Joe L

Well yes as far as the original question, it's hard to compare as I wasn't testing cya myself before. So FC levels wouldn't mean a lot. And the FC levels do seem to be consistent now that I've got things above 30ppm cya. As far as the trichlor pucks being suspect? That's still a possibility as I've been still using them a bit, but the cya has been constant except for when adding granular cya. So while I can't say for sure about the cover being worse, it wasn't my problem ultimately. But it would be nice to see any data-spec's from the cover makers on this. JL

Yes thanks for the comments guys, the 16oz cya reagent is just over $9 but $20 to ship. Adding a second bottle barely changes the shipping by a couple bucks max , so I think I'll wait til I know if there's another thing or two I might need. And the comment about the FAS-dpd powder is a good one as that might be one I need as well. I sure like the accuracy though of that kit. That and being introduced to the BBB thing this season really is an eye opener. JL

Just so you know Richard, it was low cya levels. Very low. JL

Sorry but I couldn't find the thread I read a while back about adding some salt to a standard chorine pool. Not SWG. I picked up a bag of water softener salt from H Depot, I think it's around the proper 99% ratio. I have an inground vinyl liner pool 80,000 litres. How much salt should I add, and how? Dissolve it in buckets and pour in, or in the skimmer? Does it matter much? Btw, I do use some Trichlor, Cal Hypo, but am moving to to the BBB as well. Sand filter. TIA JL

Well as a new user of the Taylor test kit K-2006 (but not a new pool owner) the only one that bugs me is that the cya test uses a lot more reagent than the other tests. It'll be gone way before anything else is even partially used. Considering that my cya levels were too low last year-and non existent at the start of this season, it's what I need to watch. And as I'm just getting it up past 30ppm, I do want to watch it so I don't add too much stabilizer. I did take in a couple samples to a local pool store so I wouldn't use all my cya reagents right off the bat, and considering the price they overcharged charged me for stabilizer, I should get a few tests out of them. Their tests did seem accurate though. The problem with ordering the reagents is that I'm in Canada and PoolCenter wants more for shipping than the reagents, so I'll have to do a little searching for a domestic supplier, or wait to order several things at once. But I am happy with the Taylor kit though and knowing my chemistry better. Just wish I'd have known to order extra cya 0013 with the kit. JL

Yeah I know, I worded that wrong. I was just commenting on the reasons for topping up, as none of them exist in isolation. Also I wasn't thinking of the rainwater picking up possible nasty chemicals or whatever from the shingles, good point. So I guess that idea is out. Just trying to be more efficient with the resources I already have. Again, thanks for all the comments and sharing of knowledge. Once I get my new test kit and try some of the tips I'm sure it's gonna be a far better season. JL

Sometimes it just depends on the sales guy you get. I usually do check the FAQ's, shipping, policy pages though pretty quick if I see something with a good price. And I didn't see anything about Canada on their site, just a note about international orders, and there wasn't any exclusions that I recall. So I phoned them and it did take a while though to figure out the shipping cost. Btw, probably should hijack the thread too much, but I've read a lot about the CYA being diluted by rainwater, seasonal refilling, and topping up due to filter backwashing, evaporation,, etc. That all fits me as I'm in a northern climate that freezes and I also use a sand filter. This started me thinking about rainwater again. But (getting to the question in a long way) after talking to a local pool co who installed a new liner a while back, I asked if I should utilize the melted snow from my winter cover, or rainwater off a nearby garage and he said that I'd have tons of chemical problems using that water. Is it a good idea to use any collected rainwater, or just use tap water for any topping up? Of course when I get my kit I'll do some tests on some rainwater I collect in a basin for the garden, but there might be minerals I can't test for as well. Opinions? TIA. JL

Hmm, my reply for this didn't post, I'll go again. Found a supplier (PoolCenter.com) that does ship to Canada, and the k-2006 was $59.90, one of the better prices I'd seen online. Shipping a little pricey, but so far the best deal I could find. What I didn't 'get' is the pricing (before shipping ) from Apollo was $144 cad, which is over double the cost considering the exchange rate right now is; $1.17cad = $1usd. That's a common thing here in that we really do have to do our homework as many products (esp pool related) don't reflect the exchange rate and seem to be gouging. It's not the actual cost most the time, but I really don't like supporting business' that do this. I'm also a musician, and there is wild pricing variations in that industry as well. Some local dealers are actually better than the US price when factoring in exchange, but you can't assume anything and usually have to check. Again, thanks for your help. I've been reading quite a bit of previous posts (here and as well in TFP) and I'm getting a sense that it's gonna be a good season this year with me 'upping' my pool chemistry IQ. I really do see that I've been relying way too much on the stabilized pucks. JL

Yes I realized that I'm gonna need a better kit than the basic OTO - PH and test strips that I've been using. I ordered the TF kit last night , only to find out that they canceled my order cause they don't ship to Canada. I'll check out the other link, I don't see any shipping stipulations and the pricing is better. Might though be better in the long run to find a Canadian supplier, as depending on the shipping company they tend to charge bogus 'clearing customs' fees even though there is no actual duty on the product. UPS is the worst here, Fed Ex & USPS a lot better. Thanks for the tips. JL

Thank you for the link, I don't have the pool open yet (I will this month as our season starts) but I will keep a better eye on the stabilizer level. Actually there seems to be a wealth of info there, thanks. Bear with me. Are you saying that because of more sunlight going through the clear cover, the extra UV's are killing more FC, so I add more pucks to replace that, and I'm just chasing my tail as that increases the stabilizer but reduces the FC efficiency. So what I should be doing, along with better testing, is to add more non-stabilized chlorine (such as bleach) so I don't increase the CYA levels too high? Rather than just tossing an extra puck in the skimmer. JL

Sorry in advance if this has been covered, I'm new here. I've got an inground vinyl 32' x 16' pool and replaced the solar blanket late in last years season with a slightly heavier clear one. I've been using standard blue solar blankets for years and was told (by a sales dept) that I shouldn't see a dramatic change in chemical usage. That wasn't the effect however that I observed. I seemed to have a much harder time keeping stabilized chlorine levels up without using a lot more pucks and needed to babysit it much more frequently. So, was I mislead on the clear solar blanket, or could my chemicals be suspect? As the season is upcoming, do I need to consider going back to the blue blanket, trying fresh pucks, both, or even something else. I did get more free heat via the clear cover, but kept the water temperature in the same range as I normally do, around 80 -84F. I'm located in Edmonton Alberta, if that makes any difference. TIA