Can I Add All Pool Chemicals At The Same Time? No. With the exception of salt, you should never mix any types of chemicals and put them together, not even close to each other. Never want to mix acid with chemicals like stabilisers, chlorine and buffers.
While shocking and adding algaecide is effective in getting rid of algae, it should not be done together. This is because when you mix chlorine and algaecide together, it renders both of them useless. Hence, you should first shock the pool and wait for the chlorine levels to fall below 5 PPM.
The simplest strategy is to follow them, remembering the two golden rules of adding chemicals: only add chemicals to a pool that is running, and only add chemicals to water, not water to chemicals.
When adding pool chemicals, waiting around 10 to 20 minutes between additions is recommended. It's important to understand that pool chemicals are made of strong gasses and concentrated materials. Mixing these or adding them too quickly back-to-back could potentially cause unintended consequences, including explosions.
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.
Never want to mix acid with chemicals like stabilisers, chlorine and buffers. Salt can be added with acid. Due to the nature of the acid, its low pH will react with anything with a higher pH such as chlorine - similar to when you mix vinegar and bicarb soda (it bubbles and foams up).
Add Alkalinity Adjuster
The first thing you need to do while adding pool chemicals in order is to balance the water's alkalinity. This is achievable by balancing the alkalinity to 80-120 ppm (parts per million).
First things first, when adding any chemical to the pool, always make sure your pump is running, and automatic cleaner is removed. Having the pump running helps to distribute the chemicals throughout the pool and removing equipment such as pool cleaners helps ensure that they last longer.
Do-Not's. As for the 'do-not's,' you should never add water to chemicals, instead chemicals should be added to water. In the industry, people use the acronym AAA (always add acid) to remember this rule. Never pour chemicals too quickly or mix them together.
CHLORINE: Probably the best-known pool chemical, chlorine is a sanitiser that keeps algae and bacteria at bay. It comes in liquid, powder, and tablet forms. When water reacts with chlorine, it forms hypochlorous acid, which is the compound that fights bacteria.
Let the shock try to fight the algae first. Add algaecide about 24 hours after shock to finish the job and prevent future algae blooms.
Too much chlorine in your pool can cause skin and eye irritation as well as damaging your pool equipment and affecting your water's pH levels.
Is it possible to shock your pool too much? Yes—excessive shocking of your pool will keep it at an elevated chlorine level. This will cause irritation of the skin and eyes as well as excessive wear and tear on your pool filter system, including excessive corrosion of all metal parts.
The “SLAM” process is similar to “shocking” and is necessary when the chlorine level in the pool remains lower than required for a certain period of time, thus allowing algae to grow. It requires the use of a high concentration of liquid/powder chlorine to raise the chlorine level quickly.
Ideally, you should shock your pool at night, so the sun cannot interfere and destroy the active chemicals before they can do their job. Then, you can add your chlorine post-shock after the chlorine levels have fallen below 5 ppm.
Vacuuming removes debris and algal growth from the walls and floor of the pool and should be performed before shocking the pool water. Vacuuming before shocking allows the chlorine to be more effective in disinfecting and clearing up the water and breaking down skin and nose irritating chloramines.
Running the pump during the hottest parts of the day helps to combat the effects of the sun, especially with deterring algae growth and removing bacteria and debris during peak swim times. Splitting up time into shorter intervals and running during the morning as well as in the evening may help to maximize efficiency.
A good rule of thumb is to never mix pool chemicals with each other. After adding Calcium Hypochlorite a user should always wait 24 hours before adding chemicals that would alter their pH. Adjusting pH or Total Alkalinty after adding Calcium Hypochlorite can cause the calcium to temporarily cloud the water.
When: Use a water clarifier after you've killed an algae bloom as it'll help to coagulate dead algae particles in your pool water. If you've got green in your pool, you'll need to attend to that issue with chlorine and an algaecide before anything else, and fast.
It's important to remember that you should wait to add chemicals to the swimming pool until after you've backwashed as the process will dispose of some existing water in the pool. Think of backwashing your filter as emptying your vacuum cleaner's canister or bag.
Begin the pool start-up process by adding some scale or stain preventative before any other chemical. If your pool consists of new plaster, this step should always go first. Make sure that the water is properly tested to determine how much chemicals you should add.
Because pH and alkalinity adjustments affect one another, you should always correct the total alkalinity before pH. This is because proper total alkalinity will act as a buffer for pH, helping to prevent fluctuations in pH levels.
Algaecides act as a backup to your normal sanitization program and prevent algae from starting and growing in the pool. Algaecide should be added after every shock treatment.