20k gal pool in Sol Cal. .....needs to be drained.

[BigDave]

Sorry for the confusion, I read this:

... can I load the puck carrier with pucks and liquid chlorinate? ...

and became concerned that you might fill a feeder (plumbed in kind) with trichlor pucks and then top it off with 12% bleach. Hypochlorite in direct contact with stabilized chlorine can become quite energetic. (Boom!).
Sorry, it didn't make a lot of sense but I wouldn't want it to blow up in your face - actually blow up in your face. So... sorry if I insulted you but I'd sooner risk hurting your feelings than hear you'd been hurt.

[pmaru77]

I'm not that sensitive, I hope. I was not aware they even had plumbed in feeders until a day ago. I talked to a friend that was/is a chemist and he has the in line feeder also. So that means he uses pucks, but he dumps 1/3 of his pool water every 3 years.

To compound and confound things even more, the wife wants to resurface the pool because she doesn't like the looks of it. We had a dark blue pool, and now it's bloched with light streaks and spots. I think it looks cool, no pun intended, but she thinks it's flawed. I said this is not a good time to be saying this, waaaaa!

[PoolDoc]

If you want it resurfaced, I'd recommend refilling now, and resurfacing in the fall. There's a good chance if you do it now, you'll loose a lot of the swim season.

Also . . . if you want to avoid streaks, you probably need to go with white. If you go dark, odds are you'll get streaks again. If you want dark, you definitely need to wait till fall: it will probably take you that long to find a plastering contractor with a history of successful non-streaked dark plaster jobs!

[pmaru77]

I told the wife to CAN IT. There are bigger fish to fry around the house than a pretty color pool.

But it's that bad to get a dark pool? I suppose that is why the light blue is so popular. We took a hot air baloon ride several years ago, and went over Rancho Santa Fe ($2-20M homes) and saw several dark blue pools. But not close enuf to see any discoloration. What's that phrase, "once you go dark you don't go back?"

Thanks for the tip though. What causes the discoloration? Chemicals, I would guess.

[PoolDoc]

What's that phrase, "once you go dark you don't go back?"

Think maybe you're confusing "pools" with something else. Dark pools are a headache in most cases, but they look cool even though they usually get too hot in the summer sun.

What causes the discoloration? Chemicals, I would guess.

Nope. Plaster and dye qualities, plus installation technique. Some of the same 'streaking' occurs with white plaster, but you don't see it without the added dye.

[pmaru77]

OK, the pool was completely drained and it took 24 units of city water to fill the pool and spa. So far I have added 1 and 1/2 gallons of liquid chlorine and about 1/3 gallon of muratic acid. I also have the floater loaded with a few pucks. I'm using the pucks to get chlorine and more importantly the triclor so th CYA will come up to something readable. I have checked the pH before adding the muratic acid, and the pH was high, but it only took a few drops of #3 to get the test ok. That is by far the best I've had (easiest) since testing prior to the refill. So as it stands now, the chlorine is aok right now, and I think the pH is ok, but need to test after things settle down. So the plan is to monitor the chlorine and pH levels twice daily...in the am and in the pm. I figured I would wait and see how things go before I thest the CYA, becasue I assume there is none to speak of except what comes out of the pucks in the floater.

I have in stock, liquid chlorine, liquid muratic acid, tricoloro-s-.... pucks.

So what other tests should I do at this time that would be of use?

[pmaru77]

UPDATE:

I am a subscriber now. ($14)

I decided to run some more tests. K-2006 test kit

TA 15 x 4 = 60

CH 20 to 25 drops x 10 = 200-250

pH 7.9

FC 6 drops x 3 = 1.8 ppm ?

CC nothing

CYA nothing as expected

I'm on day 1 of pool refill.

How many days do I have to get things right before having trouble? No pool useage until May 1st.

Already getting nervous about no CYA. Should I go get product? and what? (HD or LOWES) and not Leslies.

[PoolDoc]

At this point, if you dump 1/2 gallon of bleach in the pool nightly, you'll be fine. Do it late though: the sun will strip the chlorine quickly!

Also, start adding acid AND baking soda. You need higher TA (or really, carbonate alkalinity) since you have a plaster pool, and a pH that's at least a little lower. Read the muriatic acid page, linked in my signature block. MA is better for your pool, and cheaper, but the fumes are BAD!

Do you have access to a Sams Club? If you do, see if they have the PoolBrand dichlor or trichlor there. Meanwhile, get a floater (Walmart!) and start using your tabs. Tabs are very acidic, so don't push your pH below 7.6.

[pmaru77]

I have HD liquid chlorine a $7 per 2 gallons. If I use 1/2 gallon a day, that is $100 month. Where am I wrong here? Is regular bleach cheaper?
Or is the daily chlorine temporary?

[Watermom]

What percent sodium hypochlorite is your liquid chlorine?