Startup pool chemicals

Please understand that poolmath is mainly a calculator.
It does give some general guidelines/recommendations but they are also based on your settings. They are just to keep things from going off the rails. Some parameters have more priority than others. Fc is #1 priority then ph & so on.
For instance, with the pm recommendations - I assume you put in that you have a swcg. This makes the app tell you a specific cya range is ideal. (60-80ppm)
You’re currently not using the swcg & instead manually chlorinating so you don’t need to heed that advice just yet.
I suggest that you fool around with the csi card by inputting different values (ph,ch, salt, cya, water temp) to get a better understanding of what moves the needle up or down. It will help you understand the recommendations being made to you.
Notes**
*Your ph will rise on its own - probably by tomorrow! A new plaster pool will continue to have increased ph rise for up to 2 years.
*You will have a higher cya in the future.
*The water will increase in temperature soon. (Starting Next week it looks like)
*You can certainly increase ch a tad more to help raise csi now if it makes you feel better (understandable) but I wouldn’t go overboard.
Because-
*You live in a dry place & will experience much pool water evaporation.
*The calcium in the pool water doesn’t leave with evaporation.
*You will need to add 75ppm ch water regularly to replace the water lost to evaporation.
* This will increase your pool’s ch over time.

If you were trashing your pool the experts here would absolutely let you know! I promise!
You have several OG’s guiding you here.
Don’t panic 🙀 you’re not in a “hair’s on fire” situation.
 
For my CSI, pool math gives a warning for my -0.94 level And says less than -0.6 suggests corrosion is likely for plaster pools. Anything I can/should to do fix this?

Forgot to reply about that. Just test it again tomorrow and see if it’s trending back up or not. If it is, then no need to do anything. It’s fine as it is right now.
 
I haven’t checked my levels again since last night, but last night they were this below. I don’t know what levels I should want them to be/desire. Should I aim for the ideal levels? I don’t yet have the SWCG generator on so I am chlorine for now. So what should I am for at this point in time based on readings from last night and my pool being at day 17 since first fill?

Do you recommend I correct any of the current levels so I have a better CSI or higher pH?

IMG_8245.png
 
Do you recommend I correct any of the current levels so I have a better CSI or higher pH?

No, do nothing. Which is not what you want to hear since it seems you feel you must do something.

Your levels are as good as it will get.

Maintain your FC between 3-5 and your pH between 7.6-8.0 once it rises up.

That is all.

Once your water temperature gets to 70 check back in with us and we can discuss chemistry adjustments for the hot summer.

Brush the pool daily.
 
I haven’t checked my levels again since last night, but last night they were this below. I don’t know what levels I should want them to be/desire. Should I aim for the ideal levels? I don’t yet have the SWCG generator on so I am chlorine for now. So what should I am for at this point in time based on readings from last night and my pool being at day 17 since first fill?

Do you recommend I correct any of the current levels so I have a better CSI or higher pH?

View attachment 553400

The CYA message will fix itself if you just disable the saltwater generator checkbox in your Pool Math settings. Your pH will rise in a couple of days which will make that message go away probably along with your CSI message as well.

There’s nothing wrong with adding a little more calcium as well. But if Marty‘s right about your water in the area that you will use to fill the pool during the summer, your calcium will go up all by itself and if you find it gets too high, you will have to drain water out of the pool to lower it again. That’s the only potential downside of adding calcium now.
 
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Like Bperry said, my pH corrected itself within a couple of days and it has stayed in the 7.8 range or slightly higher since. I did add a little bit of calcium last week.

Here are my numbers now below. Should I add a chlorine pellet to the floating dispenser or any liquid chlorine? My SWCG should be activated in a week or so I think.

IMG_8270.png
 

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So my FC chlorine came up to 5 which is okay. Do I want it any higher than that? Also, my pH is back up to 7.9 to 8.1 . Hard to determine on the color block. My pH seems to always want to be on the high end. Should I lower the pH per pool math when it goes above 8? Seems like I will be adding acid every couple of days if that’s the case.
 
So my FC chlorine came up to 5 which is okay. Do I want it any higher than that?

Using liquid chlorine you can maintain your FC at 6-8.


Also, my pH is back up to 7.9 to 8.1 . Hard to determine on the color block. My pH seems to always want to be on the high end. Should I lower the pH per pool math when it goes above 8?

Lower pH to 7.6-7.8.

Seems like I will be adding acid every couple of days if that’s the case.

That is normal with new plaster for the first year or more.
 
So my FC chlorine came up to 5 which is okay. Do I want it any higher than that? Also, my pH is back up to 7.9 to 8.1 . Hard to determine on the color block. My pH seems to always want to be on the high end. Should I lower the pH per pool math when it goes above 8? Seems like I will be adding acid every couple of days if that’s the case.
The pH won’t rise as fast once your TA gets down a little lower. And it will get lower if you knock the pH down when it gets over 8.
 
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