How To Add Stabilizer?

[Mattyssox]

Hello,

I opened up my pool last week. After a few days its still cloudy. The local store sold me 2lbs of stabilizer to put in the pool to help keep my chlorine levels up, as my reading was 0 (as opposed to 30-50ppm). Two questions:

-My pool is 20 by 40 feet, so about 32,000-35,000 gallons. Is 2lbs enough?

-How do you put in stabilizer? I read that you can put it in a pillow case or you can put it in the skimmer? which is most effective?

[txpoolguy]

Read the bottle/bag that the stabilizer comes in to find out how much you need to add for that gallonage and also for recommendations on application. 2lbs. sounds light to me for 30k gallons, but the container should tell you for sure. The stabilizer dissolves slowly, but a common practice has been to add it slowly into the skimmer, then it will dissolve slowly from inside the filter. This may not be a good practice, depending on which filter you have.

[Mattyssox]

I have a sand filter. Does this still make sense to add to the skimmer?

[Mattyssox]

Another note is that I use chlorine tabs (hockey pucks) in a floating dispenser. So I"m not sure if this affects how much stabilizer I should use.

[polyvue]

Another note is that I use chlorine tabs (hockey pucks) in a floating dispenser. So I"m not sure if this affects how much stabilizer I should use.

It sure does. I wouldn't add any more stabilizer until you test the CYA (cyanuric acid) level of the water yourself with a good test kit (e.g. Taylor K-2006). If the chlorine tabs contain DiChlor or TriChlor, they will contribute substantial amounts of stabilizer (CYA) while they are chlorinating the pool. Lots of pool owners experience algae problems because the excessive CYA (> 80 PPM) combines with chlorine in the water, requiring higher and higher levels of Free Chlorine to be effective at algae control -- see this chart.

If you determine that you need to add stablizer, you can use this Pool Calculator to indicate quantity and see how this will affect your water before actually adding the chemical.

[Candyman4u2]

I had very good luck with dissolving stabilizer by cutting off a leg of a pair of pantyhose and pouring about 2 lbs. of granules in and making a knot at the top. Then I tied the hose to my deep end ladder and let it soak. After about 15 mins massage the bag, the granules dissolve fast. I had a small amount of white dust settle in the deep end corner but it broomed away easy enough. This method sure works better than the sock.

[Dan The Spa Man]

One question to ask: What was your current stabilizer level when you opened your pool? Don't always operate on the assumption that you start at zero. Have it tested first to confirm your belief- dont guess. Too much CYA is a bad thing. You may have had a high level at the closing of your pool that wasn't totally diluted by the winter months/fresh water added at opening. Its always safer to check first.

Most manufacturers of 100% CYA (active ingredient) note that 1lb treats 4k gallons. But that is again running off the assumption you're CYA level is at zero.

Those that have commented have discussed options on how to add CYA. I can only further piggyback and say once you've added to your filter system (via slowly pouring into skimmer), do not backwash for at least 48 hours as CYA takes a while to dissolve.

Good luck moving forward.

[ChriGod21]

The best way to put stabilizer in the pool is to put it into a chem-pouch

www.chempouch.com