Want To Switch To BBB; Shock Question

I posted a thread in the TA/Calcium forum about my TA issues, but I would like to post here as well about my desire to eventually switch to BBB. This is my first time ever having a pool, and so far, the whole family loves it.

I have an 18 x 4 Intex Easy-Set pool that I filled with our well water; I guess it is around 5000 gallons (not precisely sure). We have no metals or calcium at all in our water, but the pH was well over 8.4 before doing anything to it (as high as the test strips would read) and the TA was really high too. I posted about my TA stuff in the TA/Calcium forum. I am still messing with that. Of note, I have not put any borax in the pool at all.

I wish I had found this site sooner, as I was "pool stored" right after putting the pool up last month. They had me add calcium and told me I needed to metal magnet next year. :mad: Again, I have no calcium or metals in my well water. My pool is vinyl. :rolleyes:

I do want to switch to BBB eventually, but I have lots of pool store stuff to use up; Biogaurd Smart Sticks, Biogaurd Backup for algea prevention and HTH Vinyl Pool Shock. As I use up the stuff (will use the shock up first), I will begin going the BBB route starting with using bleach to shock and eventually also to chlorinate. I have not added any borax to my water. To shock weekly, I have been using 1/2 bag (1/2 pound) of the HTH Vinyl Pool Shock (not sure if this is the right amount for my pool based on my CYA level, but it seems to be doing okay). I still have some cloudiness to the water, but it is minimal, and I wonder if that is a TA thing or if I am not using enough shock. (???)

I plan on ordering the PS test kit for next season, but I have some testers at home to use up before then. I have the Wal-Mart 5-way test strips, AquaChem 6-way test strips and the Wal-Mart drops test kit.

Today's stats are as follows:

pH - 7 (WM drops)
Total Chlorine - 4 (WM drops)
FC - 3-4 (WM strip)
CC - 3 (AC strip)
CYA - 70 (WM drops with black-dot tube thingie)
TA - 270
CH - 200 (WM drops; I think this is wrong because my last CH at the store was around 100 or less after having added some, and there is no calcium in our water naturally; also, the WM drops took lots of drops before the water turned red--I think this test is inaccurate).

I used to have the SmartSticks in the skimmer basket, but that was raising the chlorine level to 7 or higher, even with the pump being shut off a few hours a day. so I have since just left the stick in the skimmer basket without it being hooked up (running the pump through the caps in the side wall) so that it works like a feeder and disolves more slowly. This has been working and keeping my chlorine around 3 to 4 or so. I have a bunch of sticks to use up yet.

However, upon reading about the Best Guess Chart, I should be keeping my chlorine level between 5 and 10? Should I just add some bleach using the bleach calc to make up the difference while using the sticks up, or should I go back to running the sticks in the basket? Also, if I am to shock up to 20 ppm (I guess I need to looking at my CC level), how much bag (powder) shock should I use for that? A full bag?

I only have a few bags of powder shock left (the HTH Vinyl Pool stuff), and then I guess I could just use bleach from there on out. Can I put the shock right into the skimmer, or is it best sprinkled over the pool water surface? What about the bleach? Can it go right into the skimmer too? I have a cartridge filter.

My last question is this: What do you do if you have to be away and cannot add bleach to your pool for a day or so? I think that is the only drawback I can foresee using bleach for chlorination.

Funny thing is, when we first got the pool, hubby told me to just use bleach. I thought he was crazy. :p ::giggles::

One bad mistake people make is "I want to use the stuff up". Well, maybe you can, but maybe it will make all your problems worse. It can be a false economy.

For example: If your CYA is high, "using up" your chlorine tabs and sticks will just make it worse.

If the algaecide is NOT Polyquat 60% (Regardless of the brand) you shouldn't use it, no matter WHAT it cost.

Clarifiers and metal removers and calcium are NOT what you should be adding.

What is that stuff called "shock"? Namely, what's in it? Probably nothing more than Di-Chlor powder, or Cal-Hypo powder.

In pool care, despite the label, "shock" is a verb, not a noun. There is no substance called "shock"--it's something else, mis-labled to mis-lead you.

Once you have your water balanced nicely, you can leave it for a day or two. With an Intex EasySet Donut, there is a tight-fitting cover with a drawstring you can get. This will prevent UV breakdown of your chlorine and keep it from evaporating off. This can be good for up to a week without a problem, from my personal experience. The cover lasts about a year or two, but is cheap enough to replace.

Thanks Carl. I was just doing some brainstorming today, and I was figuring using up the sticks and such would only raise my CYA level, which is slowly working its way up as it is. So I was thinking of using bleach to make up the difference.

The shock I have is HTH Vinyl shock, which upon looking at the ingredients, is strong, regular bleach. :o I think that would be okay, but I am still not sure how much to use.

Shock ingredients state:
Calcium hypochlorite 54.6%
Other ingredients 45.4%
Total 100%
Total available chlorine 53%

The SmartSticks are trichlor stuff, but I am not sure how much CYA that would add over the next 6 weeks. After that, the pool will be drained to take it down for the winter anyway. I would need to know the numbers and do some math to figure that out, but the container does not list how much CYA each stick puts out.

My thing is, if I go totally BBB now, what would I do with all this pool-store stuff? :eek: That is one heck of a $$$ loss. I have enough sticks to last the rest of the season, and enough shock for perhaps another month or so. If I did go BBB suddenly, how do I dispose of all this unused stuff? :eek: I don't know anyone else who can use it...maybe a neighbor, but I would hate to pass off something I won't even use myself.

As for the cover, the pool came with that. :cool: So shocking and covering should do the trick? Cool. That will not be so tough.

ETA: Do I need to add borax to the pool at all, or do I wait until the TA is down? Also, the algeacide is ankyl something or other, not polyquat. Wow, I was really pool-stored. :(

Oh, and I have been hosing off the filter cartridge daily. It still rinses clean, and it has been in use for about a week and a half now. How long should I be doing this before I replace it? My MIL said to replace it once I can no longer rinse it clean. Is this correct advice?

Oh Gods. :D I just went to Wal-Mart and bought about 5 jugs of the large ultra bleach there (over 1 gallon size). When I got back home and tested the water, there was only about 1 to 2 TC in there, and the old stick was gone (I had turned the skimmer back on). :eek: With my CYA, that is no good. I used the bleach calc, and poured the recommended amount of bleach slowly into the skimmer to raise the level up to 6 to 7. I then proceeded to aerate the pool by making a large ruckus. :p I can already see a difference! It is a bit more sparkly.

While swimming, I also noticed some patches of brown stuff on the bottom that looked like supa fine dirt bits together. I had just vacuumed this morning. I would swish it about, and it would disappear only to reappear when I would return to that part of the pool later (I was the only one swimming). Could I have had the beginnings of an algea? Even while using the ankyl-something algea preventative? :eek:

And may I ask why only poly-quat algeacide? Do I even need an algeacide? (Sorry so many questions, this is my first year ever having a pool.)

Going to shock up to 20 ppm with regular bleach this evening.

I have another question. If the pool is clear but CC is high, do you only have to raise the chlorine up to shock level overnight and then let it drift back down by next day?

If your CC is high, you need to raise the chlorine up to shock level until the CC goes to zero, then let it drift back down.

You shouldn't need an algaecide if you properly chlorinate your pool, and a lot of them cause foaming problems, as well as add copper to your water that causes staining and green hair, so it's best not to add any of it if you don't need it.....a lot of our forum members only add it when closing...I never add it at all. Bleach is the only algaecide you really need. If you do add algaecide, we recommend polyquat because it doesn't cause the problems I mentioned above.


Janet

Thank you Janet. :) I think I am on the right track.

I don't think my CC reading is accurate. The only way I have to test it is with AquaChem test strips, and when I shocked the pool, the CC went way up along with the FC. (???) I need a better test kit, but is it wise to buy one now, or just wait until spring?

I shocked to 20 ppm with ultra bleach last night, and the level is still holding well this morning. Pool looks pretty darn good and is clearing up.

It's never too early to get a good test kit, and it's vital if you want to keep a clean, clear pool!

Janet

Will the reagents and other kit stuff last through the year and be usable next year?

I posted pictures of the water today here. Looks really good! This site is the best.

Wow. The TC level took about a day and a half to come down to around 10 to 12 from 20. Level of 10 is what I needed to be able to swim again at my CYA level. I guess that means my pool did not have much to shock out. Is this the reason y'all suggest not to shock unless it absolutely needs it? :rolleyes:

I wonder if I could figure CC by using the TC reading versus free chlorine reading via the strips until they are gone? Is CC figured TC minus FC?

You can figure the CC by subtracting FC from TC--the question is, are your strips accurate? Most aren't....

Janet

Is the Walmart drop test at all accurate for figuring CC? OTO drops are added, the color is read immediately for FC, then I'm supposed to wait 2 min. to read for CC. They are both always identical.

Thanks!

Amy

Snowymoon - Your water looks great!:) This is my first year too and I have the same pool. I'm having trouble with slightly cloudy water unless I run my pump all the time. How long do you run yours?

Thanks!

Amy

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by amyinraleigh

Is the Walmart drop test at all accurate for figuring CC? OTO drops are added, the color is read immediately for FC, then I'm supposed to wait 2 min. to read for CC. They are both always identical.

Thanks!

Amy

---

Amy, my OTO test kit (not from walmart) instructs the same thing. However when I asked basically the same question, I was told no, OTO will only reliably read TC.

Thanks Rangeball, I was afraid of that.....:( I started a thread asking about how to tell when I need to shock using an OTO test and only got one reply - telling me I needed a different tester. How do all the people using these tests know when to shock?!?

Snowymoon - I tried your rigged water-sprayer to try to get the temp down in my pool:) I had thought of something similar but was waiting till I could order another adapter and length of hose so I could use my skimmer at the same time. Saw your pic and thought "why wait?":) I LOVE the sound more than anything, I think!

Thanks, Amy

Amy, I have been running my filter pump nearly 24 hours a day, except for when we are actually in there swimming. I take the filter out and the filter screen out of the intake part of the pump and hose it off daily. The screen gets more clogged if I run the surface skimmer, but I love the surface skimmer. I should just order another hose thingie so I can run the skimmer and the "aerator" at the same time. :p I also like the sound.

As for the test strips, I know they are not accurate. They are the AquaChem from K-Mart, and they are way more variable and more inaccurate than the Wal-Mart HTH 5-way strips. However, the WM strips do not show FC versus TC. Based on that, I probably did not need to shock, but rather my chlorine level was just too low for my CYA level. It is all good, though, as the water is heavenly right now. :D

Can't wait to dig up enough $$$ to order one of Ben's kits. I can really see how essential good, accurate testing is. :o