Wal-Mart shock

I have a 24' ab vinyl pool. The shock that seems most effective for the past few years is the stuff at Wal-Mart, sodium dichloro s triazinetrione. I see this year they have it with copper, which I'll need in August when the pink slime and mustard algae attacks (usually after a beach trip). Is this chemical okay?

My pump runs 24/365 and the water was clear all winter. I live in SC. When I started adding chemicals this spring, I first balanced the PH, added some maintenance algaecide, then added pucks to the chlorinator and shocked it the next day. The store told me I had no free chlorine and to add 15 bags of burnout. No way, said me. Could this wal-mart shock cause my chlorine to bind?

Their test results:
CYA 40
TC 3
FC 0
PH 7.6
TA 176
TH 114 (yeah I know it is not necessary)
Copper .1

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RknRusty

I have a 24' ab vinyl pool. The shock that seems most effective for the past few years is the stuff at Wal-Mart, sodium dichloro s triazinetrione. I see this year they have it with copper, which I'll need in August when the pink slime and mustard algae attacks (usually after a beach trip). Is this chemical okay?

My pump runs 24/365 and the water was clear all winter. I live in SC. When I started adding chemicals this spring, I first balanced the PH, added some maintenance algaecide, then added pucks to the chlorinator and shocked it the next day. The store told me I had no free chlorine and to add 15 bags of burnout. No way, said me. Could this wal-mart shock cause my chlorine to bind?

Their test results:
CYA 40
TC 3
FC 0
PH 7.6
TA 176
TH 114 (yeah I know it is not necessary)
Copper .1

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No. If their numbers are correct, a CYA level of 40ppm is JUST FINE! CYA is Cyanuric Acid, also called stabilizer or conditioner. The "shock" you've been adding, Di-Chlor for short, adds it. There is NO SUCH THING AS CHLORINE BIND! It is an urban myth. What happens is that the higher your CYA rises, the more chlorine you need to keep your pool sanitary. But your CYA could be 150ppm ('way above what pool stores call "bind" or "chlorine lock") and you could STILL keep it sanitary by maintaining your chlorine level at 8-15ppm.

Please don't be offended by what I'm going to say next: Your supposition that you need copper to kill algae in late summer is all wrong. You have not been maintaining your chlorine levels correctly, giving the algae a chance to take root. More chlorine would correct that.

You absolutely do not want to be adding copper to your water.

WalMart NOW sells chlorine with copper because they cut a deal with HTH. HTH is selling chlorine with copper because they can say "double-acting" on the label--and they do NOT care if it's good for your pool or not--it's good for sales.

I suggest you spend time reading through the forums and threads here to learn about using bleach to chlorinate your pool. The sister site to poolforum.com is: PoolSolutions.com. Read everything you can there--it will help.

Pool companies thrive on our ignorance to double their sales. Some of their products are good and necessary, some are simply VERY expensive versions of stuff you can buy at the supermarket, some are useless, and some are harmful.

The ONLY algaecides we recommend here are PolyQuat 60% (if the ingredients say Poly...<something>...60% and nothing else but inert ingredients, that's the stuff), and, of course, chlorine.

Just to re-emphasize what Carl said in the post above. The dichlor that you are using adds cya (stabilizer) to your water. So do the pucks that you put in your chlorinator. Your current level is 40. We typically recommend that a good cya reading is 30-50. I would say that it is ok for you to use those two products for a little longer, but with continued use, your cya level will get too high. So, keep an eye on your cya level and when it approaches 50, switch to just using bleach for your daily chlorine and for your shock.

Unless you have been doing some draining & refilling, I would double check your CYA levels.

One year I made the mistake of using the Wal MArt shock & it QUICKLY knocked my stabilizer levels up into the mid 100's. If you having been using it regularly, I would think your CYA levels would be alot higher than 40.

Thanks for the replies. I use shock only about once every month, now that we no longer have a neighborhood full of kids. Just my wife, me and a few friends now. That sure makes it easier. I will take your advice and keep an eye on the CYA.
When we get back from the beach, it seems like we get hit with algae. We'll wash all of our bathing suits and give it an extra blast of chlorine this summer.
thanks,
Rusty

Another way to possibly eliminate the beach problem is to use separate suits. Don't mix beach suits and pool suits. That's what we have to do because we spend a lot of time at the lake. Suits (at least for guys) are cheaper than chemicals and hassles!

It's not just the swim suites...don't forget about any floats, toys, etc. you might use in both types of water!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CarlD

There is NO SUCH THING AS CHLORINE BIND! It is an urban myth.

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A myth, that's nice to know. So if I keep my CYA low enough, and show medium yellow on my 2-part drops kit, I'm okay?

My water does stay clear no matter what they tell me at the store. I've never followed their directions for busting the bind. My pool is 19 years old and on its second liner. My neighbor's tree dropped a limb through my first one.

I do plan to get a better test kit since reading these forums.

Thanks,
Rusty

The chart at the following link shows the amount of chlorine you need based on your cya level. Hope this helps.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=365

Yes thanks. I think this thread has about run its course. I appreciate all of your responses.
Rusty