King Technology Pool Frog system AND green pool

Thanks so much for your help! The pool is finally looking mostly great. The pool is like 95% clear, which is a huge improvement. I can clearly see the bottom in the deep end even with swimmers in it. I am adding chlorine 2-3 times a day to keep up with the chlorine demand.

TA 100
FC 2.8 (this morning it was 4.4)
CC .6
CYA 0 I added more 2 days ago, but have not tested since. The chemical may be expired since this is the second time I have added it this year and it has dropped :(
pH 7.3
CAL 280

I am using the chlorine tablets left over from the Pool Frog. Those will be gone in a couple of weeks. I have the chlorinator set to "3".


How do I shock to eliminate the CC when I am trying to keep the copper dissolved in the water?

1. If you use tabs & dichlor, your CYA will rise gradually. As it does, you'll be able to get away from the 2x per day thing.

2. CYA doesn't 'expire' -- if it's there, it's still good.

3. Don't worry about the CC levels. If your pool doesn't 'stink' and isn't irritating . . . it's not a problem.

OK- I will search for link in here about what kind of dichlor to use. I was trying to avoid trips to pool store and just use BBB with some stabilizer. If dichlor is a way to add stabilizer and chlorinate then that sounds like a good solution.

I added stabilizer earlier this season, but the chemical in the bucket was old, like maybe 2-3 years. I added some and then the CYA did not go up so I am assuming the chemical in the bucket had expired. I think I will end up going to the pool store and have them test for CYA so I don't have to waste my own test materials. See about some dichlor tabs and or stabilizer, whatever is cheaper.

Thanks for the CC info. Worried that this is the start of cloudiness, but I assume if I stay on top of it everything will be OK.

BBB *does* stand for bleach, borax, and baking soda, but what it *means* is to use the best things for your pool, from the most practical source. We do often recommend using actual bleach and borax, but we also recommend other things depending your your pool and situation.

Dichlor is the easiest way to start a small pool; dissolving stabilizer is a pain, if you don't have a skimmer and a large filter.

On an outdoor viny pool -- you will be usually be fine if you (a) maintain consistent chlorine levels appropriate for your level of stabilizer, keep your pH between 7 and 8, and filter adequately.

Things *can* get more complicated, if you have well water, have metals in your water, have fill water that's very high in alkalinity and calcium, and so on. But fortunately, most people don't have to struggle with those things.

********Sorry if repost. Forum timed out when I posted reply. So I am reposting****** Sorry for inconvenience Mod*********

Old stabilizer was still good! Woot!

Pool store test indicates that the CYA levels were "between 30-50" on a test strip. I was also told "That is on the low side". Can't trick me Pool Store! I know this is a fine level based on the resources available here. In a neurotic fit I will probably still check it using my 2006-c, but I want to avoid it since there are only a few tests worth of CYA in the 2006-c. I suppose the small cost of replacing the CYA test reagents does not compare to the headache of working on a pool where you don't know the chemical levels.

I think in the future I will use stabilizer and bleach. My concern about he dichlor/trichlor tablets is that it is hard to tell what you are adding stabilizer wise. Then, before I know it, the CYA will be 120 and I will be adding larger and larger amounts of bleach every day to keep up with the best guess chart. My thoughts is that if I add it in one dose at the beginning of the year and then I can better predict the CYA levels and thus use a more predictable (and lower) dose of chlorine all summer. Pool will be clear and also be cheaper to run every summer.

The pool looks great and I feel like I am in control of the chemistry of the water. You rock PoolDoc!

Actually, keeping track of what you add with dichlor and trichlor is pretty easy. Here's how:

1. Figure your PF, which is the ratio of a million pound pool (120,000 gallons) to your pool => 120/20.1 = ~6

2. So, if you add 1 lb of chlorine gas to your pool (100% chlorine) you add 1 x 6 ppm to your pool. If you use dichlor (56% chlorine) you will add 0.56 x 6 or ~3 ppm chlorine.

3. BUT, both trichlor (90% chlorine) and dichlor (56%) chlorine are about 50% stabilizer. I know those numbers don't add up; the answer lies in some old potable water treatment history that I'm not going to drag out, but it's not a typo

4. SO . . . if you add 1 lb of EITHER dichlor or trichor to your pool, you wll have added 0.5 x 6 or ~3 ppm CYA to the pool. Put it another way: if you buy this shock:
Kem-Tek dichlor 12 lbs @ Amazon => ~$4.00/lb (Jul 2013)
and use it in your pool, you will have added 12 x 0.5 x 6 ppm CYA to your pool, or 36 ppm, MINUS whatever water you have lost to backwashing or splashout.

SO . . . all you have to do is put a chart with your chemicals, and keep a record of every time you buy more dichlor or trichlor. Take the pounds, and multiply pounds x 50% CYA x PF to find our how much you've added.

My head just exploded from pool nerdiness, but in a good way I assure you.

So I can see how this is easier when I open. Test for opening CYA levels; determine what I want my final CYA to be; buy that much Dichlor using the formula above; chlorinate with that when I open until I have used up the determined poundage; then switch back to bleach to chlorinate for the remainder of the season.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Winicott

My head just exploded from pool nerdiness, but in a good way I assure you.

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;) pool nerds r us . . . .