PHin
- Thread starter Chopjaw
- Start date
Other than a major rip off? Anything automatic sure opens the door for a lot of inaccurate test results.
How hard is it to buy a little bleach and muriatic acid now and then? If problems arise, buy a little borax or baking soda... simple!
Maddie
How hard is it to buy a little bleach and muriatic acid now and then? If problems arise, buy a little borax or baking soda... simple!
Maddie
Because I’m building a pool, considering the monthly cost for a pool is $650 a year allot of money for keeping your water balanced ? You guys tell me
My pool costs about $100 a year to run. My SWG takes care of the chlorine, one gallon of MA lasts a season, I bought some baking soda a couple of years ago that is still sitting around... same with a little Borax.
$650 *is* A LOT of money to keep water balanced. And no guarantee it will. Lots of pool stores sell lots of chemicals to folks and yet their pools go green.
Self pool testing is the *cheapest* and yet *most accurate* method of pool care. If you don't need it you don't put it in there. Simple as pie.
Maddie
$650 *is* A LOT of money to keep water balanced. And no guarantee it will. Lots of pool stores sell lots of chemicals to folks and yet their pools go green.
Self pool testing is the *cheapest* and yet *most accurate* method of pool care. If you don't need it you don't put it in there. Simple as pie.
Maddie
- May 3, 2014
- 59,397
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Other than the chemicals are a bit pricey, the system has a pH probe and use ORP. The pH probe needs regular calibration to be accurate. The ORP probes do not last very long and also can only be used in water with a CYA of under 30 ppm. In Las Vegas, unless this is an indoor pool, having a CYA of less than 30 will be very difficult to do. And since they are sending you dichlor and copper algaecide in those packets, you will have a mess on your hands in a couple months.
It is your pool, but we advocate simple processes that create a TFP environment.
The best thing you can do is use a SWCG and do your own testing to monitor your pH, TA, CH, FC, and CSI.
Take care.
It is your pool, but we advocate simple processes that create a TFP environment.
The best thing you can do is use a SWCG and do your own testing to monitor your pH, TA, CH, FC, and CSI.
Take care.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,651
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Unless you sign up for their overpriced chemical plan, the sensor unit is only warrantied for a year and then you’re on your own. At ~$300, you can buy yourself years worth of Taylor test kit chemicals and test many more parameters more accurately than that unit will.
pHin, Sutro, Water Guru, etc, are all digital testers of one sort or another that are attached to a high priced refill chemical plan. Some of them do a slightly better job than others but all of them are limited in comparison to the standard test kit TFP recommends. All of these units keep a pool owner at arms length from understanding their pools and so I would never recommend that a new pool owner use one. Learning the in’s & out’s of basic water chemistry isn’t all that hard but it’s critical to successful pool ownership.
pHin, Sutro, Water Guru, etc, are all digital testers of one sort or another that are attached to a high priced refill chemical plan. Some of them do a slightly better job than others but all of them are limited in comparison to the standard test kit TFP recommends. All of these units keep a pool owner at arms length from understanding their pools and so I would never recommend that a new pool owner use one. Learning the in’s & out’s of basic water chemistry isn’t all that hard but it’s critical to successful pool ownership.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,651
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Where did you get that number? If I add up my water usage, electrical power consumption and chemical/test kit purchases for a year, I barely break $300/year to run my pool 12 months per year. I spend more than that on Dunkin Donuts coffee and donuts every year....way more....
I give the same thoughts every time pHin or Sutro or one of the other "smart" (and I that term very jokingly) monitors come up.
First, the chemical plan that comes with one of these will be based off of powdered chlorine and follow the current standards, which means eventually the CYA will build up and you will have problems. If you are hoping for TFPC style clarity and feel then you will find their program sadly lacking.
Second, and most importantly, is the unit itself. For pHin specifically you get 3 sensors. Temperature, pH, and ORP. The ORP is the chlorine sensor, but to be reliable the CYA needs to be kept quite low. For an outdoor pool this is not easy, especially not in a sunny environment like NV. So that leaves you with an unreliable chlorine sensor, a pH sensor, and a thermometer. As for everything else it relies on test strips. And, well, there is a reason we refer to those as "guess strips". Worse though, if we are going to rely on test strips then there are plenty of cheap options available. Clorox has a system where it will read their test strips, track your numbers, and tell you what to add. IMPORTANT NOTE: I am not suggesting anybody use test strips! What I am saying is that these "smart" monitors provide essentially the same product and reliability as the $20 Walmart special.
Perhaps the time will come in the future where we can get reliable water testing in a floating Wifi tester. I would be first in line to buy one. But today your money is much better spent on a k-2006 or TF-100.
First, the chemical plan that comes with one of these will be based off of powdered chlorine and follow the current standards, which means eventually the CYA will build up and you will have problems. If you are hoping for TFPC style clarity and feel then you will find their program sadly lacking.
Second, and most importantly, is the unit itself. For pHin specifically you get 3 sensors. Temperature, pH, and ORP. The ORP is the chlorine sensor, but to be reliable the CYA needs to be kept quite low. For an outdoor pool this is not easy, especially not in a sunny environment like NV. So that leaves you with an unreliable chlorine sensor, a pH sensor, and a thermometer. As for everything else it relies on test strips. And, well, there is a reason we refer to those as "guess strips". Worse though, if we are going to rely on test strips then there are plenty of cheap options available. Clorox has a system where it will read their test strips, track your numbers, and tell you what to add. IMPORTANT NOTE: I am not suggesting anybody use test strips! What I am saying is that these "smart" monitors provide essentially the same product and reliability as the $20 Walmart special.
Perhaps the time will come in the future where we can get reliable water testing in a floating Wifi tester. I would be first in line to buy one. But today your money is much better spent on a k-2006 or TF-100.
Only chemicals I keep on hand is CA, MA, Shock(after a party), And Chlorine sticks for the winter months when my SWG is removed and replaced with a dumy cell. And I agree I am well under 300 bucks. Maybe 250.
The Chlorine Sticks and Shock are the most expensive things for me throughout the year. We will see though now that we just moved and built a new pool if this all stays the same.
- May 3, 2014
- 59,397
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Not sure what you are using for 'shock' but it is best to use bleach/liquid chlorine instead of powdered or solid chlorine products. They contain CYA or calcium.
We have a 17,000gl pool. At our old house we had 15,000gl. I honestly never noticed a drastic change when using the InTheSwim Pool Shock. It says 1 bag for 10,000gl. I throw just 1 bag of it in the skimmer and recirculate the water.
Completely soluble granular chlorine produces fast acting chlorination.
68% Available calcium hypochlorite.
Will not cause over stabilization
If using as a weekly shock you will use 1 Lb per 10,000 gallons.
Only add directly to your pool or spa.
- May 3, 2014
- 59,397
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
That shock is Calcium hypochlorite. It adds nearly as much calcium to your water as it does chlorine. The calcium does not leave unless you drain water from the pool. Horribly insidious stuff to those of us in the west with high CH water and high evaporation.
cfherrman
TFP Guide
You should really rethink your 'shock' methods.
16oz of 65% cal hypo ads 4.5 fc, 3.2 ch, and 4.6 ppm salt. Since your adding it to your skimmer your seal life in your pump is less than half than normal.
If you add one gallon jug of 8.25% bleach at the return slowly you add 4.7 fc and 7.8 ppm salt, and your pump and pool is unaffected.
Even better, test your fc, add exactly what you need and save the extra money that would just have burned off.
16oz of 65% cal hypo ads 4.5 fc, 3.2 ch, and 4.6 ppm salt. Since your adding it to your skimmer your seal life in your pump is less than half than normal.
If you add one gallon jug of 8.25% bleach at the return slowly you add 4.7 fc and 7.8 ppm salt, and your pump and pool is unaffected.
Even better, test your fc, add exactly what you need and save the extra money that would just have burned off.
- May 3, 2014
- 59,397
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Plus, you should never need to 'shock' a pool. Maintain appropriate water chemistry for TFPC clean and clear water.
Kinda hard to do when you got tons of friends with babies... But I get what you are trying to say.
- - - Updated - - -
This is at most 2-3 times a year I even do this. So not really worried about the seals.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,651
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
If your source water is soft (low CH and TA) and you get enough rain dilution throughout the season (which is entirely possible in SC), then cal-hypo usage is fine. Just keep an eye on CH and pH because cal-hypo is very caustic stuff and will add to your TA as well as CH. The high pH generated in the skimmer will be temporary enough to not be too dangerous BUT you should ensue that you have good flow (run the pump on high speed if it’s a 2-speed or VSP) to ensure fast dissolution. It’s not something I would ever do with acidic forms of chlorine but it’s ok for alkaline sources. Do note though that adding high doses of chlorine into the filter can cause a spike in CC readings if the filter is dirty due to the higher concentration levels of both chlorine and bather waste.
cfherrman
TFP Guide
Yea, our area of SC generally has sufficient rainfall to require me to add CH a few times a year, so CalHypo a few times won't hurt anything.
- Jan 4, 2016
- 5,298
- Pool Size
- 44000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
When I first saw pHin, I imagined "Pool chemicals straight to your pool. Drone delivery coming soon to a village near you. Never lift a pHinger!"
Not long after, someone ordered pool salt for delivery and accidentally got a bag of Milorganite (dewatered and sanitized sewage sludge) dropped off on their doorstep.
Then I imagined scenes from a Terminator movie.
Not long after, someone ordered pool salt for delivery and accidentally got a bag of Milorganite (dewatered and sanitized sewage sludge) dropped off on their doorstep.
Then I imagined scenes from a Terminator movie.
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