Starting over and converting to salt

[mwkelly]

My 1 year old pool had become a major mess. It was so bad that my DE filter would plug within minutes so I decided to drain, clean and refill. That was a chore in and of itself but I did get some equipment that will help me in the future (small submersible pump that will be used to remove the water from the cover that will be placed on the pool next winter...not going through this clean up mess again... )

I have purchased a Circupool RJ45 (free upgrade from RJ30) and it should be here Tuesday.

I'm filling my pool as I write, here are the specs of the filling water:

FC 0
pH 7.8 - 8.0, test strip shows 8.4
TA 500 - 550 (water was pink at 500 and red at 550)
CH 200
Salt 0
CYA 0 (I'm assuming 0 as the fill water is well water.)

All iron tests come back very low. Did not have a color problem last year when adding chlorine.

What should I address first and when should I add salt?

Thank you.

 

[257WbyMag]

What test kit are you using? If that truly is your TA (and pH), you need to stock up on acid and do your best to keep that pH below 7.6. You have an AGP but you can still scale on pool equipment. Scale would be detrimental to your SWCG.

 

[mwkelly]

I have the TF-100 with a SpeedStir. I've tested the TA several times and it comes out the same, 500 - 550.

 

[JasonLion]

There is a good article on How to lower TA in Pool School.

 

[mwkelly]

When I get the TA and pH right, should I add bleach or just add the salt, let it dissolve and turn on the swg?

 

[JasonLion]

Bring the FC level up to something appropriate right away with bleach. Then when the SWG is ready it can take over, starting off with the water already properly balanced.

 

[mwkelly]

I have the pH down to 7.2 and the TA down to 350. I added some bleach for chlorine because I didn't want the pool sitting there very much longer without anything. The chlorine is ~1ppm.

So now, I need to aerate to bring the pH up so I can add more acid to continue to bring down the TA, correct? I've added 5 gallons of acid so far which calculates to a TA drop of 40 for each gallon. If this holds true looks like I will need to add about 7 more gallons of acid.

Does anyone have an estimate of how long it will take to inch the pH back up by aeration?

 

[JasonLion]

It is very difficult to predict just how long it will take for the PH to go back up. With the TA that high it shouldn't be too long, perhaps several hours to a day, but as the TA gets lower it will slow down. Because of that the entire process can take a while (often weeks).

 

[mwkelly]

I turned my one jet up so the water would break the surface somewhat but that didn't seem to be moving the pH very much (or as fast I want it to...). I purchased a wet/dry vac to help me clean the pool and it so happens the motor can be removed and used as a leaf blower...so hose in hand and weighted down, I stuck the hose in the water and turned it on. The pH climbed to 7.5 in about 4 hours, the TA is down to 310-320. So that blower may help me get the balance much sooner than I thought.

Unfortuately, I'm still waiting for my SWG, they are out of stock and their incoming shipment was held up in customs. "Should" be in by Wednesday.

When should I begin to bring up the CYA and what is a good brand?

Thanks!