What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlorine

[chem geek]

Re: What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlor

-Some EPA bill passed several years back made it difficult to buy one of the "B"s in California. I think it was the Borax.
-BioGuard re-engineered a replacement product that can be sold in CA.
-The BioGuard products make the water feel better than salt, reduces scaling, and :blah:
-I should think about adding Simplicity Maximizer to the pool. It should make it much easier to maintain levels in the pool.

It's not an EPA bill but a California law regarding transportation of hazardous materials. The new standard has concentrated boric acid or Borax exceed that standard so the requirements for shipping are somewhat more expensive and BioGuard decided not to deal with the hassle so dropped out of the market for their Optimizer Plus products, as did ProTeam for their Supreme and Supreme Plus products though they may have come back recently. However, Simplicity Maximizer is boric acid as shown in their MSDS (it says boron salts, but the density and pH are identical to that of boric acid). Nevertheless, as was pointed out, you can still readily get 20 Mule Team Borax from the grocery store because they are willing to pay for the extra transportation cost and paperwork. You can also get boric acid shipped, say from The Chemistry Store or AAA Chemicals because the quantities shipped are small enough to avoid the excessive costs.

Basically, it doesn't sound like this guy is being totally honest with you. Are you unhappy with BBB? Why are you considering Silk Tabs which are Trichlor?

 

[Nightmare]

Re: What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlor

My pool is still in "Start-up", so I haven't even tried BBB :-D

I used the BBB question to guage his reaction.

I have the Liquidator installed and I'll give that system a try and see how it goes.

 

[Nightmare]

Re: What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlor

Hey BK, guess what I bought from the Bioguard guy... :-D

It was only $20 for a 12lb bag, but still a bit expensive.

They tell me the TA level is too low. It was 110 on the first test, I forgot to get the printout on the second test.

The whole 12lb bag should raise the TA about 30 ppm (or somewhere around 140). Is there any reason NOT to dump the whole bag and bring the TA to the upper end of the scale? New pool start-up and all...

 

[JasonLion]

Re: What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlor

How much you want to raise TA depends on what you are using as a chlorine source and how recently your plaster was applied. If your plaster is less than four weeks old you should not adjust TA. If you are using liquid chlorine/bleach then you should not adjust TA. If you are using trichlor tablets then you can raise TA to anywhere from 120 to 150.

 

[bk406]

Re: What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlor

I wouldnt add any baking soda at this point. 110 is an ok starting point. If you continue to use pucks ( I hope you dont) it might be rasied a little, but until you start running your pool and see how the pH holds, dont mess with it. It very easy to raise the TA a bit, but it's a pain to lower it.

You're also going to have to decide if you're going to follow the TFP way to care for your pool or listen to the bioguard guy. You wont be able to do both.

 

[Nightmare]

Re: What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlor

My plaster is only 2 weeks old. I'm using the tri-pucks as the primary chlorine source right now. I did add a gallon of liquid chlorine today. My pH is a little high, so I think he wanted me to add the TA product to help stabilize the pH. I also need to add some acid to reduce the pH.

I feel like I'm in a weird limbo at this point. I plan to use the LQ once I get past the start-up period. I just want to make sure I'm not hurting the plaster in the mean time. You know how those pool guys can scare you about the chemical imbalance destroying the plaster.

 

[JasonLion]

Re: What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlor

Acid yes, raise TA no. As the plaster cures it raises the PH, TA, and CH levels. If you raise TA now it will be way too high in another two weeks.

The crucial thing right now is to keep PH in range and be gentle on other chemicals. Only after four weeks should you finally adjust TA, and CH (unless they are way way way low).

 

[Richard320]

Re: What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlor

You're also going to have to decide if you're going to follow the TFP way to care for your pool or listen to the bioguard guy. You wont be able to do both.

Now there's the Quote of the Week!

 

[dmanb2b]

Re: What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlor

You're also going to have to decide if you're going to follow the TFP way to care for your pool or listen to the bioguard guy. You wont be able to do both.

Now there's the Quote of the Week!

No doubt...a TF100 and poolcalculator.com make you a fully loaded weapon

 

[Txmat]

Re: What is the 'Down' side of the Liquidator / Liquid Chlor

Nightmare, You need to get you a good test kit like the TF100 and start doing your own testing. I say this unequivocally based on my personal experience. I have had pools for several years and relied on the pool store for the complete tests and chemical advice. Sure I had a little chlorine and ph tester, but nothing else. I was always fighting something. The pool water looked good, but not great. Then I discovered this site and read everything I could. I decided I would try the TFP way and bought the TF100 and began working on getting my pool water correct. With the advice here in Pool School and the answers to my questions I learned how to really maintain my pool and had the best looking pool I have every had and in the neighborhood and on top of all that it was cheaper to maintain than the old way. My cost for chemicals is way down. I get my acid at Home Depot and my chlorine at Costco. Shop around and you will find the best prices. As for right now your off to a good start by coming on here and asking questions. The advice you have received and will receive is the best you can get.

My experience was at first all these initials and chemicals and their interactions and how to test and get to the right levels was a bit overwhelming. But with reading, a little patience, and asking questions, and following the advice given, particularly the advice of Jason, Durleigh, & Richard it began to make sense and became much easier. One thing I did learn about pool maintenance which has not been mentioned is it takes consistency. It doesn't take a lot of time, but it does take time daily. Regular testing and using the pool calculator to determine quantities of chemicals you need to add are very important.

So get you a test kit that measures all the chemicals you need - I could not find one locally so I ordered the TF-100. Test your water and post the results. The people on this forum will help you understand what is happening and what you need to do.