Pool Chemicals to Prefer, Pool Chemicals to Avoid

[PoolDoc]

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Pool Chemicals to Prefer, & Ones to Avoid

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Blended chemicals are a nightmare for pool owners: they cost more per unit of 'real' chemicals AND they often add unneeded phosphates or pH buffers causing their own real problems.

AVOID:

• Any type of chlorine with "BLUE" in the name.
• Any type of 'shock' or chlorine described as 4-in-1 or 5-in-1.
• Arm & Hammer brand pool chemicals
• Biolab brand pool chemicals
• Clorox brand pool chemicals.
• Clorox bleach (often contains additives!)
• Pool Time chemicals (a Biolab brand!)
• Pool chemicals sold by Walmart or Costco -- ALL that I've seen are blended.

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PREFER:
(chemicals for small pools in BLUE)

• 20 Mule Team borax 4# box(@ Walmart)
• Arm & Hammer washing soda 3.4# box @ Walmart
• Arm & Hammer baking soda 12# bag @ Walmart (also: Costco, Sams Club)
• 20 degree/31% muriatic acid gallon @ Lowes (also: Home Depot)
  Before using muriatic acid, READ these instructions!
• trichlor - 40# bucket @ Sams Club
• dichlor - 50# bucket @ Sams Club
• dichlor - 24 x 1# bags @ Sams Club
• 10% Pool Bleach gallon @ Walmart
• plain bleach gallon @ Walmart
• 24 x 1# cal hypo @ Amazon
  
  
• Peladow calcium chloride, 50# bag @ Amazon / OxyChem info for Peladow
  
  
• Orenda PR10000 phosphate remover - 1 qt @ Amazon (only THIS brand!)
• 60% polyquat @ Amazon: A - B - C (check all 3; prices fluctuate)
  
  
• DE powder @ Amazon (Available in-store at some Walmart's)

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IMPORTANT: Just because a chemical is preferred, you should NOT assume that YOU need that particular chemical. IF you need it, you'll be better off buying a preferred brand than other wise. But, if you don't need it . . . you don't need it, whatever the source.

Also, you can sometimes get decent chemicals from non-preferred sources. BUT you have to be very careful to read the label!

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[PoolDoc]

I did some checking today.

The problem with the major pool chem companies making a mess of their product offerings is WORSE than it was a couple of years ago.

There are some decent products hidden among the heavily marketed garbage, but the only way to find them is to

1. Know how to decipher chemical labels.
2. Know actual chemical names and terms (like "calcium hypochlorite" and "% available chlorine")
3. Adopt a skeptical and untrusting attitude toward pool chemical companies, even 'trusted' brands like Clorox!

Good luck.