Typical pool store conversation

[rimshaker]

Me: I'll be back later to buy some chlorine jugs.

Pool store: Why would you want to use liquid chlorine? It's only 5% strength.

Me: I thought you sold 10-12% strength.

Pool Store: They are when we get them, but by the time you get it home, it's down to about 5% strength.

Me: hmmmmm... really? That fast?

Pool Store: Better to use the higher 78% strength powder chlorine.

Me: You mean those dichlor and trichlor powder bags?

Pool Store: Yep, right over there.

Me: But I read somewhere that using those bags also increase the CYA in the pool. And my CYA is pretty high already.

Pool Store: How do you figure that?

Me: The powder breaks down into chlorine and leftover CYA.

Pool Store: No, that only applies to the tablets that you use for feeders and floaters.

Me: Aren't the powder and tablets the same chemically?

Pool Store: (confused pause) They may be similar, but the powder bags won't affect the CYA levels. If I were you, I'd get the stronger 78% powder instead of the 5% liquid, save you more time and money.

Me: okie dokie... thanx for the advice.

 

[Rangeball]

If the 78% bags were cal-hypo, they're right, no CYA. But of course that can potentially lead to it's own unique problems...

 

[pooladdict]

LOL..sad that this is the case.

You should of asked him about anything else, no doubt he would of has the same knowledge base.

 

[rimshaker]

Only thing I wasn't sure of is the sodium hypo degradation. Can it really get down to 5% strength by the time a customer uses it at home?

 

[sredish]

funny.

well, my father-in-law told me this weekend, while in my pool, to never use bleach in a pool as it's a temporary fix.... lol

 

[tagprod]

If the 78% bags were cal-hypo, they're right, no CYA. But of course that can potentially lead to it's own unique problems...

I may have read this before, but what are the other problems?

 

[Poseidon]

If the 78% bags were cal-hypo, they're right, no CYA. But of course that can potentially lead to it's own unique problems...

I may have read this before, but what are the other problems?

Cal-hypo adds calcium, and calcium is only reduced via dilution. With high enough calcium, high enough TA and high enough pH, it can cause calcium precipitation which leads to cloudy water and scaling.

 

[JasonLion]

10% and 12% bleach break down to half the initial concentration in perhaps three months at 90 degrees to a year at 75 degrees. If you and the pool store both store it somewhere dark and cool it will still be reasonably strong the whole season.

 

[waste]

Just a little more on what Jason said, in direct sunlight the degradation is much more quickly - I've seen bottles of liquid chlor that are ~ clear after ~ a month of sitting out in direct sun