Intex 16x48 Ultra Frame Pool

[Watermom]

How many trichlor tabs did you buy? Are they wrapped or unwrapped?

[bdearen]

OK so update. I added in a bottle of CYA (conditioner) and 1 bag of shock last night. I have 2 floating dispensers with trichlor tabs in both. I tested this morning and everything was in perfect range. My question to you wonderful people here is can I just keep the floaters filled with the trichlor tabs full time without adding anything else to my pool? Obviously test each week to make sure everything is in order. The tabs I am using say 93% trichlor + 5% other ingredients = 84% chlorine. I have 4 kids that are out for summer break and will use this pool almost daily. My second question is would it be a good idea to drop a cup of bleach and a cup of borax in the night before I know the pool will get heavy use like a weekend ect.. ?? I want to keep the costs down as much as possible with this pool as I didn't understand the costs/maintenance associated with this thing before I purchased it and filled it thanks again for helping all of us.

The tabs are not wrapped. I have a bucket of 3" tabs I have in one floater (2 in each time) and I have a small floater with 1 " tabs neither were wrapped. I think I need to make sure my CYA is up to the correct level so I am not losing chlorine in the sun light correct?

[PoolDoc]

You're going to have to get a K2006 test kit, and monitor your CYA levels. For every 10 ppm of chlorine added, trichlor adds about 6 ppm of stabilizer. http://pool9.net/tk/

+ Keep your chlorine level at at least 10% of your CYA (stabilizer) level.

+ Trichlor also adds acid; use borax to keep the pH above 7.

+ Using bleach as a 'shock' will decrease the rate at which your CYA ppm rises.

[bdearen]

You're going to have to get a K2006 test kit, and monitor your CYA levels. For every 10 ppm of chlorine added, trichlor adds about 6 ppm of stabilizer. http://pool9.net/tk/

+ Keep your chlorine level at at least 10% of your CYA (stabilizer) level.

+ Trichlor also adds acid; use borax to keep the pH above 7.

+ Using bleach as a 'shock' will decrease the rate at which your CYA ppm rises.

thank you for the information. I am having a small issue here. Everytime people use the pool the free chlorine drops to 1 or 0. Everything else is testing fine and I can fix this problem by using hypochloritie shock but that is expensive to use every few days. Is there something else I can do to keep the chlorine level up even when people use the pool? I have 2 feeders floating with trichlor tablets.

[PoolDoc]

When people use the pool . . . chlorine gets used up. That's perfectly normal.

[bdearen]

Thanks for your reply. Should I be using hypochlorite to shock the pool after each use? How can I maintain a proper chlorine level at all times? Is there a cheaper alternative to this? Sorry if these are dumb questions but I am trying to keep this level correct. Thanks for helping me I appreciate it very much.

[PoolDoc]

The proper level is a range, not a specific number. It's better to be high than low.

If you are following the SSR, you will gradually build up a stabilizer residual that will reduce loss to sunlight.

But, you can NOT reduce loss to people 'goo'. People 'goo' includes of sweat, skin cells, fecal residue, and skin oils. The only way to reduce those is to not swim. But people 'goo' also includes lotion, sunscreen, and urine. Avoiding lotion use just prior to pool use will help, as will being careful not to use excess sunscreen. (Of course, you don't want to fail to get adequate coverage.) Urine is the major element in people 'goo' that CAN be reduced or eliminated. Steps that work include:

+ requiring that everyone 'potty' BEFORE entering the pool.
+ declaring an hourly potty break.
+ having an outdoor chemical toilet, like this

Stansport Cabana Privacy Shelter Tent (cheap, but people found it hard to assemble!)
Cleanwaste Portable Privacy Tent (easy to set up)

Reliance Products Portable Toilet
Camco 41541 Portable Toilet

+ have a designated 'pee' tree.
+ etc.

Urine consumes a LOT of chlorine and most people pee in the pool, under some conditions. *ALL* serious competitive swimmers habitually pee in pools.