Forgot to predissolve pool chemicals?

Question

what do i do if i forgot to predissolve certain chemicals for my pool --- i have tried to stir it up some -- but am i just going to have to vaccuum them up and see how it tests out?

Answer 1

Brushing is the only real way to deal with it without resorting to a vac. If you DO go the vac route, do it on "waste" or "drain", if this is a sand filter. You don't want whatever it was ( shock or dry acid are the only two things to be really concerned about) sitting in the filter's sand bed, dissolving and blasting right into the heat exchanger of a pool heater. It's not good for the heat exchanger, which are expensive little puppies. You also don't want dry acid ( if that's what it was) going through a chlorinator. Acid and chlorine don't mix well in a confined space. You also don't want anything like that winding up in a salt generator's cell, if you have one. Vaccing on waste will bypass all these items. Just remember, wherever your back wash hose ends up,  is where that chemical will too so be wise in that regard. You're also using up pool water to do this, so just get the bits of debris you need to and do it quickly.

   If you have no heater, chlorinator or salt system, then you'll be ok to simply vac on "filter" and whatever it was will quickly dissolve there.

If this is a cartridge filter, you can vac as well, just remove the filter after you're done and rinse it thoroughly with fresh water, remembering that you want to do it in an area that your rinse water won't damage anything since it will have whatever you vacc'd up.

I bet by the time you're done reading this...whatever's on the pool bottom has already dissolved. :)