Adding Initial Salt and CYA for SWG

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Backyard Luddite

Backyard Luddite

0
Jun 21, 2013
52
Northern Virginia
Got the pool up. Will be adding water tomorrow and have a couple questions.

Quickest way and decent prices to get salt, sand & CYA was to go to local pool store. Ordered everything else online, but didn't want to wait any longer to get in to the water...

I've got the 14'x42" inch and even the Intex table that came with the pool doesn't have the chemical measurements for my pool - little strange so I'm using numbers for a 15x42 Easy Set and a 15x42 circular metal pool. Anyone have the exact numbers for a 14x42 Ultra Frame?

Pool in Gallons. Using the pool calculator (12' x 42" [3.5'] = 4000 gallons. But since the pool level will be a few inches less than the height of 42", should I use 36" = 3500 gallons for all pool chemical calulations? Bottom line - for a 42" Intex pool what line/area is used to determine the 42"?

Read Pool School and several posts on adding chemicals for the first time.
1) Adding salt - would it be be best to add some salt to a 5 gallon bucket, stir, and then add it to the pool to help it dissolve?

2) CYA - Read you definitely don't want to dump CYA directly into the pool. Is the 5 gallon bucket option best here too? What exactly is the sock option? I'll be adding a in-wall skimmer this weekend.
3) Now before you bang your keyboard...The pool store guy told me it might be best to shock your pool the first time so the SWG isn't overworked. Does that make sense or am I being fooled. I read on TFP that with an SWG, you shouldn't need to shock your pool unless you see algae growth.

Thanks!
 
1, I don't have an SWG, but general advice seems to be dump salt in and brush around until dissolved

2, If using powdered CYA, fill an old sock with the CYA and hang in front of a return, squeezing every once and a while will speed the process along.

3, Use bleach to maintain your FC level until your SWG is working, no need to shock unless you have left the pool sitting without any chlorine in the water (assuming municipal water source)

Ike

p.s. the pool store guy may have a reason for his shock suggestion, as it is somewhat common to hear about pool newbies that will set up a pool, fill with water and THEN try to start learning about pool chemistry, in the day or so from when they started filling until they got around to learning that they need to put chlorine, CYA, etc. in their water it may already be well on its way to turning green with an algae bloom.
 
One more thing, do not turn on the salt water generator until the salt has fully dissolved and dispersed. Keep your chlorine up with bleach or liquid chlorine until the SWG can take over. It is designed to maintain chlorine levels but will have a hard time bringing them up from zero.
 
What we recommend for a new SWG is to get all of your levels balanced manually, then turn on the SWG. There is no need to shock if the water looks good and your levels look good. In a sense we are covering the same issue the pool store person is covering, you don't want FC at zero when you startup the SWG.
 
I do the same thing. I just scatter the salt around. The kids like it because they say it's like swimming over a bed of diamonds. :roll:

Likewise, I put the CYA in an old sock and put it in the skimmer basket...actually it's one of those otherwise useless, high priced skimmer basket socks that the pool store talked me into buying a while back. This may not be the best way of adding CYA as we are sending the acid right through all the equipment before it gets into the pool water and is thoroughly diluted. Hanging a sock full of CYA in front of a return is probably a safer way to go...but not nearly so convenient.

Am I killing my pump and filter? :?:
 
My 14x42 didn't come with a skimmer so I ordered the inwall skimmer and will be installing it this weekend - even thinking about the above the water line install for a couple more inches. Just got my pool, leveled the ground and began filling with water today and I will be taking a knife to the liner as soon as the skimmer arrives (hopefully by Saturday).

My concern is the water condition is for 72 hours. If I don't add the CYA till then. I'm testing the water so I should have some science to work with, but my plan may be to add some bleach, salt, and a little CYA using the sock against the return spout since I don't have the skimmer yet. May also just use a 5 gallon bucket, add some CYA, stir and dump - just a little at a time obviously.

Are there guidelines about not getting in the pool for the first 24 hours after the filter is running? My SWG will be off initially.
 
Backyard Luddite said:
My 14x42 didn't come with a skimmer so I ordered the inwall skimmer and will be installing it this weekend - even thinking about the above the water line install for a couple more inches. Just got my pool, leveled the ground and began filling with water today and I will be taking a knife to the liner as soon as the skimmer arrives (hopefully by Saturday).

My concern is the water condition is for 72 hours. If I don't add the CYA till then. I'm testing the water so I should have some science to work with, but my plan may be to add some bleach, salt, and a little CYA using the sock against the return spout since I don't have the skimmer yet. May also just use a 5 gallon bucket, add some CYA, stir and dump - just a little at a time obviously.

Are there guidelines about not getting in the pool for the first 24 hours after the filter is running? My SWG will be off initially.
Click to expand...
Just hang the sock full of CYA off a floating pool toy or an empty bleach jug and let it bob around. Add bleach manually and brush it around to get it mixed.

Get the water balanced, then add salt, then fire off the SWG. Provided pH, FC, and CC are in range, I see no reason to wait to jump in once it's filtering.
 
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