New Pool - Should I get a pool opening kit?

jasongreenberg · May 24, 2016

I just moved into a new house with an existing pool and I want to try to open it myself as I am generally a DIY kinda guy.
I see that pool shops have pool opening kits for around $50 (Canadian$). Is that a good way to start?
One of the shops gave me a testing bottle so that I can bring in a sample and they would tell me what to get.
Just want to avoid them running up a massive bill with items I may not absolutely need.

Also, my pool is a weird kind of kidney bean shape, not sure how to figure out how many gallons of water for this kind of shape, any advice?

Any advice on a good testing kit that I should get? I'm in Waterloo, Ontario.

Taking the cover off later today and will start figuring out things from there.
Glad I found this forum

Thanks!

triptyx · May 24, 2016

Short answer, no. No to them testing your water, no to them telling you what you "need", no to wasting money on unnecessary products that could do more harm than good to your pool.

Correct answer - buy a complete testing kit from TFTestkits.net (either a K-2006 or a TF-100). Test your own water, post your results here, and people who have no financial interest in the solution will be happy to work with you to buy only what you need, from regular stores that are not marking up common chemicals. We'll put you in control and save you money.

YippeeSkippy · May 24, 2016

Triptyx is on the money! Those "Start Up" kits contain items that most don't need, and at greater cost than if you obtained them elsewhere.

For example: "ph Up" and "Alkalinity Increaser" products that pool stores sells are...<drum roll> Borax or Baking Soda!! Identical, but so much more costly at the pool store.

We don't advocate adding ANY product to the pool unless you actually need it. So testing is the answer. Taylor's K-2006 is available there and one of the two we recommend. Only the kit numbered K-2006, not the 2005 as it is missing an important element. If your pool has problems, and you have a US mailing addy I would otherwise recommend the TF-100 test kit from TFTestkits.net as that has more reagents for the tests you actually do more often.

Let us know if you have any other questions, and welcome!

atttech-2 · May 24, 2016

For a way to get the pool volume try measuring it in smaller sections, 2 circular portions at each end and a rectangular section in the middle. Then use one of the online calculators and add up the results. Once you have an idea of the volume and the pool is reasonably balanced, you can use pool math to confirm the volume you suspect, you do that by adding chemicals in the amounts Pool math tells you and test soon after to see if your levels increase by the amount expected. If you consistently fall short or over shoot adjust the volume accordingly till you are getting a better result.

jasongreenberg · May 25, 2016

Thanks everyone for the great advice, I have looked into the K-2006 tester, it's super expensive here in Canada, anyone know the best place to get it? The best price I have found so far is $189 CAD at Aquatech Logistics. Way more than the U.S. I don't have a U.S. address so can't order it online via tftestkits.net unfortunately. Anyone in Canada (or Waterloo region) know a better place to get the K-2006 tester?

jasongreenberg · May 25, 2016

Is it really necessary to have all the tests that the larger kits like the k-2006 have? The basic dropper testers that test PH and Chlorine don't cut it for home pools?

YippeeSkippy · May 25, 2016

If you've ever tried to measure FC as well as Combined Chlorine during a SLAM, oh yeah... you want one that actually measures it and gives you the exact number. Not something you sort of eye-ball and hope the colors match.

If you have a cement/plaster/gunnite pool and want to protect your investment- you'll want to know exactly how much your CH is. Otherwise it may be too low and leaching calcium from the walls. That will shorten your pool plaster lifespan, y'know?

And if you have the problem of too much calcium and can't figure out why you have scaling, you are going to need a good tester along with the pH tester so you can minimize the scale build up.

Pool Math asks you to input exact numbers....not colors on a comparing tube.

I could go on but.... the best reason I know of is that *I've never once had algae* and my pool has always sparkled.