Hello TFP, I'm new here but really excited to take over our pool maintenance. We have been testing our water in the lab and leaving each time with $200-$300 work of chemicals. It seems I can do this on my own with the right tools. I have ordered the Taylor K-1766 to test the salt. I'm still researching a test kit for the other elements. I still have 5 bags of mineral renewal to go through. Once that's gone, I would like to manage the pool chemistry on my own. What's everything (chemicals) I should always have in stock in the shed for bi-weekly water testing? When I open my pool, is bioguard beginnings a necessity or can I just buy norton salt? Thank you!
Retiring from Bioguard - what's my shopping list?
- Thread starter Avborges
- Start date
The only two test kits TFP will give advice on are the TF-100 and the Taylor K2006C. The TF-100 is a better deal as it has more reagents you need and less of what you don’t need.
How do you plan to chlorinate your pool once you’re on your own. Unless you have a salt water chlorinator, all you need to have is liquid chlorine and likely some muriatic acid.
We have a T9 Cell to generate chlorine. Is that what you are asking (i'm sorry if that's not the right answer)
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,766
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
What are the Mineral Springs Chemicals?
The Mineral Springs products contain a mixture of salt, acids, and CYA. In addition to being quite expensive, they don't allow you to adjust each of those levels separately.What is in Beginnings?
Beginnings is a mixture of pool salt, borax, and CYA.What is in Renewal?
Renewal is a mixture of dry acid(sodium bisulfate), boric acid, and phosphonic acid (scale inhibitor).What Are Alternatives to Mineral Springs Chemicals?
Pool salt or water softener salt can be used with the Mineral Springs SWG.Stabilizer/CYA can be added as needed.
pH is best controlled using muriatic acid.
Borates in pool can added separately with boric acid.
Scale inhibitors are not needed unless you have a high calcium hardness problem or metals in the water.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,747
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
@Newdude … weren’t you on the Mineral Springs turnip truck?
Honestly, you should get rid of all those bioguard products and stop using them. As Allen posted above, the Renewal and Beginnings products are just overpriced dry acid and borates. They also contain sulfate based flocculants. So your pool water is now full of sulfates which are damaging to the catalytic coatings on SWGs. There’s no easy way to test sulfate concentrations so you way want to partially drain your pool to get rid of some of it. The sulfates will eventually damage the cell and shorten its useful life.
Get a K-2006C or a TF-100 Pro with a SpeedStir/SmartStir and then post up test results. My guess is your water is going to take some work to get all the chemicals in their proper ranges.
Honestly, you should get rid of all those bioguard products and stop using them. As Allen posted above, the Renewal and Beginnings products are just overpriced dry acid and borates. They also contain sulfate based flocculants. So your pool water is now full of sulfates which are damaging to the catalytic coatings on SWGs. There’s no easy way to test sulfate concentrations so you way want to partially drain your pool to get rid of some of it. The sulfates will eventually damage the cell and shorten its useful life.
Get a K-2006C or a TF-100 Pro with a SpeedStir/SmartStir and then post up test results. My guess is your water is going to take some work to get all the chemicals in their proper ranges.
I WAS. It cost $600 to $800 to open with horrifically overpriced salt (beginnings). Then the renewal bags were 2 a week @$17 each.
Since then I buy 6 to 10 $8 bags of salt to open and generic CYA. ($50). I only need occasional top offs mid season of both and PH / TA stay rock solid here.
The TFpro salt from TFTestkits.net keeps me out of the pool store at $75 to $150 *per trip*.
The results speak for themselves
Sulfate Test Kit
This kit tests for Sulfate using the Octa-Slide 2 Comparator. Range and sensitivity is 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 160, 200 ppm SO42-.
lamotte.com
Sulfate Test Kit - HI38000
The HI38000 is a chemical test kit that uses a turbidimetric method to measure sulfate. The HI38000 is supplied complete with all of the reagents and equipment necessary to perform approximately 100 tests. Pre-made reagents for ease of use All reagents marked with expiration date and lot number...
hannacan.com
Frig. Manners. 
Welcome to TFP AvBborges !!!! When I say we got you, not only do we got you, but we were in your *exact* shoes once.
Everytime I went to the poolstore they had a balancepacksomethingorother to sell me @ $34, and with a large pool I needed 3 tubs each time. Or small $66 tubs of calcium for my vinyl pool that didn't need it. Or the copper based Banish algecide just to ask me down the road why my copper levels were high.
Folks before us showed us the way and we'd be thrilled to pay it forward
Welcome to TFP AvBborges !!!! When I say we got you, not only do we got you, but we were in your *exact* shoes once.
Everytime I went to the poolstore they had a balancepacksomethingorother to sell me @ $34, and with a large pool I needed 3 tubs each time. Or small $66 tubs of calcium for my vinyl pool that didn't need it. Or the copper based Banish algecide just to ask me down the road why my copper levels were high.
Folks before us showed us the way and we'd be thrilled to pay it forward
Test Factor: Sulfate
Test System: Octa-Slide 2 Comparator
Range/Sensitivity: 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 160, 200 ppm SO42-
# of Tests: 50
# of Reagents: 1
Ship Code: (R1) Small Quantity Hazardous Material - No Fees Applicable
Ship Weight in lbs.: 1
Sulfate Test Kit
This kit tests for Sulfate using the Octa-Slide 2 Comparator. Range and sensitivity is 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 160, 200 ppm SO42-.
lamotte.com
- May 23, 2015
- 25,747
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Yes, the barium chloride method is well known for testing for sulfate but the problem is that they use a visual comparator method which is about as frustrating to use as the CYA test. It’s also not accurate over large ranges so you have to know approximately what your sample concentration is before testing. In the case of the Hanna reagents, levels over 100ppm require a different set of reagents.
Both the LaMotte test and the Hanna test are very expensive for a one-off measurement … it’s cheaper and easier to just do a partial drain or an exchange drain and get fresh water into the pool.
Both the LaMotte test and the Hanna test are very expensive for a one-off measurement … it’s cheaper and easier to just do a partial drain or an exchange drain and get fresh water into the pool.
You can dilute with distilled water to lower the level to a testable range.
Most people will never need a sulfate test.
I was just providing 2 options if the person felt like they wanted it or needed it.
Looks like a pretty low accuracy test, so probably not very worthwhile.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,747
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The correct method for using barium chloride to test for sulfates is to react the sample and form the insoluble barium sulfate precipitate (barium sulfate enemas are used as a contrast medium in colorectal imaging because of the high Z number of barium as well as the fact that it can’t be absorbed … otherwise most salts of barium are highly toxic). Once the precipitate is formed, one then decants and dries out the precipitate so that the actual weight of barium sulfate can be measured which is the used to calculate the mg/L (ppm) of sulfate.
But that’s not a test one can do at the poolside. It’s a lab based method.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,747
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
