Need to Buy Stabilizer - Reccomendations Please

[Megarms]

Are they all the same? Just go to Walmart and buy the cheapest or are there certain brands to stay away from?

Thank you

 

[setsailsoon]

Can you please list your current readings and confirm they're from the TF100?

There are two approaches. TFP would say buy the cheapest pure stabilizer with no additives. There's great information on this in pool school. I run my CYA on the low end of the range so I can use tablets for my necessary travel. This adds CYA every now and then so I stay in the recommended CYA range. Other than this I use liquid 10.5% and MA. Done this for 3 years with a perfect pool.

I hope this helps.

Thanks.

Chris

 

[domct203]

I've always had good luck with the HTH brand that I buy from Walmart. It seems to dissolve quickly, and doesn't leave behind 'other' ingredients in the sock. I had tried a different brand once because of the price, and I would find what looked like small pebbles in the sock after the CYA was dissolved, and it took forever to dissolve.

 

[DareDog]

I have had good luck with Clorox brand pool stabilizer.

 

[Megarms]

Can you please list your current readings and confirm they're from the TF100?

There are two approaches. TFP would say buy the cheapest pure stabilizer with no additives. There's great information on this in pool school. I run my CYA on the low end of the range so I can use tablets for my necessary travel. This adds CYA every now and then so I stay in the recommended CYA range. Other than this I use liquid 10.5% and MA. Done this for 3 years with a perfect pool.

I hope this helps.

Thanks.

Chris

TF100? CYA?

I am brand new to this pool thing and therefore do not know what it is that you speak of here.

 

[wjr75]

I like the Clorox brand also that I buy on Amazon. I can dissolve 4 lbs of that stuff in a sock in about a day or two.

 

[DebbieO]

Ditto wjr75 post. Maybe not the cheapest but certainly the most convenient for me. I usually buy one 4 pound jug a year from Amazon.

 

[Jhsparky82]

As long as it's 100% cyanuric acid, brand should be irrelevant. Chemistry is chemistry. The biggest thing I learned is technique. The directions say pour into the filter. Don't do that. Put it in a sock, nylon, old pant leg tied at both ends... anything porous. Then hang it in the pool in front of a jet or put it in the skimmer. Squeeze it occasionally, shake it around, and let it dissolve slowly.

 

[domct203]

TF100? CYA?

I am brand new to this pool thing and therefore do not know what it is that you speak of here.

CYA is the stabilizer.

TF100 is one of the recommended test kits. How do you test your water?

How do you know you need to add CYA (stabilizer)? How much do you think you need?

 

[setsailsoon]

TF100? CYA?

I am brand new to this pool thing and therefore do not know what it is that you speak of here.

Meg,

I was afraid this may be your answer. No problem on the beginner issue. You can be an expert quickly with this site and the many dedicated experts here that will help you until you are confident you can do it yourself. That's how I started out 3 years ago. My pool is about the same size as yours and has been perfect all this time for about $10 per month. You need a good test kit to get readings on all the important tests needed to maintain your pool. The TF100 is the best one to use but there are a couple of others that are a little cheaper. Get the kit on order asap. While you're waiting for it read through Pool School.

So, lets get started and see what we can do in the interim. How are you maintaining your pool now and why do you think you need stabilizer?

I hope this helps get you self-sufficient very soon.

Chris

 

[Megarms]

Meg,

I was afraid this may be your answer. No problem on the beginner issue. You can be an expert quickly with this site and the many dedicated experts here that will help you until you are confident you can do it yourself. That's how I started out 3 years ago. My pool is about the same size as yours and has been perfect all this time for about $10 per month. You need a good test kit to get readings on all the important tests needed to maintain your pool. The TF100 is the best one to use but there are a couple of others that are a little cheaper. Get the kit on order asap. While you're waiting for it read through Pool School.

So, lets get started and see what we can do in the interim. How are you maintaining your pool now and why do you think you need stabilizer?

I hope this helps get you self-sufficient very soon.

Chris

Chris,

Thank you for your help. I am currently using the test strips that came with the pool package. It is called AquaCheck and the last time I checked it (yesterday) the four measurements were as follows.

pH - 6.8
FC - 3
Total Alkalinity - 40
Stabilizer - 0

I have had my solar cover on the pool at all times up until our heat wave during the past two weeks. During the month of June, with my SWG set between 25% - 45%, the FC was much too high (sometimes as high as 10 ppm), which is why is turned the SWG down. The stabilizer was always at zero, but once the heat wave hit and I took the cover off and within a few days the FC dropped to zero. I turned the SWG back up to 45% and it is not maintaining at 3 ppm, and have added 4 lbs of stabilizer over the past week, however it still measures at zero.

Do I really need to get a new test kit before I use up the test strips I already have?

Thanks again.

Mike

 

[MrBfromNC]

Do I really need to get a new test kit before I use up the test strips I already have?

Lots of folks here call them "guess strips" instead of test strips.

But in all seriousness Mike, it'll be the best $70 you ever spend on your pool. This forum is all about testing your water, adding ONLY what you need to make it clear and safe to swim in, and spending that extra money (that you're not using at the pool store cash register) to buy some adult liquid refreshments!!

http://tftestkits.net/Test-Kits-c4/

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum! :handshake:

Test Strips simply do not provide the accuracy and consistency you need. Because of this we do not make chemical recommendations based on them.

Order a TF100 test kit
The only other real option for a test kit is a Taylor K-2006-C. Be careful comparing prices because the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. You need to get the K-2006-C to get the larger bottles that you want. Even then it is a little short on the reagent & powder for the FAS/DPD test.

I also have the SpeedStir. It makes testing much easier.

 

[Megarms]

Order a TF100 test kit

Holy smokes. That kit looks very intimidating.

 

[mknauss]

Not at all. We have tutorials, YouTube videos, etc to guide you. In a week you are doing all the necessary tests by memory.

There is also an App to store your test data and provide recommendations on chemical adds.

Pool Math

I suggest reading Trouble Free Pool School

 

[MrBfromNC]

Holy smokes. That kit looks very intimidating.

Yeah, tell me about it. I had absolutely NO experience with anything pool related until about a month ago. I saw all these different tests and thought to myself, "Well, I've got no chance on learning how to do all this."

I bought the Taylor K-2006c test kit but it uses basically the exact same reagents as the TF100 kit uses so they are like brother-sister test kits. Now that I've done those tests several times, I'm actually very comfortable with them all.

In all honesty Mike, the tests are not too difficult to learn though. Once you do them 2-3 times, you really begin to get the hang of it. Most of them are just "count the drops as you add them and stop when color turns from green to red" or "add drops until color turns from pink to clear" or "add 5 drops and shake tube, then match the color to this chart". Instructions are very simple and some of the videos on YouTube showed me exactly how to do each one of them.

 

[_Stang]

I really like the Taylor kit. The very easy to follow instructions for each test are printed on the inside of the lid. Seriously my 6 year old can follow the instructions. Once you've done the tests a few times you won't even need to follow them.

As far as stabilizer I've had good luck with Chlorox brand like others (Lowes or Amazon) and more recently Pool Time brand available at Home Depot. Both are very fine crystals that start to dissolve almost immediately when added to the skimmer. I never had the need to use the sock method but others do swear by it. Both brands are 100% CYA

 

[setsailsoon]

Holy smokes. That kit looks very intimidating.

Meg, it's not really difficult at all. Also, you'll find that after a while you don't need to run all the tests every week. Test strips for CYA are notoriously bad. Mine always read low. Then you add too much CYA (stabilizer) and then you need higher levels of FC. It becomes a vicious circle that will end up requiring you to drain the pool and refill since CYA does not degrade very quickly. Many people and even pool stores do not understand how high stabilizer levels reduce the disinfecting properties of FC. But when this happens you'll find out with a very nasty algae bloom even though you think you have plenty of FC in your pool. Look up the chart that shows how FC requirements increase with CYA concentration and you'll see what I mean.

Each pool reacts a little differently to chemical addition. The variation comes from different materials of construction, different sunlight levels, make-up water composition etc. You'll want to run tests frequently at first to "get to know" how your pool reacts. After a couple of months I reduced testing to FC,CC,PH 3 times per week. I test CYA monthly or less and I do the full test regime quarterly. Works fine for me. My pool has been perfect for 3 years using this technique. Yours should be even easier because you have salt water and fiberglass lined.

I hope this helps.

Chris

 

[DebbieO]

Yup. When I took a first look at my TF100--Yikes! Take a breath, read the instructions and you will quickly see how easy it is. This kit is the best investment you can make concerning your pool. Grab the Speedstir too if you are able to. Makes testing fun, easy and fast.