280 Gallons Of Fun, Now How Do I Take Care Of It?

[mattmattmatt]

It sounds like the Dichlor then Bleach method would be the least expensive way of doing things so right now I'm leaning in that direction. I'm just trying to figure out (from someone who isn't trying to sell me anything) what I need to keep on hand. My goodness it's confusing! What sort of monthly costs could I expect from various methods assuming an average of about 10 bather/hours per week? I ask this because I was looking at chemical kits that are about $90 for what they say is a 3 month supply and then couple that with the increased electic usage... If I decide to go with simple instead of cheap, what are the options for a novice?

Thanks!

[mattmattmatt]

And to add a "wildcard" to the mix, the dealer said they could put in an Ozonator for $300... Honestly, even after reading this forum for the past week, I have no clue what's going on and if the Ozonator is worth it.

[quantumchromodynamics]

Forget the $90.00 chemical kits. Just follow

Nitro's Approach to Water Maintenance

You will only need a few basic chemicals and your costs will be a few dollars a month.

You will need 1 or 2 pounds of dichlor. That will get you 5 to 10 refills on a 400 gallon tub. At about 4 to 6 months per fill. Dichlor $13.89 for 2 pounds will last for about 50 months. = about $0.28 per month

(That's 28 cents per month)

You will need a 96 ounce bottle of regular, unscented Clorox bleach. Perhaps about 4 ounce per day = about $2.00 per month.

You might need a quart of muriatic acid, 1 pound of baking soda and an 8 pound bottle of

Boric acid about $30.00 enough to do 5 refills

You should be able to manage on about $3.50 per month.

Check out thepoolcalculator

You don't have to decide between simple and cheap. The simplest way is the best and cheapest way.

Also, do not use test strips.

Get a good test kit.

This is the most important rule.

[Dietitian]

And to add a "wildcard" to the mix, the dealer said they could put in an Ozonator for $300... Honestly, even after reading this forum for the past week, I have no clue what's going on and if the Ozonator is worth it.

I am very happy with mine, as it has helped keep combined chlorine to near zero after its installation. There is a strong one available on Amazon for $60 and it should take about an hour to install it -- ask the pool guy what his hourly rate is and if he'd be willing to install one that you purchased online.

I have found that using the dry chlorine and dry acid powder from Walmart is easier and less messy than using household bleach; it is more expensive but not by much. You can also purchase the large bottles of dry powders that are designed for swimming pools -- they are the same chemicals at much lower cost.

I'd also recommend having a defoamer and an enzyme solution on hand just in case someone gets some soap residue in the water, along with "Spa Flush" for when you are ready to drain and refill the spa. You'll also want to order an alternate filter so that you can swap in a new one and clean the old one overnight periodically, and TSP (trisodium phosphate) for cleaning the filter.

In summary I would recommend purchasing the following items now:

Chlorine (most use dichlor then bleach, I use powdered CYA and chlorine)

Dry acid

Baking soda

Boric acid

Defoamer

Enzyme solution

Spa Flush

Filter

Trisodium phosphate

I got my TSP here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1lb-Trisodium-Phosphat...=item414b3cf6d1

Boric acid here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-lb-Tech-Grade-Granul...=item35a65a91fb

Ozonator:

http://www.amazon.com/Spa-109-Hot-Ozonator...9340&sr=8-5

Spa Flush:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Spa-System-Flush-2-PAC...=item4ce81d4d17

Enzyme solution:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Leisure-Time-Spa-Hot-T...=item27af21f930

[quantumchromodynamics]

I have found that using the dry chlorine and dry acid powder from Walmart is easier and less messy than using household bleach; it is more expensive but not by much.

What is the actual chemical in the dry chlorine?

[Dietitian]

I have found that using the dry chlorine and dry acid powder from Walmart is easier and less messy than using household bleach; it is more expensive but not by much.

What is the actual chemical in the dry chlorine?

calcium hypochlorite

[quantumchromodynamics]

You have to be careful with calcium hypochlorite because it adds calcium. If you are not careful, your CSI could get too high and cause calcium carbonate scaling.