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You will quickly learn to stay away from pool store advise. Last summer was my first pool year, and this forum worked perfectly for me. The store did not. I would return the tabs if u can. If not u can use it some this winter if your cya now is low. With winter here, ur chlorine demand will be low anyway. The product they sold you will raise cya level. Come spring, check the cya w ur test kit, not let the store do it. Depending on the cya level, u can continue using this if cya is stiil low, or go to bleach if the cya is where it needs to be


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I compared the MSDS for the "High Tech" tabs vs their regular tabs. Looks like the high tech have less trichlor, so while it has less CYA (not by much) it also has less of the active ingredient. It really is a wash. Nothing high tech, just less trichlor.

http://www.proteampoolcare.com/images/uploads/3_Inch_High_Tech_Tabs.pdf

http://www.proteampoolcare.com/images/uploads/3_INCH_PURE_TABS.pdf

All forms of solid chlorine add either stabilizer (aka CYA, which is most common) or calcium. As the chlorine is used, the extra ingredients (either CYA or calcuim) stay in the water. At some point, the extra ingredients get too high and you have to replace water.

Solid forms of chlorine are useful when you go on vacation. Long term, you would have been better off getting a salt-water generator installed vs a tab feeder.
 
justinjla said:
... I already purchased a 16 lb bucket of ProTeam 3" High Tech Tabs...see link below. The guy at the pool store specifically told me this will not over stabilize my pool. He said they have less CYA than most trichlor tabs and if I will only add what I am supposed to, I will not get too much CYA.

http://www.proteampoolcare.com/index.php/products/sanitizers/3-high-tech-tabs/
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The High Tech Tabs apparently have less trichlor than the plain (Proteam Pure Tabs) tablets, because some borates have been added to the mix. That accounts for the claims of higher pH and 'gentler' water, which you mentioned in one of your other posts. The trichlor portion of the High Tech tabs has exactly the same CYA/chlorine ratio as any other trichlor source.

One almost has to admire the marketing strategy, I suppose -- they get to charge more for a product which has less of the active ingredient that most customers are buying it for (i.e. the active chlorine that ends up in the water), and then make a selling point of the fact that the more expensive product has less CYA than other trichlor tabs on the market. The fact that the customer actually has to use more (of the more expensive product) in order to get the same ppm of chlorine in the pool is probably not mentioned.
 
Yep. Same ingredients as every other brand of trichlor but with the ones you purchased, you'll also be adding borates to the pool at the same time due to the inclusion of Sodium tetraborate pentahydrate in these tablets. This is how they balance out the typical pH drop that accompanies trichlor, by adding basic (high pH) and pH stabilizing borates. Keep in mind that continued use of these tablets will increase CYA over time and also increase borates over time. Both will be lowered only by splash out or drain/refill. I would say that these tablets would be a good way to slowly increase both CYA and borates over time. If you already have the right levels of CYA and borates in your pool, they would not be so good.
 
JVTrain said:
I would say that these tablets would be a good way to slowly increase both CYA and borates over time.
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The issue with this is that you still need to add the same amount of FC every day to maintain clear pool. Which means you will need to use MORE of these "special" tablets and you will still be adding the CYA at the same rate as you would by using less of the cheaper tablets.

As singingpond said, the marketing is a brilliant way to lighten your wallet ever faster.
 
Welcome Justin - I too built with Riverbend and had a good experience. We completed the pool last summer at the end of June. I immediately went the TFP route and have not regretted. I can't recommend it enough. All it takes is regular monitoring. Moreso in the summer and much less in the winter. In the summer I dose daily and test every few days. After your first year you will learn what your pool needs. In the winter the testing and dosing are less frequent. It really isn't much work at all. I have never had to shock the pool or do anything other than test the water regularly and add bleach/muriatic acid/baking soda. I too have the inline chlorinator. I only use it when we go out of town for longer stretches. Seems to work out such that those occasional uses (couple times a year) add enough CYA to account for splash out. My pool is 22K gallons and I estimate that all in, I spend about $5-600 a year on supplies (bleach, MA, baking soda, a few tablets, DE for backwashing, filter socks). I also have Riverbend come do a breakdown and deep clean of my DE filter twice a year. That runs about $175 twice a year. All told, I spend about $900 maintaining the pool. A weekly pool service in our neighborhood runs $150 a month or $1800 a year. That doesn't include special shocks and other treatments by the pool service which you are bound to have if your pool is only check once a week. Read up on pool school and don't be afraid to ask question.
 
n240sxguy said:
Love the marketing. Like gluten free water.
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Now that's just cruel :cry:

After seeing what is in those tablets and the other members advise I'm for returning them and getting your $$$ back. Better served with a couple cases of bleach and a bottle of HTH stabilizer or whatever brand is in your area.
 

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Bevostein said:
Welcome Justin - I too built with Riverbend and had a good experience. We completed the pool last summer at the end of June. I immediately went the TFP route and have not regretted. I can't recommend it enough. All it takes is regular monitoring. Moreso in the summer and much less in the winter. In the summer I dose daily and test every few days. After your first year you will learn what your pool needs. In the winter the testing and dosing are less frequent. It really isn't much work at all. I have never had to shock the pool or do anything other than test the water regularly and add bleach/muriatic acid/baking soda. I too have the inline chlorinator. I only use it when we go out of town for longer stretches. Seems to work out such that those occasional uses (couple times a year) add enough CYA to account for splash out. My pool is 22K gallons and I estimate that all in, I spend about $5-600 a year on supplies (bleach, MA, baking soda, a few tablets, DE for backwashing, filter socks). I also have Riverbend come do a breakdown and deep clean of my DE filter twice a year. That runs about $175 twice a year. All told, I spend about $900 maintaining the pool. A weekly pool service in our neighborhood runs $150 a month or $1800 a year. That doesn't include special shocks and other treatments by the pool service which you are bound to have if your pool is only check once a week. Read up on pool school and don't be afraid to ask question.
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Thanks for the feedback! It sounds like purchased $500 worth of **** from the Riverbend store!
 

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Hi Justin,
welcome to the forum. That is one awesome pool you have there! Its a wowzer for sure!

The tabs you bought aren't ****, they do have a useful purpose, so dont chunk em just yet!
TFP is about learning what your pool needs ... if you know how to determine that, then the tabs can be very useful to you! But LEARNING the what, when and why is the key.

The ABC's of pool chemisty is the first step of the process... There is a lot of info in there, and no expects you to learn all of it immediately. Its a lot of info and can seem overwheliming at first, so dont be intimidated. Go slow and please ask questions of you have them! In no time at all, you will get a good handle on it.

Im sure your PB fully believed that this product was the best for you. Unfortunately, most pool industry folks dont know the science behind the products. Their knowledge comes from product literature, which is purposely misleading in most cases. Many people here at TFP have learned that fact the hard way.

The TFP way of maintaining a pool does require some basic understanding of what your pool needs and then add only that which is needed to keep your pool sparkly and beautiful, just as we all intend our pool to be! No one here wants to sell you anything. TFP is not in the sales business. Our goal is to provide accurate info so that a pool owner can manage his own pool. And very economically I might add.

The Pool Store and Pool Industry pros, on the other hand, are exactly in the business of selling pool supplies. In most instance, it isnt their concern if your pool needs xyz chemical or not! They have to sell stuff to stay in business. (For that, you can't blame them I suppose.) There are a few good ones, and some are valued members of the TFP forum, but they are few and far between. The majority of the pool store people have no knowledge of the chemistry of a pool. They base their recommendations on fancy talks from checmical salesmen and that purposely misleading product info.

Thats not the case here at TFP. The chemistry science to back up TFP recommendations is available in the ABC's, for anyone who has the inclination to "dive that deep into the Deep End".

Again, man that is one awesome and gorgeous backyard paradise you have. We look forward to seeing more pics of you and your family enjoying it in the future. Please post more pics! We love seeing them!
 
Welcome Justin -

Even those of us with above ground pools and a 2.5 to 3 month swim season up north truly benefit by what's taught here - we had a terrible swim season in Northern Illinois, and my total chemical bill for a 13K gallon pool was less than $100.......and I have 10 gallons of liquid shock available for free if someone needs it, although by now it's likely down to 10% or less..........

One thing that I have not seen mentioned - with borates already in your pool, please don't allow the dogs to drink out of the pool - apparently there is some level of toxicity -

There are no hidden agendas here, other than simplicity and knowing your pool - it's the same reason I make my own beer - to know what's in the bottle!

Cheers!
 
A friend once told me that she compares the pool store to her oil change dealer. She goes in for an oil change and next thing she knows, they're trying to sell her some belts, a radiator flush, shocks, etc. I thought it was a great analogy.

Ha! I will take the chlorine off your hands, sbn! PM me if you're serious. I am in Northern IL too.
 
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