New Salt Water Pool Help

[Noangelny]

I just put up our new pool. It is the 18' x 9' x 52" with an Intex SWG and a 1,600gh sand filter. How do I go about starting? It is almost 5,000 gallons but isn't completely filled yet. The directions said I would need 3- 40 lb bags of salt to start with. Is that all I need to initially start? What else am I missing?

Thanks

 

[JasonLion]

Getting water test results is always a good place to start.

The only two things you known you will need are salt and CYA. Salt will start quite low on a fresh fill, and CYA will start at zero. CYA stands for cyanuric acid which is sometimes sold as stabilizer or conditioner. Look for 95+% pure cyanuric acid.

Other levels may well need to be adjusted. But you won't know how to adjust them until you get some test results.

 

[Noangelny]

Thank you Jason! I actually have HTC Pool Water Stabilizer & Conditioner in my shed. How much would I add to a new pool? Would I test the water first at a pool store or can you recommend a certain test kit or strips for salt water?

 

[JasonLion]

In 4500 gallons you want about 30 oz of granular CYA to raise CYA to 50. Eventually you will want to raise it higher, but it is good to start low and work up. It is easy to raise CYA but tricky to lower it.

I recommend the TF100 test kit from TFTestKits.net. The Taylor K-2006 is also alright. There are some other options if you are on a very tight budget, but getting a really good test kit is really the best choice as it will save you a great deal by avoiding problems down the line.

 

[Noangelny]

What about the liquid HTC? Should I run the filter and chlorinator before checking my pool stats?

 

[Noangelny]

In 4500 gallons you want about 30 oz of granular CYA to raise CYA to 50. Eventually you will want to raise it higher, but it is good to start low and work up. It is easy to raise CYA but tricky to lower it.

I recommend the TF100 test kit from TFTestKits.net. The Taylor K-2006 is also alright. There are some other options if you are on a very tight budget, but getting a really good test kit is really the best choice as it will save you a great deal by avoiding problems down the line.

Checked my levels -
FC 3
TA 0
PH 0