Re: Advice Needed - High CYA, High Nitrates, and Lots of Algae
Originally Posted by
capshockeyfan
A new question: Can one gradually switch to the bleach, borax, baking soda method of pool maintenance or do you have to start this method with totally fresh pool water?
Nothing to switch. BBB is just good pool maintenance. In your case it means stopping all forms of stabilized chlorine (trichlor and dichlor) because your CYA is high and only using an unstabilized chlorine source. Sodium hypochlorite (liquid pool chlorine/laundry bleach) happens to have the fewest side effect at a decent price. Your other options are cal hypo which can cloud a pool and will raise calcium hardness or lithium hypochlorite, which is just ridiculously expensive.
AS far as baking soda goes, if you have ever bought total alkalinity increaser from the pool store you bought very expensive baking soda! I don't care if the label says sodium hydrogen carbonate or any of the other chemical synomyms for sodium bicarbonate, it is still just baking soda and not as pure as the stuff from the grocery store!
As far as borax, well you can buy that in the pool store also under such sames as Bioguard Optimizer and Proteam Supreme but 20 Mule Team works exactly the same. We recommend using borax for raising pH instead of soda ash (pH increaser, which is also available at the grocery as Arm and Hammer Super Washing Sods...once again exactly the same chemical) because soda ash raises both pH AND TA and often (usually) causes the TA to go too high so it needs to be lowered after the pH is in line.
So, the only change you really have to make is to change your chlorine source because you do not want any more stabilizer in your water, start testing your water, and balance as heeded. We are here to help you learn how. It really isn't very hard at all and you will save a lot of money in the process and have a really easy pool to care for.
Retired pool store and commercial pool maintenance guy.
Bookmarks