Questions about Intex pool with saltwater system.

[Cchcbuse]

My husband and I purchased an Intex 16x48" ultra frame pool and also purchased an Intex Crystal Clear saltwater system.
We have set the pool up, filled it with water, added 125 pounds of salt and turned the regular filter on. It said to leave regular pump running and the swg off for 24 hours after adding salt then turning the swg on.
My questions are;
(1) How long do my kids need to wait to swim in the pool after we have added the salt?
(2) when do we first need to use the test strips? Do we need to wait 24 hours?
(3) how often do we add salt to the pool? We're assuming the SWG will let us know when the salt level gets low. But about how often does this happen?

Thanks in advance, new to this. And the manuals do not specify any of my questions above.

 

[Piolin]

]1- Is safe to go in right away, but you need to have some bleach in

2- I will use one of the recommended kit in my case TF-100

3-salt will not evaporated, I will use the Taylor K-1766 salt test kit after all is dissolved

More people will chime in later, enjoy your pool, what is your pool volume?

 

[Cchcbuse]

Bleach? How much? Even after adding the salt today?
It's a 16x48 5,000 gallon pool
Thanks for your reply.

 

[Piolin]

Well the swg is mostly to maintain your chlorine level but to reach your target value you should use bleach also remember your swg is off for 24 hours until all the salt is fully dissolved, read pool school and remember you need to have the proper balance with CYA, again read pool school

Ps keep your pump running for at least 24 hours

 

[jeffchap]

Yes, you should add bleach immediately, to keep algae from beginning to grow in your water. 36 oz. of 8.25% chlorine laundry bleach (regular, unscented) will bring your FC level to 5 ppm, which is where you want to be. Then tomorrow, turn your SWG on an start with about 6 hours/day to keep FC around 5 ppm. You may have to adjust the run time up or down, but just increase/decrease 1 hour per day to zero in on your target.

You should also add about 48 oz. of dry cyanuric acid (CYA), aka stabilizer, to protect your chlorine from all getting burned off by the sun each day. Put it in a sock and hang it in front of your return eyeball. Don't just toss it loosely into the pool, as it can bleach your liner. It may take a few days to fully dissolve. You can squeeze the sock occasionally to speed things along.

Your kids can still swim immediately. All the bleach is doing is bringing your chlorine up to the desired level quickly, so that the SWG can then take over and keep it steady. You'll need to purchase one of the recommended test kits in order to accurately measure your levels and keep them where they need to be. You'll save yourself a lot of money and trouble in the long run if you do.

 

[Piolin]

In reference to how much bleach you can use pool math and enter your volume, add cero to FC (free chlorine) and 5 to goal and it will tell you how much (37 oz) of 8.25% bleach like the great value from Wal-Mart if you go there don't forget to buy clorox stabilizer with is 100% Cyanuric Acid, the bleach will last you few hours without the CYA, so you will need to add CYA according to pool math 47 Oz by weight, (see Pool math)

 

[Cchcbuse]

Thanks for your replys.. I just added some bleach to the pool. I'm also keeping the regular pump on for 24 hours then running my SWG. I'm also going to a pool place nearby within the next few days and is that where I can purchase CYA?

 

[Piolin]

I had never been to a pool store yet, but I guess you can find it there but more expensive, just remember that bleach without CYA will last few hours, so don't wait longer and know test strips (guess strips are called here) are unreliable

 

[pooldv]

I buy my CYA at Lowes in the pool section near the garden section. Most big box stores sell it. It is usually labeled stabilizer, the fine print will say 99% or 100% cyanuric acid.

 

[Cchcbuse]

Thanks, I bought some CYA today. It's also been 24 hours so I just turned my SWG on and it started beeping saying high salt then went into sleep mode.
So now I'm supposed to drain it a little then fill up with fresh water correct?
Thanks in advance, I'm slowly learning.

 

[jeffchap]

Yes, that's the only way to lower the salt level.

 

[Piolin]

I think 125 pounds of salt is right on target for your volume, just turn your SWG off and on with the pump running and see what happens, I even now run my swg with 3400 and is fine

 

[Cchcbuse]

Thank you both!

Piolin: my husband put 160 pounds of salt... 35lbs too much.. We drained about 8 inches and refilled it last night, turned the system back on this morning and it said "working" with a green light for an hour, then checked it again and now it's red "high salt" and "sleep" so I've turned the pumps off and now I'm draining again. Hopefully it will work.

 

[jeffchap]

Hopefully that will do the trick. But it's not unheard of for these Intex SWGs to be bad right out of the box. If it is, Intex will replace it for free. It will help if you can speak Chinese though.



You'd just have to keep your chlorine level up by adding bleach daily until the replacement unit arrives.



Have you let the kids play in the pool yet to ensure the salt is stirred up well?