How to Implement the Orenda Program

The Orenda Program

Based on 10,000 gallons (37,855 Liters)

The Orenda Program PDF

Overview

Orenda chemicals are the top of the line. Every product is NSF/ANSI-50 Certified, which means no artificial fillers or questionable ingredients. But perhaps more importantly than the quality of the products themselves, is the philosophy behind the company. Everything we do at Orenda from procedures, educational resources, our app, to our training, focuses on helping pool owners, operators and professionals manage water in a simplified, proactive way. The Orenda Program is one of minimalism and purpose. Nothing is recommended without a reason, and everything we advocate for is backed by science and/or field experience.

The Orenda Philosophy: Proactive pool care with no chemical conflicts and no long-term byproducts left behind.

While other chemical brands make lots of products, Orenda makes only a few powerful ones. And our line does not have any chemicals that conflict with one another. For instance, we do not make a phosphate-based sequestering agent, because we make a phosphate remover. Those two products would conflict with each other, and you would be left frustrated, having spent money on two chemicals that canceled each other out...and have only marginal (if any) positive results to show for it.

This is less of a procedure than it is a guide outlining how to implement the Orenda Program and philosophy for your water.

You will need:

• An open mind
• The Orenda App™ (yes, it's free)
• Specific tools:
  • Water thermometer
  • Plastic liquid and dry measuring cups (32 oz. size)
  • A reliable test kit that you take good care of
  • A clean bucket for pre-dissolving / pre-diluting chemicals
• Primary Chemicals (pH adjusters, calcium chloride, non-stabilized chlorine)
• Orenda Chemicals

Ten Step Implementation

1. Drain and dilute as needed to get all pools to 30-50 ppm CYA.
2. Raise calcium hardness in every outdoor pool to an appropriate level for your location and water temperature (ask us if you're unsure).
3. Reduce alkalinity as the water warms up down to about 60-70 ppm for liquid chlorine/cal hypo pools, and 50-60 ppm for salt pools. Do not reduce alkalinity by more than 20 ppm at a time. 10-15 ppm at a time is ideal. Dilute acid thoroughly before adding.
   
   Spring Opening: Purge the pool with Orenda products
4. Purge pools with CV-600 or CV-700 (32 fl.oz. / 10,000 gal).
5. (optional, but recommended) Purge pools with SC-1000 (32 fl.oz. / 10,000 gal).
6. Purge pools with PR-10,000  (8 fl.oz. / 10,000 gal).
   
   Cleanup, Chemistry, and Chlorination
7. Return to vacuum phosphate dust and/or clean filter.
8. Test the water chemistry (make sure the sample is warm enough, over 60ºF).
9. Make small adjustments to balance the LSI (usually a small pH reduction only).
10. Chlorinate.

What is an Orenda Pool?

An Orenda Pool is one that obeys Orenda's Four Pillars:

• The Four Pillars of Proactive Pool Care (blog)
• Orenda Academy - Four Pillars™ (video education series)

The Four Pillars are the fundamental root causes of most pool problems. If you obey these four simple action steps, most problems will be avoided in your swimming pool.

1. Pillar 1: Keep your LSI balanced between  -0.30  to  +0.30  year-round, which requires knowing water temperature and adjusting accordingly as it changes.
2. Pillar 2: Use enzymes and/or secondary systems like UV or Ozone to address the oxidant demand. In particular, non-living organics like bather waste.
3. Pillar 3: Keep phosphate levels as low as possible. Ideally below 500 ppb.
4. Pillar 4: Keep CYA levels 50 ppm or below to avoid over-stabilization, which severely negatively impacts both chlorine efficacy and the LSI.

Anyone offering the Orenda Program must obey these four pillars as part of the program. It's required. Here are some other requirements of the Orenda Program:

• No Algaecides - Chlorine is the strongest algaecide, so we have no need for secondary algaecides. Furthermore, all algaecides leave behind some sort of long-term byproduct, like copper, bromates, or nitrogen compounds. Long-term byproducts conflict with the Orenda Philosophy.
• ALL chemicals must be NSF-Certified or EPA-Registered - We don't like mystery chemicals. Everything that goes into an Orenda Pool is independently certified for safety and performance claims. After all, people swim in pools and our pets drink from them. This is a requirement outlined by the Model Aquatic Health Code, and we believe in it strongly for residential pools too.
  
• Accurate dosing - No eyeballing, guesstimating or shortcuts. The Orenda App is a very accurate dosing calculator, and all it takes is a few minutes to test water correctly and adjust the dials. The second part of accurate dosing is using measuring cups.
• Accurate pool measurement - What good is a dosing calculator if you are way wrong about the volume of the pool? An Orenda Pool is measured and verified by the service professional to have the most accurate gallonage estimate possible. Even better, if the pool builder has software that tells the exact gallonage, that's preferred. This gallonage is written down and used when dosing chemicals.
• Proper chemical use - There are many bad habits in the pool industry, but among the worst is using chemicals incorrectly or worse, in a careless and unsafe way. Chemicals can be dangerous and volatile. They must be handled with care. And not just handling and storing them, we mean how chemicals are actually added to the water. For instance, dry chemicals need to be pre-dissolved in a bucket prior to being added to the pool, and acid needs to be pre-diluted.

Chemicals Needed

The primary chemicals used in an Orenda Pool are needed in just about any pool in the world. The primary sanitizer and disinfectant is non-stabilized chlorine (like liquid sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, or a salt-chlorine generator). If the pool is outdoors, up to 50 ppm of cyanuric acid (chlorine stabilizer) can be used, but the ideal is closer to 30 ppm CYA. Alkalinity and pH adjustment chemicals are needed too: sodium bicarbonate, soda ash, acid, and possibly CO₂. We also build our chemistry strategy on the LSI, which means a balanced saturation level of calcium carbonate. The chemical used to raise calcium hardness is calcium chloride.

The rest are specialty chemicals that help manage other factors in water chemistry. That's where we come in. The Orenda products are 

• PR-10,000 Phosphate Remover - A concentrated phosphate remover used to wipe out high levels of phosphates, or as a maintenance product to keep phosphate levels below 500 ppb (Pillar 3). Learn How to use PR-10,000.
• SC-1000 Scale & Metal Control - A chelating agent that binds to metals (iron, copper, manganese, etc.) and minerals (calcium, magnesium, etc.). Chelating metals prevents oxidation and staining. Chelating calcium helps prevent carbonate scale and other calcium issues. SC-1000 gives a pool some grace on the LSI (Pillar 1).
• CV-600 or CV-700 Enzymes - Enzymes break down and remove non-living organics and oils, like bather waste and body products like sunscreen, cosmetics, and lotions (Pillar 2).
• CE-Clarifier - A natural clarifier helps coagulate particles like dust and pollen. CE-Clarifier is blended with CV-600 enzymes too, which helps remove oils and other surface tension. If using CV-600 or CV-700, CE-Clarifier may not be necessary, and vice versa. It just depends on the bather load.

Initial [Purge] Treatment

A purge is necessary to begin the Orenda Program. Residual organics, phosphates, and other undesirables must be removed from the water system in order to have a fresh start. The purge dose overcomes almost any pool's demands, and also leaves enough enzyme or chelant in solution for a residual. These residuals should be maintained on a weekly basis.

1. PR-10,000 purging does not leave behind a residual. It is a one-and-done treatment that reacts with all types of phosphates on contact and pulls them out of solution to be filtered or vacuumed out of the pool. The initial purge dose is 8 fl.oz. per 10,000 gallons, unless the pool is green and full of algae. In which case, follow the Green Pool Cleanup Procedure, which calls for one quart (32 fl.oz.) per 10,000 gallons. PR-10,000 should be poured around the perimeter of the pool, not in the skimmer or gutter. Cloudiness is normal and can last up to two days (but usually about 12 hours).
2. SC-1000 purge dose is one quart (32 fl.oz.) per 10,000 gallons. We recommend dividing this dose up over a few days because it will wipe out chlorine until it has had time to bind with metals and minerals. This can take days. The exception to this is on a pool startup, where there is no chlorination yet, and SC-1000 plays a primary role in the Orenda Startup™ Procedure. SC-1000 should be added directly to the skimmer or gutter, or as directed in our startup process.
3. CV-600/700 purge dose is also one quart (32 fl.oz.) per 10,000 gallons. Enzymes can be added directly to the skimmer or gutter or poured around the perimeter of the pool. Bubbles are normal and can last up to a day. The more small bubbles, the better! You're watching carbon waste be broken down into CO₂ and leave the water.
4. CE-Clarifier is not really a purging product unless there is a lot of pollen or dust particles on the water's surface. We recommend purging with CV-600/700 Enzymes, then beginning CE-Clarifier on the next visit to the pool.

Weekly Maintenance Treatment

To maintain optimal water quality, chemicals like SC-1000 and CV-600/700 enzymes need their residuals to be re-upped on a weekly basis. For busier commercial pools, enzymes will be consumed more rapidly, and we strongly suggest an automated feed pump. For light-use residential pools, CE-Clarifier has enough CV-600 enzymes in it to maintain the residual in most cases. Use your judgment based on bather load.  SC-1000, however, is not based on bather load at all; tap water chemistry is what matters most. If the pool is on well water or has high metal content (like iron), SC-1000 weekly maintenance is recommended. We also recommend SC-1000 for pools that struggle with carbonate scale or have salt chlorine generator systems. SC-1000 can help prevent scale in those systems.

1. SC-1000 weekly dose is 3 fl.oz. per 10,000 gallons. This dose should not impact chlorine levels in a noticeable way. If added via feed pump, be sure to feed SC-1000 as the last item on the return line going back to the pool.
2. CV-600/700 weekly dose depends on bather load. Residential pools typically use 3-5 fl.oz. per 10,000 gallons a week. Normal commercial pools need 10 fl.oz. per 10,000 gallons a week. And high-use commercial pools–like swim schools, competitive swim team pools, and waterparks–usually use between 10-20 fl.oz. per 10,000 gallons a week.
3. The CE-Clarifier weekly dose is pretty simple. Just 1 fl.oz. per 10,000 gallons a week. It is best applied using a spray bottle and broadcasted over the surface.
4. PR-10,000 is used on an "as-needed" basis. Most pools do a small treatment every 2-4 weeks. For residential pools, it is best applied using a spray bottle, just like CE-Clarifier. For best results, spray PR-10,000 at least 10 minutes prior to spraying CE-Clarifier, because the clarifier can help with the cloudiness.

Summary

This was an overview of Orenda's program. An Orenda Pool lacks the common problems because it is treated proactively (the Four Pillars), avoids chemical conflicts, and does not use chemicals that are not independently certified as safe. Only chemicals that are NSF-Certified or EPA-Registered are to be used, and none that leave behind long-term byproducts (like algaecides). An Orenda pool only uses the highest quality chemicals and follows the best-known practices in the industry. Our company owner, Harold Evans, has grandchildren who call him Papaw. As a result, the Orenda Program can be summed up with Papaw's Law. We don't want anything in a swimming pool that Harold's grandchildren should not be exposed to. We hope you want your water to meet that same standard of excellence.

Got questions? Just contact us.

More Questions?

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The Orenda Program PDF