New pool, new water...pre-filter or straight tap?

[skijunkie]

Hi everyone. Just about to get a new pool installed. I've been reading and searching through these forums for months now. Amazingly good information.

I've read a few posts that mention getting your tap water tested if you are using it to fill you pool but I have not seen any mention of what to do with those results.

I live in Austin, TX and got this information off of the city water website:
"Our drinking water is considered moderately hard. The hardness averages around 96 ppm or 5.6 grains per gallon.".

I'm getting a fiberglass pool which I have read can get stains from metals in the water. Should I consider getting a filter of some kind that attaches to the water hose during the pool fill?

 

[Melt In The Sun]

Nope. That water is actually pretty low in calcium, at least by some standards...

You'll be fine, and the hose-end filters can't possibly filter a whole pool worth of water anyway.

 

[Bama Rambler]

As MITS said, that's not very hard water at all. According to the water report averages here are the numbers.
pH = 9.6 (You're gonna need acid)
Total Chlorine = 2.65
Total Alk = 74 (time you add all that acid you're gonna need baking soda)
Total Hardness = 103
Iron = < .05
Copper = <.02

On the quarterly average it lists the Calcium at 13ppm.

 

[skijunkie]

Thanks MITS and Dave. I really appreciate the great information. I had no idea the water quality report had that kind of detail in it. I'm off to go read through it.

I like your avatar choices btw.

 

[susa]

FWIW, when my last fillup was done, I paid a water filtering company recommended by my PB, who supplied tanks that had the appearance of large acetylene welding tanks, dropped off a few days before fillup commenced.

while we have excellent muni water, this removed all minerals and chemicals, cost was 100. it was easy to balance the water from that point forward.