BBB Questions

[cooper]

First....thanks Ben, that's alot of cool info!

I have my liner in with fresh water so I started with the 6% bleach..... Clorox regular brand 2.97 at wallymart. I put 1.5 gals in and had a middle of the road level a few hours later. Two days later with tons of rain it was zero....so I have to test more often and get the hang of how much and how often. My PH was at 7.0 so I picked up some borax today.....4 pound box. How much should I start with? And how do I put it into the pool? Can this go thru the skimmer or broadcast? This won't stain my liner right?

Thanks
Cooper

[CarlD]

I like to put Borax in the skimmer. Your chlorine will keep dropping because you don't have any stabilizer in the water. You'll need some to be able to maintain a residual chlorine level. Aim for a level of CYA (another name for stabilizer) of 30 ppm to start. Then you can maintain your chlorine level--FC (Free Chlorine) at between 3 and 6 ppm. How big is your pool? One gallon of 6% will raise the FC in 10,000 gallons by 6ppm. Figure accordingly.

Carl

[Watermom]

With a freshly filled pool with no cya, it is almost impossible to keep chlorine in the pool. For the first week or so, you will most likely need to add bleach 2 or 3 times a day. After you get some cya in there which will take about a week to dissolve completely, you'll be able to test and dose with bleach in the evenings only. I can't comment on how much Borax to add without knowing your volume, but to answer your question about how to add it ---- you can pour it slowly into the skimmer while the pump is running, breaking up any clumps. It will not stain your liner.

Give us the details about your pool please -- size and volume and also tell us what type of filter and size the pump is.

[cooper]

Good Morning Guys,

Check on the CYA.....I'm working on that now. I saw your rule of thumb on the 6ppm per gal last night....good stuff! My pool is a 24' x 52" Aqua Leader AG round and I believe 13,000 gal. My pump is a Hayward Powerflow Maxi SP1592 1HP with a Sta-rite PLD50 DE Filter. I also have the Hayward CL200 Auto feeder which I will not be using any longer, and my heater is the Hayward 100,000 BTU above ground heater.

Thanks for the help!
Cooper

[CarlD]

Hi Cooper,
I figure 13,500, but for your chem figuring, it doesn't matter. If you have no CYA, and your pH is reasonable, there's no reason not to use your in-line feeder, if you have tri-chlor tabs left over I wouldn't necessarily go buy them, but they will add CYA to your water albeit slowly, and will add a constant stream of chlorine as well.

BUT.............As we always say, you need to test.
If you want to use up your tri-chlor tablets, you should check your FC and pH level daily, and if it gets around 7.2, add about 1/2 box of Borax to raise pH. Meanwhile weekly check your CYA level and when it hits your target, turn off the CL200. IF used correctly (and until you are comfortable with the B-B-B method, that's a big "IF") , Tri-Chlor tabs can be convenient. However, never use "Double-Acting" tablets or any that say they have copper or "Extra Algaecide".

Alternatively, you can safely use bleach/LC and add CYA via your skimmer, or, by putting it in a sock or stocking and hanging it in the return stream. It's always safe to use Bleach, Borax, Baking Soda, Muriatic Acid and CYA as your total pool care chemical supplies. Used correctly, you'll need nothing else.

Carl

[cooper]

Thanks again carl.....with the help of the forum, i'm gona get this right this year!

Cooper

[CarlD]

Yup. Best part is: it's EASY once you figure it out!