Initial supply run for an 18'x48" above ground Intex

[rj2222]

Hey everybody. I need to make my initial supply run for the pool this morning. My pool came with a maintenance kit, but none of the chemicals and whatever else I might need. Looks like they have chlorine tablets (not sure what size I need) and a little floating chlorine dispenser that I'll probably get once I figure that out. But what else should I get. Going to be filling the pool with water soon

 

[Jamison04]

essentials are going to be several jugs of plain 6% bleach, stabilizer, pool salt ( if you are going to use a salt generator) and a decent test kit that isn't test strips but one with drops. You can use the pucks to start to help build up the sabilizer (cya) level if you'd like but you have to keep testing the levels so it doesn't get out of hand. Oh and read up in Pool School, there's a wealth of basic info and do's and dont's in there!

 

[rj2222]

I better go read up then, didn't know you had to put bleach in the pool! My pump is just a filter one, not one of the fancy ones.

 

[rj2222]

OK, so how does this look for my initial get the pool up and going trip to Walmart. Walmart's really the only store in town, everything else is at least a half hour out so I'm kinda stuck with there stuff.

Test kit http://www.walmart.com/ip/HTH-6-Way-Test-Kit/17043668 $23

Chlorine dispenser http://www.walmart.com/ip/Heritage-Floa ... r/16609043 $10

then a container of 1" chlorine tablets.

6% Bleach. Question about that though. It sounds like that does the same thing as the Chlorine tablets, or am i misunderstanding?

then i'm guessing this is the stabilizer? and all this does is help keep the chlorine working in the pool longer right? http://www.walmart.com/ip/HTH-Stabilize ... r/17043638 $16

Thanks for the help everyone

 

[Richard320]

You especially need to read up on test kits and how to chlorinate your pool before you start spending a pile of money.

 

[George N]

Before spending any money read: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/temporary_pool_guide

 

[Rockhopper]

You should still read Pool School and learn about the BBB method, but essentially everything you're getting is fine. The pucks can be used initially to start, but most of the pucks add stabilizer to your pool. Stabilizer is good up to a point, but if it gets too high, it renders your chlorine ineffective and you will run into problems. Thus, once your stabilizer is where it needs to be, just add liquid bleach...no more pucks! Ideally, you would add enough stabilizer in the beginning and just use liquid bleach from the start.

 

[rj2222]

Thanks. I did read a few of the pool school articles already, will read more later. George, thanks for that link, I did read that one a bit but I'm still trying to keep it all straight in my head. Rockhopper, thanks, but why would I want to switch from the pucks to liquid bleach after a while, I'm still not grasping it exactly.

 

[elwood58]

The Pucks will add Cyanuric Acid (CYA/Stabilizer) to your pool water. This accumulates and only goes away through dilution or replacement of your pool water. Some of this CYA (30-50 ppm) is a good think, as it acts like sunscreen for your chlorine, and gives it a chance to do its job without being destroyed by the Sun (UV). If the CYA gets too high, you begin to impact your chlorine's ability to sanitize the water. By chlorinating with Bleach, which is the same thing as liquid chlorine, you are not continually adding CYA.

You can use Pucks for an initial period, but need to stop when your CYA gets to 30 ppm. Pucks also take longer to get chlorine into your water, whereas bleach/Liquid Chlorine mix in really fast.

 

[rj2222]

Ah ok, thanks elwood. so the chlorine tablets are really a chlorine/CYA mix, and once you reach that sweet spot with CYA, you just want to add pure chlorine (via bleach) after that. Last (probably dumb) question hopefully, why liquid bleach as opposed to liquid chlorine though? Is it due to ease of getting or cost or something? Sounds like both work the same, so just curious.

 

[elwood58]

Ah ok, thanks elwood. so the chlorine tablets are really a chlorine/CYA mix, and once you reach that sweet spot with CYA, you just want to add pure chlorine (via bleach) after that. Last (probably dumb) question hopefully, why liquid bleach as opposed to liquid chlorine though? Is it due to ease of getting or cost or something? Sounds like both work the same, so just curious.

Liquid bleach is easy to get, and often times much cheaper. Either will work just fine. Pay attention to the % strength however. Walmart Great Value bleach is 6%, and what I use to supplement my salt water chlorine generator. Many of the other off-brand products are 3% or less. Big Lots has very cheap bleach, but it is 3% or less, and has often been on the shelf for a very long time, which reduces its strength even further.

If it were me, I would start off by using the Pool Calculator and a good test kit from Day 1. I would add CYA/Stabilizer and Bleach, which are both available at Walmart. This gets the CYA working sooner, and will make chlorinating your pool much easier, sooner. Just put the granulated stabilizer in an old sock, and hang it in from of the return line into the pool. Give the sock a squeeze whenever you happen to walk by, and it will dissolve over a few days. Wait 5-7 days to test your CYA level. Stay on the low end of the 30-50 ppm range. This will give you the latitude to use Pucks in a floater when you need to leave town for a few days, without overshooting your CYA target.

 

[rj2222]

OK. Thanks for explaining all that.