Raise FC with Bleach, Maintain with Tabs?

[chris123]

I'm a relatively new pool owner (less than a year), and I recently went through a frightening (for a new pool owner) algae (black/green) issue and had a pool company come in to have it drained/pressure washed/refilled/restarted. I've learned that it's likely the water wasn't changed out in 5 years at least, and the algae issue in retrospect was probably there since I moved in but went dormant in the winter. When it got hot last month, any tabs I put in were gone in days, and my FC was at 0.

Anyway...this forum has helped me understand alot about my pool, the importance of a decent test kit, but I still feel overwhelmed and I'm learning all over again now how to maintain my pool with new fresh water. Don't judge, yes I'm using tabs and I understand what that will eventually do to my CYA.

The initial startup was probably at least 20ppm on FC (I stopped testing until it came down below 7 to save on reagents). It came down to about 5ppm after 2 weeks. Currently I'm at:

FC 4
CC 0
Alk 90
Ph 7.5
CYA 40

Don't judge, I'm sorry but I just don't have the time (or confidence yet) to go full BBB, especially as hot as it is right now because things can change so fast - but I added 2 trichlor tabs (at the advise of the pool company) when I got down to 4ppm and that's been holding for a few days now without much change in the tab shape.

I'd like to kick up the chlorine to 5 or 6 before I go on vacation next week so I have good FC when I return, but I don't want to do trichlor shock and add that much CYA. Considering the heat, current CYA level, and FC I'm looking for, can I add bleach and maintain that level with the tabs, or will it be a waste because it will burn off too fast? I've read alot of posts on how much bleach members have to add daily, but I have no CC since the restart so any loss I'm getting is from UV, and it seems to be holding well with 2 tabs even in the heat.

Thanks!

 

[AftonJeeper]

From what I understand water doesn't go bad after X years. There are things you can't get out like CYA and copper but algae is removable.

Some folks in sunny parts of the world will run the CYA at 50 or so to slow down the FC loss so running the CYA up with Trichlor isn't a bad idea. And it is very convenient when on vacation.

I'd use liquid chlorine and pump you FC to 16 before you leave and put a couple fresh tabs in the skimmer.

When you get some time read up on Pool school linked at the top of the page, best place to start is the ABCs of pool water chemistry.

 

[domct203]

I'm a relatively new pool owner (less than a year), and I recently went through a frightening (for a new pool owner) algae (black/green) issue and had a pool company come in to have it drained/pressure washed/refilled/restarted. I've learned that it's likely the water wasn't changed out in 5 years at least, and the algae issue in retrospect was probably there since I moved in but went dormant in the winter. When it got hot last month, any tabs I put in were gone in days, and my FC was at 0.

Anyway...this forum has helped me understand alot about my pool, the importance of a decent test kit, but I still feel overwhelmed and I'm learning all over again now how to maintain my pool with new fresh water. Don't judge, yes I'm using tabs and I understand what that will eventually do to my CYA.

The initial startup was probably at least 20ppm on FC (I stopped testing until it came down below 7 to save on reagents). It came down to about 5ppm after 2 weeks. Currently I'm at:

FC 4
CC 0
Alk 90
Ph 7.5
CYA 40

Don't judge, I'm sorry but I just don't have the time (or confidence yet) to go full BBB, especially as hot as it is right now because things can change so fast - but I added 2 trichlor tabs (at the advise of the pool company) when I got down to 4ppm and that's been holding for a few days now without much change in the tab shape.

I'd like to kick up the chlorine to 5 or 6 before I go on vacation next week so I have good FC when I return, but I don't want to do trichlor shock and add that much CYA. Considering the heat, current CYA level, and FC I'm looking for, can I add bleach and maintain that level with the tabs, or will it be a waste because it will burn off too fast? I've read alot of posts on how much bleach members have to add daily, but I have no CC since the restart so any loss I'm getting is from UV, and it seems to be holding well with 2 tabs even in the heat.

Thanks!

Welcome!

Each 8oz trichlor tab will add 5.5ppm of FC & 3.3ppm of CYA in your 10,000 gal pool.

As mentioned , bring your FC to shock level (FC 16ppm for 40ppm CYA) and float a couple of tabs, you could use 3 tabs and it would bring you to 50ppm CYA.

A cover on the pool will also help reduce the loss of FC.

 

[Mr Bruce]

I agree, raise the FC to 16 using bleach right before you leave. However, I would put the pucks in a floater, not in the skimmer. Then when you are back from vacation it's time to stop using pucks. If adding liquid chlorine many times throughout the week seems daunting, it may be time to look into a SWG or a Stenner pump.