I am going to be taking care of my own chemical testing and addition this year. I have the pH, alkalinity and hardness figured out.
What do I need to worry about for preventative chemical additions for algae, iron or other lurking issues ?
Preventative chemicalsfor algae and iron ?
Algea problem
Wayne, I think iron and "other lurking issues" only need to be addressed if you have had similar pool problem in the past. They are issues in a minority of pools, but to set your mind at rest you could have your pool water tested before you start.
As for algea, this is the real problem for pool owners. Maintain your free chlorine level at at least 1-1.5ppm. Add algeacide on a weekly basis. As long as the free chlorine level does not dip below 1ppm, you shouldn't suffer any algea. If the free chlorine level hits zero, even for only a few hours, the algea gets a hold and is stubborn and hard to destroy.
Keep your conditioner (cyanuric acid) level between 40ppm and 80ppm. If it gets much above 80ppm, the free chlorine that you measure is unable to be effective and you then have to increase the chlorine level to compensate. There also comes a point where the level of cyanuric acid is so high that the chlorine just does not work, regardless of the level.
We use the Pool Wizard mineral system in our pools and is a good choice for simplifying pool maintenance. We have found that we only need to visit the pools once a week, though twice is ideal. Also we don't use algeacide and there is no risk of algea even when the free chlorine level goes to zero for a couple of days. We use very little chlorine and never need to add flocculant either. For us the time we save is most important although the money we save in chemicals is also important to us.
As for algea, this is the real problem for pool owners. Maintain your free chlorine level at at least 1-1.5ppm. Add algeacide on a weekly basis. As long as the free chlorine level does not dip below 1ppm, you shouldn't suffer any algea. If the free chlorine level hits zero, even for only a few hours, the algea gets a hold and is stubborn and hard to destroy.
Keep your conditioner (cyanuric acid) level between 40ppm and 80ppm. If it gets much above 80ppm, the free chlorine that you measure is unable to be effective and you then have to increase the chlorine level to compensate. There also comes a point where the level of cyanuric acid is so high that the chlorine just does not work, regardless of the level.
We use the Pool Wizard mineral system in our pools and is a good choice for simplifying pool maintenance. We have found that we only need to visit the pools once a week, though twice is ideal. Also we don't use algeacide and there is no risk of algea even when the free chlorine level goes to zero for a couple of days. We use very little chlorine and never need to add flocculant either. For us the time we save is most important although the money we save in chemicals is also important to us.
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