Newbie ready to fill pool

[jamesd8]

New to site. New to being pool-care giver. I do have half a brain, am eager to learn, have limited time, but like philosophy and atmosphere I've seen so far on this site. Excited to give BBB METHOD a go!

At this point I'm not sure if my last post went in, so I'll retry.

I'm getting ready to set up new pool. I've got all my ducks in a row ( Taylor test kit, bleach, the whole 9). After I fill pool with water from garden hose what's next?

Pool Math Calculator kind of intimidating with all the numbers and categories, not sure if I'm doing it right.

 

[woodyp]

Start by testing your fill water first to see what ya' got. Then FC, then PH, CYA, then TA, then CA, and finally--- borates and salt if you need them. Just play with pool math app-you won't break it!

 

[Richard320]

Welcome!

Don't worry about the chemistry. You're starting with a fresh fill, so it's just a matter of testing, plugging in some numbers, and pouring in the appropriate chemicals. And if you post the results here, someone will be along to tell you what to add next. It's no stretch of the imagination to suggest that five years from now you will be posting on this site when someone asks, that you've never had algae so you've never had to SLAM.

What you should be worrying about is the pool setup. I've read many horror stories over the years here about people who got lazy or impatient setting up the pool and have been unhappy with it ever since. Take the time to level the ground. And I mean level level -- not the "I'm exhausted, that's close enough" level. Unless you have access to power tampers or a steam roller, building up to level won't work. You have to dig the high spots down. Level and smooth. Even if it means a whole extra weekend with pick and shovel and rake, do it. If you don't, you'll just end up doing it anyway, after you've drained the pool and dismantled it. Along the same lines, work all the wrinkles out of the liner. Work work work them. Otherwise they become a dirt magnet. You will forever have a dirty streak on the floor.

And we want pictures!

 

[jamesd8]

Thank you. I will be setting up end of May. I'll be relying on great feedback like this.

- - - Updated - - -

Thank you. Great advice. I spent a ton of time on the leveling. Hard work, want to do it right though. I will be seeking more advise in the future. Setting pool up Memorial Day week.

Thank you again!

 

[Patrick_B]

Welcome to the forum!

The more you read in Pool School, the better you'll be able to utilize the advice we offer. Can't over emphasize it enough, and the ABC's is a great place to start.

 

[pwrstrk]

Welcome to TFP !
Your already are starting out on the right foot. Like the others have said, do your homework in pool school. Once you understand it, the pool water thing will be a breeze. No lie !
When ever you have a question don't hesitate to ask.

 

[jamesd8]

Still some work to do on ground to level. Oooph, lots of work. Question, when I plug my numbers into pool calculator, I get several results for each category. Should I add chlorine first, wait a certain amt of time with pump running, retest, and then go from there with addition of recommended chemical adjustments?

Thank you!

 

[jamesd8]

Thanks for putting in order. Do I "retest" to see if what is needed has changed after addition of each chemical. I like how you have put in order, very helpful, I'm assuming once I add bleach it may change my original numbers taken at time of fresh fill (haven't filled pool yet at this point). So do I retest for PH after adding bleach? If so, how long do I wait? Then retest again if I need muriatic acid to lower PH? Then test again? If so, how long to wait? Then CYA added after testing again? Etc...

Thank you!!!

 

[jamesd8]

I gave up on perfect level, my wrists and back just can't take anymore. So much work. Had a couple low areas and a choice to make, did 80% of area down one inch, and no guarantee I'd get that right, or backfill low areas and be done in 15 minutes. Well, like the water that soon filled the pool I too took the path of least resistance. I put thicker pavers under legs in the back fill areas which will theoretically offset for sinkage. Pool is almost full and within an inch off. Three year old and I were sloppin around as it filled yesterday, already paid for itself seeing his smile.