pool chlorine stabilizer?

retiree

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Jan 18, 2008
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This product slows down the destruction of chlorine in the pool from the ultra violet rays of the sun. Sometimes stabilizer is sold separately and sometimes the stabilizer is combined with the pool chlorine granules. Without stabilizer the chlorine disappears quickly which is good for the sellers of chlorine but not our wallet.

We cannot find either in Sosua and wondered if it was for sale here or in Puerto Plata.
 
J

James L. Crane

Guest
I am also looking for a chlorine stabilizer which help to maintain the chlorine levels in pool water. If anyone have any information about where I can buy then please help. I know this is an old thread but I hope someone will surely reply. Thanks
 

pularvik

Active member
Jan 2, 2011
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This product is actually cyanuric acid but it is packaged under several different names. We have a salt water pool so it is necessary to add this chemical to preserve our chlorine. We got it at ochoa in Santiago 2 years ago. You only need to add it once,- it does not need replenishing unless you lose water . This product is added to chlorine "pucks" so if you use them you already have the chemical in your pool.
I think I saw some recently at the pool store at the very far east side of Sosua in the HEB complex. Can't be sure tho.
This is an important addition to your pool, I have a tester so I can make sure I have the correct amount in my water.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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This product slows down the destruction of chlorine in the pool from the ultra violet rays of the sun. Sometimes stabilizer is sold separately and sometimes the stabilizer is combined with the pool chlorine granules. Without stabilizer the chlorine disappears quickly which is good for the sellers of chlorine but not our wallet.

We cannot find either in Sosua and wondered if it was for sale here or in Puerto Plata.

The only kind of chlorine granules I have been able to purchase in the past several years on the north coast is granulated TriChlor which already has the stabilizer in it. So if you are using TriChlor granules already, (and almost 100% that you are) then don't bother with the stabilizer since it already has cyanuric acid in it. For some reason "regular" chlorine is not readily available for this purpose and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

(An infamous pool guy banned poster from Canada told me there was no such thing as granulated TriChlor. I had to send him a picture of the 55 KG "tank" of it that I have been getting for the past several years. It is the only thing I use in my pool) .
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Pucks and granular chlorine have stabilizer.

I use liquid chlorine to raise chlorine levels as needed (high keeps algae blooms down, a battle I wage in my pool for some reason) , and pucks/granular to keep stability high.

Here is an excellent forum about pool maintenance. These guys are pool geeks:

Trouble Free Pool

I bought their TF-100 test kit and am so glad I did...
 
J

James L. Crane

Guest
I am also looking for a chlorine stabilizer which help to maintain the chlorine levels in pool water. If anyone have any information about where I can buy then please help. I know this is an old thread but I hope someone will surely reply. Thanks

Thanks for replying..
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
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Pucks and granular chlorine have stabilizer.

I use liquid chlorine to raise chlorine levels as needed (high keeps algae blooms down, a battle I wage in my pool for some reason) , and pucks/granular to keep stability high.

Here is an excellent forum about pool maintenance. These guys are pool geeks:

Trouble Free Pool

I bought their TF-100 test kit and am so glad I did...

Not all granular chlorine has stabilizer. When I first moved here I bought "normal" granulated chlorine (not Tri-Chlor) and I needed to add stabilizer, which I mostly did by using a combination of that normal granulated chlorine and using some pucks. Over the past several years I have only been able to find Tri-Chlor granules on the north coast and that is the same composition as the pucks with the stabilizer in it. Perhaps in other parts of the country normal, plain, chlorine is still available.

The explanation given to me was that the government was using all the normal chlorine in water treatment. LOL
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Not all granular chlorine has stabilizer. When I first moved here I bought "normal" granulated chlorine (not Tri-Chlor) and I needed to add stabilizer, which I mostly did by using a combination of that normal granulated chlorine and using some pucks. Over the past several years I have only been able to find Tri-Chlor granules on the north coast and that is the same composition as the pucks with the stabilizer in it. Perhaps in other parts of the country normal, plain, chlorine is still available.

The explanation given to me was that the government was using all the normal chlorine in water treatment. LOL
I go by CYA tests.

When I use liquid chlorine alone I get wild fluctuations in chlorine levels with low CYA levels and the sun eats away at the chlorine. If I'm not right on top of the FC/CC tests I can get algae blooms. My filtration system is poor so close monitoring is mandatory.

If I use pucks alone, I cannot control the chlorine levels: they are very difficult to raise.

When I use granular/pucks for a chlorine "base" and liquid for supplement/raising chlorine levels I have no problems. CYA can stabilize around 35-45ppm without wide fluctuations.

I try to keep the Total Alkalinity around 100 +/- 10. Lower, and chlorine levels drop and algae blooms. Higher and chlorine goes radically up and hard to level out.

Check the link I posted before. There is an excellent primer on pool chemistry, and excellent test kits available.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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I go by CYA tests.

When I use liquid chlorine alone I get wild fluctuations in chlorine levels with low CYA levels and the sun eats away at the chlorine. If I'm not right on top of the FC/CC tests I can get algae blooms. My filtration system is poor so close monitoring is mandatory.

If I use pucks alone, I cannot control the chlorine levels: they are very difficult to raise.

When I use granular/pucks for a chlorine "base" and liquid for supplement/raising chlorine levels I have no problems. CYA can stabilize around 35-45ppm without wide fluctuations.

I try to keep the Total Alkalinity around 100 +/- 10. Lower, and chlorine levels drop and algae blooms. Higher and chlorine goes radically up and hard to level out.

Check the link I posted before. There is an excellent primer on pool chemistry, and excellent test kits available.

The only thing I use is granulated TriChlor and some pucks and all is well for over five years.
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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people put all sorts of stuff in their pools - i was told the only thing you really need is tricolor
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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A sand filter won't remove "the dust from Africa" if you are seeing that in your pool. It is far to fine to be trapped in any sand filter.
It won't filter the algae either. My #1 maintenance issue is occasional algae blooms.

Not only is the sand filter a poor design, construction sand was used instead of finer grains. You know, the Dominican way.

I created a workable solution here: DR1 Link: How I De-Slimed My Pool

I just have to keep chlorine levels fairly high. The 1 micron diesel filter bags do a fine job de-sliming the pool when necessary.

I had a DE filter on my pool in FL and nary an issue. Got even better when I opted for fiberglass instead of marcite when I rehabbed the pool.

I'm just a stickler for a sparkling clear pool...
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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As usuall, this is bad advice. You need 60PPM of cyanuric acid in your pool water regardless of which way you are sanitizing your pool. Yes, pucks have some stabilizer in them and some granular can too but you still need to test and add it until you have the proper amount. Two exceptions, indoor pools and bromine pools, as no ultraviolet rays are present in indoor pools and bromine is unstable.
It is better to shock your pool with unstable granular too by the way.
2ppm chlorine, ph 7.5, 100ppm baking soda, 60 ppm cyanuric acid, calcium harness 300ppm.
Run your pump more than 2-3 hours, this is a joke, your water will never be crystal clear. What is the point of having a pool if it is uninviting! Run the pump for 12 hours a day, or buy a solar pump if you worry about power consumption.
Heed my advice, I have 25 years experience.

No need to follow your advice. My pool is just fine without it, but I only have 10 years of experience here maintaining just this one pool.

Next time you come down from Canada, try to find regular (unstable) chlorine granules on the north coast in any quantity.

I recall you stated there was no such thing as granulated Trichlor and disagreed that there was dust from Africa blowing into the Caribbean. Some expert.
 
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cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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As usuall, this is bad advice. You need 60PPM of cyanuric acid in your pool water regardless of which way you are sanitizing your pool. Yes, pucks have some stabilizer in them and some granular can too but you still need to test and add it until you have the proper amount. Two exceptions, indoor pools and bromine pools, as no ultraviolet rays are present in indoor pools and bromine is unstable.
It is better to shock your pool with unstable granular too by the way.
2ppm chlorine, ph 7.5, 100ppm baking soda, 60 ppm cyanuric acid, calcium harness 300ppm.
Run your pump more than 2-3 hours, this is a joke, your water will never be crystal clear. What is the point of having a pool if it is uninviting! Run the pump for 12 hours a day, or buy a solar pump if you worry about power consumption.
Heed my advice, I have 25 years experience.
I posted a link to some pool maintenance geeks who also agree with you.

And, yes, 2-3 hours of filtration will not to the trick. 8+ hours seems to work for me.

I have no doubt windeguy's experience works for him, but it was not until I followed the instructions as you've outlined that my pool became clear.

I note that the pucks and granular chlorine do raise the CYA levels but the liquid chlorine do not. I need way more than 2ppm chlorine to prevent algae growth, more like 5ppm+.

Keeping the chlorine levels high this time of year with extreme exposure to the sun is a challenge.
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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It won't filter the algae either. My #1 maintenance issue is occasional algae blooms.

Not only is the sand filter a poor design, construction sand was used instead of finer grains. You know, the Dominican way.

I went and bought pool filter sand, still didn't filter the fine powder.

I created a workable solution here: DR1 Link: How I De-Slimed My Pool

A creative way to get rid of the dust from Africa problem. A DE filter could capture more of that dust and/or algae, but I have no direct experience with DE filters. Perhaps our expert can advise.

I just have to keep chlorine levels fairly high. The 1 micron diesel filter bags do a fine job de-sliming the pool when necessary.

I had a DE filter on my pool in FL and nary an issue. Got even better when I opted for fiberglass instead of marcite when I rehabbed the pool.

I'm just a stickler for a sparkling clear pool...

I do admit that a solar pool pump system would be a good idea. When I feel like it I may look into importing such a system. Prices here for them are "Dominican"...
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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That is strange because you only need 2ppm for pool and 3 for spa.
There is also a phenomenon called chlorine lock and this is where your cyanuric acid level is too high and it stops the free chlorine from working. Chemical engineers always but heads regarding this.
Remember, any fine algae or dust like debris, should always be vacuumed on waste/drain because it is too fine for the filter to capture and it will shoot straight back through the pool returns.
Another tip, did you know that your sand filter performs best when dirty? It is true, the problem is the flow rate dies when it is dirty.
I found out about the filter the hard way. PLUS last I backwashed a bunch of gunk went into the pool. No mas. I'll wait until fully clogged before doing THAT again. Maybe I'm supposed to rinse or something before going back on filter, I don't know. Different behavior than my DE filter.

Some put a couple of pounds of DE in the filter to help efficiency; what is your opinion on that practice?

Agree about vacuuming to waste, but that wastes a lot of precious water, and the water tables in the DR are low right now. The 1 micron diesel fuel filters do a credible job in capturing the gunk missed by the filter. Plus I get to go into the pool to install/remove for cleaning. An excuse. :)

My current chemical readings (the pool is crystal clear):

CC= 3
FC= 1
TC= 4
CH= 75
TA= 90
CYA=35

I added more chlorine to raise the level, because the TC=4 trend is downward; it was 7 2 days ago, and when it goes below 3 the algae is back.

Unfortunately, as windeguy mentioned, getting chemicals here is difficult, not at all like back in FL.
 

cobraboy

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You must rinse for 20 seconds after backwashing. Backwash for 2.5 minutes and rinse for 20 seconds.
Your free chlorine is most important and yours is too low. It should be 2ppm.
Did you know, when you smell chlorine in the pool, it is chloramines you are smelling because the chlorine is spent and you need to shock the pool with more chlorine? Most do not.
How do I raise the FC?