (stabilizer) $2/pound (Amazon)
6% "cleaning bleach" (Walmart) $1.77/gal
Baking soda (alkalinity increaser) $0.50/pound (Walmart)
Calclium chloride pellets (Walmart online) $14.99/25 lb bag MELT 25 lb Bucket Calcium Chloride Pellets Professional Strength Ice Melter - Walmart.com

You may not need calcium if you have a vinyl lined pool. Some say that a heater and the gel coat surface of fiberglass needs calcium if you have either in your pool.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Stay AWAY from Clorox brand salt. We've had quite a few reports of it containing metals and they caused stains (in new pools! gasp@!)

You can find good salt for $6-8/bag at Lowes, go for the water softener salt but make sure it lists no other ingredient and is 99.9% pure.

Maddie