First Time Pool Owner

[tiny_torpedo]

Hello everyone, first time pool owner here. I recently bought a house with an inground saltwater pool. The stats as best I can figure out are listed in my signature line. After doing some research on this website I purchased the TF-100 Test Kit XL Option, Speedstir Magnetic Stirrer, and Salt Test Strips - Aqua Check. This evening I tried for the first time to test my pool water and the results are listed below. I welcome any help you can give on how to maintain my pool. It was a big investment and I want to keep it in tip top shape without hiring a regular pool service if I can. What course of action would you recommend I take with these numbers (assuming I did the test right!)? Thanks!

FC=13.5
CC=1
TC=14.5

CH=550ppm
TA=140
CYA=80

 

[jeffchap]

You don't list your pH, so check it and add muriatic acid to lower or borax to raise it to somewhere in the 7.2 - 7.8 range if needed. Saltwater pools tend to creep up over time, so I try to keep mine around 7.4, but anywhere in there is fine.



Otherwise everything looks good. If your water is clear, you can probably back off your SWG a little bit and let your FC drop down to 10. But don't let it go below 6. I prefer to stay a little on the high side personally. With your CYA, anything up to 32 is safe to swim in.



I have a vinyl pool, so I'll leave it to others to address the CH.

 

[tiny_torpedo]

Sorry, it looks like pH is 8.2.

 

[jeffchap]

pH readings aren't accurate when FC is over 10, so let your FC drift down to 10 and then check it again before trying to adjust it. Sorry, I should have noticed that earlier.