The use of Lithium Shock

[goldslinger]

Thanks, Guys!

So You use the liquid bleach for chlorination AND shock? You just make it a regimen of adding some every night and more as needed for shock?

I'm off to Sam's club for the 3 'B's ! !
I will continue to use My pucks until they are used up, then go to bleach for chlorination AND shock from now on. I will keep my Poly algaecide on hand.
Can't wait for the test kit. I really like the liquid testers and am using a cheap one right now; still better than ph strips that pander to the lazy, imo.

Thanks, again.

Gary

[waterbear]

Think of it this way. Shock is a verb, not a noun. It is something you DO to a pool, not a special chemical you add. It means bringing the chlorine level up to a high enough level to either destroy combined chlorine or kill algae. Also, it is NOT something that needs to be done weekly. It is something that needs to be done on an 'as needed' basis (when combined chlorine is over .5 ppm, after heavy rains, after heavier than normal pool use such as a party, etc.)

All shocking once a week does is help increase the pool store's "bottom line" (as does buying expen$ive lithium $hock!)

[Watermom]

You should probably post a current set of water testing results taken with a drops-based kit for us to take a look at. Depending on how long you have been using trichlor pucks, your CYA level could be high which would affect our advice for adequate chlorination levels.

[goldslinger]

Will do. What is the shelf life of bleach in Their closed bottles? I want to buy many but it will be hot where I store them.

Gary

[aylad]

I usually buy a couple of weeks' supply at a time and they do okay in my Louisiana garage...

Janet

[goldslinger]

Thanks for that.

Well, My water was crystal clear yesterday but I apparantly didn't stay on top of it. This afternoon, I noticed yellow algae and whitish water. I tested the FC, and it was I would guess .7

Well that explains it.

I went to My grocery store and bought 6 x 1.4gallon of 6% bleach; generic (3.15 a bottle). I added 2 of them tonight. WOW, I tested 1 hour later and it's off the chart! It cost me 6.30 plus tax for this treatment, where as 3 bags of lithium would have cost me over 32 bucks.

Off the chart of my cheap tester means over 3ppm.

Man, I can't wait for the good tester to get here, so I can see where my CYA levels are !

I never put pencil to anything. I always assumed the liquid bleach was very weak, diluted. I guess that I thought the granulated chlorine was some kind of super chlorinator; packing a lot more whollop with it's explosive action. Well, tonight totally negated that myth.

With everything I am reading here, I might be able to afford to keep this thing awhile longer.

Thanks so much to everyone for Your help and expertise !

I guess now I need to vacuum, as there is visible dirt and algae; I probably should have done that first, but it was gettting dark on Me and the neighbors were swimming and didn't want to bother them (in my own pool, haha).

I guess vacuuming released the algae so that it is in suspension and killed easier by the shock?

Gary Gipson

[Watermom]

Any time you bush the pool, it helps the chlorine be able to better get at the algae. Vacuuming is basically brushing the pool.

BTW -- Until your good kit arrives you can force your other kit to read higher by using a dilution method described below. It isn't super accurate, but better than nothing.

Testing Without a Good Kit