Please be gentle on me! I know there's a lot of info here but quite honestly haven't had much time to go thru it all. It's all quite confusing to me either way. Ha. I just bought a 10'x30" round frame pool. I saw at Wal-Mart their chemicals are numbered by steps. Are all those necessary for this size of pool? And should i use bleach rather than the chlorine tablets? I don't know anything about all this. I live in south TX so it gets pretty hot down here and the pool will be out in the open.
New pool. Need advice concerning chemicals.
- Thread starter B_TX
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!!!Start reading Pool School. Actually start with this article which explains how to maintain these smaller temporary pools: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/155-guide-for-seasonal-temporary-pools
And ask questions as they come up
Welcome!
No, those numbered chemicals are not necessary. They're just repackaged overpriced stuff.
Bioguard Optimizer is just Borax. They sell it at a lot of grocery stores, Target, Costco, etc.
Stabilizer 100 is pure Cyanuric acid aka CYA. No different than anyone else's CYA, pool or hardware store.
Balance Pak 100 is Baking Soda. Grocery store, Costco, wherever. It's under 50¢/ lb. at Costco in a 14 lb sack.
Balance Pak 200 is Soda Ash aka Washing Soda. Harder to find than Borax in the laundry aisle, but available.
Balance Pak 300 Is Calcium Carbonate. Some ice-melt stuff is the same. You have a vinyl pool, so you will never need to raise Calcium, no matter what anyone's printout says.
There are two approaches: Get free testing and buy overpriced chemicals OR Invest in a good test kit and only add what your pool needs from the cheapest source possible with the least undesirable side-effects..
The test kit we recommend is the TF100. It's pricey, especially compared to what you paid for the whole pool package, but it's an investment. It'll last you the whole season, and probably partway into next year. This pool is just a stepping-stone. In a year or two you'll want something bigger. Especially after you have some practice maintaining it and see just how easy pool maintenace can be. I'm serious. A few minutes a day testing and maybe an hour a week brushing and vacuuming and the water with be crystal clear and sparkling the whole season long. People will comment on it - it might be the cleanest, least smelly pool they've ever been in, and no dry skin or burning eyes, either. You won't be ashamed or panicked if someone comes to the house and wants to see the pool.
Order a test kit.
Level the ground. Then level it again. That's the crucial part of an above-ground pool. By the time the pool is up and filled, you'll have the test kit, you'll dump in what it needs, and there will be no looking back.
No, those numbered chemicals are not necessary. They're just repackaged overpriced stuff.
Bioguard Optimizer is just Borax. They sell it at a lot of grocery stores, Target, Costco, etc.
Stabilizer 100 is pure Cyanuric acid aka CYA. No different than anyone else's CYA, pool or hardware store.
Balance Pak 100 is Baking Soda. Grocery store, Costco, wherever. It's under 50¢/ lb. at Costco in a 14 lb sack.
Balance Pak 200 is Soda Ash aka Washing Soda. Harder to find than Borax in the laundry aisle, but available.
Balance Pak 300 Is Calcium Carbonate. Some ice-melt stuff is the same. You have a vinyl pool, so you will never need to raise Calcium, no matter what anyone's printout says.
There are two approaches: Get free testing and buy overpriced chemicals OR Invest in a good test kit and only add what your pool needs from the cheapest source possible with the least undesirable side-effects..
The test kit we recommend is the TF100. It's pricey, especially compared to what you paid for the whole pool package, but it's an investment. It'll last you the whole season, and probably partway into next year. This pool is just a stepping-stone. In a year or two you'll want something bigger. Especially after you have some practice maintaining it and see just how easy pool maintenace can be. I'm serious. A few minutes a day testing and maybe an hour a week brushing and vacuuming and the water with be crystal clear and sparkling the whole season long. People will comment on it - it might be the cleanest, least smelly pool they've ever been in, and no dry skin or burning eyes, either. You won't be ashamed or panicked if someone comes to the house and wants to see the pool.
Order a test kit.
Level the ground. Then level it again. That's the crucial part of an above-ground pool. By the time the pool is up and filled, you'll have the test kit, you'll dump in what it needs, and there will be no looking back.
Thanks a bunch! I'll read more tonite when i have a little more time. Single mom here just trying to keep her baby happy and entertained!