It being hot and all, I've just erected (heh!) our inflatable "swimming" pool - like a giant kids paddling pool, it's about 18 feet across and
4 feet deep.
But this year I'd like to stop the water going like pea and ham soup. I've tried randomly pouring in large quantities of domestic bleach, which was largely a waste of time.
So, I'm after (i) some information on what I need to do to stop it going green (other than putting the cover on when we're not using it to cut the light down) and (ii) a recommend source of the appropriate chemicals in small quantities ...
Yep, far too weak. From memory, I think it's about 2% strength.
Anything to do with swimming pools costs money, big time........
Buy a cheap pool water testing kit. You need to keep the pH of the water to about 7.2-7.4 for the chlorine to be most effective. Use pH plus or pH minus chemicals as appropriate.
Use stabilized chlorine granules, available from any pool supplies place. You will need to add the granules fairly regularly. You should be aiming for a chlorine level of about 1.5 parts per million. a 'handful' once a week will probably suffice. But....
Stabilised chlorine granules include an inhibitor that slows down the release of chlorine. Do *not* add indiscriminately otherwise you will finish up with 'chlorine lock', where there is so much of the inhibitor in the water that the chlorine is unable to break down and do its job.
Personally I also use a 15% (I think, can't be bothered to go a look) solution of liquid chlorine which I add a couple of litres to my pool every few days. The liquid chlorine breaks down very quickly in sunlight, but a short-term high dose keeps the water sweet. (Known as 'shock' treatment.) Liquid chlorine *is* a nasty chemical......
You could try a long-life algicide, but they're not really a stand-alone treatment, chlorine is the key.
Oh, did I say anything associated with swimming pools costs money? :-) My last tub of 200gm stabilised chlorine tablets (used in the skimmer basket) was over £60.......
I googled and found a swimming pool shop which sold me the chemicals. If I remember correctly, at least three different ones and litmus paper type things to check you'd got it right. Quite a lot of faffing around but did the job. It tuned really disgusting when I lost interest and left the pool to its own devices.
5.5,000 gallons of water (I think it's the same size as one of mine) takes some filtering. I soon got fed up with the paper filters and bought a proper sand filter with a manly pump. Made a lot of difference
Yup, was floating about in something similar today ;-)
You need a circulating pump with filter if not already present. Does not need to be elaborate - the Intex jobbies are cheap and easy to find.
Next a floating dispenser that you can lob some stabilised chlorine tabs into (about 15 tabs last a week or so). A packet of test stips, some chlorine granules (for weekly "shock" treatments), plus small tubs of PH raising and lowering granules.
Basically leave the dispenser in the pool when not in use. Test with the strips ever few days (dunk strip, and read off the colour patches against the chart on the bottle), and tweak the adjustment collar on the dispenser to get the chlorine level about right. If the PH wanders too far, then mix a couple of caps full of the appropriate adjusting powder in a bucket of water and tip in. Once a week give it a does of the granulated chlorine as a shock treatment[1].
The only chemical that gets used relatively quickly are the stabilised tabs - but a medium bucket will last a good few months, which usually covers what we know as summer!
If starting out, a kit of all the bits is quite an easy way to go:
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(I have used the above supplier a few times and they seem fine)
If you want to get posh, then a delux kit with a litre of Algaeside (use at any hint of green stuff appearing!) and also some flocculant (to clarify the water - only use with an old filter though, because it tends to clog them).
[1] If you have already used the pool before adding chemicals then do one to start as well.
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