Swimming pool chlorine

[Schism]

I have a large inground pool, as you may know chlorine can get rather expensive, I've heard that you can make it, does anyone know how? If not where do you buy your chlorine for cheap?

[Travis Jordan]

Google on "chlorine generators".

[SQLit]

Wonderful world of pools...

Take a quart of water to the pool store and have the water tested. Find out what the water really needs I had to use 10-15 pounds of stabilizer a year, Phoenix. I never used un-stabilized chlorine, the liquids.

I looked for the sales on the tablets. Costco and the pool stores are good bets.

Some kinds of Chlorine generators are more of a pain than buying chemicals. The generators I have seen use rock salt and electricity to free the Chlorine atom in salt. Unfortunately the by product is NAOH...... sodium hydroxide. A REALLY powerful base. I watched a guy pour the liquid into a galvanized pail........ the pail basically dissolved with a cloud rising into his face. After a night in the emergency room and respiratory therapy for a month he was ok. Pouring this liquid down the drain is considered where I live as chemical dumping. Fines and jail time if you caught.

I figured that my last diving pool was about $90 a month year around.

[Steve]

Total maintenance (chlorine, stabilizer, etc, etc) has never exceeded $100-$150 per season.

[Sacramento Dave]

How many gallons is it? Chlorine is pretty cheep my biggest pool cost is Beer

[Bob G.]

========================================= My 20 x 40 inground pool is a "little" more expensive then that... This year I paid almost 2 bucks a pound for Chloride and with over 30 years of ownership I know 100 pounds will last me the entire summer...

I use liquid shock (12 percent Chloride) about once a month..whcih runs me about 12 bucks a month..... during May thru Sept.....so I buy the shock in case lots (5 or 6 cases at a time.) ..Chlorox is 3 % btw

So it costs me about 60 bucks a year for shock and 200 a year for Chlorine... throw in another 40 bucks for a bottle of 50 test strips which last more then a year and maybe a gallon of algiecide (very rarely used..at most 4 gallons a year and I am in for under 300 bucks a year...

Not going to lie... the pool is 30 + years old now and I do remember a few summers where I had problems and had to do the water sample thing at the pool store ...mineral content...especially Iron caused those... so figure in another 100 bucks during problem years...whcih are rare...

Bob Griffiths located in Maryland...In warmer climates then the cost of chemicals will be higher... .

[Bob G.]

==================== LOVE your answer.... I never kept track of the cost of that CHEMICAL ..... But I think you are 100 percent correct....in my case also...

Bob Griffiths .

[Travis Jordan]

Every week during the summer in Florida my 15K gallon pool uses three 3" tabs (equivalent to 21 oz stabilized tri-chlor) ($3), plus a cup of muriatic acid ($.30). Once a month it gets 5 lbs of baking soda ($.90). During the off season (December - April) it only needs two tabs a week ($2). If I keep the chemistry right I only need to shock it about eight times a year ($24). So the total chemical costs are about $170. I use a regular liquid test kit, and the chemicals last for two years ($10).

[Schism]

The pool is around 30,000 gallons, and my biggest expense is the electricity to run it... averaging $150 a month... turned it off for a few months during the winter and the bill dropped to $50 a month from like $250

[Travis Jordan]

Is it heated? Even at 15 cents a KWh, $150 is 1000 KWh. That would be the equivalent of a 2 HP motor running 16 hours a day!

[gfretwell]

I have a similar experience SW Fla 12 month season. I shock once a week with a gallon of liquid chlorine bought in bulk at about $1.25 a gal. 2 or 3 tabs in a floater and acid as required. I have only had to bring up total al (the baking soda thing) a couple times a year. I put in 4lbs of stabilizer at startup. It has been fine since then from the tabs

[Travis Jordan]

I usually only have to add the baking soda during the summer months -- when we get a lot of rain.

[Steve]

To clarify:

Northern Alabama climate.

I spend about $65 for 60lbs of 3" chlorine pucks (lasts the entire season + some left over) and average about 1 lb of shock per month ($30-$40) (depending on rainfall amounts). Algicide - mainly on startup and when I winterize it ($15-$20). Misc maintenace stuff (spider gasket, strips ect don't add much and are not yearly).

Ocassionally I get a more major investment like changing out the sand or replacing the valves - usually no more than $100 every couple to 3 years.

I use very clean (mineral-free) well water to kep the pool full - makes for a very easy, relatively maintenance free pool. Also have two 13 year olds whose repsonsibility it is to emplty skimmer baskets & brysh weekly - we might vacumn once per month.

Been working great for the 5 years + I have had the pool.

[SteveB]

Pool care in the desert: (Las Vegas)

I have a 35,000 (est) gallon pool that is 25 years old. I use two floaters with three tabs each, which is overkill, but I have a problem with algae. We have a lot of wind, and "stuff" blows in there, as well as pine needles from a nearby tree. The pool is also used heavily.

I shock it occasionally when algae gets going. Algae usually gets going when I forget to keep tabs on the tab tubs. We have a solar heater that has gotten it up to 102 degrees, so, with warmer water, algae can bloom in an incredibly short time. Normal swimming temp is 87.

I stabilized the water right after the replastering last spring. I tested it this year, and it is fine. I add no ph UP or ph DOWN, because it is right on, I guess because of the nature of our city water.

The pool evaporates about 2-3 inches a week. I would think that would cause mineral build up, but it doesn't.

I have a Hayward Ultra that I have christened "Poolio." The little guy is a hard worker. I have to put it in every week because of the wind and sand. It runs for a few hours, and gets all the pool except the top of the steps and the ladder. They are a great item that goes directly onto a suction port in the skimmer. I wouldn't trade it for anything. It sure has made the pool easier to take care of.

Occasionally I have to brush the pool when the algae gets going, but I just superchlorinate it with these nasty granules I got in a 5 gal. bucket. Stink so bad of chlorine you have to hold your breath or wear a respirator when working with it. Then leave it for a few hours and brush it.

I have a DE filter, and change that about every three months. I also clean it when I get algae too frequently. The pool is on our vacation rental, so it sees some heavy use. I also drain the freestanding spa into the pool and pull pool water back into the spa, so the heater doesn't have to work so long heating it back up.

I use about a 5 gallon container of 3" tabs a season. The superchlorinator is going on its third season now. No stabilizer or other chemicals.

Well, that's pool care in the desert.

Steve

[Travis Jordan]

Wow, such is life in the desert I guess.

Evaporation in Florida is maybe 1/4" a week at most.

[SteveB]

Our relative humidity this week is 10%. Do the math. ;-)

Steve

[Schism]

Nope, just the regular pump and a polaris.