Going into my first full season, want to stock up on all chemical supplies

[kwenlu]

Hello All,

As the title says, I'm going into my first full season with my pool and want to start stocking up on all the supplies I will need. Is there a reference or rule of thumb for how much of all chemicals I should have on hand when opening the pool and/or for the full season? Maybe a recommendation per 10k gallons or something? Thank you.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Recommended Pool Chemicals

Which should I buy? TFP's recommended pool chemicals are cheap, easy, and won't unbalance your pool water.

www.troublefreepool.com

What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.

www.troublefreepool.com

What chemicals you need depends on how you chlorinate your pool. But the basic chemicals most folks here use are chlorine in some form, muriatic acid, and stabilizer.

We calculate how much we need using PoolMath. Assume your pool needs 3 ppm of chlorine a day.

Please create your signature and we can give you more specific advice.

What pool test kit do you have?

I suggest you read ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

 

[kwenlu]

Hello ajw22,

Thank you for the suggestions and for pointing me towards making a signature. I have read the pages you suggested, have a test kit, and am pretty confident in my ability to test and add chemicals. My question is simply if anyone uses any rules of thumb for how much of each chemical they keep on hand at a time. 3 ppm of chlorine a day is a nice start, I can work with that to calculate how much bleach I'll need for the season.

 

[mknauss]

Breakdown of Bleach Over Time by Storage Temp - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Chlorine Date Code Decoder - Further Reading

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Be ware of buying too much liquid chlorine in advance. It does degrade in potency. Also be ware of how old the product you are buying by using the Julian Date. You should buy liquid chlorine that is typically no older than 30 - 60 days, depending on how it is stored in the store.

 

[bmoreswim]

Hi K! I'm also from MD.

As a sign of the times I read your title as "going into my first flu season". But talking pools is much more fun.

So you will be using liquid bleach to chlorinate? That's a good choice though over time, you may get tired of adding bleach daily and buying/storing it. But chemically it's great. If you can store your bleach in your basement, that's ideal. Cool and dark. If the things I mentioned earlier get to be a chore, a saltwater chlorine generator (SWCG or SWG) is the answer. I love having a SWCG - hands-down the easiest way to chlorinate.

Salt Water Chlorine Generators - Trouble Free Pool

When do you plan to open your pool? This spring seems to be ahead of schedule so you don't want to wait too late. Too late is water temp of 60 or higher, lest you risk opening to a green pool.

 

[mguzzy]

I would also consider the source for your chems in addition to price. I can buy a season or two worth of CYA and CH in bulk from Amazon and it stores just fine. I keep a jug of MA around and I get it from my local mom and pop pool store, they have refills. MA does not degrade and if I need some I can get it in a pinch. Until my pool gets warm enough for the SWG to kick in, I have to use Cl, and I get that at Walmart or HD in small batches, I keep about a weeks worth on had because it does degrade.

 

[kwenlu]

Thanks, everyone. I was going to wait for the weather to tell me to open the pool. Once it reliably hits at least 65°F or so every day, I figure that's a decent time to open it up. I have no plans to convert to a salt water system; certainly not this year, regardless. Using liquid chlorine is for sure how I'm going, but every shop near me is $3/gallon at the very cheapest (including Walmart and Home Depot). I was going to drive up to Lancaster to the restaurant supply store to get 6% bleach for about $2/gallon. I'd want to make the trip worth it so I wanted to get all I needed to open and for hopefully half the season at once. I can store in my cool, dry basement so I'm not too worried about it degrading too much before I use it all up. Not worried about getting baking soda and borax when I need them, so I need help figuring how much muriatic acid, calcium chloride (I have a plaster walled pool), and cyanuric acid I should keep in my stock prior to opening.

 

[bmoreswim]

On MA, just get a few gallons and see how long it lasts. Then restock as needed. Store separate from bleach and away from metals if in an enclosed area. Calcium chloride depends on your levels and fill water and how much it rains. More rain, less well fill water. What are your current test results (full) and fill water test results (for pH, CH and TA). For calcium chloride, the type labeled for melting snow is usually the cheapest. And probably in good supply given our mild winter. Probably one big bag - though it doesn't go bad. It may get clumpy if damp but not really an issue.

But don't overthink stocking up. See your usage and adjust.