Adding cal-hypo to pool

[kjmelak]

I recently purchased a 25# bucket of cal-hypo from "In The Swim". I don't have anything against the BBB method, but I need to raise my CH this year.

Anyway, the bucket says to broadcast the powder into the "deepest part of the pool". My concern is that if there are undissolved granules settling on the bottom of my vinyl lined pool, won't this bleach my liner? Can I pre-dissolve cal-hypo in water prior to adding to the pool?

[chem geek]

You are absolutely correct that for a vinyl pool you should pre-dissolve the Cal-Hypo in a bucket of water before slowly pouring it over a return with the pump running in the deep end. Cal-Hypo does not dissolve particularly fast, especially compared with Dichlor or Lithium Hypochlorite.

Richard

[CarlD]

Why do you need to raise your calcium in a vinyl pool? Do you have a heater or a salt-water chlorine generator?

If not, there's no reason to raise your calcium. It doesn't do much in vinyl pools--unless you have too much.

Still, there's also no reason not to use Cal-Hypo to chlorinate, as long as your calcium level is not too high.

[Poconos]

With the sand filter you can also dump it in the skimmer, gets trapped in the sand filter, and is dissolved there. Just make sure you run the pump for a couple hours. In flowing water the granules dissolve pretty fast as I sometimes get a little lazy/sloppy and some granules wind up laying in the skimmer housing in flowing water. It is soon gone.
Al

[kjmelak]

Thank you for all your replies. Your right, I don't really need to raise CH with a vinyl liner. I know it may cost a little more (I haven't done the calculation yet, but I like the idea of just adding a few ounces to superchlorinate instead of having to lug gallons of bleach.

I also learned quickly to wear old clothes when mixing the cal-hypo/water solution!

[CarlD]

Can't argue with that logic. The problem with Tri-Chlor, Di-Chlor and Cal-Hypo is that they all add something you eventually don't want any more of. Bleach doesn't.

What I do is buy the 12.5% blue carboys and mix it half and half with water in my old gallon bleach jugs. Less hauling that way, I reuse jugs, and I get 10 gallons of 6.25% for about $16 or $17.

[kjmelak]

Thanks, CarlD. Next season I'll probably switch to buying large carboys of bleach.

Also, thanks CarlD for your pool closure guidelines in the Fall Preparation section. It is without a doubt that I opened up to a crystal clear pool this spring because of your advice!

[CarlD]

Thanks, CarlD. Next season I'll probably switch to buying large carboys of bleach.

Also, thanks CarlD for your pool closure guidelines in the Fall Preparation section. It is without a doubt that I opened up to a crystal clear pool this spring because of your advice!

You mean all that stuff I wrote actually WORKED?????

DANG!!!!!!

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(J/K--thanks for the kind words!)

[mrrudedog]

What I do is buy the 12.5% blue carboys and mix it half and half with water in my old gallon bleach jugs. Less hauling that way, I reuse jugs, and I get 10 gallons of 6.25% for about $16 or $17.

Hey there y'all. This is my second year of forum use and using Ben's test kit and I'm getting more and more comfortable with the BBB method. I've read a ton of posts, but do not know what a "blue carboy" is or where I might purchase them. Any help would be appreciated as my 40k vinyl pool in TN eats up the bleach even when everything is in spec.

Thanks,
Ray

[CarlD]

OK,
Lots of pool stores sell liquid chlorine (same as bleach only usually 12.5% solution) in 5 gallon blue drums ("carboys"). The drums can be square or round, but square is better. You put a deposit on the drum the first time you buy it, then return the drum when it's empty and don't pay another deposit. Lots of pool stores use the square drums--at least 3 in my area --and they are all the same so you can use them anywhere. But only one uses the round ones.

But if you get a carboy, it's far easier if you buy the spigot that goes on them. They are about $4. and worth every nickel!

The only thing is that 12.5% breaks down far faster than 6% so unless you dilute it down, it will break down, unless kept cool and out of the sun.

Still, you can test it by add one ml of Liquid chlorine to 10 liters of plain water. (one ml can be gotten from a used up kid's medicine dropper for tylenol or lil' noses. 10 liters is simply 5 2-liter soda bottles worth).

Whatever your reading is will be the concentration. So if you read 10ppm, your concentration is 10%