Another newbie

[pollywog1]

So I am coming from having our local pool company service my IG vinyl 16 x32, 21000gal, pool w/ sand filter to doing it all myself. They really overcharged me this season to open the pool because I told them I was planning on doing my own weekly service. So instead of having them test the water and recommend the chemicals I am starting with you guys!
The water is crystal clear at about 80 degrees. This am after adding a gallon of bleach last night I got ( with My Taylor test kit).Pool is in direct sun all day. Jets are semi-aerating

FC=1.2
CC=.2
PH 7.6
CYA less than 30
TA=80
CH=0? never turned red stayed purple/blue
I am having a hard time keeping FC so I am keeping Tri pucks in floating dispenser.
Words of wisdom please

[Watermom]

Hi, Pollywog and welcome! Your numbers look pretty good except you need more chlorine. In a pool this size, each gallon of bleach will add just about 3ppm of cl. (Remember, most bleach is sold in 3 quart jugs and a gallon is 4 quarts.) Since your CYA is low, your cl is not going to stay long in your pool. I'd go ahead and put in two gallons. You probably need to test morning and evening while your cya is low and make sure you don't let your cl get too low. You can either keep a puck in there to let the cya slowly build or just add some cya. Either way. Try to get it around 40 or so.

CH reading doesn't really matter since your pool is vinyl.

Curious - what did you use for chlorine last year? And, by any chance, do you know what your cya reading was when you closed the pool last fall?

Hope this helps.

[pollywog1]

Not sure what anything was last year as they did it all. On my bills they charged for granular chlorine,chlorine pucks( not sure if di or tri) and algacide most of the time. When they opened they charged me for algaecide and granular chlorine which assume was shock.

If I get my CYA up to 40 how often do you think I will be adding bleach? Can I add it to the skimmer( nothing else is in there) or is it better to pour in front of jets? Am i right to assume the bleach will fade the liner but not degrade it? Does FC stay longer if the pool is covered during the day while at work? Sorry so many ???? Thanks in advance. you guys are the BBBest!

[Watermom]

I keep my cya around 40 and I usually add a little bleach every day or at least every other day. I add mine to the skimmer --- slowly. Other people add it in front of a return jet. Either way is ok. Some people say not to put it in the skimmer but the flow of water quickly takes it into the pool so it has never been a problem for me. Poconos also puts his in the skimmer.

Bleach will not fade a liner any faster than any other source of chlorine will. It is actually not as strong a chlorine as some types are. Liquid chlorine sold by a pool store is usually 10-12% sodium hypochlorite and bleach is only 6%. People just associate bleach with fading because in the laundry it will fade or bleach out clothes. So that is what usually gives bleach the 'bad rap' for pool use. Not true.

And, yes, usually a covered pool will not lose chlorine as quickly as a covered pool. But, if you shock, you don't want your cover on because the fumes can damage the cover.

[PBLsQuad450]

Hi, Polly! I'm no mod for sure, but I would encoourage you to get CYA and add it yourself so you know exactly how much you are adding. You can calculate the amount per puck, and it is in threads here, but doing it seperately will give you quicker control and be more precise. Trichlor is a pool stores dream. This is from experience.

[pollywog1]

Yes that is what I am leaning to, just afraid I will go to far so since my kit only goes as low as 30 I know its less than that. I will say it is at 20 and I want to go to 40 so from the poolcalculator it says I should add 138 oz of liquid or 56 oz solid. I would prefer liquid.

So do I pour it straight into the skimmer( or dilute with pool water) or throughout the pool? Since my Cl is low should I chlorinate or stablize first? I was thinking of chlorinating tonight and then stabilizing in the am. Any thoughts?

[Watermom]

I would add less than you think it is going to take. Can always add more if you need it but can't remove it without a partial drain. I have never used the liquid so I'm not sure about adding it. Read the directions on the label. But, if you use the granular, you can either put it in an old sock and hang it in front of a return jet or pour it into the skimmer and let it dissolve in your filter. If you do it the second way, don't backwash for up to a week to be sure to give it enough time to dissolve.

It won't hurt to ahead and add both cl and stabilizer tonight. But, if you decide to only do one, do the chlorine tonight.

[pollywog1]

So I bought my granular CYA,poured it in a sock( all 3lbs) and have it dangling in front of the jet near the stairs. How long should I let it hang for. It seems from other posts that it will take forever to dissolve right? My CYA was at 0-20. Would removing it after 24hrs be ok and then testing in another 24 hrs? I will let the sock soak in a pail of pool water until I think I need it again.

[Watermom]

If it looks like a lot of it has been dissolved I guess you could go ahead and test for it but it typically takes awhile to dissolve. Sometimes up to a week.