Attempting to open new house salt water pool

[blkmonday]

I have a 34k gallon vinyl inground salt water pool that hasn't been open in 3 years. I'm attempting to open it on my own with a little guidance from a local pool guy (and hopefully here)
I took the cover off and hooked up the pump. Cleaned filter as added the de as directed. The pool has a lot of sediment on the bottom and is a black murky color with a few frogs in it. My pool guy said to shock it with 5 gallons of liquid shock and throw a few chlorine tabs in the skimmer baskets and run for 24 hrs with occasional backwashing.
He said we will remove the sediment/leaves later?
Wouldn't that just blacken it back up? Is there a way to get the leaves out that won't waste my money on the initial shock? Does this seem right?

 

[jblizzle]

Do not just blindly add chlorine. The use of a good test kit is a must. Here is some reading to get you started. Read the rest of Pool School to gain a better understanding of the chemistry. The 2nd link may be the most helpful initially:

Defeating Algae
Turning Your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis
Shocking Your Pool

 

[harleysilo]

Here is a thread suggesting NOT to put tabs in the skimmer basket

chlorine-tabs-in-skimmer-basket-t20100.html

Good luck, i'd scoop whatever i could out as soon as i could.

 

[jblizzle]

Good points harleysilo!

Also, you should run the pump 24/7 and clean the filter when the pressure rises 20-25% over the clean pressure.

Definitely try to scoop out everything that you can first ... maybe even vacuum to waste if you can.

 

[blkmonday]

Awesome thanks for the fast response! I picked up 5 gallons of liquid Chlor for 24$ on sale from pool store. Ill try getting some of the heavier sediment out before I add it. I have a leaf net and a leaf vacuum that hooks on the hose which will too off my water level while I get some junk out. In the meantime ill get a water test. I know there is almost a zero salt level at this time.
Should my ph level be set before I shock?

 

[blkmonday]

One pool store mentioned a chemical that works like Alka seltzer to make the debris float up to take out by net. Ever hear of this method? Should I avoid?

 

[harleysilo]

Do you mean in the meantime you'll take your water in to be tested, or do you mean you'll purchase a test kit? To get your pool up and running, and allow peeps here to give you quality advice, we'll need to know accurate testing number provided by your very own testing. I have and use the TF-100 from here http://tftestkits.net/splash-page.html and the speed stir.

 

[jblizzle]

Forget about the gimmicks they try to sell you. All you need is chlorine.

Ignore the salt, leave the SWG off until the water is clear. You will be vacuuming and backwashing a lot of water, so why dump salt too?

Yes you should set the pH in the low 7s before you start the shock process because the pH test is not accurate when the FC > 10ppm.

Order one of the recommended test kits now so you have it ... you will not likely find the required FAS-DPD chlorine test locally. In fact, just go to tftestkits.net and order the TF100 with the XL option, because you are going to need a lot of reagent. The SpeedStir will also help a lot, but is optional. Dave will have that kit to you in a couple days.