What are your go to chemicals to balance? And what is your cost?

[HermanTX]

Thanks.

Question though, I am leaving tomorrow until Sunday. I'll be able to add the chorine tomorrow during the day and Sunday sometime in the afternoon. The test kit should come tomorrow, but maybe after I have left.

Should I still add the CHL today and tomorrow as normal, and maybe throw in an extra tab or two before I leave?

So you only will not be able to add chlorine on Saturday. Just bring your FC up to cover your max daily ppm loss but do not exceed SLAM level. Additionally you can add 2 pucks in a floater as backup but properly not needed if only 1 day in between the 2 days you can add LC.

 

[Deb04]

There I'd an ocean state lot neat me. So if not the aquamate CYA, what else? Just pick one that has a high concentration?

I buy my CYA at Walmart or Amazon. Just look for 100% CYA. The HTH brand is good. There are other good one too.

 

[summertimesadness]

So you only will not be able to add chlorine on Saturday. Just bring your FC up to cover your max daily ppm loss but do not exceed SLAM level. Additionally you can add 2 pucks in a floater as backup but properly not needed if only 1 day in between the 2 days you can add LC.

Thanks.

"Just bring your FC up to cover your max daily ppm loss"

Sorry, but you lost me here. I used the pool math calc as you stated and based on my pool size and the LC concentration, and it says to add around 1.6 gallons for a 5.5 FC level.

Because I am 'losing' a day, what should I be doing?

 

[HermanTX]

Thanks.

"Just bring your FC up to cover your max daily ppm loss"

Sorry, but you lost me here. I used the pool math calc as you stated and based on my pool size and the LC concentration, and it says to add around 1.6 gallons for a 5.5 FC level.

Because I am 'losing' a day, what should I be doing?

Are you adding 1.6 gals a day to cover your daily loss of FC due to UV and bather load which is 5.5ppm? If so, then add that as extra. If your CYA is 50 you can go up to total FC of 20ppm before you depart. But feel you can just go to 15 to 18 ppm to cover partial first day, the middle day you are gone and then the partial day you return. Basically 3 days x 5.5 is 16.5 to cover 3 full days buy you are really only trying to cover 36-48 hours between the time you will be gone.

 

[summertimesadness]

Are you adding 1.6 gals a day to cover your daily loss of FC due to UV and bather load which is 5.5ppm? If so, then add that as extra. If your CYA is 50 you can go up to total FC of 20ppm before you depart. But feel you can just go to 15 to 18 ppm to cover partial first day, the middle day you are gone and then the partial day you return. Basically 3 days x 5.5 is 16.5 to cover 3 full days buy you are really only trying to cover 36-48 hours between the time you will be gone.

Ah, ok.

So, today I'll add just the 1.6 gallons.

Tomorrow I'll add 4 gallons? 1.6 gallons for tomorrow, then 1.6 gallons for Saturday, then I'll just add about .8 gallons to cover the partial fill for Sunday when I return.

So, 4 gallons total for tomorrow. To make up for Saturday and partial Sunday. Sunday I'll add .8 when I get back.

 

[summertimesadness]

Thanks Herman!

Last question, should I test the pool with the new kit on Sunday or wait till Monday? (I think its supposed to rain here Monday tho :-( )

 

[HermanTX]

Thanks Herman!

Last question, should I test the pool with the new kit on Sunday or wait till Monday? (I think its supposed to rain here Monday tho :-( )

I would test on Sunday when you return. It would be a good experiment to see how the estimate worked out so if you go out of town longer you have some data. I always try to test the day I return from a trip just to ensure nothing went crazy.

 

[summertimesadness]

I would test on Sunday when you return. It would be a good experiment to see how the estimate worked out so if you go out of town longer you have some data. I always try to test the day I return from a trip just to ensure nothing went crazy.

I'll post the results here.

Thanks again.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

Remember you don't have to add the entire amount all at once.


Adding salt doesn't affect pH. Maybe that's what you meant.


Aeration.

Your PoolMath logs show a TA of 50, which is good, but I wouldn't go any lower. What's the TA and CH of your fill water?

Once stabilizer is in the water and the PH went down I needed to get it to go up.

Yes, salt doesn't add anything to the PH.

Neither of my pools had/have aeration. We put a solar cover on, no little kids jumping in and splashing so the pool gets none for the most part. How long does aeration take to be effective? I wanted a quick boost up to get rid of the acidic water.

My last pool was under the BBB way for about 18 years and I had no issues with borax and baking soda. If I needed to knock down either I used dry acid. I can't really speak for washing soda since I avoided it in the past but borax is unavailable in my area for some reason. I have no experience with a SWG, I hear it raises PH and I need to use MA and not dry acid. I need to learn what a SWG does with my water which is why I'm here.

As I said I never used aeration for PH so I never think of it. As I see it there are a couple of correct ways to achieve the same result. My way or your way, it brings the same results .. a trouble free pool.

 

[summertimesadness]

Summertime, Next time you’re buying LC, look to see if there’s an Ocean State Job Lot in your area. $4.99 per gallon for the 12.5% stuff. At least at my Ocean State, the stuff in the 4 gallon cartons tends to be fresher than the stuff on the shelf. (2 weeks old vs 4 weeks old).

Just don’t buy the AquaMate CYA they sell at Ocean State. That stuff appears to be about 1/2 as strong as other brands and only a little bit cheaper.

I called up and they had 'Liquid Pool Shock' at 12.5% concentration.

https://www.oceanstatejoblot.com/liquid-pool-shock-1-gal/product/97194?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrdjcvvXz-QIVC46zCh3DAA43EAQYASABEgKtVvD_BwE

I assume that is what they're talking about as the price is similar.

It's 50 cents more a gallon than home depots which is 10% concentration. Quick math in my head says it's worth it, no?

 

[DrewLG]

It's 50 cents more a gallon than home depots which is 10% concentration. Quick math in my head says it's worth it, no?

Yes, worth it unless the Home Depot 10% costs less than $2/gallon.

FYI, PoolMath can do the calculation for you: Just select "Bleach $ Calculator" from the menu, enter the size, concentration, and price, and it'll tell you how much you're paying per ounce of pure sodium hypochlorite.

But make sure you know how long ago the 12.5% LC was packaged. The higher the concentration, the faster it degrades, so if it's a month old it might actually be only 10% concentration by now.

 

[summertimesadness]

Yes, worth it unless the Home Depot 10% costs less than $2/gallon.

FYI, PoolMath can do the calculation for you: Just select "Bleach $ Calculator" from the menu, enter the size, concentration, and price, and it'll tell you how much you're paying per ounce of pure sodium hypochlorite.

But make sure you know how long ago the 12.5% LC was packaged. The higher the concentration, the faster it degrades, so if it's a month old it might actually be only 10% concentration by now.

Picked up 3 cases. They were made around the 1st week in August.


I'll really have to see if going to the place is worth it. They are about 25 miles round trip and 40 minutes overall. Home Depot is 4 mile round trip and 10 minutes over all. I'd spend more in gas I think unless I buy a huge quantity and even then it may not be worthwhile.

I'll have to run the numbers.

 

[Deb04]

I'll really have to see if going to the place is worth it. They are about 25 miles round trip and 40 minutes overall. Home Depot is 4 mile round trip and 10 minutes over all. I'd spend more in gas I think unless I buy a huge quantity and even then it may not be worthwhile.

Definitely something to build into your calculation.

 

[Gary Davis]

Yes, worth it unless the Home Depot 10% costs less than $2/gallon.

I presume Drew is in Los Gatos (based on the cat avatar anyway), where the Home Depot nearest Los Gatos burned down recently on Blossom Hill Road in San Jose, but nearby the Almaden Expressway Walmart has 10% Trade liquid chlorine for $5/gallon while the Home Depot on Camden is also $5/gallon (I'm rounding up as both are in the four dollar ninety something range but there's the very high ~10% sales tax to consider).

FYI, PoolMath can do the calculation for you: Just select "Bleach $ Calculator" from the menu, enter the size, concentration, and price, and it'll tell you how much you're paying per ounce of pure sodium hypochlorite.

It's not intuitive the cost per pound of available chlorine so I post below the math calculations from Richard Falk...
Liquids

• 12.25% Trade% liquid chlorine: $cost/gallon x 1gallon/9.7pounds x 1/10.78% available chlorine (by weight) = price per pound of available chlorine
• 10% Trade% liquid chlorine: $cost/gallon x 1gallon/9.4pounds x 1/8.77% available chlorine (by weight) = price per pound of available chlorine
• 8.25% Trade% liquid chlorine: $cost/gallon x 1gallon/9.0pounds x 1/7.86% available chlorine (by weight) = price per pound of available chlorine
• 6% Weight% laundry bleach: $cost/gallon x 1gallon/9.0pounds x 1/5.71% available chlorine (by weight) = price per pound of available chlorine

Solids

• Sodium Dichloro-s-Triazinetrione, anhydrous at 99% by weight (available chlorine is 64% by weight, or as listed on the package):
  • $cost/pound x 100 pounds solid/64 pounds available chlorine = price per pound of available chlorine
• Sodium Dichloro-s-Triazinetrione dihydrate at 99% by weight (available chlorine is 55% by weight, or as listed on the package)
  • $cost/pound x 100 pounds solid/55 pounds available chlorine = price per pound of available chlorine
  • This dichlor is sometimes listed as Sodium Dichloro-s-Triazinetrione, typically 85% by weight with 14% locked-up water, but the available chlorine is 55%
• Trichlor aka trichloroisocyanuric acid or trichloro-s-triazinetrione at varying % by weight (available chlorine varies by weight as listed on the package):
  • $cost/pound x 100 pounds solid/{90,85,84.65} pounds available chlorine = price per pound of available chlorine
    • Home Depot & Leslie's Pool 99% trichlor is listed as 90% available chlorine
    • Lowes 95% trichlor is listed as 85% available chlorine
    • Costco 94.05% trichlor is listed as 84.65% available chlorine
• Aqua Chem Shock Plus 4 in 1 pool shock, Costco item #175121, 24 pack (where available chlorine is 36% but it is not listed on the package):
  • $cost/pound x 100 pounds solid/36 pounds available chlorine = price per pound of available chlorine

If any of those are wrong, please correct me because I think everyone should be able to run these without needing to log into any given web site.

But make sure you know how long ago the 12.5% LC was packaged. The higher the concentration, the faster it degrades, so if it's a month old it might actually be only 10% concentration by now.

The HASA 12.5% Trade liquid chlorine at the Pool Guys in Saratoga California are about $7/gallon with the ValuPak coupon which calculates to a penny MORE per pound of available chlorine than the 10% Trade liquid chlorine from Walmart and Home Depot (if I did the math correctly, that is).

As for degradation, Richard Falk has a chart on that over here, and Drew is completely correct the strong stuff degrades quicker than the weaker stuff (although that just means it turns into the weaker stuff which is to say it's a decreasing exponential curve).