New Owner, first opening, few questions...

[agripnt]

Great info, and thanks for the prompt response. My feeder is after the filter in the return line. Anxious to learn your method. I have no heater or swcg. I had planned on the Sam's Trichlor, very reasonably priced. Also, which strength Cal Hypo is best to use? I have seen a few different strengths.

I am on the fence about whether I should continue a maintenance dose of polyquat weekly or not? thoughts? (fyi, I am not terribly worried about the expense of it)

[Watermom]

If you are good at maintaining your water chemistry, you don't need the weekly polyquat. I never use it at all.

[PoolDoc]

Like Watermom said, it's easier -- if you have the K-2006 -- just to run higher chlorine, than to add in another chemical.

Regarding cal hypo, anything at 65% or above is fine. Usually the 65 - 68% strength is a better deal. The 73+% strength is just made with a somewhat refined process. But, avoid the products below 65% -- as far as I know, they are all blends, with mystery ingredients. They are almost always LESS economical, and sometimes the mystery ingredients cause problems.

[agripnt]

What about the method for applying the cal Hypo?

[PoolDoc]

Add it DIRECTLY to your skimmer, BUT

1. Make 1,000% sure that there are no chemicals of any kind anywhere in the lines or pump, between the skimmer and the filter.
2. Don't add when you've just backwashed the filter; wait till the pump has run 12 hours and loaded a little dirt into the filter.

Just remember, except for borax, cal hypo reacts BADLY with almost everything, including Coke, stabilizer, trichlor, dichlor, and more. It's fine once it's fully dissolved, and the filter will hold it, till it dissolves.

[agripnt]

And because I ask too many questions

1) Add powder direct into skimmer, correct? Not pre-dissolved in a bucket and then add?

2)What is the advantage of this vs broadcasting on the surface?

[PoolDoc]

If you want to pre-dissolve it, and THEN put it the skimmer, that's OK. It's more work, and doesn't accomplish anything, though.

Without going into the chemistry, you end up with all the cloud from the cal hypo on the filter instead of the pool. There are both physical, and chemical aspects to this.