New Pool advice needed...please!

[Kathe]

Hi all! I'm thrilled to have found you all! We just filled our new pool with purchased water yesterday. Tomorrow, we should have the electrical done so we can turn on pump and start circulating. I had the water tested at "Clearwater Pools" locally.
CYA 0
TC 0.3
FC 0.2
pH 7.6
TA 84
TH 117

Water is clear. My instructions were to add:
1. Add 12# BioGuard balance pak 100 by just adding directly to water with circulation going. Wait 2 hrs before step 2.
2. Adjust the newly raised pH by lowering it with 1# Bioguard Lo'n slo granular 93.2% Sodium Bisulfate). Wait 2 hrs. retest.
3. Add 3.25# cya (put into nylon sock) and dangle in front of return.
4. I have two 1# bags of poolite turboshock granular chlorine (thought I'd use them up, supposedly each bag is equivalent to 1 jug of liquid chlorine) and then I would add additional 1 gal. jug of pool chlorine 13%.

We will be going out of town Thurs - next Tues. What should I need to do about that, if anything? I plan to keep the water circulating with no cover on it.

 

[woodyp]

Welcome to the forum.

(1).. That Bioguard is just over priced baking soda--we go to the grocery store around here and buy the "off" brand. Your Ta is pretty close already though. See recommeded levels in Pool School.
(2).. I'm betting you can buy muriatic acid at a hardware store cheaper than the Bioguard whatever it is.................
(3). We like to use CYA from good old Walmart--4lb. jugs cheap and dissolves quickly. Use Pool Math here to see how much to use to take your pool to 30 for your gallons to start.
(4). We use plain old bleach mostly. (cheaper) Again-Pool Math is your friend...top of page link.

Going out of town and abandoning it soon as it is up are ya'! See the chlorine/cya chart in Pool School and take your pool to SLAM value before you leave. I'd recommend you add some trichlor pucks in a floater while you're gone as well. No need to circulate over say, 6 hours daily to start. Got a timer? Got one of our recommended testing kits? You'll thank us later!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome Kathe! Before you go on your trip, I definitely agree that you should order your own test kit (see TF-100 below). Absolutely great product that gives YOU total control. It should be on your front porch when you get back. If you get the TF-100, order the speed stir as well. Like Woody said above, stay clear of those magical products from the pool store - to include their testing which is typically not correct. Get the recommended amount of stabilizer (CYA) in your pool to protect your chlorine, and ensure your FC is at or slightly above the "Recommended Level" (link below) for your pool by using regular bleach. The tabs mentioned above will get you through while you are away so you can come home to a clear pool. If you have any more questions, just let us know.

 

[Kathe]

So this is what I've done so far. Added the 3.25# of cya. Added 3 jugs of 12% pool chlorine. We leave on Thurs. If I have my son add 1 jug of chlorine on Sat. and 1 jug on Monday, do you think the pool will be ok when we return?

 

[Casey]

Why would you add 3 gallons of 12%?

 

[gilbee]

Why would you add 3 gallons of 12%?

I believe the thought here was to raise the FC level as a buffer during the time they will be away from the pool. Someone above mentioned to raise to slam level just before leaving, 3 gals of 12% might do that depending on volume.

 

[pooldv]

So this is what I've done so far. Added the 3.25# of cya. Added 3 jugs of 12% pool chlorine. We leave on Thurs. If I have my son add 1 jug of chlorine on Sat. and 1 jug on Monday, do you think the pool will be ok when we return?

Do you know what your average daily chlorine consumption is? It is normally 2-4 ppm. So, if you don't know then I would go 4 ppm per day or 8 ppm every other day to be on the safe side. Pool School - PoolMath

 

[Texas Splash]

Kathe, I took a moment to try and double-check your figures based on your notes above. Hope I didn't miss anything .. I estimated your pool volume for the Poolmath Calculator at 20K. You estimated you had 0 CYA, so to bring it up to 40 the calculator shows a requirement of 107 oz by weight. You stated you added 3.25 # (I'm assuming pounds?) which equates to 52 ounces. So it appears you may need to add more stabilizer when you return from your trip.

As for the bleach, if you got the regular sized 121oz bottles, the Poolmath calculator shows to add 256oz (2 jugs) to get you up to a SLAM level of 12. Adding a 3rd bottle probably didn't hurt anything. Keep in mind all of our estimates are just that "estimates" because you don't have your test kit yet. We don't like to guess when we can help it, but you are leaving soon. Having your son add a bottle once every other day is probably a good idea.

Have a safe trip and check-in with us when you get back with some good TF-100 numbers. Enjoy!

 

[Kathe]

Am I getting the hang of it?

OK, 3rd week into this.
Just had water tested at pool store.
CYA: 28
FC: 1.5 (I know I need to add)
pH: 7.6
TA: 88
Tot. Hardness: 96
Saturation index: -0.5

They are telling me that my saturation index (what is that in "pool school" terms?) is low and that means that my pH and TA are out of balance. According to TFP, I am balanced. Your opinion is????

 

[pabeader]

Which test kit do you have? Why were you at the pool $tore?

 

[Kathe]

I have yet to get a test kit. I know....I thought I might just keep trying the test strips and occasionally get the water tested for free at the pool store. Bad idea?

 

[TomBorg]

Calcium saturation index is a calculation based on a bunch of factors, including pH and TA. In your case, your low CSI is mainly coming from your calcium hardness. Your pH and TA are fine where they are, and the person at the pool store is misguided.

A negative CSI means the water can be leaching calcium from the sides of your pool. But you have a vinyl liner, so no worries about calcium loss. So the somewhat negative saturation index isn't something you need to worry about.

If you want, you can raise your calcium hardness to around 200ppm. It should get your CSI well within the "safe" range, may reduce foaming of the water, and won't cause other issues the way raising your TA would. Calcium Chloride is available in your hardware store, labeled "Ice Melt". Use PoolMath to calculate how much to add. Do it in steps, dissolving it in a 5-gallon bucket before adding to your pool.

 

[Donldson]

There is no reason to worry about your CSI because you have a vinyl liner. Don't add any calcium.

Pool store testing is notoriously terrible. I can't explain why they wouldn't have the best, being the professionals, but time after time we have seen bad results from pool stores. Sometimes they are so mind boggling bad it almost seems impossible they could be off by so much. And the only positive I can say is that they aren't as bad as test strips...

I will just say, you have a brand new beautiful pool. You have a nice new liner and you want it to last. Is it not worth it to get a good test kit and get on track right away to properly take care of your pool and make sure that you don't damage anything based on bad testing and/or advice from the pool store? It really is an investment, I know what a difference this site and the TFPC methods made in my own pool and my own wallet.