New & Clueless

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Jessi0607

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Jun 17, 2020
6
Wisconsin
hi guys! I’m very new to this pool stuff and I’m trying to learn as much as I can. I just set up an easy summer Waves 16 ft pool. I got it balanced and shocked it with hth ultimate shock last night. I added 3” hth chlorinating tabs this morning to the chlorinator. I just read those are Trichlor....is it safe to use hth shock I mentioned since it’s calcium hypochlorite along who Trichlor tabs? All this stuff I’m reading online is making my head spin.
 
Hi Jessi! You just have to decide the route u wish to with your pool care.
1. Treat it as a seasonal pool & drain the water when things get out of hand although it may be a bit big for that Guide for Seasonal/Temporary Pools - Trouble Free Pool
2. Treat it as a big girl pool follow tfpc recommendations by testing & only adding what your pool needs as described here ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
& here How to Chlorinate Your Pool - Trouble Free Pool

Either way a good test kit is a necessity see Test Kits Compared
The tf 100 is the best investment i have made & allows me to test & prevent problems before they happen & keep my water sanitary & beautiful.
Pool school is full of information but these links will give a good starting point.
 
Is there more compatible chemicals to use? I want to do this right but also don’t want an explosion. I’m having a hard time finding pool chemicals around here right now and these were what I could come up with as far as shock and tabs.
 
Many folks use standard Bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite) to maintain the day to day chlorine levels in the pool. (it will tend to be lower in strength than liquid shock bought at the pool store) Be sure to check that there are no 'additives' scents, etc (have seen them cause foaming in a pond). I personally prefer to use the liquid Sodium Hypochlorite in the 10-12% range for ease of handling.

Keep in mind that the tabs you're using most likely have Stablizer added to them and if you're not careful, the Stablizer level within the pool will build to an undesirable level. (requiring a partial water draining/refilling). +1 on the recommendation of the TF-100 Test kit (or Taylor equivalent)... test strips are notoriously inaccurate. (Particularly with Free Chlorine levels below 2ppm and with Stablizer levels.)
Best of luck with your new pool.
Respectfully,
 
Jessi0607 said:
Is there more compatible chemicals to use? I want to do this right but also don’t want an explosion. I’m having a hard time finding pool chemicals around here right now and these were what I could come up with as far as shock and tabs.
Click to expand...
Here is a list: Recommended Pool Chemicals - Trouble Free Pool
You'll also want to get a decent drops/liquid test kit (previous poster provided links), test strips are inaccurate. Test Kits Compared
Here are the Pool Care articles to look over (and some to save as a reference): Pool Care Basics Archives - Trouble Free Pool

We have similar size pools and I prefer to care for our pool like a permanent above ground pool (including winterizing, it turns into a 4000gal ice cube), it works better for us :) But that is personal choice for each pool owner to make! Basic Pool Care Schedule - Trouble Free Pool
 
Many people are able to use the tabs until they get to their desired cya level - however it can be precarious as they are acidic as well as adding cya so they mess with multiple #s @ once (fc,cya,& ph)
The simplest method is to use a separate granular stabilizer (via sock method) once to reach your target of 30ppm cya then dose daily with liquid chlorine to maintain the upper fc target of 6ppm as per FC/CYA Levels
You test accurately daily with your reccommended kit & calculate any needed additions w/ PoolMath
(oto kits in the store only test total chlorine up to 5ppm- so u can see how that wouldn’t be of much use)
Generally “shocking” is not necessary if you never allow fc to dip below min for your cya.
 
You should- after the cal hypo is in the water & dissolved for a while it should be fine to put the floater back in . Why are you adding the cal hypo?
 
So long as you aren’t mixing them, adding them simultaneously or storing them where they could get mixed together. Same goes for all the other chems. Usually once mixed well in the water after 30 min or so you are ok. They can never use the same floater or chlorinator - if you wish to use cal hypo tabs you must purchase another floater
 

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That is likely because you have little to no cya (stabilizer) in the water to protect the chlorine from the sun. The trichlor tablets contain stabilizer but the cal hypo doesn’t. You will lose 2-4 ppm fc daily with having some stabilizer in the water but without any it can be gone in a few hours. You can go on PoolMath in the effects of adding section & see how much cya & fc your tablets will add to your water once fully dissolved . A 3 inch tablet is 8oz.
Thus the recommendation to add stabilizer to 30 ppm & then dose daily with liquid chlorine.
Use PoolMath to calculate all additions
 
Ok one more quick question lol I didn’t add the shock last night and my kids are already begging me to swim today but there’s still zero fc, can I add liquid bleach and swim today? If so, would I take the trichlor tabs out of pool while adding the bleach?
 
Yes— just remove the floater until the bleach is mixed well - 30 min or so. Pour it infront of a return & brush the area. How many tablets do you have in the floater? - they should be adding something.
Calculate additions with PoolMath you haven’t added any stabilizer correct? So you’re cya is likely 0
 
You need some stabilzer/cya asap - or your chlorine will just keep vanishing allowing algae & contaminates to grow. They sell it @ Walmart for about $15. You only need 1lb 4oz. Once cya is in your pool it doesn’t leave unless you exchange water. But the chlorine must be replinished daily with out allowing it to fall below your minimum per FC/CYA Levels
 
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