brand new H2O in my pool!

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heyjudect

heyjudect

0
May 23, 2016
21
South Windsor, ct
I have a 27 foot round , 4.5 deep, vinyl lined pool. We use a sand filter. Brand new water added today when new liner installed. I am not sure what to do first! Tested my chlorine and , of course, it is 0. CYA is 0. And it looks like my pH is 7.2 I bought the TF-100 kit , per your suggestion, and that is what I will be using. Not sure if I have to add stabilizer first or bleach?? I have bleach on hand and also some trichlor 3 inch tabs which I can put in a floater. Any advice on the order of adding ingredients would be much appreciated!! Also am prepared with some 20 mule borax and baking soda to adjust pH and alkalinity. :D Thanks, Judy from CT!
 
You can add bleach and stabilizer at the same time. It will take a little time for the CYA to dissolve and you will want some bleach in there before your CYA reads since it won't read in the test for a day or two.

There is not any love around here for tabs since they add CYA and/or other chemicals that are not needed and eventually will cause issues.
 
So, I just threw in a gallon of bleach to get started....should I add a whole gallon of conditioner?? It says on label it will raise it 30ppm for 10,000 gallons. I understand about no love for tabs , but it seems like I will have to add bleach every day if no floating tabs.?
 
OK, good to get some bleach in there.

Pucks won't work very well as your regular source of chlorine. Please read the following two threads, and then decide. If you still want to go with pucks, you will have to replace water periodically. You will need a test kit with a CYA test, so that you know to increase your chlorine level to keep the pool safe for swimming.
Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Don't add the conditioner unless you decide to chlorinate with liquid chlorine.

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And welcome to TFP! Good to have you here, and I hope you have a chance to read a bit and see how TFP can help toward a safe and sparkly pool.
 
Welcome. I add bleach everyday now that I shifted from Bioguard three step program.
Last year i had to add stuff twice a week. Now it's 5-7 days of adding, usually just simple bleach!
Like food, I like the wholesome one ingredient products
 
Thanks everyone, in the past I used tabs for convenience , but am thinking of doing just the bleach this year. On that note, I have added a gallon of liquid conditioner and will test my water tomorrow??? Or does the liquid conditioner work quickly and I can test later today for accurate CYA level?? Also , is it ok to raise my pH with borax today after adding bleach and conditioner? Do not want to do too much at once if that is a bad thing. :confused: I really appreciate the help, with some work, I hope to get this whole process!
 
First things first is to get bleach in there. Did you try out Pool Math? There's a link at the top. While you're doing that, I'll find the amount of bleach for you and we can compare notes
 

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OK, the CYA won't show up yet - it's quick because of using liquid, but you only have around 15 PPM. What are these numbers, right now, from your testing?
FC (free chlorine)
CC (combined chlorine)
pH
TA (total alkalinity)

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Your pump should be running
 
Just realised you had put bleach in this morning already... so we're probably OK for FC. Here's what I know:

FC - some, but needs to be tested
CC - don't know yet
pH - don't know yet
TA - don't know yet

These need to be tested to know what to do next. What test kit are you using?
 
I have to bow out cause it's getting late here in Sydney. Lots of great people here to help you out. You'll likely be adding some more stabilizer to get to 30 PPM CYA. Once you have your pH and TA you can use pool math to determine your pH adjustment if needed.

Good luck with it and I hope you get in to swim! :)
 
I just got a new liner too..mid May. Converted from Bromine to Chlorine, and was researching which chlorinator I was going to buy when I came upon an old tread on the site, from 2010, that discussed using chlorine in a pool that had a bromine bank. The discussion lead to CYA Cyanuric Acid. I did some more digging on TFP and learned more. I had never heard of it before but wanted to just to ignore it, and continue on my search for a chlorinator.

Went to my local pool store, and was checking out the $120 units, when a young associate came up and started chatting me up. I told him I was converting from Bromine to Chlorine, and he walked me through the various devices from floaters to SWG, from$15 to $1500. He seemed very knowledgeable. I then asked him about the build up of CYA, and how that effected the amount of chlorine I had to use, and if there became too much CYA in the pool.

Now the next part of the story ,it might freak some people out on this site, but the kid actually told me that CYA would increase if I used Triclor pucks, and that if it got too high the chlorine would stop working, and that the only way to get rid of CYA is to drain the pool and refill with water....I kid you not...and he said "in your case you should just use straight bleach, bring you conditioner up to 30 ppm, and use liquid bleach as your sanitizer". He gave me his card, told me to call him if I had anymore questions and sent me on my why...without selling me anything. True story. So in my case I got great advice from my local pool store.

That is when I did a deep dive into this site to learn all I could. I am in week three of circulating the pool, and my water is balanced with a CSI of - .07. It is crystal clear. I am adding about 750ml of bleach a day to keep my FC in range, I haven't had to shock the pool once because I now know when I have to do it. It takes me about 5 minutes a day to check the water and add chlorine. took me longer to check and fill my bromine feeder. And I have only used $13 worth of bleach, and $5 worth of Muriatic Acid. Since I had no bad habits to break in regards to using chlorine, I can say this method works when followed. And from what I have read from others that don't, consistent problems.

New water...fresh start.
 
SOOOOO.....

just tested with TF-100

FC=4.5
CC=0.5
TC=5
CH=175
TA=140
pH=between 7.5 and 7.8
CYA=<20

I assume to add another gallon conditioner? I used liquid initially and its expensive! Any cheaper option? I know you guys don't like pucks, but could I use those short term to help add some CYA and then switch to bleach ...or is that a stupid idea? Also, my TA is a bit above rec level....is that a problem?
 
Generally cheaper to use granular CYA but if you already have the pucks then yes I would use them. They are already paid for and will only be useful for vacations if you stick with our methods. You can use Pool Math at the bottom of the page to see how each tab will affect your levels including how much CYA each add under the effects of adding chemicals drop down. A TA that high is not a major concern but your pH can tend to bounce around with it that high. You want it in the 70 to 90 range look in Pool School there is a process to lower TA by aerating .

Edit...

I would keep the pH on the low end of the scale till the TA comes down shoot for 7.4 and push it down again when it climbs to 7.6 or so.
 

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