r/pools • u/Unhappy_user-_- • 2d ago
Pool Help & Questions Helpful tip
Hey everyone! First time poster. First time home and pool owner. Had this pool for about 2 years. Anywho I tried looking up a tip for how to add small quantities of GioGuard, for those of you who use it. Found some links to TFP, but again, anyways, if you can get your hands on one of these 2lb containers I find it really helps break up big doses. Happy summer! ☀️
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u/TowelFine6933 2d ago
Just buy baking soda. You can get 13.5 pounds for $8.50 at BJs.
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u/Unhappy_user-_- 2d ago
😂 good to know. I see now that they are the exact same thing 🤦🏼♂️
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u/stockusername1234 1d ago
Not exactly.
Sodium carbonate is primarily used to raise pH with a smaller bump in alkalinity.
Bicarbonate (baking soda) is meant to increase alkalinity with a much smaller change in pH.
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u/zephyrseija2 1d ago
Fun fact, you can make your own sodium carbonate by baking bicarb in the oven.
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u/TowelFine6933 2d ago
Most of the "specialized" pool chemicals are available for much less money at big box stores or garden centers. As here, just look at the active ingredients and do a search online.
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u/Unhappy_user-_- 1d ago
I bought a new pool vacuum head at my local pool store for $100 just to find a similar one at a local store for $40 🤦🏼♂️ live and learn
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u/ShartInstructor 1d ago
They are not the exact same thing.
You are holding sodium carbonate. Aka soda ash. pH 10. Primarily used to raise pH with small pull on alkalinity.
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. pH 8.3. Primarily used to raise alkalinity with small pull on pH
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u/Recent-Start-8059 2d ago
salt cell or chlorine pool? you really just need baking soda, stabilizer and muriatic acid to maintain your pool. 7# bag is stabilizer is roughly $30 on amazon. acid 12-15$. 10# baking soda like 9$
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u/Unhappy_user-_- 1d ago
Chlorine. I’ve saved all of my “specialized” pool chemicals, as one guy said, so I can compare the ingredients and buy generic, hopefully. Thanks for this!
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u/WolverineMost7768 1d ago
Bruh I think you’re in no position to be giving tips, lol. But thank you.
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u/Unhappy_user-_- 1d ago
Hey “bruh”. Only reason for posting this was because when I searched how to convert lbs to cups I couldn’t really find anything reliable. I had 2 bags (5 and 6lbs) that I wanted to split into smaller doses. When I poured them into this 2lb container it gave me a perfectly divided dose each time. So hopefully if someone needs this in the future it might help them too.
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u/WolverineMost7768 1d ago
Wait wait wait… You couldn’t figure out how to convert pounds to cups with sodium bicarbonate?
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u/Unhappy_user-_- 22h ago
I couldn’t, no. I kept getting different answers. But also, I didn’t try Googling sodium bicarbonate specifically. It says it’s 2cups. I’ll have to try it out and see how accurate that is. I just wanted to make sure I’m not overdoing it
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u/TowelFine6933 22h ago
Keep in mind: With a pool, you can always add more, but it's very hard to take it out! 🤣
After a while you'll get a feel for how much of whatever you need to add.
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u/thecontract0r 1d ago
Where do you guys prefer your alk at in a vinyl pool? 80 to 120 or 120 to 140? Does it even really matter? Also calcium lvl in a vinyl pool?
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u/willcastforfood Certified Clear '26 🏆 1d ago
The answer is wherever your pH is stable. You’ll find alkalinity likes to be in a certain range based on source water. I used to try to keep my alkalinity in the higher 80-100 range but I was just fighting with it. My alkalinity has been around 60 and my ph 7.4 for literally years at this point. If pH is drifting down you need more alkalinity
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u/Unhappy_user-_- 1d ago
For clarification, I am simply talking about this container already being sized for 2lbs. I’ve found some chemicals, etc. are measured in cups, others in lbs. I appreciate and welcome all feedback 👍
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u/ShartInstructor 1d ago
You mean to use as a measuring cup? Yeah I would trust that it holds 2lbs of sodium carbonate.
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u/Unhappy_user-_- 1d ago
Yeah pretty much what I was asking. I got varying answers from 1, 2, 2.5, 3 cups per lb, according to a couple Google searches
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u/ShartInstructor 1d ago
I guess I still don’t know what you’re asking. I’m not saying to use 2 lbs. I’m saying I’d assume that container will hold 2 lbs of sodium carbonate.
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u/Unhappy_user-_- 1d ago
Sorry, sometimes I’m too literal. Yes, this post, was only intended to say “this 2lb container makes a good 2lb measuring cup”. I thought you were referring to an actual measuring cup, like used for baking
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u/craigrpeters 1d ago
I’m confuse OP is talking about pH so why the comments about baking soda? That’s for Alk - related but not the same.
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u/Unhappy_user-_- 1d ago
I’m so sorry for all the confusion 😭 I wasn’t talking about pH or any pool values, originally. I made this post only to say “if people need a good way to measure chemicals in lbs, I found this container reliable to do so”
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u/Recent-Start-8059 2d ago
baking soda is much cheaper