New Pool Owner Intro

[CLOberto]

Hey, I am a new pool owner. I purchased a used round 24'x4.5' above ground pool. I dissassembled it, moved it and reassembled it myself after searching several sites including this one. I must say I certainly could not have done it without all the folks that have posted here. I ordered and recieved my test kit. The pool has been filled for two weeks now and is at 80*F. I am using a Solar Cover to help bring the temp up. I have done my first water test and here are my findings to date. Please advise me if I need to alter anything or let it run a little long the way it is. I have purchased the necessary supplies of Bleach, Borax, and Baking Soda. I used a inexpensive chemical pH & Cl tester. The pH has remained fairly steady and the Cl has been up and down. Just an extra note, my pool see sun from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm. Also is there any chemical test for pH that is less color subjective and more chemical precise?

FC:2.5
CC:0.5
TC:3.0
pH:7.5
T/A:60
CH:150
CYA:30-35

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and all the help already provided by this site.

 

[ideliver]

I would use a target of 5 ppm for your chlorine for now and see how your daily FC loss is. I measure in the evenings. I want to keep my pool at/above the minimum FC for my CYA (see the chlorine/CYA chart here...pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock). Every pool uses a different amount of chlorine. There are several variables...bather load, sun exposure, CYA level, use of a blanket...to name a few. My pool uses 3 to 4 PPM of chlorine a day...uncovered, full sun and very high bather load... Some here use <1 ppm/day.

Your TA is a little low and target 90. Use the poolcalculator.com for amounts.

There is not a commonly used pH test that is drop based (liked the TA test and FC test). The TF-100 kit is actually one of the better color comparisons test....have you ever seen some of the test strips...

You have a large pump for your pool. Make sure that it is on a timer running 6 hr on...6 hrs off...you can save $$ on your electric bill

 

[duraleigh]

CL,

Welcome to the forum. It looks like you have done your homework. I assume your water is crystal clear. With that much sun on the pool, keep a close eye on the FC consumption.

A CYA level of 50 will reduce your FC daily loss if you find you are using much more than 2ppm daily. As ideliver said, you FC may be just a little bit low depending on when you tested. If that test was in the evening, you are fine. If it was in the AM, your FC may need to come up a little.

 

[CLOberto]

Thank you for the responses. I apologize for not mentioning the water status. Right now it is crystal clear. I have been doing my water testing between 8:00-8:45 pm. So far we haven't had more than 4 people in the pool at one time. Which should I raise first the T/A or my CYA. If I remember correctly it takes awhile for the CYA to actually raise and stablize. Thanks for the comment on the pump. I am running it 24/7 since I installed, but I will look at putting it on a timer or at least shutting it off when I go to bed.

 

[PaulR]

I don't know that you really need to raise TA. If your pH is stable or rises slowly, I'd say it's okay where it is. With a vinyl liner a low CSI is no problem. If your pH tends to drop then yes raise the TA a bit.
--paulr

 

[CLOberto]

Well I wanted to update my pool status. We have had a week of rain and cloudy weather. I tested water Thursday evening (8:45pm) and iit showed the CL to be low. So I added the recommended amount according to the Pool Calculator. I was leaving town for the weekend and was very nervous of what condition the pool would be in when I returned tonight. Well apparently I entered the information wrong in the Pool Calculator on Thursday because here are the numbers I got this evening and as a note the pool is still crystal clear. So far I a thoroughly impressed with the BBB Program and just recommended it to my neighbor.

FC: 6.5
CC: 0.5
TC: 7.0
pH: 7.2
TA: 60
CYA: 20-25
Water Temp: 82* (Solar Cover On)

It would appear that I could stand to raise my TA and possibly my CYA. Would you agree?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Yes, I would agree, because the CYA will lower the PH/TA a tad, so I'd go ahead and bump them up with Soda Ash/Washing Soda, to counteract any CYA addition.