Hello all...new pool owner-step 1 How many gallons?

[Kope007]

Hello all, enjoying reading and learning from this great site.

I'd like to really get a handle on my pool's moods and I think step 1 should be a proper size.

We've just moved into a new home. The pool was refinished with a pebblecrete and a new pump installed. I have not had the chance to get the Tf100 yet but will soon. I've been maintaining FC in a good range for now, with pool store products and just the test strips.

So I'm unsure if I have an accurate pool gallonage. The pool is an odd shape. I would describe it as a rectangle with the corners cut off. There is also a zig and a zag in the length but I think it equals itself out as its the same on both sides. There is also a spa. The depth is another thing I'm unsure about. Its deep in the middle. I stuck a tape measur in and at one end was 3.5' middle 5.5' and other end 4.5'. This was to the water line, but its been raining quite a bit here and the water level is high.

1.What factor should I use for the formula? The oval # or rectangle? The pool store guy said just a rectangle.
its 30x14.
2.How should I measure depth? 3 current depths divied by 3? or 6' below top of tiles at 3 places divided by 3?
3. Do I need to add fro the spa?

Thanks, The pools store guy told me @ 15k gallons the former home owner thought he remembered it as 12K.

Thanks many more questions to follow!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP.

I get about 12,000 gallons give or take.
Over time of adding chems you'll be able to narrow down the size pretty closely.

 

[fast1971chevelle]

i see something i don't like....those 2 floaters them are BADDDDDDD unless you are on vacation. please do yourself a favor and order the tf100 test kit from tftestkits.net and post up a full set of results....very nice setup btw.......Mike

 

[anonapersona]

I also suggest getting the TF100 test kit. It takes approximately ONE experience of being "pool stored" to make up the entire cost of your test kit. And the test kit will last approximately 2 years. You might need refills of a few items before the 2 years is up, but not a full set. And that is using the test kit several times a week.

 

[Kope007]

Thanks for the tips.
@ 12K is what I'm going to start with. (will have to edit my sig).

tf100 will be ordered thursday.
I figured out the trichlor was probably not the best long term solution pretty quickly after finding the forum.

However I had already bought a big bucket. My results from the pool store water test showed 0 stabilizer, so I figured using the pucks would be ok until there gone.

 

[fast1971chevelle]

Don't trust the pool store test results because they are seldom correct they are wrong more than right especially cya results....get your test kit and trust your results, until you can test the water I would not use any pucks, I would just use liquid chlorine or bleach until then.....imo....Mike

 

[Cherie]

Once you get your actual numbers, if your CYA is really zero, or almost non-existant, you could use the pucks to bring up your CYA. Each opening season, we use the pucks for a little while until our CYA is where we want it. Or if it gets low from splash out or heavy rains (lol, like it ever rains heavy in our part of Texas!), we use them as needed to bring CYA back up. It also depends on what else is in the puck, but you should be able to hold on to them for future use.

 

[JohnN]

Be sure to check what chemicals are in the pucks. hth, for example, have copper in them. You don't want copper, because it could start turning everything green. As long as they are pure trichlor, and your cya is low, they are fine. In fact, I am using some right now.

 

[ping]

Do you know how long it has been since it was replastered? You will definitely need CYA to hold the chlorine and adding it with the pucks should be fine for now. Keep a close watch on the FC to make sure you are not losing too much. You will not add that much CYA with the pucks by the time you get your test kit, so I believe you will be fine using them until at least you check your CYA with your new test kit.

 

[juzzie]

Mate!

That looks like a sweet setup with all that glass and stuff.

You could swim in that all year round, yeah?

 

[Kope007]

Thanks for all the great replies.
tf100 is on the way! ill be sure to post my initial results. The pool was replastered @ 2 months ago.
I'll be sure to check on the ingredients of my pucks.

Mate!

That looks like a sweet setup with all that glass and stuff.

You could swim in that all year round, yeah?

I think that's the light playing tricks mate, it's just a screened in pool. But we can swim pretty much all year around... because we only have about 2 hours of winter here in sweaty Tampa, Fl.