Pool full, can't turn on pump til Tues.

Jump to latest Follow Reply
L

loyd

0
Aug 16, 2007
22
MiddleTN
The plumbing was leaking once the pool got full. Watson's is coming Tues to fix. Loyd Luck! Should I test now and add some chlorine even though there is no circulation (ok really my husband is in it circulating the water right now). We have been shoveling dirt for 2 days and there is no way we couldn't get in. I am thinking about having them take off the Perma salt thing, the electrician called it an ionizer, and doing BBB. Thanks for your help
J
 
You need some circulation when adding chemicals, but it doesn't need to be the regular pump.

Depending on how bad the leak is it might well be worth turning things on for 30 minutes so you can add some chlorine and have it mix in. Alternatively you can try mixing things with canoe paddles or anything similar.
 
So you thnk I should put in some chlorine for now? If it will spare me a headache later in the week then we will do it. I wonder If I could add the permasalt which is salt, borates, and cya now and stir it up. Or the dichlor, or just liquid bleach?

Is there one spot that lists ideal chemistry ranges?
 
Bleach will mix in most quickly. Adding 2 ppm of chlorine with bleach once each evening will be enough to keep things under control for a couple of days.

There isn't one place with a simple list of what level each chemical should be at. You can read through this article and it has a discussion of appropriate levels as it discusses each thing you can test for.
 
Pfleavell, Every connection is leaking! They also did not send me the proper start up chemicals.

I am still at a loss as to what to do with this permasalt system. Did they explain it to you? I went to the store and knew what I wanted. I asked for a SWG and ended up with what is apparently an ionizer and non chlorine system. Ugh! I felt like I had a decent understanding of the BBB system and SWG but this seems totally different. I also am frustrated that they sold me something that requires me to go to Watson's to buy chemicals. The person I spoke to acted like I was crazy to want to use chlorine and this was so much easier. She said the copper was in very small amounts. But I will need to test for copper which again requires a trip to Watson's (ok not really, there are pool stores closer, BUT still)!

If anyone has any ideas on this mineral system I would love to hear it. I am considering just trying it out for this summer but then I couldn't get my money back if we decide it is Crud. It seems like we are at their mercy because if you don't use their system and then later on have a problem with equipment or liner then they can void the warranty.
 
We didn't do the SWG, but they didn't explain anything to us! I told them that I had never had a pool before and didn't know how to vacuum it or anything. the saleperson did take me out to one of the pools and show me how to use the vacuum. We knew that we wanted the cartridge filter because someone had told my husband about it being easier and better than a sand filter, but that was all we knew. We were at Watson's for over 2 hours! With three kids in tow. the only suggestions that they gave us while we were there was to attend their pool school. Ours does have the mineral system(Aquasmarte) attached to the filter, which we didn't know that it came with that. the one in the showroom didn't have it connected to the pump/filter system. The installers said they didn't know anything about the pools, just how to install them. I am not using the Aquasmarte at all. I am just going to bypass it. I don't want minerals in the pool that is going to turn our hair green! So that part of the system is just sitting there empty. Except with water running through it! It doesn't say anywhere in our paperwork that not using that part of the system could void the waranty.

I am hoping that the local pool store is open today so that I can take a sample of water up there and get it tested. I am planning on purchasing a better test kit after my husband gets paid. I have a huge down payment on my son's braces to make before I buy the test kit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone should really explain the need for a good test kit and all the other expenses after the expense of the pool itself, before you buy a pool. Like I said in another post, I should have done alot of research before we bought the pool. Lesson learned!

trish
 
Should I toss the mineral ionizer "permasalt" dooey??

I had been lurking on this site for almost a year and knew what I wanted. I just didn't ask enough questions when I bought the pool. If it makes you feel better we are doing braces next month also and starting allergy shots for both my kids, that will be an additional $60 a week in copays for at least a couple of months. FUN!

I did get test strips for copper. I am just going to try the permasalt system for now and see what happens. If it is soo easy (like Watson's says) I may be disappointed because I was actually looking forward to playing with the chemistry. If anyone thinks this is a bad idea please let me know. Husband likes the idea of only adding chemicals every 2 weeks versus chlorine daily. BUT I will be the one doing most of the maintenance anyway.
 
I do not recommend any copper/zinc/silver ion based system. Effective levels of copper are right on the edge of staining. They require very close monitoring of the PH to prevent stains. Plus you need to add chlorine anyway if you want the water to actually be safe. There is no way you can add chlorine anywhere near as infrequently as once every two weeks and be safe unless you have a SWG or Liquidator. Plus you will end up paying more in the long run.

A SWG can be as simple as they say once it is setup properly.

Regardless of the system you get you will still need to balance TA, CH, and CYA manually and most require doing PH manually as well.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Yes, always start with a test of the fill water. Then you can adjust from there.

I keep some bleach, baking soda, borax, muriatic acid, and CYA on hand at all times. At startup you may need larger quantities than it is worth keeping on hand, but there is no telling until you test the fill water.

Yes, you can always add a SWG later.
 
:)
pfleavell said:
We didn't do the SWG, but they didn't explain anything to us! I told them that I had never had a pool before and didn't know how to vacuum it or anything. the saleperson did take me out to one of the pools and show me how to use the vacuum. We knew that we wanted the cartridge filter because someone had told my husband about it being easier and better than a sand filter, but that was all we knew. We were at Watson's for over 2 hours! With three kids in tow. the only suggestions that they gave us while we were there was to attend their pool school. Ours does have the mineral system(Aquasmarte) attached to the filter, which we didn't know that it came with that. the one in the showroom didn't have it connected to the pump/filter system. The installers said they didn't know anything about the pools, just how to install them. I am not using the Aquasmarte at all. I am just going to bypass it. I don't want minerals in the pool that is going to turn our hair green! So that part of the system is just sitting there empty. Except with water running through it! It doesn't say anywhere in our paperwork that not using that part of the system could void the waranty.

I am hoping that the local pool store is open today so that I can take a sample of water up there and get it tested. I am planning on purchasing a better test kit after my husband gets paid. I have a huge down payment on my son's braces to make before I buy the test kit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone should really explain the need for a good test kit and all the other expenses after the expense of the pool itself, before you buy a pool. Like I said in another post, I should have done alot of research before we bought the pool. Lesson learned!

trish
Click to expand...

Trish,

I wouldn't take the autofeeder out or bypass it. as long as you don't have the mineral cartridge or a bacpac in it, it's not hurting a thing, and like I said earlier, it's good to have in case you ever go on vacation (you can throw a bacpac or some chlorine tabs in there and keep some chlorine going into your pool while you're gone).

You're right, the pool folks should explain the need for a good test kit and the extra expenses of having a pool, but they're in the business of selling pools and chemicals. Plus, most of the folks who work at pool stores really don't know about maintaining water chemistry, and if they do, once again, they're in the business of selling you chemicals.

Don't feel bad - the wifey and I bought our pool pretty much on impulse, and didn't really know a thing about maintaining them. We started off with an 18' Intex self supporting pool. When the second season rolled around with it, I was out spraying Roundup to kill off the grass where the pool was going to sit. We went to run some errands, saw a new pool in one of our neighbors' back yards, looked at each other, and said "I want an aboveground pool". And off to Watson's we went. Everything I've learned since then has been trial and error and finding this site. You'll get there, trust me. :)
 
Hey MikeinTN, where did you get your SWG? Did you install?

I am beginning to feel like I did when we first got our latest pet Bearded Dragon, and our dogs, and our children for that matter. Oh my gosh, what have I done, run to the store, feed it lots and after all that hard work FUN and hopefully less work once it all gets going the right way.
 
loyd said:
Hey MikeinTN, where did you get your SWG? Did you install?

I am beginning to feel like I did when we first got our latest pet Bearded Dragon, and our dogs, and our children for that matter. Oh my gosh, what have I done, run to the store, feed it lots and after all that hard work FUN and hopefully less work once it all gets going the right way.
Click to expand...

Jill,

I bought both of my SWG's online. The first one I bought was a ChlorEase that hung over the side of the pool. It did OK, but was a pain to clean. This year, I bought an Intex. Yep, I installed it myself. Here's a couple of pictures of it:

intex2.jpg

intex1.jpg


I went with the Intex based on price alone. I'd love to have one of the nicer units like the Aquatrol, but couldn't justify the $$$ for it. The Intex was $180, whereas the Aquatrol is around $500. If the prices keep coming down and my Intex gives up the ghost after a couple of years, I might go with a better model, just have to wait and see.

Trust me, I've been where you are right now. Just take a couple of deep breaths, and relax. Once you get your water chemistry in line, maintenance is relatively quick and inexpensive. If you decide to dump the Permasalt and get a SWCG or an automatic liquid chlorine dispenser like the Liquidator, then maintenance gets even more easy, because your chlorine is being automatically added to the pool. If neither of those is in the budget, then you'll quickly discover how much bleach you need to add every evening to maintain your FC, and 5 minutes later, you're done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply