Just Set Up Pool...Need some pointers

[madwil]

one more note- Dichlor powder (sold as "POOL SHOCK" at Walmart I think) will also add stabilizer, but without the pH shifts from trichlor- comes in 1 pound bags, just like the trichlor make sure no copper!
once CYA levels are established, this should also shift to bleach for chlorine, or to much CYA will be in the pool eventually.

[CarlD]

Please! This is not true!

Di-Chlor WILL lower your pH of your pool, just not as much as Tri-Chlor. I cannot reconstruct all the chemistry for you, but the gist is, that while Di-Chlor itself is neutral, the reaction from the chlorine lowers pH. I'm sure our chem whiz, Chem_Geek can show the chemical equations to demonstrate, but from my empirical experience I know it to be true.

Bleach is actually a high pH chemical, but the same reaction of the chlorine lowering pH just offsets the increasing effect of the Bleach. This is why Bleach/Liquid Chlorine is the ONLY pH neutral chlorine source.

Carl