My wife and I have owned our pool since 2012, but have always paid someone else to maintain it. I've taken the plunge and am starting to maintain it myself. Hopefully, we'll start to see some savings after the initial outlay for all the equipment.
Hello from South Florida
- Thread starter dctatt
- Start date
Good plan! I know it should save you tons. The only equipment I imagine you'll need is a GOOD test kit. There are two we recommend and I'll tell you straight the one called TF-100, which was made by a company with our method of pool care in mind, is the better deal @ $70. www.tftestkits.net
How do you plan on chlorinating....any different from the pool company??
Maddie
How do you plan on chlorinating....any different from the pool company??
Maddie
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,908
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
You made the right choice.
The pool company used liquid chlorine and floating chlorine tabs/pucks. From reading TFP, it didn't look like I'd need to use the pucks - but now I'm not so sure.
Pinch-A-Penny sells 12% chlorine for ~$6 for 2.5 gal, with every 10th refill free (after buying their $7 refillable jug). I read through their "Welcome to Pinch-A-Penny" magazine, and saw that they advocate shocking with their "unstabilized" liquid chlorine, using "stabilized" chlorine tabs/pucks, and using an Algaecide regularly. I was just about to search the TFP site to see if the TFP method uses these products, or if they're really unnecessary. Also, I'm wondering if the chlorine I'm buying is inferior to just plain old bleach because of the "unstabilized" thing. Thoughts?
I bought the Taylor K-2006. I've used it once so far and I think I've got down the method, but the initial results seemed conflicting (high pH and low TA), so I took a sample in to Pinch-A-Penny for their free test, which showed similar results. And no high-pressure to buy any of their chemicals, so the free test was nice.
Results:
Mine from 8/16/19:
FC 0.6ppm
CC 0.2ppm
pH 8.0
Acid demand: 1 drop = 7.6
TA 60ppm
CH 410ppm
CYA 80ppm
8/17/19:
Added 2.5gal 12% liquid chlorine (whoops - TFP's Pool Math said to add 1.8gal - went a little overboard)
Added ~2lbs baking soda (Pool Math said to add 2lbs, 2oz)
(Pool Math also said to add pH reducer and to drain/replace 1/3 of the pool's water to reduce CH and CYA, but I didn't do that in case my test results were actually a result of me doing it incorrectly)
Pinch-A-Penny's from 8/20/19:
TC 5.0ppm
FC 5.0ppm
CC 0.0ppm
pH 8.0
Acid Demand 2
TA 75ppm
CH 350ppm
CYA 70ppm
Total Dissolved Solids 2150ppm
I just (re)read "How to Chlorinate Your Pool" and now realize:
- "Stabilized" chlorine, or Trichlor pucks, have CYA
- My CYA's high because my former pool service used Trichlor pucks
- I don't want to continue using said pucks, because it'll make me have to use even more liquid chlorine
From a fellow South Floridian, welcome!
Follow the Pool School rules and you'll be fine. Get the test kit and report back on what your CYA level is. You *may* need to drain a bit of water to get the levels back down, depending upon how high it is and how long the pool service was adding it (either intentionally or not). Don't trust the pool store test results!
The forum is super helpful and will always give good advice. You will save $$$ and time and enjoy your pool more! It's also very easy to maintain your own pool - just keep at it and get used to the rhythm of your pool (chlorine consumption, ph drift, etc).
PS Though they have always been friendly, I haven't been back to Pinch-A-Penny since I converted to a salt pool.
Follow the Pool School rules and you'll be fine. Get the test kit and report back on what your CYA level is. You *may* need to drain a bit of water to get the levels back down, depending upon how high it is and how long the pool service was adding it (either intentionally or not). Don't trust the pool store test results!
The forum is super helpful and will always give good advice. You will save $$$ and time and enjoy your pool more! It's also very easy to maintain your own pool - just keep at it and get used to the rhythm of your pool (chlorine consumption, ph drift, etc).
PS Though they have always been friendly, I haven't been back to Pinch-A-Penny since I converted to a salt pool.
I just read the results you completed with your test kit - your CYA might be a touch high, but don't worry - our rain will help dilute that eventually. 
To "shock" weekly for no other purpose than because the pool store said to do so is ridiculous. Good scare tactic though and probably sells a l a lot of extra products. LOL
The use of stabilized chlorine will just build up your CYA level unchecked. Use those when you need to increase your CYA, and on vacations when you're away as *long as you know and can afford to take in the CYA its going to add*
We ONLY add to our pools that which they need for maintaining a safe clean pool, and nothing we don't know the reason its being added or what the results should be.
Now....having said that..
... you folks in Florida get so much rain that you are often draining down water added and often need to add CYA more often than the rest of us. With careful monitoring and your trusty test kit you can play around a bit with your chlorination methods and see what you can get away with.
Maddie
The use of stabilized chlorine will just build up your CYA level unchecked. Use those when you need to increase your CYA, and on vacations when you're away as *long as you know and can afford to take in the CYA its going to add*
We ONLY add to our pools that which they need for maintaining a safe clean pool, and nothing we don't know the reason its being added or what the results should be.
Now....having said that..
... you folks in Florida get so much rain that you are often draining down water added and often need to add CYA more often than the rest of us. With careful monitoring and your trusty test kit you can play around a bit with your chlorination methods and see what you can get away with. Maddie