What do i need for a new pool?

[pool1999]

Hi, this topic has a couple questions and the "Just getting started" section seemed like a good place to go. We are having a fiberglass, 11.5K pool installed soon and i was wondering what i should have on hand when the pool is installed and the PB has finished the job. We have no experience whatsoever in maintaining a pool but we are going to give it a shot using the BBB method. A Test Kit, Bleach, Borax, and Baking Soda are a slam dunk but what else ( besides a good blender and some Margarita mix ) should i have ready on the first day?

 

[JohnT]

If you are using your own tap water to fill the pool, you should test it for pH, TA and CH before you fill. I have never used baking soda or borax in my pool. I use muriatic acid and bleach. You'll want either a stabilized chlorine source, trichlor or dichlor or CYA granules so you can protect your chlorine from the sunlight.

 

[duraleigh]

The test kit will be your jumping off point. You have to know what levels your new pool has of the various parameters first. Then, once you know where you are starting from, you can purchase what you need to adjust.

Many. many new folks are always anxious to get "out front" with the water chemistry (I was, too) but one of the truly pleasant things about a BBB approach is the absolute ease with which you can find the stuff you need....much of it is at the Grocery store.

The one item found only in Pool stores or Home Depot, Walmart, Lowe's, etc. is CYA. It is also labeled as Conditioner and/or Stabilizer but it's all the same stuff.....Cyanuric Acid. In your size pool, you will want to start with about 4 lbs.

Have you learned how to use the Pool Calculator? It will be invaluable to you as you are first learning. Also, be assured that there are literally thousands of people on this forum who understand what you need to know and all will gladly help......just keep posting questions.

 

[lightingguy]

Personally I think you found the most important thing to have with a pool - the incredible amount of accurate information found on this website.

You would have to go through the heck of getting advice at your pool store to truely appreciate it, but feel free to skip the experience.

Get a test kit (the TF100 rocks), test your fill water and we can help you zero in on the chems.

Read poolschool enough times that all those little abbreviations make sense and it's super simple from there!

After that it's all about consistency and with a SWG it should be a piece of cake.

 

[anonapersona]

Don't forget about the leaf skimmer, the leaf rake, and the brushes. You will want a Wall Whale brush. You'll need some lube for the cartridge filter o-ring. Find a pair of 3 or 4 cup hard clear plastic measuring cups, I have one for acid and one for cal-hypo or bleach. I am always using 2 or 3 cups of each.

Think about where this stuff will be stored. I have a big plastic storage unit (Suntech? maybe 4' tall, 3'x5') that hides just beyond the pool equipment that holds cal-hypo buckets and the bucket of tabs and calcium and vac hose and leaf rake that isn't used so much. Muriatic acid is elsewhere, near the back door tucked away but accessible. Bleach is in the garage or laundry room, away from the heat and cold. There is a pool box near the back door that holds skimmer socks and scrubbies for the Polaris tail, those both are regular consumables, and odd things like the vac plate and tail weights for the Polaris. Testing kit is in the laundry room near a sink and counter with good lighting.

 

[pool1999]

If you are using your own tap water to fill the pool, you should test it for pH, TA and CH before you fill. I have never used baking soda or borax in my pool. I use muriatic acid and bleach. You'll want either a stabilized chlorine source, trichlor or dichlor or CYA granules so you can protect your chlorine from the sunlight.

John, we will be using tap water to fill the pool and i ordered a TF100 yesterday so i will test as soon as i get it in the mail.Muriatic acid is something i will pick up when the pool is about to be delivered ( its "strength" decreases over time right?). CYA will be necessary because the pool will be exposed to a lot of direct sunlight ( right?) and being in Florida its either full sun or torrential rain......

 

[pool1999]

The test kit will be your jumping off point. You have to know what levels your new pool has of the various parameters first. Then, once you know where you are starting from, you can purchase what you need to adjust.

Many. many new folks are always anxious to get "out front" with the water chemistry (I was, too) but one of the truly pleasant things about a BBB approach is the absolute ease with which you can find the stuff you need....much of it is at the Grocery store.

The one item found only in Pool stores or Home Depot, Walmart, Lowe's, etc. is CYA. It is also labeled as Conditioner and/or Stabilizer but it's all the same stuff.....Cyanuric Acid. In your size pool, you will want to start with about 4 lbs.

Have you learned how to use the Pool Calculator? It will be invaluable to you as you are first learning. Also, be assured that there are literally thousands of people on this forum who understand what you need to know and all will gladly help......just keep posting questions.

Duraleigh, TF100 is on the way and its true, we are anxious to get ahead on what we are going to need but the BBB method seems like the most sane and piratical way for us beginners to jump in and take care of our pool. I have played around with the pool calculator because as my girlfriend tells me " you just love to press buttons" ( in a good way,lol) The Cyanuric Acid is something i have seen since i have started browsing pool stores and Home Depot, etc, for chemicals.....4 lbs sounds good :-D

 

[pool1999]

Personally I think you found the most important thing to have with a pool - the incredible amount of accurate information found on this website.

You would have to go through the **** of getting advice at your pool store to truely appreciate it, but feel free to skip the experience.

Get a test kit (the TF100 rocks), test your fill water and we can help you zero in on the chems.

Read poolschool enough times that all those little abbreviations make sense and it's super simple from there!

After that it's all about consistency and with a SWG it should be a piece of cake.

Lightingguy, Yes, this site has helped a lot already and the people are great..... ( pool school rocks!) and i have been chased around the pool store by weird salesmen who want me to buy a bunch of $$$$$$ junk. No way, we would rather try it ourselves and if we make a mistake, so what, we will fix it. Once i get my TF100 i will post some data and stary pluging in numbers into the pool calculator.

 

[pool1999]

Don't forget about the leaf skimmer, the leaf rake, and the brushes. You will want a Wall Whale brush. You'll need some lube for the cartridge filter o-ring. Find a pair of 3 or 4 cup hard clear plastic measuring cups, I have one for acid and one for cal-hypo or bleach. I am always using 2 or 3 cups of each.

Think about where this stuff will be stored. I have a big plastic storage unit (Suntech? maybe 4' tall, 3'x5') that hides just beyond the pool equipment that holds cal-hypo buckets and the bucket of tabs and calcium and vac hose and leaf rake that isn't used so much. Muriatic acid is elsewhere, near the back door tucked away but accessible. Bleach is in the garage or laundry room, away from the heat and cold. There is a pool box near the back door that holds skimmer socks and scrubbies for the Polaris tail, those both are regular consumables, and odd things like the vac plate and tail weights for the Polaris. Testing kit is in the laundry room near a sink and counter with good lighting.

Anonapersona, we have a leaf skimmer, rake, vac hose, and brushes included with the pool but a Wall Whale brush, lube,measuring cups, and a place to store all this stuff are things we will need. We have good storage space inside near the back door, closest to the pool, but no outside storage bin. When you say lube, do you mean vaseline or grease? Oh, and you mentioned skimmer socks and scrubbies for the polaris tail.... i take it those are for your automatic pool cleaner, which we havent made a decision on which brand we will be purchasing. I have checked out the Pool Cleaners Forum and the Polaris 280 and the Kreepy Krauly look like good brands but im not sure which is better for a fiberglass pool.

 

[pool1999]

John, i got my test kit and here are the results of my tap water ( pool fill water ) test.

Ph-8

Ta-130

Ch-180

Tc-3

Fc-1.5

I plugged the numbers into the calculator and it looks like my water is high in Ph and Ta. On the other hand it looks low in Fc and Ch. Im sure that the pool will be a mess, chemically speaking, after the installation and the concrete dust settles.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Actually those numbers don't look bad at all for fill water. The only thing that bothers me is the FC & TC numbers. That won't be a problem once in the pool, it's just something to be ready for.

How did you test them?

 

[pool1999]

Bama,

Thanks for the reply :-D
We tested the tap water with the TF100 test kit and followed the directions on the kit. I read somewhere that we should let water set a few hours when testing out of the tap - do you think we should re-test letting it sit for a few hours to see if levels come up different?

Thanks,
Michele & Anton

 

[Bama Rambler]

Don't worry about testing it again. I thought you may have used the FAS-DPD kit to test FC and the OTO kit to test TC.

Once you get the pool full the CC will burn off and it can be taken care of even if it requires a little liquid chlorine to help it along.

 

[pool1999]

Gotcha', we will wait until the pool is installed and full to test again.......

Thanks for the help!