Newbie getting started. Please advice on best pool solutions and where to buy

[rimmi2002]

Hi I am planning to starting to take care of my own pool starting this week. Going to fire the pool guy after tomorrow (as you can see by the #'s below he has been doing a poor job)

Had my water evaluated at the local pool shop:
Pertinent Numbers are:
Chlorine: 0
CYA: 0
Calcium Hardness: 150
pH: 7.8
Alkalinity: 70

My pool + Spa is ~21000 gallons.

I am looking for chemicals to buy and have done some research. I was wondering which are the best recc'd items to buy under each section below. I have pasted links to what I have found. Also where is the best place to get the cheapest 3" Cl tablets? Thanks.

1) CYA:
a) Chlorox Pool and Spa Stabilizer
b) Natural Chemistry Liquid Swimming Pool Stabilizer

2) Calcium Hardness:
a) Clorox Pool&Spa Calcium Hardness

3) TA increaser
Baking Soda

4) PH decreaser:
The last owner left 3 gallons of Acid behind for this. I am open to suggestions for future though. Thanks.

 

[Texas Splash]

Probably the best thing you could do before spending money on those products is to get yourself one of the recommended test kits to test water yourself. We recommend the TF-100 (link below) or Taylor K-2006C. Both are highly reliable, accurate, and will save you considerable effort, money, and headaches trying to follow pool store testing and advice. If we were to assume those test results are correct, it won't be long before you have algae and/or plaster problems. So obtaining one of those kits should be priority #1.

Also review the Recommended Chemicals page (link below). While it doesn't specify brand names, it does let you know what you need to adjust specific levels. You'll want to be very careful about those 3" tabs. Generally, we don't recommend using tabs for daily chlorination and rely on regular bleach (i.e. Wal-Mart's Great Value) to chlorinate our pools because the tabs will increase stabilizer quickly. I doubt in your area you will want to do a drain water to reduce the CYA, so you might want to reconsider using tabs any further. Clorox items are fine, but you can use generic as well if it saves you some money.

Last, please update your signature with all of your pool info. Your sig is the first thing we look at. Hope that helps. If you have anymore questions, let us know. Have a good day.

 

[BoDarville]

Welcome to TFP!

For the CYA, I would use the Clorox Pool and Spa Stabilizer - this is what I use when I need to increase CYA. It consists of 100% cyanuric acid and this is exactly what you want for increasing CYA. The Natural Chemistry product contains additives that are not necessary. Stick with the Clorox product or any other product that lists cyanuric acid as the main ingredient in a concentration of at least 95%.

I cannot see the ingredient list on the Clorox Pool&Spa Calcium Hardness product. To increase CH, look for products containing either calcium chloride or calcium chloride dihydrate. The higher the concentration of either product, the better.

Baking soda is the recommended ingredient for increasing TA

As for the pH decreaser, if the "Acid" left behind is Muriatic Acid, that is the recommended product. Ideally, it should be of a concentration of "31/45% - 20° Baume" . If not, you can still use it - you just need to adjust the dosage amount -refer to PoolMath.

With most of the chemicals we recommend, what's not in there is just as important as what is in there. Unnecessary additives can cause unwanted side effects.

Dittos to what TexasSplash said about not using the 3" tabs for chlorination on a regular basis. Stick with plain unscented liquid bleach.

 

[rimmi2002]

Thanks. I added my sig. Let me know if more info is needed. Ordered TFT-100 kit this weekend its on the way. Since I have a tablet dispenser, is it still not safe to use them? Kinda ruins having one.

Thanks for the tips on the chemical. The acid is Muriatic Acid. I'll check out pool math.

 

[Teald024]

Ordered TFT-100 kit this weekend its on the way. Since I have a tablet dispenser, is it still not safe to use them? Kinda ruins having one.

Good choice on the test kit.

Yeah, bummer on the tablet feeder. I'm in the same boat. Leave it plumbed in but empty. There may be special occasions to use it, if you want to. Some people use it while on vacation if CYA is low and they can't add bleach. Or season opening to add CYA after a major water fill.
The other option is to take it out and sell it on craigslist to get some money back. I'm not sure how I feel about that because it's almost like selling a nice sports car with a known bad transmission... you almost feel bad for the guy buying it, but it makes them happy.