Need Help With Conversions To Get To Bleach .

[Leeboy]

I have been using just dichlor but the more reading , I'd like to switch to bleach after the cya builds up. My tub is 449 U.S. Gallons . I have it down where , upon fill up, I adjust the TA and PH , then throw in a quarter cap of dichlor to kick start it . I'm also using 5 oz of aqua fitness a week. So , by adding a 1/2 teaspoon of dichlor a day , my tub maintains 1-3 ppm at all times . If I have a guest with me , I give it a extra half teaspoon for them . I usually shower before I get in since I'm a painter/ drywaller . So my question , by being consistent with the 1/2 teaspoon per day, is there any way to know when I hit my cya amount where I can switch to bleach ? 2nd question, how much " chlorax ultra" ( Canadian) would I use to equal the amount of a 1/2 teaspoon of dichlor. Unfortunately , I don't have a Taylor rest kit . Just strips . My water is always crystal clear .

[chem geek]

The following are side effects that are independent of concentration of product or of spa/pool size:

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 at least 7 ppm.

If you use PoolMath and enter in 449 gallons (U.S. units), then at the bottom under the "Effects of adding chemicals", select "dichlor" and enter in 1/2 teaspoon which is 1/2/6 = 0.0833 ounces you get 0.8 ppm FC and 0.7 ppm CYA. There's no way that you would be maintaining 1-3 ppm at all times so the AquaFinesse product you are using must have some chlorine in it. Do you have more specifics about the AquaFinesse product you are using? The AquaFinesse Hot Tub Water Care says to add 1 teaspoon (not 1/2 teaspoon) which in 449 gallons for Dichlor would be 1.5 ppm FC which is what they say to expect to measure and makes more sense. Does your box have the ingredients in the front like this one? From what I can tell, it's at least 90% "Sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione dihydrate" which is Dichlor but that may just be chlorinating granules in the box while the AquaFinesse liquid is different.

Normally, every person-hour of soaking in a hot (104ºF) tub requires around 3-1/2 teaspoons of Dichlor or 3-1/2 fluid ounces of 8.25% bleach or 7 teaspoons of non-chlorine shock (43% MPS) to oxidize the bather waste, at least when there is no ozonator. With an ozonator, you might need only half or less of these amounts. And these are for a truly hot spa -- if you are soaking a long time (more than 20 minutes), it's likely not really 104ºF so you sweat less and would need less chlorine. Do you have an ozonator?

Anyway, to answer your question on equivalency, 1 teaspoon of Dichlor is equivalent to around 1 fluid ounce of 8.25% bleach.

[Leeboy]

I just checked my aqua finesse jug and there is no active ingredient label. Its a jug that comes with a starter kit. For the pastwhile, i have only been soaking once a week, when im not soaking , i leave the temperature at 97 degrees, and since mine is on wifi , before a soak i turn it to 100 and then jump in. Again, i shower right before i get in . Somehow , that 1/2 teaspoon a day keeps a light purple on the strip. I havent added any since yesterday, so after work i can test it and take a picutre of the test strip. I do not have a ozonator

[Leeboy]

Here is how my strip looks almost 24 hours after adding 1/2 teaspoon of dichlor " boost"

[chem geek]

That's good. It shows FC of around 1 ppm. So long as there's always chlorine maintained in the water, you should be good. Interesting how the chlorine isn't dropping very much. AquaFinesse said they weren't enzymes so I don't know what they are doing to oxidize bather waste so that chlorine doesn't get used up. This assumes they don't have anything in their product that is giving a false FC reading.

[Leeboy]

Good point Chem, that reminds me , I was talking to a rep for aquafinesse last year and , he did say aquafinesse does cover up a bit of chlorine reading . I don't remember the exact amount , but he did tell me to take that into consideration .

[chem geek]

Well maybe that's what's going on in which case you may be taking some chance in that you don't have real disinfection of the water. The AquaFinesse may inhibit biofilm formation and the uncontrolled bacteria growth that can be associated with it, but it's certainly not the same as the fast kill from chlorine. It's a spectrum of risk.

[Leeboy]

is there a decent CYA tester out there ? It's hard to get the Taylor Kit in Canada without paying $300 . Next trip to the USA , ( who knows when) I'll be bringing a few back .

[chem geek]

There's the Palintest Pooltester SP 315C or the LaMotte ColorQ Pro 7 (or 6).