New pool filled and ready?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Hi jimmerz, :)
Put powder stabilizer (CYA) in a sock and hang it over a return to slowly dissolve, squish it every so often. Don't bother with liquid stabilizer, is way too expensive.
Mix up to 3 boxes at a time in 5 gal pail water, mix and pour in around pool, not a big deal with this.

Chuck
 
Powder Stabilizer any particular brand you recommend? Also when you say "sock" of a return, do they sell "socks" and how do you hang it over the return? I'm assuming I can tie it off somewhere and just let it dangle in the basket area of the return so it dissolves and goes in there. Sorry for the dumb question, I am a little OCD and need things explained to me like I am 6 sometimes.

Thanks!
 
To my knowledge most of the stabilizers are about the same. I have heard the stuff at Wal-Mart (HTH?) dissolves pretty quickly. As for the sock, any sock will do. I used one of those bra-washing bags (used in the clothes washer) last time and it was great. It may also be called conditioner. For HTH, the color of the lid or cap tells you what "category" the product is in. Purple is balance, orange and yellow are the clorinate family with longer or super product with orange lids.

0007318761305_180X180.jpg
 
Don't forget... on your filter, when the pressures rise, you can bump your filter. I bump mine anytime I think about it and I am near the filter and it's not running.

I see you're new. Have you used this type of filter before?
 
Glad I asked the question...

My pressures run at at 14 when the filter and the DE/cellulose are clean. They completely MAX out at 23 with a nasty dirty filter.This is what I mean. This is full of cellulose but DE looks quite similar.>>
IMG_5295.JPG


That's what the head of the filter looks like when you take off the band around the belly of the filter.

The bump handle in my filter is missing the plastic handle part.

photo.jpg


This is from the Owner Manual"
Hayward PDF said:
REGENERATION (Extending the Cycle)
Stop the pump. Move the bump handle down slowly, then up briskly. Repeat 3 times. Restart the pump and filtration will resume at near the original flow and pressure. After each regeneration, and until the filter is cleaned, there may be a slight increase in the starting pressure. This is the result of dirt accumulating within the filter and is completely normal.
Click to expand...

This is what most people call "bumping the filter". When my pressures rise from my base 14, I bump the filter and my pressures go back to 14 and stay that way for a while. As more and more junk get stuck in the media (DE or cellulose). When my pump and only rn for an hour without the pressures rising over 20, I know it's time to "change" the DE. I usually take the head off and clean the fingers but other people just do a backwash to wash off 80% of the media and add 80% of the DE it would need for a full charge. I don't have a backwash circuit for the water to go anywhere except by the side of the filter and that makes a mess. I just change it and dispose of the DE by taking it to my green waste garbage can.
 
Ok. I will look into this. I am assuming that since I haven't even done a weeks worth of swimming yet, I should not need to bump yet, but keep an eye on my pressure gauge and if that rises, then bump?

My pool installer (who is also a friend) is on vacation and will be stopping over to go over everything when he returns, he said I should be good just adding the chlorine pucks in the chlorinator for now. But I found this site and have my TF100 test kit so I know what I need to add to keep my pool clean.

Thanks for the info I had no idea.
 
The DE filter is GREAT at cleaning the water. My filter cleans my pool with minimal run time and it it gets really sparkly, really quick.

As to the pucks, you could stick with them until you get your CYA to the correct level or you could take them out, add stabilizer (CYA) and go right to liquid chlorine. Do you know which pucks they are? Di-chlor? Tri-chlor?

I did pucks for the past 6 years, this year has been all liquid CL , and my best year ever. I have never had water as good as this year.
 
The pucks are Tri-chlor. I added some PH Up tonight. I had to return something to the pool store and bought a 5# container for $6, so I figured that wasn't too bad?

I will re-test in the morning to see where my PH is. I will need to add some more Chlorine pucks too, I am almost out. I think I only added 2 on Sunday? I was trying to start with 3 per week and my setting for the chlorinator was at 6.

I will re-post my numbers once I do another full test.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thanks Supertune, I will have to check Lowes. No Home Depot near me carries that stuff.

Ok, I might have already asked this, but should I add Stabilizer to raise my CYA if I am using the TriChlor pucks? I think I am currently going through 3 or so 3" pucks per week? But it's only been 2 weeks...

If I add Stabilizer and raise my CYA, will my Pucks continue to raise my CYA?
 
Hi J, :)
Once stabilizer is in the pool water it's in. No way to remove it other than water replacement or RO (reverse Osmosis) So yes, your adding CYA when using pucks too.
See the pool calculator and play with the add and effects calculator at the bottom of the page. Not saying you can't use them but you need to how much your adding and driving up the CYA.
Pucks are acidic too, they will lower pH and can lower TA over longer times if the pH stays low.

BBB taught here at TFP with proper testing allows us to understand and only add to the pool what is needed by not using multi-chemical products.
Chuck
 
Yes, puck will raise you Cya, you can continue to use them but be aware they do this. Until this years, I was all puck, all day and this year... Not one! My wife was showing her coworker photos of our dog playing in the pool and they remarked how good it looked.

Since going all BBB, my pool has never looked better and I have spent much less on it.

I am 100% liquid chlorine this year. I like not worrying about all he other things my CL was effecting.
 
If you go all liquid, you no longer need an automatic "tab" chlorinator but if you have one...leave it installed and empty. It might be nice to use while on vacation.

Liquid you have three main choices for manual additions from the jugs (free), a Liquidator (about $200) or a stenner peristaltic pump (about $200-500). Each has it's requirements and limitations. All of these work with the same liquid chlorine.

Another option is a "salt water generator" that converts chloride salt to liquid chlorine and the pool converts it back to a salt. (about $200-1500 depending on size)
 
Ok, After adding my PH Up stuff...the PH looks to be closer to where it needs to be about 7.2 I should still raise it a little more correct?

However here are my new overall readings:

FC - 5.5
CC - 0
TC - 5.5
TA - 60

What do you all think?
 
I would stop using the tablets and just use bleach. Add only a small amount of stablizer in a sock and hang it in front of your pool return and sqeeze it once in a while. The small amount of lye in the bleach will increase your PH some at the same time. The biggest thing is understanding what each type of chlorine does for your pool and then knowing how to use them accordingly will help so you dont have to adjust the PH/TA that much at all. CYA can also be managed with those trichlor pucks when you know how it can work in combination with bleach.

I hardly ever have to adjust the PH/TA/CYA because I now how each type of chlorine works on the pool. Once the PH in at 7.2, then using the different kinds of chlorine will help you manage it accordinly. That includes CYA. Sometimes acid has to be added later in the summer to help control your PH, but if you test properly and read pool school a few times, you will start to understand how different chemicals affect your pool water.
 
jimmerz said:
Ok, After adding my PH Up stuff...the PH looks to be closer to where it needs to be about 7.2 I should still raise it a little more correct?

However here are my new overall readings:

FC - 5.5
CC - 0
TC - 5.5
TA - 60

What do you all think?
Click to expand...
Hi again jimmerz, :)
Have you figured out how much CYA is in your pool or have you tested it?
Your FC will be defined by the Chlorine/CYA Chart here:
pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock

TA could be a little low, I would like to see at least 80.

Chuck
 
Tomorrow I will finally add some stabilizer. I only did one CYA test, and since I did not add any it was obviously a big zero. When I was doing the test I thought it was a joke or I mixed in the wrong chemical because that black circle was as clear as could be and I filled the tube all the way up, lol.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply