Copper in trichlor plague

Boy these companies are making it difficult to find trichlor that doesn't have copper added. Last summer K-Mart still had pucks without copper, but this year I had to go to the pool store, and even then I spent 15 minutes picking up buckets and looking at the ingredients. I just need a little bucket to last me through most of the summer!

As always, my CYA shot down to nothing over the winter and we already have a couple of weeks vacation planned so I'm going to need a few pucks around here and there. The girl at the store tried to convince me that copper is an algecide... and that it was actually good for my pool. She didn't have a response when I asked her why I would want to put copper in a pool that worked perfectly well without it.

I finally found a bucket in the back reject area of the store, but it doesn't bode well if I need a second bucket or for next year.

Jean

K-Mart also does not sell any granular calcium hypochlorite anymore. I went through everything on the shelves and it was all dichlor and trichlor. They even had dichlor in a bag that was advertized as a shock. The most shocking thing you will get from using that is a huge increase in CYA levels.

Do you have a Leslie's or similar pool store chain? About once or twice a year they put trichlor on sale, at a reasonable price, and so far it usually is copper-free, at least in my experience.

Janet

K-Mart, CostCo, WalMart--these are the places selling the HTH Tri-chlor pucks loaded with copper. You'll have to go to a pool store if you want pucks. Here in NJ there are also discount pool/patio stores that sell proper tri-chlor pucks.

Of course, you could use bleach to chlorinate, add what CYA you need as a separate additive, and add muriatic acid to drive pH down as needed. Be the same as pucks only YOU will control how much CYA and the pH of your pool.

Thanks Carl,

I do use bleach as a general rule, but I have a nice simple system going on here that requires me to use a puck now and again, and I have two vacations coming up I have to deal with. I actually can't get a neighbor to put chlorine in for me because they think it would be too much trouble.

There are two pool stores within a 50 mile drive, and the one I usually use for parts and odds and ends is the one that thinks it is cool that they switched over to the copper additive because it is an algecide and "all the commercial pools use it". I think the new brand name of the trichlor they're using is "pool life".

I'll take a look at the other place and see if they are carrying something else. I only spend about $20 bucks a year there, so they don't take me very seriously when I ask for something :-) You're right; I can add CYA and I will if I have to... but I've been doing this for so many years that it is second nature and it just aggravates me that they are messing with my routine!

Jean

I'm not sure if I posted this someplace or not. At Sam's Club a couple months ago they had 40# pails of trichlor. One said 'multi functional' or something like that and was about $76. The other was plain...nothing more stated, for about $66 I believe. Interesting, the ingredients on both were listed the same. No mention of copper but I suspect the multi one did have it. Just something to be aware of.
Al

Edit: To give y'all something to laugh about. I hardly use pucks, only to raise CYA when needed. So....early last year I ran out. Bought a 50# tub. Then forgot about it. This Spring, thinking I was still out, bought another 40#. Thus the comments above about the two types. The other day catching up on last years records and figuring operational costs....found an entry for the 50#. Oops...where is it? Found it in the poolhouse thinking it was the empty tub. Oh well...now I have 90# of copper free stuff...enough to last the remaining life of the pool...or me whichever comes first.