On the basis of running a pool roughly your size for 12 yrs, once the chlorine level was balanced, two big ‘hockey puck’ tablets a week in a floating dispenser worked just fine. To get the pool up/running after your refill, it’ll probably turn green first. Add chlorine granules in varying quanities - starting with 1kilo - until this disappears. Then invest in one of the little testing kits - costs under €10- that lets you accurately test the pool water for chlorine and PH. This will tell you whether the levels are high/low…and you can adjust chlorine accordingly until the readings stablise at around 1 or 2 parts-per-million. (About the same as tap water)
Algae might be an issue at some point. Eliminate by dumping in 2.5k of chlorine granules…setting your spider control - if you have one - to ‘Recirculate’ (if you don’t, just run as normal) and let it run overnight. I found a copper ioniser - abt 120€ - was pretty good at inhibiting algae growth and stabilising PH. Didn’t stop algae entirely…but drastically lessened the need for chemical treatments.
Ultra-violet and salt systems do away with the need for chlorine entirely, but having used both at some point, as they’re expensive to install/run/maintain, reluctantly had to finally admit that chlorine - if used properly - was a cheaper and just as reliable an option.
Wow! It’s been quite a while since we have had a poster talk complete nonsense with a lack of pool chemistry understanding.
The main reason the pool world doesn’t move forward with correct information is people will not let go of the wrong information.
Tap water doesn’t contain 1-2ppm of chlorine.
Don’t go “dumping” anything in a pool.
Spider control, that’s the multiport or backwash valve.
Little testing kit, (OTO) that tests for total chlorine not free.
Ionisers are tricky to manage properly, they do work to reduce chlorine if set correctly as they are an algaecide.
Salt systems do not “do away with chlorine” chlorine is created locally from the salt solution in the pool, exactly the same chlorine!
UV systems do not “do away with chlorine” you still need a primary sanitiser in the water to keep it safe.
What do you use for testing CYA stabiliser? With those figures it’s a little surprising you are adding pH +. Parts of the Dordogne have TA around 27ppm and hardness around 47ppm but do not suffer falling pH apart from after heavy storms and as heavy storms means more chlorine required it usually sorts it’s self out due to the sodium hydroxide left over from the manufacturing process.
I thought tap water was less than 1ppm and usually under 0.5.
We had noticed our chlorine was quite high in the pool and realised the galets were dissolving quickly due to the hot weather so the pool was getting a lot of chlorine in a day. Added to that as we haven’t had any visitors yet our cover was on the pool longer and the chlorine wasn’t burning off.
Yes tap water is usually 0.5ppm or a bit less.
Yes with your cover on you will keep the pool at shock level, what we are trying to achieve is building the CYA stabiliser level as well as stopping any algae. If you had visitors and the cover is off you’ll have the reverse, trying to keep the chlorine level.
For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) added by Trichlor, it also increases Cyanuric Acid (CYA) by 6 ppm.
For every 10 ppm FC added by Dichlor, it also increases CYA by 9 ppm.
Thanks guys for the advice will take on board x our pump is on a lower level than the pool and the pool is in ground x am going to invest in better test kit and have put in big chlorine tablets x
I use the same aquachek 7 for the CYA, I know it’s not the most accurate but it suits for my set up (they seem a lot more accurate than some though). Our tap water is quite acidic, as is the river water - not that we are allowed to use either at the moment. Had 120mm of rain Friday to Sat so pool topped up, cleaned, backwashed and pH adjusted.
Sadly Mark although you may get a reaction on the CYA tab it’s unlikely to be meaninful. I have measured pools at 180 and 200ppm of CYA and the strips showed 30-50ppm
Interested in your tap water being acidic or testing acidic with aquachek? If the tap water supply is acidic and not near neutral your plumbing will be corroding on your home and street supplies and it would be a matter for the Mairie.
Just a very basic phenol red pH test is way more accurate. When and if I have time i could look at the level of acid reuire to give the pH of your tap water versus the level of ALK and CH as something just doesn’t seem to ring true.
Not sure wher you are but if you send me a water sample I would be happy to test it for you.
I use calibrated pH meter, not the test strip for ph, tap water is usually just under 7 (ok, only slightly acidic), rain and river water more acidic, maybe 6.5.
I don’t have any problems with my pool, I use javel once a week to try to keep the CYA levels down, only ever had a problem once, about 12 years ago with cloudy water. Thanks for the offer anyway.
Sorry Mark, yes you did say a pH meter. It is the anomalies I like! that’s where I learn most The Dordogne house I mentioned earlier was just such an anomaly and lead to the lower ALK testing for vinyl pools. 35 mins drive the water was completely different.
Upping your hardness and ALK a little should alleviate the need for the pH+ Try disolving some chaux blanche and adding to the pool.
Yup…you’re absolutely right. Looking back, must’ve been a miracle that nobody died of some unspeakable disease from swimming in this sludgepit…or that the lining didn’t melt because of my mismanagement. Lucky to have got away with it…and for 12 years too…
I am not disputing your 12 years but you did post incorrect information so you will have to expect me to correct you or anyone else who posts in order to straighten out misunderstandings.
You could try dropping the sarcasm as it doesn’t work for me. Who knows you may learn something.
Hi John
Still no luck with contact via email . The burden of my song is : how can I source a new liner for a Piscinelle pool without it costing me a fortune , how can I store the pool water as we have restrictions and what is the procedure for removing the old liner without causing damage to the pool sides and bottom ? Nick
The Dordogne house I mentioned earlier was just such an anomaly and lead to the lower ALK testing for vinyl pools. 35 mins drive the water was completely different.
