CLOROX and BAKING SODA

[debra123]

I am new to this forum and have been reading a lot of comments where Clorox and Baking Soda are used instead of Chlorine. Can anyone tell me how much of what to use and when. I have a 24' on top of the ground pool that has been dug out in the middle to make it 5-1/2' deep in the middle. It holds about 13,000 gallons. I have heard other people talking about using these before instead of the expensive chemicals but have never heard anyone say excatly how much to use. I appreciate any help you can give to me.

[THETOOLMAN]

good post I hoper you get a few answers I am interrested in this also. But Don't get discouraged this forum is slow on the help side . they might come around.

[Me...]

You buy a good test kit and put in as much chemical as you need to maintain the right levels.

As for expensive pool store chemicals, many are formulated for pools. Liquid chlorine for example is about 12% and store bleach is about 5%. You can buy your Alkalinity Up/Sodium BiCarb/Arm & Hammer in little boxes at the grocery, little containers in the pool store or 25KG bags in the pool store. 25KG bags are cheap in comparison.

Pool Store chemicals also usually come with a free built in help system.

[debra123]

You buy a good test kit and put in as much chemical as you need to maintain the right levels.

As for expensive pool store chemicals, many are formulated for pools. Liquid chlorine for example is about 12% and store bleach is about 5%. You can buy your Alkalinity Up/Sodium BiCarb/Arm & Hammer in little boxes at the grocery, little containers in the pool store or 25KG bags in the pool store. 25KG bags are cheap in comparison.

Pool Store chemicals also usually come with a free built in help system.

Thanks so much for your help. This gives me something to go with. I am still battling trying to get it clear right now. Every time I put chemicals in, it rains again and the pool store just tells me that everything is OK except I have no chlorine. I am going to order my own Test Kit today.

[chem geek]

Please get yourself a good test kit as described here. You can get the Taylor K-2006 for a good online price here or the TF100 from tftestkits.net here with the latter kit having 36% more volume of reagents so is less expensive per test. You can also learn more about maintaining your pool at the Pool School including more about BBB.

[soaper]

http://www.havuz.org/pool-calculators.htm
this calculator will help you with the amounts to add of baking soda etc, get a good test kit or some test strips work fine.
I tend to use stabilized tablets for first half of pool year and switch to unstable liquid in second half as the CA gets higher.

[chem geek]

Another online calculator is The Pool Calculator and it also accurately calculates the calcite saturation index in addition to chemical dosing.

[tjay32369]

First off you can not substitute baking soda for chlorine. Baking soda is usually added when PH levels are too low. I have an above ground pool and thanks to the help of my local pool company my pool stays beautiful. I do a once a week shock treatment followed by 1 lb stabilizer, I also keep 2 3" tabs in the floatie at all times. I check Chlorine and PH daily. Only when PH is low do I add baking soda , I use 1lb and then check the next day. I have heard of people using bleach for their pool but it is not recommended. Find a local pool company and go there to buy your shock treatment. I was using some from my local stores but they were not working. Some contain high copper and other such ingredients. You can go to your local Wal-mart or pool company for a test kit that will check Chlorine and PH. They are inexpensive. Hope I was able to help.
Tina Jay

[chem geek]

Tina Jay,

I hope you are using an algaecide or phosphate remover or that your phosphate levels are naturally very low or that your pool has lots of dilution of water (from backwashing and rain overflow, for example). Otherwise, you may be in for a nasty surprise when your Cyanuric Acid (CYA aka stabilizer or conditioner) rises. The following are chemical facts that are independent of concentration or size of pool:

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.
For every 10 ppm FC added by Cal-Hypo, it also increases Calcium Hardness (CH) by 7 ppm.

Some simple math shows that even at a low 1 ppm FC per day chlorine usage, Trichlor will add over 100 ppm to CYA in 6 months if there is no water dilution. Higher CYA levels make chlorine proportionately less effective to the point where algae can grow if the FC is less than roughly 5% of the CYA level.