using HTH Sock it

[jennian]

Hi, I am a pool newbie....I have added HTH sock it shock which can also be used as a chlorinater and an aglicide. I added more Sock it last night and the alk. is normal as is the ph level. But the test strips are saying there is no free chlorine. I should mention that my husband picked up the test strips that measure bromine levels instead of chlorine levels...is this an issue or can I use these test strips?
Also does anyone know if I should be adding Bleach along with the HTH Sock it..perhaps bleach on a nightly basis?
We have an Intex 10ft easy set pool if that helps.
Thank-you in advance

 

[257WbyMag]

Welcome to TFP.

HTH Sock It is calcium hypochlorite. It shouldn't change your alk. or pH. It adds calcium and chlorine to your pool and nothing else.

I think that you will find bleach to be cheaper and easier to deal with than Sock It.

We typically don't recommend test strips as they tend to be pretty inaccurate. Even a little HTH 6 way kit would be better for you.

I would suggest reading the article at the following link. It will really help you with your Intex pool.

pool-school/temporary_pool_guide

 

[jennian]

So can I add bleach tonight? Or do I need to wait an allotted amount of time before I can add after using the sock-it

 

[chem geek]

You can add the bleach as soon as the Cal-Hypo is mixed thoroughly in your water. If you wait 30 minutes between chemical additions, that's more than enough to be safe. In a pool with good circulation and where you add the chemical by pouring in front of a return flow in the deep end with the pump running, then 10 minutes would be OK.