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First time post as new to the hot tub world. Thanks in advance for any help you can give. I own 4 rentals with hot tubs at each one that I have recently started maintaining myself. The previous guy who took care of the hot tubs for us used the frog @ease smartchlor cartridges in one of the floating devices you can buy with the mineral cartridge as well. They seem to work good and allow me a little flexibility on when I have to service them but I go through one about every 10-14 days at roughly $20 a pop. I am all about saving money and I was thinking I could use a silicone plug and drill a hole in these and reuse them if I can find the chemicals they have in them. It shows the active ingredients as 1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethydantoin 81.1% and 1,3-dichloro-5-ethyl-5-methythydantoin 16.1% and "other ingredients" as 2.8%. I think I read that right but it is really small print and I have a hard time reading regular print anymore. Does anyone know if there is another name for this stuff and where I might find it? I was trying to google it and wasn't having much luck.

Moved into home with small above ground pool 2500 gal from Amazon. Been adding chlorine tabs to skimmer basket and shocking every week or so. No issues. Just today added new tablets and later tested pool water, realized tablets in this container are Bromide not chlorine. Pool test zero for free chlorine. Kids in it yesterday for little bit, pool temp 70 degreesF. Can I shock with chlorine shock tonight? Should I restart with chlorine tabs tomorrow? Take bromide out before shocking? Help!

Hello there, I am in the process of changing our Sundance Constance hot tub from baqua to chlorine. I have done a safeguard spa flush, drained, replaced filters and just added chlorine to start the super chlorination process. I have read that I need to add enough chlorine to maintain 20ppm for a period of time. One article says 60 minutes, another says 72 hours. Any advice on the timing? Also, the high level of chlorine sent the ph balance through the roof and the total alkalinity to zero. Do I need to adjust these levels now or just let them be since I will be draining the tub after the super chlorination. Thank you so much!!

Hi, I have recently successfully switched to the dichlor-then-bleach approach thanks to the awesome help and information on this forum. Everything is going great, the only thing is I have a spa with ozonator (can't control it) and the FC is used up pretty rapidly. So I need to check my FC everyday and add bleach to increase it to for example 6ppm. So, this got me thinking.. Why isn't there an easier way (except for saltwater chlorine generators or expensive tools) to dose liquid chlorine into the pool automated? I mean, this could be a really simple device. Something like a water proof floater on batteries which automatically injects for example 0.5oz of contents (in my case 12,5% bleach) into the tub every X hours. That way I could maintain a proper FC level for way longer times without active maintenance. Just curious if someone knows if there is already a simple device that does this. PS. I cannot use a chlorine feeder which I manually have to put somewhere in my filtration system because I have a Jacuzzi and I cannot access those parts. So a simple device like a floater would be ideal. I am not sure if many spa owners are looking for something like this, but I think it might be a great little gadget for every spa/hottub/Jacuzzi owner.

Hello, Everyone. This salt / chlorine generation has been a nightmare since buying my home with an inground pool 4 years ago. (Salt, 28k gallon, gunite, 2 skimmers, 1hp super pump, DE hayward pro-grid filter). My issues are around chlorine generation. The salt system is an older Mineral Springs MS-10 Control Panel with software version (r 1.40). I just bought a brand new $900 Hayward salt cell (TCELL 940) a couple hrs ago. I have flow, I have power, I have all chemicals in, water tested, all good -- yet the following issues are present: When I turn Control Panel off, and then switch back up to Auto (on), all green lights are activated and system is generating/working. 5 minutes pass and then I hear a single click noise inside the Panel and then the Green Light next to "Generating Sanitizer" disappears. So I don't believe it's Generating anymore. Secondly, Check Minerals gets lit up Red. Thirdly, inspect cell gets lit up solid Orange (not blinking, and when I hold the selection button down for 3-4 seconds, it doesn't turn off, like I read it should). So not sure what this is all about? Could the older control panel not be compatible with the new salt cell? (Think of hooking together a computer from 2005 with parts from today, 2020; compatibility may be an issue?) Also, what setting do I need to choose on the Control Panel. AL-0, AL-1, AL-2, AL-3, AL-4, AL-5? Perhaps the software version (r 1.40) isn't compatible, either? I don't know. Maybe time to just buy a new Control Panel from the year 2020? I'm sooo tempted to just bulldoze and fill this pool in, and plant some pepper & squash plants! If anyone can lend a minute of assistance, it would be SOOO APPRECIATED! Your Fellow American, David

I need help! I've stumped multiple hot tub "experts" with this problem and am driving myself crazy! My hot tub will not hold chlorine, no matter what I do. After putting in the proper amount of chlorine and getting a proper reading (between 3-5ppm free chlorine), within one hour, the reading is back down to zero (for both free chlorine and total chlorine). Here are details on my levels, equipment and usage: Hot tub is always covered except when in use. (outdoor tub) I regularly use shock, typically right after every use. I've tried both chlorine and non-chlorine shock. Only 2 people (me and my husband) regularly use the hot tub, about 2 times a week. No children have ever been in the hot tub. Alkalinity and pH levels are in range. (Alkalinity: 85 ppm, pH: 7.4 ppm) My cyanuric acid level is in range. (94 ppm) Total hardness is in range. (200 ppm) Metal levels are in range. (0 ppm) I've tested these levels myself using test strips AND at two different pool/spa stores that provide water analysis. Here's what I've already tried: I have done TWO spa flushes and drains with Oh Yuk Hot Tub Cleaner. I followed all the instructions and even let it sit overnight for the "stubborn contaminants" treatment found on Oh Yuk's website. After draining, I also thoroughly cleaned the shell and the cover. I also thoroughly cleaned my filter by soaking in LeisureTime Filter Clean and spraying off with a hose. After draining and flushing with Oh Yuk, I attempted to switch to bromine, hoping to have better results. I had the same issue. I followed instructions exactly for bromine too. Used shock and sodium bromide to activate the bromine. Bromine levels still would be down to zero within an hour. I did another drain and flush before switching back to chlorine. I have tried to superchlorinate by bringing chlorine level to approximately 100pm. The levels still drop extremely quickly. With an initial reading of over 10ppm (the highest test strips go), the levels were back down to 0 within three hours. Attempted to use a phosphate remover, but the level actually went higher after using the remover. I've been told by spa dealers that phosphates don't really affect water chemistry though because they are so small (parts per billion!). Hot tub details: 250 gallons Water's Edge Spa, LeCirc Sanitizer: Chlorine, LeisureTime Spa 56. I follow LeisureTime's instructions for the proper amount, which equals 1 tsp for a 250 gallon tub. But I've also tried using more as recommended by my hot tub dealer (approximately 3 tablespoons) but it still disappears within a couple of hours. Typical temperature: 103 F Purchased brand new less than one year ago (July 2020) Does anyone have ANY ideas?! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Is circulating the pool during the hottest part of the day the best way? I was just wondering if circulating pool in heat of day (100 degrees here in Texas) would actually burn off more chlorine? Do you think running it at night and letting pool sit still during heat of day would be better? Just curious of. others opinions. Thanks John

Greetings: I have a small, 210 gallon hot tub with ozone on the way, so I need to figure out sanitization. It would seem that “Nitro’s Approach to Water Maintenance” remains the Gold Standard here, even though it was written 11 years ago. If you spend any time at all searching for best spa sanitizer systems, you’ll come across a plethora of more recent advancements such as salt water systems, mineral systems, enzyme systems, etc. that all claim to be less work and provide much better water while using less chemicals than Nitros’s method. Does this still remain the Gold Standard? For example, one thing Nitro doesn’t mention is how an ozone system might impact water balance and sanitation. Ozone systems seem to have also recently become something of a Gold Standard as well, so if you have an ozone system in your spa, does it mean you should adjust the parameters Nitro suggests, and if so, which ones, which direction, and by how much? Or perhaps is ozone simply another marketing thing like salt water, mineral filters, enzyme systems, etc.? My gut tells me that Nitro’s method is correct even 11 years later and was also pretty much the standard 10 years prior to Nitro publishing it. My gut also tells me you need chlorine to get rid of organics (I sweat so much) and that ozone will support that but is much better against pathogens, flora, and fauna. Please help educate this ignorant hillbilly prior to his tub arriving.

Good evening, I'm having a major problem with my free chlorine and wanted to come here before I give up and drain the thing. I've had this hot tub for about 2 months now and I was able to easily get my water chemistry all set. History: I am using the Frog system which is built into my hot springs. I tossed in some chlorine before taking a week vacation last week and now I'm home but can't seem to level it out. I noticed that Frog had emptied at some point during vacation and there was a slight BO smell to the water, but was clear and I did not see any buildup on the walls. I first noticed that my pH and alkalinity were extremely low. So I successfully brought those up to the proper values. My current Frog is empty for the Chlorine part, so I have more on order and have been supplementing with DiChlor. 2 nights ago I did a shock treatment to get my values set before taking a dip and noticed that my FC was 0. So I added a batch of dichlor and called it a night. I also soaked my filter in a solution overnight and made sure I rinsed it well before re-installing the next day. Last night, I went to take a dip and again, noticed the FC tanked to 0. This time, I did a super Chlor and brought the FC value up to 10ppm. Tonight, I came back for a dip and again, the FC was 0. My Total Chlorine is about 3ppm, Alkalinity is around 100, pH appears to be about 7.4, and hardness is around 250. What the heck is going on? I just did a super super chlorinate and brought my FC up to 20ppm and my TC was over the scale. Anyone experience this? I failed chemistry twice in college, but I'm excellent at following directions. My spa was purchased brand new, is a Hot Springs Relay, holds 345 gallons, and I keep it around 103 degrees. What can I do to fix this chemistry without draining, or is a drain the only way? Also, maybe a newb question, but what can I do to prevent this from happening again? Do I need to shock or chlorinate after each use? My current routine right now is check chemistry every few days since I think I can trust the Frog system, and before vacation, that was working well. Every few times I'd use the tub I'd toss in a shock treatment about 20 minutes before getting in.

Hi all, first time poster. So I had a hot tub growing up, but never really took part in the maintenance being a kid (although drainage and scrubbing was all on me 👌). That led to me wanting one again as an adult. I don't have a lot of room and I rent, so I found an mspa b141 "4 person" hot tub. (quotes because I can't even figure out how 4 people can actually fit it in! Not just space wise, the water almost overflows with 3!). That is an inflatable Hot tub for those wondering. So like most people, learning how to deal with balancing and water chemistry isn't instant, but through research and trial/error, I got the hang of it. I test my water fairly religiously and everytime before I go in, and manually clean debris + adjust chemistry as needed. The tub is apparently around 700L capacity. The last week or so however, I've been having a weird issue with free chlorine spiking. I use an aquachek digital tester and a standard test kit (adding chemicals to sample and comparing colors) as backup. The readings are accurate. I use chlorine tabs that are stabilized and they have worked perfectly, and the dosage is right. My ph is usually balanced, but tends to push towards the high 6s before I treat. Without adding a different dose or changing anything, I started getting free chlorine readings in the 7-9.8 range! Ph usually between 6.9-7.7, alkalinity around 100-130. I can bring it down by removing the chlorine tab floater, adding water, leaving it open for the sun etc.... But as soon as I put the chlorine back in, it will climb to those high levels within the day. I've shocked it with non chlorine shock which does not change the behaviour, and tried to put a less than recommended dose in. So I'm at a confused point here. This is free chlorine to be clear, and the numbers are apparently correct.

I know a little about maintaining my pool but just don't have the time so we recently hired a pool company to maintain it for us. I have heard how the stabilizer levels can rise from using the tablets and cause you to drain and refill your pool. The pool company told me that they come by once a week and do not use tablets, just liquid chlorine and that i did not have to add any throughout the week. Is that possible or am i being lied to because most people i talk to have to add liquid chlorine at least every 2-3 days?

Good morning, I just fired up my tub for the first time and have some chemistry questions. I failed chemistry in school so I am by no means a water chemist. However, I'm really good at following directions and finding the correct information and am having a little trouble finding a clear answer for my specific question. Details below. I received a couple items with the purchase of my new Hot Springs spa. I received the inline cartridges for the Frog system. I also received a startup kit for pro team spa. Talking to my dealer, they instructed me to follow the instructions for startup on the Pro team spa package, and then start the Frog system. So that's what I did, up until the Frog. I figured I'll want to get this down and understand it fully since I'll be doing this every 3 or 4 months with a water change. Here's the steps I took. Added Gentle Spa and let jets run for 20 minutes. According to description, Gentle Spa improves water condition and adds fragrance and moisturizers. Then I added Metal Magic which is supposed to remove iron, copper, silver, and excessive hardness. I let jets run for 20 minutes before moving on. The next couple steps is where I'm confused. I added a sanitizer as instructed(Di-Chlor) to my tub and waited 30 minutes. After that, it instructs me to shock the water using Multi Magic. A quick google search told me that Multi Magic is their shock treatment, but my bottle says oxidizing shock, so I added that as instructed and waited 20 minutes. After all this and before starting frog, I wanted to check my chemistry, so using a test strip, I found that my hardness, alkalinity, and ph were all good, although on the high side. My total chlorine was showing 10+ ppm and my free chlorine was showing 20+ppm. Does it sound correct that I added chlorine then right after that, shocked it? The bottle for the oxidizing shock says it's a non-chlorine shock, but I was certain that the Di-chlor I added was the correct amount. Should my chlorine numbers have jumped so high? How long does it take for those numbers to come down to a safe level? Once they're at a safe level, I'm assuming that I can put the frog system in and that will maintain my chlorine levels? Thanks in advance for the help! Short Side-bar: While the color strips are easy, I'm more of an exact number type of person. Are there any good digital testers for hottubs/pools that someone could recommend? I've seen a couple on Amazon but it looks like they get bad reviews and the readings are not consistent.

390 gal hot tub can’t measure free mchlorine. Added 5 scoops of R-0870 and still no pink. New Taylor kit and chemicals. Hot tub was unused for many months. Added multiple spoonfuls of Clorox pool and spa chlorinating granules and ran jets. Anything else I should do?

Help! My wife has TWICE gotten a bladder infection concurrent with about five-weeks-into the chlorine @Ease frog system's water in our Marquis tub. Coincidence? I've been shocking it -- with chlorine -- in small amounts WEEKLY, I've been cleaning the filters AND trying to bring down the PH and alkalinity (still a bit high) AND we have hard/high calcium water. We wash/shower meticulously to be squeaky clean before we use it -- we are THE ONLY two to use it -- and I'm mystified. Is it related to under-chlorination? Despite the Frog @ease cartridge system saying we DON'T have to worry about a thing? Do I have to shock it with chlorine before use each time? Switch to non-chlorine instead? (MPS?) Ditch the frog @ease system entirely?! I want it to be safe and fun for my wife, NOT a worry. Please help!?

I have a 6 month old Artesian Nevis spa which appears to have ozone and UV sanitizers installed since the lights for those are illuminated on the panel and there are little bubbles coming out from the footwell like the service tech at the dealer said there would be. I also have a Microsilk system which produces the tiny oxygen bubbles. When I got it, we filled according to instructions using a dichlor system. No issues and kept the chlorine pretty minimal, adding more after each use, since we always showered first and went in au natural. I had to go out of town for 3 months, so turned the heat down to 50 (although ambient temp was high enough to probably keep it at 65 at least) and switched to bromine floater with the nature 2 stick, which seemed to keep things nice the whole time. Drained and cleaned it, soaked the filters (which still looked brand new) in vinegar and water overnight, refilled and decided to try the Spa Frog system. I used the start up packet which came with the spa frog kit (PH and Alk and hardness all good) and dialed the bromine to where it was suggested. The next day, no bromine reading, so I figured I would stick the floater with bromine tabs in the tub to help it out since I had read about others needing to do this. Left it for a couple of hours with the floater open about an inch and took a soak. I don't remember testing the water before I got in, so i'm guessing I didn't! After soaking for 20 minutes (my max time) I did my usual routine of emptying my bladder and showering. Two things happened. My eyes burned like crazy in the shower once water hit them. I thought maybe I had gotten shampoo in them, but this was really painful and took ages to wash out with water and soothing eye drops. A few minutes later, my whole urinary tract was irritated and painful, radiating to my lower back. Saw the doctor since I was worried about a possible UTI, but nope. Just irritation and inflammation. So I am wondering what it is that triggered this. I don't seem to have a bacteria problem since the bromine levels seem to stay up well over two days without the floater in the tub and no use. I had used a bromine floater system in my last hot tub with no problems. Could it have been the start up packet chemicals that came with the Spa Frog? I didn't add any MPS until after I had gotten in that first time, so that wasn't it. Do people have a reaction to the silver in the frog system sometimes? I wear silver jewelry with no problems. Or was it likely that the bromine level was just too high after two hours of the floater plus the frog? I did leave the floaters in the tub with me for about 10 minutes, since they stayed in their own corner, but I know i should have probably taken them out. I was thinking about flushing, draining and refilling the tub and switching back to dichlor, but thought I would get some feedback before going through all that in case it's just chemicals that needed to burn off a bit. Thoughts?? Thanks! I am dying to get back in the spa but afraid to until I have some answers and a decision.

I've lived in Colorado for 4 years and got the wild hot tub hair for the star filled sky and yard. We're only gonna use it every other weekend and then treat and drain for a couple of weeks until next fill and reheat. There may be 3 to 4 soaking hours of use each refill, or 1 hour a day average over the weekends it's used. It has two paper filters and is a SaluSpa Realtree MAX-5 AirJet 4-Person Portable Inflatable Hot Tub Spa. I know ZERO about safe spa water so please tell me if this will do for upkeep if the water smells and looks OK when it's filled and used: 1. I've used it for first time this past weekend. I filled it Friday 4pm with 180 gallons of softened well water and put 2 fluid ounces of 8.25% liquid household bleach into it and let it heat up to 104 degrees F. This took 24 hours to heat up. I looked and smelled the water Saturday night 9pm and it seemed fine, maybe a slight hint of chlorine...either that or the new plastic smell from the tub construction. 3 people got in it for 45 minutes. I put the cover back on and then Sunday at 7pm I put another 2 fluid ounces of 8.25% chlorine bleach and used it again for 1 hour at 9pm, allowing it to breath for 15 minutes with the cover off before getting in. When finished I put the top on, turned the heat off, put 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of 8.25% bleach into it and let it circulate until next morning. I then drained the tub and pump/heater unit and let it dry as best I could in the dry Colorado shade. I rinsed and dried the paper filter elements that still looked very clean. 2. Will this treatment plan be okay ya think, as long as the water looks and smells clean or neutral? Do I need a testing kit for anything? I want to keep this as low maintenance as possible so I don't get tired of it. 3. Am I using too much or not enough 8.25% chlorine? I'm using slightly more (it says 1 teaspoon per 8 gallons drinking water) than the amount the EPA and CDC webpages say to use to make drinking water safe. I figured if it makes it drinkable it may be enough for my use type. If you can tell me the best and easiest way to tend to this little tub, used occasionally, I'd appreciate it a lot! For supplies, I have a Walmart nearby, and am an Amazon user also. Thank you! Andy

Hello All, Just a quick question regarding bleach. Clorox says their bleach has at least 6% sodium hypochlorite with a little sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate to help buffer the solution and help maintain the product performance for up to a year. (Read more at https://www.clorox.com/dr-laundry/bleach-101/#E5B4B0RpecGtxkbt.99) My wife bought some dollar store bleach, and it does not have the sodium hypochlorite %. I assume its weaker as it does not seem to be keeping my FC after I add the amount for 6% bleach in PoolMath. With my taylor k-2006 kit, can I determine the sodium hypochlorite %, or would that be a waste of chemicals to try? The simple answer is just buy the Clorox I know, but I am curious... Thanks, Byl

Hello Everyone. Reaching out here, in the hope of some of your wisdom and help pls. Guess what i did ? Yup. chlorine capsule escaped to the bottom of the above ground (bestway) pool. i didn't see it until the following morning. By then, the chlorine had burnt through (dissolved) top layer of the pvc liner. through to the mesh layer. i did panic, but actually it didn't see to be leaking much water since water pressure seemed to seal the other pvc layer, to the floor (ground). the affected area is about the size of my hand. i tried putting on those pvc repair patches. but they float off within an hour. water pressure when the pool is full seems to prevent much water leaking. but i really want to patch / cover up the area where the pvc top layer has dissolved. or to buy a large (1 foot square patch) and attach that. does anyone have any tips or suggestions ? ideally if i could just get a strong glue / adhesive to cover the abraissed area (when the pool is empty) then maybe ? i thought of even a strong silicon that you put around the bathrooms seals? but kids jump in the pool and so there feet i would assume would wear away the silicon. is there like a paint glue i cant jut put over the affected area, to give it a rubber seal ? (i'm intending on lifting up the pool, and putting another layer of plastic sheeting underneath so that water pressure again forces the pool liner into direct contact with a plastic flooring, prior to the ground. very much appreciate any thoughts. (i'm in south italy, and so dint have the abundance of DIY stores i'm sure you luck people have elsewhere) jez

So I just bought a hot tub and have been using it for about a week. I have never owned a hot tub or pool so I really don't have any knowledge of chlorine or maintaining water quality. I think I just realized that I am using the wrong type of chlorine according to the manual that came with my hot tub. I bought, and have been using "aqua chem optimum chlorinating granules." I have been checking my water quality regularly with test strips and I have been having a hard time maintaining my chlorine level. I just went back and read my owners manual and it said "a granulated sodium dichlor is recommended." It goes on to say "never use sodium trichlor in any form including a tablet." Well after reading the label on my aquachem I have discovered that it is sodium trichlor. My question is can I go buy some granulated sodium dichlor and add it to the water or do I need to drain and refill at this point? Thanks in advance for reading this.

My wife and I bought a Hot Spring hot tub back in August and have had consistent chlorine issues (or so we suspect) from the very beginning. Here are our basic specs... Hot Springs Pulse (400 gallons) Ozonator Silver Ion system We use our tub about 3-4 times a week and are very careful about lotions and long hair getting in the tub. Foam and cloudiness haven't been much of an issue. Our big issue is that once we add chlorine (or oxidizer for that matter), it is all but gone by the next day. Since we have an ozonator AND the silver ion system, what should our chloride level be? 3ppm is the acceptable level for a typical tub, but what about ours with these additional purification measures? We have been told that it can be lower. Is this true? If so, what ppm is our target? Our dealer has not been very helpful with our water chemistry to date. We seem to get different answers each time we take water samples in to be tested. Their answers always seem to involve more chemicals, which feels wrong based on our tub's systems, but we don't know what else to do. This should not be this hard. We have drained the tub once and have been cleaning our filter regularly. Help!

Thank you Steve from Caldera Spas for your input. We are currently using bromine tablets in a floater. I just took the floater out of the spa. You mentioned that the tablets can damage the shell of the spa. We will be switching to chlorine granuals. We will broadcast it into the spa. The spa should be running when we do this, is this correct? We will drain the spa when we do this. I wish the spa place where we bought the tablets told us this before we purchased them!! Also the chlorine is much more affordable than the bromine. Any other suggestions ?

I have had a swim spa for 8 years now. It's enclosed in a room specifically built for the spa. I am a swim instructor, I keep it heated and I use it year round. I have used Bromine in it since day 1. A week ago, a friend sent me an article about bromine and the hazards it has on your thyroid and the cancers that it causes. I had thyroid issues a few years ago, had part of my thyroid removed. My doctor never suggested that could be a problem, he knew what I did for a living, I spend 4-5 hours a day in my pool! I'm curious if anyone else has experienced thyroid problems. Just Google it. I'd really like to switch to another product, I'm using Chlorine now in the pool but I'd prefer something more natural, does anyone have any suggestions.

Sorry I'm on a break at work and don't have brand names, but I'll do the best I can to describe my problem. My pool has a small mesh filter attached to the end of the cleaner hose that fits in the pool wall. We have a lot of trees that drop debris in the fall and spring, and this filer gets plugged multiple times a day basically shutting down my pool cleaner. The trees aren't dropping as much now that it's summer, but the filter still gets clogged daily. Once I hose it out and replace it, the sweep works great. The problem is that I don't have time to do that every day, so my pool looks like Loc Ness. I talked with a buddy of mine who does pool service, but unfortunately is too busy to do a housecall for me, and he said that filter should only need a cleaning every couple of months. He said most only need semi or annual cleanings. He said this indicated something upstream in the pump that's broken. I'm a web developer not a pool guy. Can anyone suggest where I'd start? The pool is a lovely combination of green and brown algae now. I had the chemicals absolutely dialed in two weeks ago, but unless I clean that wall filter daily the chemicals go south on me. Thanks in advance - sleepydad

All, New member and would appreciate any help. A few weeks ago, we thought we had metal stains and tried to get them out. using local pool store advise, we let chlorine drop to zero and used the metal free etc with associated backwashing etc. Since then we have not been able to get the chlorine levels back up. We have dumped in whole lot of Chlorine over this time, raised the PH which had dropped etc. The current readings are Free Available Chlorine -0, Total Available Chlorine - 0, pH - 7.4, Total Alkanity 120, cyanuric acid 100, calcium hardness - 140, phosphate - 0, nitrates 5 ppm. A week ago, TC was 2, FC was 0.5 and we had 6.8pH. We live in North East and are running out of ideas. Inground 32000 gallon pool. Pool is clear and looks swimmable. Brown stains still there.....

Hi all, New to this forum. First post. I installed a 6000 gallon pool in my garden a few weeks ago. So im new to the world of pools also. Have been reading a lot of forums on pool chemistry. I think i understand the pool chemistry now. So i will tell a story and please correct me when im wrong, or feel free to add things if i left them out. So... Istalled 6000 gallon above-ground pool couple of weeks ago. Filled with tap water. Bought shock (unknown white powder ) from local pool guy and added to pool. Adding 2 tabs of stabilised chlorine and replacing when dissolved (about once a week). At first pH, chlorine and total alkalinity were fine. Then after a few weeks, the pH and TA were dropping, so I added sodium bicarbonate to pool until pH was around 7.5 and the TA was in the right zone (on the test strips). So i guess the chlorine tabs were dropping the pH of my unbuffered pool. Now I will keep using the chlorine tabs until the optimal level of stabiliser is reached in the pool. Now that my pool is buffered with the sodium bicarbonate, the pH should stay more or less level when using chlorine tablets. When the optimal level of stabiliser is reached, i will stop using the stabilised chlorine tablets and switch over to household bleach (without additives). This will increase my pH over time so will need to adjust with hydrochloric acid once in a while. Will the stabiliser in my pool (from the tabs) still be stabilising the chlorine (from the household bleach ) im now adding ? After a while, due to water loss (kids splashing etc), the stabiliser levels will be sub-optimal again, and i will need to use stabilised chlorine tabs again until stabiliser levels are ok, then switch over to household bleach again, etc, etc. The only thing that would be accumulating in my pool (besides mierals from dust) would be sodium ions. Is this a problem? Did i learn well from the pool forums? Thanks in advance, Tim