Intex startup with SWG

[lizardflats]

I'm going to be starting up an Intex 16' x 48" pool next week. (holds about 5000 gallons).
We will be filling it with our well water, which will take about 3 days based on how long I can run my well pump each day. We have a 5000 gallon storage tank and I don't want to draw more than about 1500-2000 gallons a day from it.
This well seems to have very little iron it it as the storage tank is very clean and the water very clear.

I got the TF100 kit and ran a test on the raw well water:
pH 7.3
TA 160
CH 140

Looking at the Pool School Beginner's Guide for Seasonal/Temporary Pools, I would use about 10 oz of dichlor a day for 4 days to get a CYA of 30, but for a SWG setup the recommended CYA is ~70, so I assume I would use 10 oz of dichlor a day for 9 days, correct?

With my TA being 160 and the target for a SWG being below 80, is it more important to adjust pH with Borax to get it to 7.5 and then use acid and aeration to get the TA down or just aerate to get the pH up from 7.3 to 7.5 while reducing TA?

In other words, which takes priority, pH or TA?

Thanks!

 

[superman0604]

That sounds almost exactly like what I did. Took about three days to fill. Not sure how everyone else did it but I added bleach and then stirred each day. Didn't like the idea of unchlorinated water in there for three days.

I'm not a pro with the dichlor so I'll let someone else answer that, but it sounds correct.

With a high TA and SWG your PH is going to come up by itself pretty fast. So just monitor your PH and as it gets to 7.5-7.8 add acid to drop it back down to 7.2. I wouldn't add any borax as that will raise your TA even higher.

 

[R.J.]

After 7 days your CYA should be around 50. Test it then to see where you're at, then test it daily till you hit your target; it's better to creep up to it then over shoot. Dichlor will also lower pH, so monitor that daily and aerate as needed. Have you added the salt yet? You can do that at anytime. Good luck, and welcome to the forum.

 

[lizardflats]

Haven't added any salt because the pool isn't even up yet.
I'll add the salt during the dichlor phase and then start up the SWG after the CYA is set and I'm not using dichlor for chlorine.

As a side question, has anyone used a solar cover with the Intex floating skimmer?
I would presume I'd need to cut out a section of the cover to allow the skimmer to work.
Or should I not use the skimmer if the solar cover is on?