Hi everyone/ anyone. Im new to here and new to pools. I started off light with an intex ultra 16' x 48" . I bought a Krystal clear saltwater system for it. That said the book keeps stressing when not to add cyanuric acid but says it is a must have in my pool. So when do I put it in? I'm just now done filling the pool after three weeks of leveling a two feet slope over twenty feet of hard georgia clay and building retaining walls. I'm ready to fly or fall. The instructions to the filter pump and the saltwater system dont seem to be enough for me Anybody have advice? Please!!?
when do i add the cyanuric acid
- Thread starter angeleyes31687
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!
There's really not a reason not to add it as soon as the pool is full. Best to place it in an old sock hung in front of the return. You'll need to add chlorine very frequently (every few hours even) due to sunlight breakdown until you have your CYA level up where it needs to be..
There's really not a reason not to add it as soon as the pool is full. Best to place it in an old sock hung in front of the return. You'll need to add chlorine very frequently (every few hours even) due to sunlight breakdown until you have your CYA level up where it needs to be..
Thank you so much. That said, Could anybody tell me when I should check my chlorine levels after adding salt. I guessed it would take several hours for it to dissolve. Also my kids are bugging me about getting in it NOW! Can they be in there while the first batch of salt is working its magic / chemically reacting 
With no CYA yet, make sure you have about 2FC. Use bleach/liquid chlorine.angeleyes31687 said:Thank you so much. That said, Could anybody tell me when I should check my chlorine levels after adding salt. I guessed it would take several hours for it to dissolve. Also my kids are bugging me about getting in it NOW! Can they be in there while the first batch of salt is working its magic / chemically reacting
pH should be in the mid/low 7's.
The SWG should not be started until 24 hours after the salt is added.
Not sure what you mean by magic/chemically reacting.
The kids can help churn/dissolve the salt.
Thank you. Sorry I'm just really excited what I meant was the salt dissolving not really epic or magic but... I want to think of it that way so when I fail it will be easier to accept. So beside salt and cya is there anything else I should have on hand for my pool? Ws
Bleach/liquid chlorine. You will need that NOW to use to sanitize the pool before the SWG starts working.angeleyes31687 said:
If using bleach, get plain, unscented.
JohnT said:
Please read the ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry pool-school/pool_water_chemistry
Fill it up. Adjust pH if needed. While that is mixing - half an hour with pump on - pour CYA in a sock and mess around hanging it in front of a return. Then add bleach to get you to about 3. You can let the kids in then. We recommend getting everything balanced and running before adding salt and turning on the SWG. Check out this thread. Scroll down until you see the highlighting.
Read Pool School above in top right corner of this forum. Learn and understand what you are doing to your water.angeleyes31687 said:
Bookmark The Pool Calculator or download the iPhone app (bummer it isn't on Android, it's hard to use in an internet browser with an Android phone.)
Good test kit, TF-100 is what is recommended here.
Use bleach initially to get the chlorine in the water. After your 24 hour wait to start the SWG, then the SWG will be holding the chlorine level.
After you have a test kit, you can accurately measure the chlorine level and adjust the SWG for optimum results. You need the test kit to measure the CYA properly. You also need to measure the alkalinity and pH levels. You won't know what products you need to adjust these until you know the alkalinity and pH measurements after you have a good test kit.
You guys rock thanks my little girls are going to have a great summer thanks to the great advice I've found here thanks so much
You'll be the coolest mom on the block if you get this thing running right from the start. Even though the pool is small, you should have your own decent test kit (psst, http://tftestkits.net/TF-100-Test-Kit-p4.html ) to maintain the water sparkly clear. It's a chunk of change, but much less than a sleepless night and a trip to the urgent care because someone has an ear infection, a rash, or pinkeye!angeleyes31687 said:
My wife's best friend brings her kids over to go swimming even though their apartment has a pool. The girls have said, in their candid child way, that they like swimming in my pool better because the water is clear.
Thats awesome. Makes you feel good about all the work that goes into this. a lot of the kids in our neighborhood have been anxiously waiting for three weeks while we cleared our beautiful Bermuda grass and leveled ground. Many of my neighbors with kids have pools that are green and slimy all summer I so don't want to be just another one of those epic pool failures mostly because our house is the kid hangout spot. I ordered a t100 kit from eBay after reading the link above. The instructions seemed a bit intense ! Now I'm all pumped to get it right.