BioGuard balance pak 100

We finally have the new pool finished and operational. Started the pump up on 14 Aug and PB added 7 qts of acid and 2 qts scale inhibitor. I didn't get to see the scale inhibitor bottle so I don't know what it was.

I've been testing the water daily with the K2006 and since my results aren't varying much they must be fairly accurate.

Started putting in Sam's Club Poolbrand trichlor tabs 2 days ago per PB. Took a sample to the PB store (BioGuard dealer) and they gave me some 'start up' chemicals. I added 1/2 gal of Hasa Pool acid and was told I need to increase my TA. They gave me the BioGuard balance pak 100; active ingredient Sodium hydrogen carbonate...100%. Is this safe to use or do I need to go get some baking soda?

My K2006 test results
FC - 0
CC - 0.4
pH - >8
CYA - 0
TA - 60
CH - 350

PB test results
FC - 0.1
CC - 0.1
pH - >8.6
CYA - 16
TA - 40
CH - 415


Marty

Sodium hydrogen carbonate is an alternate name for sodium bicarbonate... In other words, it IS baking soda.

You need to lower you pH, seriously. Use Muriatic Acid to lower it into the mid 7s. Do not worry about t/a for now.
You need to lower pH, raise Fc and CYA. You need to add bleach and Stabilizer as well.

Th pool store numbers aren't much different than yours. Suggestion: use you FAS-DPD test with 10 ml of water, not 25 ml. It will save you enormous amounts of the reagent.

What Carl said, and ASAP! Also, keep posting so he can help you ... Recommend you resist buying Bioguard products. Ask here first.

Thanks Carl. I added the acid this afternoon, and just added the bleach now that the sun is down. I will get the stabilizer tomorrow.

Just wanted to make sure there were no evil things in the BioGuard Balance Pak 100 or BioGuard Stabilizer 100.

Marty

Use this link and do a search for Bioguard and PoolDoc. You will find several threads where he gives his opinion of the products.

http://pool9.net/search/

Thanks for the subscription, by the way! :)

Trust me, I'm not buying BioGuard products, except for what they give me for the price of my pool. Just not using the bad stuff like the Smart Shock.

Marty

Okay, great. How is the pool doing?

Added 1.75 lbs of stabilizer yesterday evening and 55 oz of acid and 6 cups of bleach. This mornings test results;
FC - 5.5
CC - 0
pH - 7.3
CYA - 34
TA - 50
CH - 370

I tested the pH before adding the acid and it was at 7.7. Pool looks great.

Thanks fit the help,
Marty

Great! What type of stabilizer product did you use and what is your CYA goal?

I used the BioGuard the PB gave me. From the research I've done on this sight and my SWCG manual my goal should be 80 but since I won't be turning it on for at least 3 more weeks I was shooting for 40 for now.

Marty

OK. Do not add anymore CYA for a while--wait about 4-7 days, then test it again. CYA takes an ANNOYINGLY long time to dissolve, from 2 up to 7 days. Otherwise you risk overshooting your target.

Otherwise your numbers look pretty darn good. (don't know how you got "34" for CYA though--anything between 30 and 40 is a total guess--halfway is NOT 35!) Be sure to check the Best Guess Table at
http://poolsolutions.com/gd/best-gue...ine-chart.html
for the best FC levels for your CYA level.

Ya I guessed at 34, it was closer to 30 than 40. Anyway figured it was close enough for a week to let it all dissolve. I'm shooting for 4-5 for chlorine.
Numbers look good because of this sight. I've done lots of reading the past few months, so thanks to everyone that contributes to the knowledge pool.

Marty

You are welcome! I just reread the thread and noticed that you said you added 55oz Hasa acid (31.45%). Please tell me you didn't measure it. If so, please read info on MA safety: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php/13111

I didn't measure the acid, just an estimate. I marked the side of the jug with a sharpie and sticky thread on this site, same one you linked.

Marty

Oh, phew! 55oz just seemed like a measurement. Keep us informed of your progress!
Best,
Randy

How are things going? Have you tested your CYA yet?

Pool is still looking good. Chlorine has been staying between 4.5 to 6 and pH from 7.5 to. 8. CYA was at 40 Saturday, I will check it again this Saturday.

Marty