What's the RIGHT Order to Add POOL CHEMICALS? | Swim University
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- Опубликовано: 18 июн 2024
- What’s the right order to add pool chemicals? Adding chemicals in the proper sequence will help you avoid wasting time and money. So here’s the right order to add chemicals to your pool.
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⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to The Right Order to Add Pool Chemicals
00:29 - What Levels To Test For
01:13 - What Pool Chemicals Do You Need?
01:44 - How to Add Pool Chemicals
01:58 - The Right Order to Add Pool Chemicals
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Swim University has made swimming pool and hot tub care easy for more than 10 million homeowners. And each year, we continue to help more people with water chemistry, cleaning, and troubleshooting. We know taking care of a swimming pool or spa can be difficult. And it’s hard to find a trusted source of information. We get it! This is the reason we created Swim University.
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I have to maintain two pools every day for work, one is 25000 gallons and the other is 35000 gallons. Let me tell you from the point of someone who has never dealt with a pool before, I am lost. But I'm getting a hang of it. Finding videos like this really helps. Thank you, good sir.
I feel you there man. I just started a month ago doing 75 pools in a 4 day work week and it's been a bit of a challenge. I come from construction, carpet tile and upholstery cleaning and car detailing and some restaurants. So totally new thing to me. I'm still learning everyday. It's cool but a bit challenging in Florida's summer heat.
Happy to help! Good luck!
I’m new to the pool owning world, I bought a house with a Intex pool and I am trying so hard to not get frustrated with the work and chemicals that goes into having one lol.
Thank you for your videos. I bought a home in October with a huge inground pool. I'm so overwhelmed. All pool companies have a 6 week delay for appts. I have never had a pool. I watched your videos and headed to buy chemicals now. Thank you!!
Good luck!!
The Chemistry only works if the pH is between 7.2-7.8. You can use all the chlorine in the world, if the ph ain't right, it won't do jack.
@@davidjackowski4336 I am definitely learning this. Lol! How do you raise the ph?
Congrats on your new home and pool!!!
@@cyndis5435 In the video he said to increase PH use Soda Ash.
Just an FYI for anyone using a dropper. The measurement for a drop is from the upside down completely vertically position of the bottle/dropper. The drop size when having a bottle/dropper tilted like in the beginning of the video is not the measurement used so it could be way low or high depending on how it rolls off the tip. 3 "drops" from a tilted bottle could be 1.5 or 6 so your readings may not be accurate for testing.
Very clearly explained. Thank you!!
Definitely needed this!!
Love these videos!
Thanks for the advice!
Be careful to not add Alkalinity adjusters and Hardness adjusters on the same day. Especially Alkalinity raisers that contain sodium bicarbonate and Hardness raisers containing calcium chloride which are the two I use (they are actually just straight Arm and Hammer industrial baking soda and industrial calcium chloride). These two chemical interact when mixed together and form calcium carbonate (antacid) which will precipitate out and cloud up the pool.
At least that's the case with the one I maintain which is 55,000 gallons. May be different for smaller pools but I wouldn't risk it.
Thanks for this helpful video
Truly a God send thank you again ❤
I was just hired for a part time gig at a pool chemistry store, so your videos have been a godsend on teaching me what I need to know. I'm sure I will need to reference a ton, but I just wanted to thank you for these easy to understand guides.
WI i
Glad we could help!
Awesome job Matt
Thanks so much to make your videos informative. No need to hire anyone. I have a question about solar copper sanitizer. I mean to get one. Would you make a video on products like this and how to use chem strips with these. These reduce chlorine use.
Great info if your a pool owner. But I’m a pool service man. (Still learning this trade) I don’t have time to wait 30 minutes to pour in chlorine followed by muratic acid followed by alkalinity etc etc… so does this order of sequence change?
This video helped me so much. Thank you I appreciate you. New pool & spa owner ha ha 🙏🙌😜🌊 much appreciated
Glad we could help!
Great video as always. Thanks again. 👍
With your help i think my pool has hope. I had the green pool but even brushing and vacuuming wasn't touching the algea.... little did I know that alkalinity and ph was important in shocking pool. In last week I added about 6 shocks and were inefective... but then I added alk increaser and tweeked ph a bit finally noticed algea loosening up and when I brush see a bit of blue water. I added 2 of those 6 in 1shocks so hopefully kiddos can finally swim in their pool Again. Should I add a thing of liquid chlorine? Or just chlorine tabs? Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for such detailed information. First time pool owner and I have headaches with all the chemicals 🙈
use in a well ventilated place 😆
What do you think about mineralizer system?
For a smaller pall, its like the size of a big Jacuzzi do you think all these chemicals are necessary? We only use it during the summer
Great information but I was trying to take notes and it was hell trying to keep up with you lol!
Just purchase a home and these videos have helped me so much .
Thank you
Glad to help!
Looking into a pool IONIZER and says it’ll use 80% less chlorine do you have any videos on ionizers
For those who are brand new pool chemicals and just got a starter kit off Amazon, do you have advice e on that
How can I make a more accurate chlorine test using the Taylor K-1004 test kit?
Would cya affect the ph? Why not do cya first?
Is there a way i can know how much of each chemical to put into my pool?
This is great! But….you say add this and that but you don’t indicate how much to add of each product. I have an above ground pool going in today, around 6k gallons. Help! Thx!
We got a 9 thousand litre above ground pool. Our water here is very alkaline! I have been doing the ph&alkalinity decreaser for 2 days as per manufacturer instructions. My levels havent even budged! What can i do?
Thanks for the videos and cheat sheets. They are so helpful.
When do we add algaecide? The pool opening kit said to add it every week for maintenance. 🤷🏾♀️
Shocking weekly is the best way to prevent algae growth or kill existing algae. And if you do that plus balance your other levels, you shouldn't need algaecide weekly. Use it if you have yellow or black algae and at the end of the season before you put the cover back on your pool.
never. algaecide is a great way to get green water.
@@andrewmeilinger6203 I agree. I had a Hayward model automatic chlorinator for my large oval above ground and only used 3" trichlor tablets. I checked the chemistry periodically and adjusted the pH and ALK as needed. Never had problems with algae and my pool never smelled like chlorine. I would use a non-chlorine shock after a rainstorm and at the beginning of the season. Easy peasey.
What if the PH is down and alkalinity is up? Using PH decreasing to lower Alkalinity while PH is down, what to do in that situation?
thank you for this gold, and I have a question: are alkalinity and higher pH two different things?
Alkalinity and pH are two separate measurements. Your alkalinity affects your pH and helps prevent it from fluctuating.
Are this levels the same for vinyl above ground pools?
Thanks for your videos.
Yes they are! But you don't have to worry about calcium hardness if you take it down every year.
So we have a above ground pool. We have well water. Our water is clear and the chlorine is 0. When I shock the pool it turns green and the chlorine burns off fast. What am I doing wrong?
LEARN THE LSI INDEX langular saturation index if you really wanna be a pool pro and save chemicals
And here I was thinking I could just use pool shop and chlorine tablets I believe don't know if I would have set app the pool knowing it was this complicated this sounds time consuming.
Amazed
Brand new plaster pool, I know the plaster is curing which increases PH. Do I still add the muriatic acid to keep it low as possible while this process is going on?
Yes!
If ph is too high should I lower that first and then adjust alkalinity with baking soda? Plaster pool just finished 2 weeks ago so the ph keeps steadily increasing (about 8.2) after we get ph in range
For the first 6 months with a new plaster pool you will be adding acid twice a week no matter what the alkalinity level. The acid demand is so high you just balance pH and TA independently or you will just go in circles
You mixed up cya levels for salt and chlorine pools. Should be between 30-50 for salt pools because there is a constant make of chlorine that the salt turns into. You don't need a high stabilizer on salt pools.... Been in the business commercial and residential for quite some time so I'm only trying to help.
True true 👍 pool guy confirmed
But wouldn't u want the stabilizer higher in salt water pool, due do the minimal amount of chlorine being produced?? Compared to regular with already high levels of chlorine?
@@thanxdude7953 no, like I said in my first comment, since the salt cell is constantly producing chlorine, you want it at a minimum of 30, 40 is perfect in my eyes, with 50 being the highest. You want a higher stabilizer with tab pools so the chlorine holds longer. You want a higher chlorine level with tab pools, vs that being the reason for salt pools, it's able to stabilize the water with minimal chlorine, due to the constant output of chlorine.
Cya is cya, professional, if you keep your water clean you can keep both CYA and chlorine levels really low, amazing you are a professional,
@@ni_wink84yea ok homeowner with a pool that thinks they know best. Or some crappy pinch a penny store clerk 🤦 it's clear that you ARENT a professional or you would know that what I said is in fact the correct way to balance pool water. Certified for commercial pools, also been ACTUALLY servicing pools for 5 years now... Wtf do you think I need to come here and lie for 🤔 move along now.
So I started working for this pool company a few months back; I'm currently a helper and going out soon.
However, this isn't really what we do, this is more of your "At home" situation. I'm trying to understand how to test properly and add chems properly. I don't understand how if you have a 20k gal pool, you want to bring it up 20 parts. I still cant understand it and I've been trying to for almost a month. I just don't get the math.
If you have a saltwater pool would you add salt before adjusting the alkalinity?
You could technically add salt first. But once the salt turns into chlorine, it needs stable pH and alkalinity levels. So you'll need those levels adjusted as soon as your salt water generator starts running.
We've had so much rain this summer in the Northeast so far that I'm having the hardest time trying to get the pool clear as opposed to green...😢 I'll try again before i give up for good.
Oh no! That's been a common complaint this summer. Good luck!
@@SwimUniversity I finally got it together but with rain almost every other day...🙄🙄🙄
Always strengthen Alkalinity first it is the anchor to all other chemicals.
Do I need to balance calcium hardness if I have a pop up Intex salt water pool that is taken down every fall?
Nope!
I have a 15’x48” above ground Intex pool. Should I use 1” or 3” chlorine pucks? Should I shock it first before swimming? I’m using filtered well water and it’s taking days to fill-should I put chlorine in it now when it’s only 1/4 full because it’s going to take a while to fill? Or should I wait till it’s filled? Thanks!
Wait until it's filled and use the smaller tablets at first. It's really easy to over-chlorinate an Intex pool!
if I have a salt water pool do I test the alkaline and ph before adding salt or after?
For efficiently used time, add bicarb, then salt, then pH check. Vacuuming the bicarb and salt won't over work the pump and will help circulation and balance sooner
I added shock and chlorine tablets only. I used a hose from house water to fill my pool. I checked with test strips and everything is great. Is this possible?
Sounds like you nailed it! Just keep an eye on it, especially pH
Oops. I added CYA before shock. 🤦 I hope this is ok? I hate figuring out pool chemicals.
What time frame do you follow? For example: open the pool, add alkalinity increaser then how long before you wait to add PH inc or decreased or calcium increaser in between etc? 6 hours? 24 hours? Until level is achieved of each chemical component? Also when you first open your pool do you recommend immediately shocking it first or balancing out the neutrality of the water first and then shocking it?
Check out 01:44. And always balance pH and alkalinity before shocking.
@@SwimUniversity yup just saw…30 mins. Thanks for your vids
Ok I was always taught to wait 24 hrs before adding shock. Dang
What levels should the alkalinity be?
For a 12,000 gallon pool, what should my alkalinity, PH, CYA etc be?
Thank you for the information. Where do you buy your chemicals? We have the hardest time finding them.
We use In The Swim or comparison shop on Amazon
I have watched all your videos to get familiar with the bbb method. I was ready. I filled the pool and did a test. Alk was 0. I put in Borax & Baking Soda BUT the amt I was told to use, it had to be wrong because then it tested HI TA & HI Ph. I used PH decreaser. I am now waiting for it to move but I noticed my filter has brown in it. Well, I used Well Water. I did not think it was an issue. Now I’m reading it is iron and you should not mix with chlorine. I am at a loss!!! Will you please advise me what to do.
we have high iron in our well water. we use a sock filter on end of hose and we run our filter for 48hrs before adding chlorine to pull the iron out. a DE pool filter is better for well water than a sand filter because it filters to a higher micron level
Get Metal out or Metal free or something of those sorts!
Immediately after adding chlorine to my pool, it turned a crazy brown/greenish color, went to the pool store, the sold me the Metal out, and within 24 hours my water was sparkling! I'm hoping this can help you as well!
In your Chemistry 101 video you say to use Borax to increase PH but in this video you say Soda Ash. I am new to pools so this may be a dumb question, but is there a reason I would use one over the other??
They’re the same thing. Borax is the name brand of a specific washing soda. Both are soda ash (sodium carbonate)
Very new pool owner.. help... I filled the pool tested the water and then did a shock treatment to get the chlorine boosted to swim.. I have a chlorine tablet floating in the pool, and have tested the levels daily to get myself acclimated. The CYA was low everyday so I guess I need to add the stabilizer, now the ph was on the ok but on the edge of being low and I don't remember the alkalinity.. anyway swam 1 day then I tested the water and the chlorine was low... so I added the rest of the bag from the initial shick my pool is 4545 and I used 1/2 of a 1# bag... so now I'm wondering what do I do, I'll test the water tomorrow and then what ?? This should be easier 😬
You might not have enough chlorine in the pool if you just have a floater
So chlorine before CYA? My CYA bag says dont add chlorine for 24 hours after CYA is applied. I just assumed CYA had to go in first. My first pool attempt
It's because lots of chlorine (dichlor/trichlor) contains CYA. So you wouldn't want to adjust your CYA levels before you added a stabilized chlorine that has even more CYA.
I have a question that im dying to know. I buy liquid chlorine from the pool store (yellow jugs). I add about half a jug twice a week. I was wondering if i should also shock my pool, or is the liquid chlorine enough? If you recommend shocking how often should i do it / how should i incorporate it with liquid chlorine
Test your levels. If your free chlorine is in the right range and your combined chlorine levels are low, you should be fine - especially if you're adding it that often during the week.
Are we supposed to adjust PH and alcalinity separately? I thought both meant the same thing
Alkalinity and pH are two separate measurements. Your alkalinity affects your pH and helps prevent it from fluctuating.
Does pool temperature make a difference for breaking down chemicals?
It can. Especially heat and sun, which can break down chlorine quickly.
The chemicals listed in that order will cost you money and will cause you to chase the ideal numbers. As an example PH decreaser is muriatic acid but if you add CYA (stablilizer) it will also lower PH. Additionally Calcium hardness increaser (Calcium Chloride) will also increase alkalinity.
It's a balancing act for sure. Do you use a different set of chemicals?
Should pool be on circulation mode?
Yes, circulation mode is ideal for just mixing chemicals. But if you're dealing with an issue like cloudy water you want to filter the water too.
Too many contradicting ways of using pool chemicals. I do as you say it works for a bit ,but i do as others say it works great. So a better explanation of when ,why,and how much is definitely a necessity in balancing pool chemicals. So many say shock pool first then stabilizer, then alkaline then ph etc. Others say adjustment to ph is first then shock then chlorine or stabilizer then hardness etc. Who is actually right? Why so many different orders? Are the others wrong and you are right ? Or does it really matter because adjustments will vary everyday, so in regards to that it really doesn't matter as long as the amounts per million are correct
Honestly, if you follow one way and it works for you, stick with it. If you start to mix-and-match advice, that's when things get messy.
I am trying so hard for 3 weeks now and cannot get a balance for more than a day. No swimmers. PH 6.8, free chlorine 1ppm, alkalinity 40, stabilizer 0. For some reason the stabilizer won't dissolve. I tried in a bucket with hot water and because it won't dissolve I hesitate to put it in. Help please!
Try adding chlorine with stabilizer (like pucks, tablets, granules)
Is the link for the Cheat Sheet the same? Keeps telling me page not found.
Are you spelling it correctly? It’s swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet
@@SwimUniversity I probably was, as your link worked! Thanks
Is this the same for hot tubs?
Yes, except you likely don't need to worry about CYA. Here's our video focused on hot tubs: ruclips.net/video/vEJp6FtYr2Y/видео.html
So local pool store tells me i have to wait 24hrs between all these products and run the circulation 24/7 throughout the process... you telling me i could do all this in 1 day if i wait a couple hrs in between?
That's what I've always done 🤷
What about if the pool water keeps turning brown after shocking?
Phosphates??
I have 88 alkalinity and 7.8 ph. How can i decrease only the ph level? Tnks
Bring it down with pH decreaser or muriatic acid. Then if the alkalinity needs some help back up, add baking soda.
Can I just use liquid chlorine to shock my pool or do I need to buy the pool shock in a bag?
You can use liquid chlorine but you'll need to add it more often and/or add stabilizer (cyanuric acid)
Why is no one talking about copper sulfate?
When can I add algaecide?
After everything else is balanced!
Where does algacide fit in this line up?
It's a bonus. You can add after everything is balanced. Don't add too close to shock or it won't work.
I am very new to pool maintenance and tested my pool. It says everything is high. Is this even possible ?
Chlo is 2-4 ppm
ALK is 270
PH is over 8
CYA is over 90
Hardness is 1000
I dont know where to start. But the water isn't cloudy either...
How often are you adding chemicals? Are you using chlorine tablets? See what happens to your levels if you don't add as much for a few days
@@SwimUniversity I have a pool guy who comes 1 time per week.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to adjust ph and then alkalinity, as once alkalinity is at proper levels doesn’t it make it more difficult to adjust ph?
Alkalinity buffers the pH, so that needs to be adjusted first. And it might bring the pH into range without needing to adjust the pH itself.
Alkalinity holds and Locks the pH in one range, without Alkalinity in ph would be jumping up an down on the scale.
Won't the continuous use of tablets increase your cya too much over time?
Yes keep an eye on the cya levels if it gets towards the top of the range switch to liquid chlorine. Also vacuuming to waste and refilling usually keeps it in check
Hi
We hope this helps you when it's time to add chemicals to your pool! Remember, adjusting alkalinity and then pH is critical to helping your chlorine (or other sanitizer) do its job. And if you need more pool care help, grab the free Pool Care Cheat Sheet at www.swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet 👍
I'm using sodium hypochlorite (12.5%) and an auto feeder with tablets for cya, my pH is always around 8. Because the sodium hypo raises pH, should I adjust pH first then dial in the alkalinity. It's seems like I'm in a vicious cycle of low alkalinity and higher pH
Like 99% of other free offers (i.e. the Swimming Pool Cheat Sheet) once I go to the advertised URL you get nothing but Swim University product pitches. No Cheat Sheet was found when I followed their directions. Doubt they care since I’m not buying anything, but had to give my email, just to have my time wasted!
I got it. Did you check your spam folder?
What are your feelings about swimming pool ionization systems?
My alkalinity is sky high. How do I bring that down?
Muriatic acid.
Hour often should I add chlorine
It depends on the type of chlorine you use! Check this video out: ruclips.net/video/tJ0_vOUeHPE/видео.html
@@SwimUniversity thank you
I accidentally got it right
Ants in pool water help
Umm, ants?
Video starts at 02:00
Arrrr, poolth be fer people who thpeak like thith, matey!! (Innothent)
My wife says the pool boy told her she has to be in the pool naked when he adds chemicals so it doesn't bleach her bikini. He's really smart
1 ppm chlorine is enough, clean your pool, have a good filter that’s it, amazing my pool is clear with 1ppm, good ph and that’s it what water are these people using
I'm with you. Its not that serious unless you got some kind of crazy sensitive skin. I think we're all dealing with products getting pushed just like the bodybuilding industry with supplements.
I don't understand why you skipped - what if you start out with HIGH CYA. If you have have high CYA leading to Chlorine lock, what does adjusting TA or pH matter? You'll end up dumping a ton of well-balanced water to lower the CYA, and have to start all over again. I'd argue CYA should be first.
I completely agree. CYA is the #1.
There is no cheat sheet.
Does this link work for you? www.swimuniversity.com/pool-care-cheat-sheet/ Otherwise, send us an email through our website and we'll make sure you get it
This is worst than raising a kid. I wish I would've known all of this before I invested in my pool. Thanks for the video
Lol!! So true. I was not prepared for how high maintenance a 12 ft pool would be 😫
You didn't even explain the reason why you need all this stuff in the first place
You lied - your cheat sheet is NOwhere to be found on your site. Therefore why would we trust you at all?
Not true, I just downloaded it
Your cheat sheet does not have any useful information
Definitely needed this!!
Glad we could help!
Thanks so much to make your videos informative. No need to hire anyone. I have a question about solar copper sanitizer. I mean to get one. Would you make a video on products like this and how to use chem strips with these. These reduce chlorine use.
Glad we could help! Is it a solar ionizer you're talking about?
What are your feelings about swimming pool ionization systems?
It's a nice way to reduce chlorine for sure. But some can stain and you have to replace the cell often.