Stabilized sticks

[Mokman]

Hello,

I'm about to get my pool installed at the end of the month so today I finally went to the pool store to see what products they offer and what I would be receiving during the install (yes I can go to homedepot or walmart but I wanted to see what my local pool store offers before I venture off). One of the products was Smart Silkguard sticks (they are stabilized). The person who I spoke to didn't seem to knowledgeable. He said all I had to do was put 1 puck in the skimmer a week and that all I had to do. I asked him about cya levels and he didn't know what I was talking about. I'm thinking if I put these sticks in my pool then cya levels would slowly rise up and I've been reading around it's not a good thing. How could he make such a statement? I had read many people use liquid chlorine instead of stabilized chlorine. How fast does CYA go up in a approx 6000 gallon above ground pool before levels are too dangerous? I live in Canada so I thought maybe Canadians don't care about CYA because in winter they have to drain out water and fill in the summer?

 

[mknauss]

Standard pool store advice. Don't go into them and definitely do not take their advice.

And one stick (depending on how much it weighs) would not provide adequate chlorine to the pool for an entire week. And the CYA will build up.

Now there is some truth to the short season, etc. I bet most of the people that use their advice have green or at least cloudy and unpleasant pools by mid August or so, however.

 

[tim5055]

You were correct to question the advice given.

First, pool store employees primary goal is to sell stuff, not necessarily get your pool in perfect condition. As to whether that is because of improper training, lack of knowledge or just to sell stuff I will leave up to you. While you would think that a "professional" would be the best, unfortunately in most cases it is quite the opposite. Between employees who blindly trust the word of chemical sales representatives and high school kids working in the pool store for the summer you end up with poor results from their advice and testing.

We base our pool care system on accurate testing and only adding what the pool needs, when it needs it. To do that you need your own accurate test kit. Sadly, that is difficult for you to do in Canada. One company has an exclusive arrangement to sell Taylor testing products in all of Canada. That means the cost to you is very high. Some folks who have the ability to purchase south of the border do that.

So, back to your question. Yes, the stabilized sticks have CYA and it will build up. We really are not against the use of stabilized products. We are against their uncontrolled use.

There is some truth to the fact that each year your pool will be drained down and a lot of CYA will be removed. But again, how much? You need testing to determine that.

So, TFP is not "against" anything - it's "for" knowledge. The knowledge is condensed in the Pool School.

How much Pool School have you read? Start with these:

ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

There are several items things every pool owner should know about swimming pool water. We share details on the basics of Pool Water Chemistry.

www.troublefreepool.com

Recommended Pool Chemicals

Which should I buy? TFP's recommended pool chemicals are cheap, easy, and won't unbalance your pool water.

www.troublefreepool.com

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship

Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.

www.troublefreepool.com

SLAM - Shock Level and Maintain

We’ve all had to deal with a green pool. Clear algae from your pool with a SLAM! Read here to use shock level and maintain to clear your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)

The Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tells if the SLAM is finished or if you need to start a SLAM. This article says how to do the OCLT.

www.troublefreepool.com

So, welcome to TFP!!

​

 

[Mokman]

Standard pool store advice. Don't go into them and definitely do not take their advice.

And one stick (depending on how much it weighs) would not provide adequate chlorine to the pool for an entire week. And the CYA will build up.

Now there is some truth to the short season, etc. I bet most of the people that use their advice have green or at least cloudy and unpleasant pools by mid August or so, however.

This is hilarious. I didn't think the response would suck so bad. I'm a new customer and that initial response has a lasting impression! The short season idea was mine and not his btw.

What would you recommend? I think if I did use liquid chlorine I would need some stabilizer right? Maybe I could use some combination of these sticks with another type of chlorine but I'm not sure what direction I should go...

 

[mknauss]

It is best to start with using CYA granules and dissolve them in the pool using the sock method. 30 ppm is a good start. Then use liquid chlorine to keep FC in the target range.

You can then use some of the trichlor when you will be away from the pool for a few days. Just account for any CYA they add.

 

[Mokman]

You were correct to question the advice given.

First, pool store employees primary goal is to sell stuff, not necessarily get your pool in perfect condition. As to whether that is because of improper training, lack of knowledge or just to sell stuff I will leave up to you. While you would think that a "professional" would be the best, unfortunately in most cases it is quite the opposite. Between employees who blindly trust the word of chemical sales representatives and high school kids working in the pool store for the summer you end up with poor results from their advice and testing.

We base our pool care system on accurate testing and only adding what the pool needs, when it needs it. To do that you need your own accurate test kit. Sadly, that is difficult for you to do in Canada. One company has an exclusive arrangement to sell Taylor testing products in all of Canada. That means the cost to you is very high. Some folks who have the ability to purchase south of the border do that.

So, back to your question. Yes, the stabilized sticks have CYA and it will build up. We really are not against the use of stabilized products. We are against their uncontrolled use.

There is some truth to the fact that each year your pool will be drained down and a lot of CYA will be removed. But again, how much? You need testing to determine that.

So, TFP is not "against" anything - it's "for" knowledge. The knowledge is condensed in the Pool School.

How much Pool School have you read? Start with these:

ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

There are several items things every pool owner should know about swimming pool water. We share details on the basics of Pool Water Chemistry.

www.troublefreepool.com

Recommended Pool Chemicals

Which should I buy? TFP's recommended pool chemicals are cheap, easy, and won't unbalance your pool water.

www.troublefreepool.com

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship

Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.

www.troublefreepool.com

SLAM - Shock Level and Maintain

We’ve all had to deal with a green pool. Clear algae from your pool with a SLAM! Read here to use shock level and maintain to clear your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)

The Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tells if the SLAM is finished or if you need to start a SLAM. This article says how to do the OCLT.

www.troublefreepool.com

So, welcome to TFP!!

​

Thanks! I read about 3 of those links. I did get the Taylor 2006 test kit. It was expensive here I know it will be useful but I think I will supplement with something cheap like test strips or something. Did I mention it's really expensive to get Taylor test kits and reagents here? BTW the pool person said all I had to do was add a puck a week, shock every week and bring water for testing every 3 weeks. I then said maybe I should buy my own test strips and at least test weekly? He was like oh yeahhhh you can do that. :/

 

[tim5055]

This is hilarious. I didn't think the response would suck so bad. I'm a new customer and that initial response has a lasting impression! The short season idea was mine and not his btw.

What would you recommend? I think if I did use liquid chlorine I would need some stabilizer right? Maybe I could use some combination of these sticks with another type of chlorine but I'm not sure what direction I should go...

Yes, you need some stabilizer. Read thru the links I provided and it should help clear it up. But, you do need to source a test kit.

Now, back to where to shop. As you implied above, Walmart, Home Depot and that place called canadian Tire. I hear you can get almost anything there.