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is there any other way to do it,or better then the rip off chlorine tablets ??
there has to be a cheaper way to keep a pool maintained and be safe to swim.
I have sucessfully avoided owning a pool for a few years, but we used to have a service that came on a regular basis and stuck a hose in and gave it a dose of some kind of gas. I'll research it and get back to you.
Heh. A pool will cost a minimum of $600/yr. on maintenance. You can pay it in chemicals, you can pay it for a service, you can not pay it and have it bite you the next year, you can buy a chlroine generator and fill the pool with salted water and pay for the generator and power, but a pool will cost a minimum of $600/yr. That is why I will never have a pool again.
is there any other way to do it,or better then the rip off chlorine tablets ??
there has to be a cheaper way to keep a pool maintained and be safe to swim.
Don't buy from home depot or pool supply places. Learn what chemicals you need and buy them in bulk. Did you know when you pay $2 for a gallon of bleach you pay $2 for <1% chlorine and 99% for water.
When you learn the chemicals you actually need to solve the problem then you won't need to pay for the extras. Those tablets contains stabilizer which, as you add them, builds up in the pool and makes the chlorine even less effective. The only way to remove stabilizer, besides the sun, is to drain the pool and add fresh water.
Actually those tabs are probably cheaper than the alternatives. For several years I tried an alternative but it was complicated and costly, so I returned to tabs. This year though I am really struggling with it. We have had a lot of rain and I just can't get the water fully clear. This is probably more the filter's fault since I did not change the sand this year and it was really due. Oh well there is only a few more weeks of use this year here. Jay
I don't have a "real" pool, just one of those inflatable Walmart things for the grandkids to play in, but it DOES hold 2200 gallons of water, which means I can't just drain it and refill it when they come over. So, I'm in the pool maintenance business just as surely as someone with an olympic size monster.
The only chemical I use in it, normally, is Chlorox bleach. I've had it sitting out on the patio for 2 months now and haven't had even a hint of problems with it. I test it every day with a simple pool tester, checking the PH and looking for free Chlorine and that's all I do to it. If the PH starts to creep up, I either drain some out and replace it with fresh tap water (not an option for big, in ground pools) or add a little murietic acid. If it goes too far down, a little baking soda. No problem and very little expense. I also pump it regularly and keep the filter clean.
The point is that it doesn't HAVE to be a major operation and it doesn't HAVE to bankrupt you.
Actually those tabs are probably cheaper than the alternatives. For several years I tried an alternative but it was complicated and costly, so I returned to tabs. This year though I am really struggling with it. We have had a lot of rain and I just can't get the water fully clear. This is probably more the filter's fault since I did not change the sand this year and it was really due. Oh well there is only a few more weeks of use this year here. Jay
It's the cyanuric acid (stabilizer). What are your readings when you test it? The stabilizer doesn't go away unless the sun beats down on it. Most of the time as you use those tabs over time it builds up in the pool and eventually makes the chlorine useless.
I don't have a "real" pool, just one of those inflatable Walmart things for the grandkids to play in, but it DOES hold 2200 gallons of water, which means I can't just drain it and refill it when they come over. So, I'm in the pool maintenance business just as surely as someone with an olympic size monster.
The only chemical I use in it, normally, is Chlorox bleach. I've had it sitting out on the patio for 2 months now and haven't had even a hint of problems with it. I test it every day with a simple pool tester, checking the PH and looking for free Chlorine and that's all I do to it. If the PH starts to creep up, I either drain some out and replace it with fresh tap water (not an option for big, in ground pools) or add a little murietic acid. If it goes too far down, a little baking soda. No problem and very little expense. I also pump it regularly and keep the filter clean.
The point is that it doesn't HAVE to be a major operation and it doesn't HAVE to bankrupt you.
Muriatic acid will bring the pH down. You can buy a bottle from home depot. Do a very little at a time. Go to a pool store and buy one of those kits that tell you pH, alkalinity, stabilizer or cyanuric acid and calcium. You can adjust pH with the acid to bring it down. The alkalinity is done with baking soda. the stabilizer isn't really needed but it helps the chlorine to stay in the pool longer and not burn off when the sun hits it and the calcium is calcium chloride or common table salt.
Your goal is to try and get it to calculate to 0.00 which means the water is not acid or scale forming. It gives you a good base line and how much to add of each chemical. If you keep the pH between 7.2 and 7.8 and the alkalinity around 80-120 along with the calcium level near 250-300 your water, as long as you have a good filter and good circulation will always be clear. The free chlorine is the amount of chlorine available to kill bacteria and other things like algae.
there has to be a cheaper way to keep a pool maintained and be safe to swim.
Well of course there is...
Swim in someone else's pool!
And remember boys and girls- keep the water IN the pool; it's expense!
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