Okay to store chemicals outside?

[NtxMelanie]

We fixed up the muddy pool equipment area over the weekend and added a cabinet to store everything. Super happy to have everything organized and pretty, but is it okay to store chemicals in there all the time? Or the test kit? Right now it seems fine and I can’t imagine cold would be a big issue in Texas, but when it gets super hot out is it better to store them inside?

 

[NtxMelanie]

I have no liquid chlorine, just tabs and shock, then Muriatic acid (Acid Magic brand), CYA, and some phosphate remover. And the test kit.

 

[duraleigh]

Good morning!

That's a beautiful job! Really stylish and functional

1. Keep you test kit inside the house.....it really doesn't like summertime heat. In fact, it is often easier to perform the tests inside.

2. remove the muriatic acid tight away. It is quite corrosive and will attack a lot of things.....mostly metal

3. Chlorine (tabs and shock) is also corrosive and should be tightly capped.

Very nice work but get the acid away from everything you can and keep the chlorine tightly capped.

 

[duraleigh]

Almost forgot.......give the phosphate remover to someone you don't like......it is not effective

 

[Orion7319]

The acid and cya is fine to store outside in a container. You don’t want to store chlorine near the acid though as that could be bad, so find another smaller plastic container for the acid and store it separately. The MA will off gas and if that combines with chlorine offgassing, you’ve basically created a mustard gas. Be careful how you store this stuff. Also you shouldn’t use tabs or powdered shock regularly, use liquid chlorine. You can’t store your test kit outside at all. The reagents go bad very quickly in the heat and then your test kit wont work. I keep all my test kit stuff in a tackle box and keep that in a cabinet in the house. Keep it away from children. Some of the chemicals in the test kit are quite toxic.

Edit: Duraleigh beat me too it.

 

[Mdragger88]

Hey Melanie
Belated Welcome to TFP
Keep the test kit indoors & out of the sun to prolong the life of the reagents. Most have a shelf life of 2yrs & the cya reagent can last longer with proper storage. I have a little pool diddy basket in my laundry area for that

Here’s a helpful guide for the chems

Chemical Storage and Safety - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Also Here’s some more good reading about necessary & unnecessary pool chemicals

Recommended Pool Chemicals

Which should I buy? TFP's recommended pool chemicals are cheap, easy, and won't unbalance your pool water.

www.google.com

Non-Recommended Pool Chemicals

These pool chemicals should not be added to your pool. Save your money and frustration and avoid these chemicals!

www.google.com

 

[NtxMelanie]

The acid and cya is fine to store outside in a container. You don’t want to store chlorine near the acid though as that could be bad, so find another smaller plastic container for the acid and store it separately. The MA will off gas and if that combines with chlorine offgassing, you’ve basically created a mustard gas. Be careful how you store this stuff. Also you shouldn’t use tabs or powdered shock regularly, use liquid chlorine. You can’t store your test kit outside at all. The reagents go bad very quickly in the heat and then your test kit wont work. I keep all my test kit stuff in a tackle box and keep that in a cabinet in the house. Keep it away from children. Some of the chemicals in the test kit are quite toxic.

Edit: Duraleigh beat me too it.

Why shouldn’t I use tabs? I have an in line chlorinator and thought I was supposed to add tabs there?

 

[NtxMelanie]

Good morning!

That's a beautiful job! Really stylish and functional

1. Keep you test kit inside the house.....it really doesn't like summertime heat. In fact, it is often easier to perform the tests inside.

2. remove the muriatic acid tight away. It is quite corrosive and will attack a lot of things.....mostly metal

3. Chlorine (tabs and shock) is also corrosive and should be tightly capped.

Very nice work but get the acid away from everything you can and keep the chlorine tightly capped.

Thank you, this was super helpful! Is the muriatic acid okay in the garage? or better just on the ground outside?

 

[magiteck]

Thank you, this was super helpful! Is the muriatic acid okay in the garage? or better just on the ground outside?

Garage isn’t great because of metal items that it could corrode.

I keep mine outside, next to my shed, in a loosely-covered 5 gallon bucket (loosely covered so any vapors can vent).

 

[NtxMelanie]

Garage isn’t great because of metal items that it could corrode.

I keep mine outside, next to my shed, in a loosely-covered 5 gallon bucket (loosely covered so any vapors can vent).

I have just the bucket and can switch that tomorrow! Loosely covered with like a towel, or?

 

[magiteck]

I have just the bucket and can switch that tomorrow! Loosely covered with like a towel, or?

I use an actual bucket lid, I just don’t snap it all the way on, it mostly just sits on top of the bucket. Basically just enough to keep water out (for what it matters) without keeping air in.

 

[magiteck]

Why shouldn’t I use tabs? I have an in line chlorinator and thought I was supposed to add tabs there?

Tabs (trichlor) aren’t ideal as a primary method of chlorination because they add an almost equal amount of CYA/stabilizer as they do chlorine. The chlorine is consumed rapidly, but CYA isn’t - aside from a small amount of very slow degradation, it stays in the water unless water is replaced.

So over time the CYA level gets sky high. CYA binds to chlorine, which is great in appropriate ratios to help it last longer for but problematic when CYA gets too high. Higher CYA levels require an ever-higher amount of Chlorine to keep the water sanitary. Eventually the amount of chlorine that would be needed becomes impractical, and algae takes hold because there isn’t enough sanitizer in the water. At that point, you have to drain and replace water.

The tabs can have their place - if you’re going on vacation, or need to boost your CYA level. But for daily chlorination, we recommend liquid chlorine/bleach only (which adds nothing else other than a bit of salt), or chlorine gas made using a salt-water chlorine generator.

The FC/CYA Levels shows the proper amount of chlorine required based on your CYA level. You can see that as CYA gets higher, the corresponding chlorine amounts required become increasingly impractical.

 

[NtxMelanie]

Tabs (trichlor) aren’t ideal as a primary method of chlorination because they add an almost equal amount of CYA/stabilizer as they do chlorine. The chlorine is consumed rapidly, but CYA isn’t - aside from a small amount of very slow degradation, it stays in the water unless water is replaced.

So over time the CYA level gets sky high. CYA binds to chlorine, which is great in appropriate ratios to help it last longer for but problematic when CYA gets too high. Higher CYA levels require an ever-higher amount of Chlorine to keep the water sanitary. Eventually the amount of chlorine that would be needed becomes impractical, and algae takes hold because there isn’t enough sanitizer in the water. At that point, you have to drain and replace water.

The tabs can have their place - if you’re going on vacation, or need to boost your CYA level. But for daily chlorination, we recommend liquid chlorine/bleach only (which adds nothing else other than a bit of salt), or chlorine gas made using a salt-water chlorine generator.

The FC/CYA Levels shows the proper amount of chlorine required based on your CYA level. You can see that as CYA gets higher, the corresponding chlorine amounts required become increasingly impractical.

Thank you for the info, I didn’t know they had CYA too So can I add liquid chlorine to the in-line feeder just like the pucks?

 

[Orion7319]

Thank you for the info, I didn’t know they had CYA too So can I add liquid chlorine to the in-line feeder just like the pucks?

No! You add the liquid chlorine directly to the pool. You will probably have to add some everyday. I think some people might use stenner pumps. I’m not really sure how those work. I have a salt water generator which creates chlorine gas from salt so it’s all automatic. Salt water generators are the best way to go if you can.

Stenner pump users

Are you still satisfied with your Stenner pump dosing system? Would you make the same decision to install one today? I gave up on the liquidator and plan to install a dosing pump instead of a SWG system. Mainly cost and a trusted pool service guy's recommendation not to.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Mdragger88]

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.google.com

 

[TexEdmond]

First off, welcome to the site, @NtxMelanie !!! You've got a really sharp looking installation there. When I used tabs and shock, I used to keep them in a deck storage bench / box with those pneumatic pistons. The exposed part of the pistons rusted and the box just constantly reeked of pool chlorine. Now I only keep a few tabs and dry CYA on hand, both in the garage with their own bucket with threaded lid. No chemical smell in that large a space. I keep muriatic acid outside near the pool because my water drinks the stuff by the gallon, and it's my understanding that as long as the jug is sealed it retains its potency indefinitely. Same with tabs and dry stabilizer, kept sealed they stay effective a long, long time. Liquid chlorine and your test reagents are the big worries because they represent the biggest percentage of cost to run the TFP method. LC loses its potency around 90 days after manufacture and is susceptible to light and heat, so make sure you're checking the Chlorine Date Code when you buy.

As you learn more about CYA / Chlorine balance, you'll get the hang of things pretty quickly. Like folks have already mentioned, CYA levels essentially never drop unless water is removed and replaced with fresh water. The good news is it looks like your pool is on the smaller side, so even if you've got to get drastic by draining some of the water to lower your CYA levels, it shouldn't be too much of a chore.

It looks like you've got enough equipment there that you probably have some Pentair automation controls? Either way this is a really great install because you've got flexibility out the wazoo (industry term) for adding things like Salt Water Chlorine Generation down the line. There's no need for you to use the ozone generation system on an outdoor pool, the sun's rays are more than enough to neutralize combined chlorine.

Great job and ENJOY THE POOL!

 

[woodyp]

Again......do NOT add liquid bleach to the CYA tab feeder. DANGEROUS!

 

[Mdragger88]

To add to what @woodyp said - never allow any of the various forms of chlorine to mix. Explosion can occur. They must be fully dissolved in the pool separately. Separate feeders.

 

[NtxMelanie]

First off, welcome to the site, @NtxMelanie !!! You've got a really sharp looking installation there. When I used tabs and shock, I used to keep them in a deck storage bench / box with those pneumatic pistons. The exposed part of the pistons rusted and the box just constantly reeked of pool chlorine. Now I only keep a few tabs and dry CYA on hand, both in the garage with their own bucket with threaded lid. No chemical smell in that large a space. I keep muriatic acid outside near the pool because my water drinks the stuff by the gallon, and it's my understanding that as long as the jug is sealed it retains its potency indefinitely. Same with tabs and dry stabilizer, kept sealed they stay effective a long, long time. Liquid chlorine and your test reagents are the big worries because they represent the biggest percentage of cost to run the TFP method. LC loses its potency around 90 days after manufacture and is susceptible to light and heat, so make sure you're checking the Chlorine Date Code when you buy.

As you learn more about CYA / Chlorine balance, you'll get the hang of things pretty quickly. Like folks have already mentioned, CYA levels essentially never drop unless water is removed and replaced with fresh water. The good news is it looks like your pool is on the smaller side, so even if you've got to get drastic by draining some of the water to lower your CYA levels, it shouldn't be too much of a chore.

It looks like you've got enough equipment there that you probably have some Pentair automation controls? Either way this is a really great install because you've got flexibility out the wazoo (industry term) for adding things like Salt Water Chlorine Generation down the line. There's no need for you to use the ozone generation system on an outdoor pool, the sun's rays are more than enough to neutralize combined chlorine.

Great job and ENJOY THE POOL!

Thank you! This was great to hear, I’m super interested in a SWG but it will awhile before we can invest more into the pool, so I’m super grateful this forum is helping me make it all work

 

[TexEdmond]

I’m super interested in a SWG but it will awhile before we can invest more into the pool,

Depending on how you feel about warranty on your equipment, permits and stuff aside, you're likely looking at an easy install, especially since a lot of wiring and plumbing is so easily accessible already.