Need some advices regarding testing

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derrickng87

0
Sep 7, 2013
25
Orange County, California
I finished setting up the pool yesterday and added half a bag of Leslie’s Chlor Brite Granular Chlorine. Also added 2 bags of pool salt (40lbs each) and 1/3 of a gallon jug conditioner. I want to know my salt and the stabilizer level but I haven't order the recommended test kit (TF-100) yet. Should I bring the water to Leslie and have them test it out? or should I just wait till I have the test kit and do it myself?

Also any recommend on where to buy the TF-100 test kit? I can't find it on amazon or ebay (2 sites I usually go for my online shopping lol). As for pool cleaning kit...do I just need a net, brush, and vacuum? My pool is no where near a tree so I don't think will be any leaf or debris falling into the pool so should I just get a brush and vacuum instead? Should I cover my pool all the time except for when using it? or should I leave the cover off and let the sun shine into the pool?

Sorry for all the questions...I am very new at this.
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

Being that you are in CA ... ordering from PSW will be much faster and cheaper shipping.

Like Dave said, learn to use the poolcalculator.com and you should have a pretty good idea of what your salt and CYA should be when you test ... and do not waste your time going back for the "free" testing ... it is not worth what you pay for it.
 
thank you for the fast answers guys :). I will get the kit today and use the calculator in the mean time then. I hate it whenever I walk in the pool supply store near my area because both times I went in they always trying to sell all the expensive chemicals even though I told them I just need salt and stabilizer. I edited my post so not sure if you guys see this yet:

As for pool cleaning kit...do I just need a net, brush, and vacuum? My pool is no where near a tree so I don't think will be any leaf or debris falling into the pool so should I just get a brush and vacuum instead? Should I cover my pool all the time except for when using it? or should I leave the cover off and let the sun shine into the pool?
 
derrickng87 said:
As for pool cleaning kit...do I just need a net, brush, and vacuum? My pool is no where near a tree so I don't think will be any leaf or debris falling into the pool so should I just get a brush and vacuum instead? Should I cover my pool all the time except for when using it? or should I leave the cover off and let the sun shine into the pool?
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You definitely need a brush, since you'll want to brush the whole thing once a week no matter how good it looks - it's just good maintenance. Probably will want a vacuum, but I would suggest buying one of the cheap manual ones until you know how much you'll use it. You can probably wait on a leaf skimmer/net until you see how much you actually need it.

The cover can be on all the time, but this is another one where you'll have to make the determination for yourself. Cover on will probably reduce chlorine usage, and will definitely cut down on evaporation which will maintain higher temps. However, it will be more of a pain to put on and pull off every time you swim. Not sure if you have a skimmer or not, but I've found that since I've left mine on more this summer, there's more junk that settles to the bottom which requires vacuuming more often.
 
If you do not foresee leaves to skim out, then a vac and brush may be all you need ... may want to have a leaf canister on the hose when you vacuum in case something larger ends up getting sucked up.

You can always pick up a cheap net later if you find it would be useful.

During the day, having the cover off will increase the amount of heat from the sun that is added to the pool, although you may have a little higher FC loss. At night though, a cover can lower the heat loss to evaporation.
 
Find the cheapest "solar" cover you can as none seem to last more than 1-2 years.

The word "solar" in this case makes no sense to me ... you will actually gain more heat in the water when the sun is shining and the winds are calm with the cover off.
 

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I will add to this from my experience. If you get a cover that streches over the entire top, it can really help hold the heat in at night. This helps a lot during early and late season. I use the summer escapes sold at Walmart for the 18-20' pools. It would work perfect on yours. I do it to keep leaves out, and heat in at night. This year should be our last with any luck at all.

Welcome to TFP! With the purchase of the kit you just made the single best investment possible for your pool.
 
Sometimes you can find pool cleaning kits on ebay, etc. which include a manual vacuum, vacuum hose, net and scrub brush, you will then just need to buy a pole locally. Also check out the big box stores like Lowes or Home Depot for these items as they often have them at much lower prices than pool stores.

Ike
 
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