New Pool Owner! Using the chemicals that came with the pool...or liquid bleach?

[Cabrera1016]

Hi all,

So my husband insisted on getting an AG pool this year (I didn't want one - my parents have had one for 34 years and I knew it was a lot of work.) My question is....our pool came with a Nature 2 system with the mineral pack and the Z pac. I told my husband that ok, we'll give this system a chance. To me, it's a pain since you have to figure out whether or not to put the pump on low or high as well as determining the flow of the Chlorine into the pool. Well i checked the FC yesterday and it was at a 0!!! So I added liquid bleach and it's now back up to a 2.5. Thing that makes me mad is that the Z pac was "supposed to last a month" when it only lasted 13 days for us - and this is when we only had the flow on a 1, and the pump on low. It should have at least lasted a month. Pool store told my husband that "a month is inaccurate. it actually lasts about 2 weeks."

Regardless of that, i've heard that since the Z pac has stabilizer, the CYA level keeps going up and keeps going up...to where your pool may turn green? Why the heck doesn't anyone sell 100% chlorine packs? Why do they even COME with stabilizer?

It is a pain to have to add liquid chlorine every day using the Vision Pro...but what when you aren't home for a week or 2? I'd like to be able to use the z pacs during those times i guess...but i wanted to reach out and see what thoughts anyone had. Is the z pac/mineral pack system any better in 2017?

Thanks a lot!
Stephanie

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Hello Stephanie.... sorry to hear the new pool is becoming a headache for you. Our method of pool care is simple and proven, but does require your attention to just using the *right* chemicals and *no others* and testing.

We do NOT advise anyone to put metals in their pools. Copper, silver, etc are not sanitizers, although they can help keep algae away but won't protect you from bacteria or virii. Which means you still need chlorine so why bother with the metals anyway? They also cause metals stains in the water.

You should have bought a SWG so that it doses the pool and you don't need to lug jugs of bleach/liquid chlorine home. Can your husband install one? It will save you lots of headaches. Just to show how easy that can make your pool, I have an inground pool that costs about $100 a YEAR in chemicals and testing supplies. Thats all! And I don't have to test every single day, I know my pool so well that I can go a few days and it never is out of whack. I've never once had algae either. So your experience with "lots of work" isn't accurate in this day and age. You can even get robots to do your weekly brushing of the walls for you- how great is that!?

Chlorine is a gas, and any time you try to put it into solid form or granular form you *have to* add some other chemical with it. That's why it comes with the CYA or calcium sidecar. Those extras are what cause folks the most problems with pools.

Do you have one of the test kits we think are most important- TF-100 or K-2006C, available from PoolSupplyWorld.com or TFTestkits.net

Ditch the Nature2, get a test kit, get a SWG or use liquid bleach and simplify your pool care. Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool

My Two Cents

Maddie