What chemicals should I balance first in my pool?

Total Alkalinity (TA) is the first thing you should balance in your pool water. TA refers to the amount of alkaline material in the water. And since alkaline is a pH stabilizer, the number of alkaline substances in water will affect the pH balance. The ideal Total Alkalinity range for pool water is 80 – 120 ppm.

In what order should pool chemicals be added?

Do I Adjust pH or chlorine first?

Chemicals that affect the levels of pH and alkalinity need to be added to the swimming pool first. Getting the pH and total alkalinity sorted out will allow for the addition of further chemicals that affect the hardness and cleanliness of the water.

Do you shock or balance pool first?

Equally important is to balance the water first, before shocking a pool. Minerals, metals and dirt often mix and deposit as stains or scale during shocking, when pool water is not balanced. In addition, chlorine has much more power or efficacy at lower pH levels, so you can use less.

Do I add chlorine or stabilizer first?

Open your pool under normal procedures, and let the filter run with its normal amount of chemicals. When all the other chemicals, such as chlorine. pH and alkalinity, are balanced, add the chlorine stabilizer. Add the stabilizer only after the filter has been backwashed to ensure it is cycled through a clean filter.

What Order Should I Adjust My Pool Chemicals?

Do I Adjust pH or shock first?

That said, Absolutely pH first. And once it's good, don't bother testing pH again until the shock process is complete and FC has dropped below 10. High chlorine reacts with the reagent and shifts the color, so it won't be accurate.

How do I treat my pool for the first time?

Tips for Adding Start-Up Pool Chemicals

Run filter pump while adding chemicals to circulate. Re-test the pool water after 8 hours of filter run time. Add chlorine shock when the sun is not directly overhead. Add algaecides last, after chlorine level drops below 3 ppm.

Do I add muriatic acid or shock first?

To add the muriatic acid safely you need to dilute the acid into a bucket of water. To do this safely, wear chemical resistant gloves and a chemical-resistant apron and goggles if you have them. Then add 1 part of muriatic acid to 10 parts of water in the bucket. Add the water first, then add the muriatic acid.

Can I add shock and alkalinity at same time?

Never add chemicals at the same time, whether you're balancing the water, shocking the pool, or adding a specialty chemical. For most water balance changes, the pump needs to run on the high setting for at least four hours before you can add another chemical or retest the water.

Can I add stabilizer and shock at the same time?

It's also included in chlorine tablets or sticks (called trichlor) or shock (called dichlor). When they're mixed together in shock or tablets, the resulting product is called stabilized chlorine. Typically, pool owners won't need to add any extra stabilizer separately if you're using one of the combination products.

What pool chemicals should not be mixed?

Incompatible Pool Chemicals

Mixing of organic chlorinating agents (such as trichloroisocyanuric acid) and inorganic chlorinating agents (such as sodium hypochlorite) can lead to fires, explosions and chlorine gas release.

Can I add chlorine and alkalinity at the same time?

What is this? Add them one at a time waiting 10-30 mins between different chemicals (except for pool shock or cal-hypo – wait 24 hours). Granular chlorine, pH and alkalinity adjusting chemicals can be dissolved first in a bucket of water. But not at the same time of course.

Can I add algaecide before shock?

Algaecide should be used after each shock treatment, so it has a better chance to support your chlorine as it works its magic. Be sure to shock your pool first, then when the chlorine levels of your pool return to normal, add the correct amount of algaecide to several places around your pool while your pump is running.

How long do I wait between adding pool chemicals?

Wait times for adding pool chemicals

The wait times between adding pool chemicals is usually around 10 minutes each, as that is also sufficient time for the chemicals to mix in the water. Users also under normal conditions can swim roughly 10 minutes after adding chemicals.

What happens if you put too much muriatic acid in pool?

If you do add too much muriatic acid, your pH levels can dip dangerously low, and your pool water can cause rashes and eye irritation. Low levels of pH can also damage metals in your pool like ladders, railings, screws, bolts, and other important equipment.

Can I use pool shock and clarifier at the same time?

It's not a good idea to use pool shock at the same time as clarifier. Some clarifiers are polymer based and the shock can act to break up the polymer causing the clarifier to be ineffective. It's best to shock your pool before and wait a day or two before adding clarifier.

How much chlorine should I put in my pool for the first time?

The most important factor though is the size of the pool. You'll need about 52-104 oz of liquid chlorine per 10,000 gallons of water. This amount should get the chlorine level to between 5 and 10 ppm.

Do you balance pH before shocking pool?

Before you add shock treatment, you need to test your pool water and balance its levels. The pH level should be between 7.2 and 7.6, with total alkalinity being between 80 and 120 ppm. Pool water testing is easy to do using test strips or liquid test kits.

How long should you run filter after shocking pool?

While shocking your pool will help kill any germs any algae, it won't actually get rid of them; for that, you need your filter. So be sure to run your pool filter for at least 24 hours.

Is liquid shock better than powder?

Both liquid and powder shocks contain the same active chemical used for pool sanitation, but their usage and strength are different. Other than coming in a different form, liquid chlorine is also more budget-friendly and unstabilized. On the other hand, powder shock is easy to stabilize, and its solid form dissolves.

What happens if you put too much stabilizer in a pool?

If the stabilizer level is too high in a pool, it will lock the chlorine molecules, rendering them ineffective as a sanitizer. This usually happens as a result of using chlorine tablets that contain cyanuric acid.

Can you put stabilizer directly in pool?

How to add stabilizer to your pool. Most manufacturers say to add your CYA to a bucket of warm water first and others say you can pour it directly into the pool.

Does pool shock affect alkalinity?

Causes of Rising Alkalinity

It's also not uncommon for pool owners to go a bit overboard when shocking their pool, and since chlorine-based pool shock is a high-alkaline substance, it will also naturally raise your pool alkalinity.

Is pool shock the same as chlorine?

SKIMMER NOTES: No. Chlorine and shock are not the same thing. Shock has a more intense chemical strength than the traditional chlorine sanitizers, and it also differs in how you should apply it to your swimming pool.