Pool start up levels - new IG

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Watershow

Well-known member
Jun 10, 2020
218
Riverside County, CA
Hi everyone!
So my PB’s asst started up my pool today with its first chemicalsPool was filled on Sunday. He put in 4 lbs of dry CYA into the skimmer, put in a gallon of liquid chlorine 12.5% and a quart of liquid MA. Also started brushing today as that’s when it was delivered.
So here are my current levels 2 hrs later.
FC -2
TC - 2
CH - 100
TA - 40
CYA - 28
I used the TF-100 test kit.
Let me know what you guys think. How long do you think it will take me to get it to appropriate levels to swim in? Really excited and getting the hang of testing.This website is amazing and felt like i knew more about how to test than the assistant as he didn’t have a very thorough kit.
 
congratulations on your new pool
has pb specified any levels for warranty
on a new build your ph number is the one to watch carefully
do not turn your pump off as cya should not be added to skimmer as it is very acidic
your fc is a little low, you really dont want algae with a fresh pool
www.troublefreepool.com

The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship

Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
aussieta said:
congratulations on your new pool
as pb specified any levels for warranty
on a new build your ph number is the one to watch carefully
do not turn your pump off as cya should not be added to skimmer as it is very acidic
your fc is a little low, you really dont want algae with a fresh pool
www.troublefreepool.com

The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship

Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...
Thank you. I don’t want algae either. Today was the first day we added chemicals. So based on these levels I will need to continue to add chlorine and MA each day until it gets to the appropriate levels correct? Or should I do it twice a day? Do I continue to add cya? How can I bring down my ph quicker? Just want to clarify. Thanks again!
 
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Water,

You really do not want high FC levels for a few days..

My suggestion would be to let the pool builder do his thing.. Once he turns the pool over to you, then you can start worrying about the chemicals..

Nothing bad will happen in the week or so the pool builder is caring for your pool.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
Water,

You really do not want high FC levels for a few days..

My suggestion would be to let the pool builder do his thing.. Once he turns the pool over to you, then you can start worrying about the chemicals..

Nothing bad will happen in the week or so the pool builder is caring for your pool.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
Hi Jim,
I looked over my contract and it states that PB is responsible for initial start up and instruction. Very vague, so im not sure if they are going to balance the pool before turning it over to me. Final inspection is tomorrow and my impression from them is that once it’s passed I’m on my own.
 
Water,

When is your "Pool School"??? I suggest that you pay great attention to all the mechanical and equipment aspects of your pool builder's pool school. When he starts talking about chemicals, just nod your head up and down as he talks and let everything he says go in one ear and out the other. :mrgreen:

You need to ask him when the water belongs to you...

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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ajw22 said:
Follow the appropriate plaster startup guide for the first 28 days...

Plaster Start-Up Guides - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com


Only then do you transition to TFP levels...

Recommended Levels

You can swim in your pool now.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this! based on my TA I need to up it to 80 by adding baking soda. How much and how? So if the total alkalinity is not at 80, I don’t add MA?
Not even sure they added sequestrant. I asked the asst today if they did but he didn’t even know what that was and said it might have been added to the plaster mix🤷‍♀️.

also, is it OK to add Calcium increaser to up my CH?

PB asst only tested ph, alk, and fc.
 
Jimrahbe said:
Water,

When is your "Pool School"??? I suggest that you pay great attention to all the mechanical and equipment aspects of your pool builder's pool school. When he starts talking about chemicals, just nod your head up and down as he talks and let everything he says go in one ear and out the other. :mrgreen:

You need to ask him when the water belongs to you...

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
LOL, I sure did! However, I did have to record him when he was explaining how the equipment worked today as there was so many things remember and the equipment is just so very foreign to me.
 

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Go slowly on adjusting the TA. Raising the TA can raise the pH. It is more important to maintain pH than TA. Most folks water TA is too high, not low. Where did your pool fill water come from?

The startup guide says not to add calcium until Day 4.

Most important is maintaining FC of 3 and pH in the 7s. No rush adjusting other chemicals.
 
ajw22 said:
Go slowly on adjusting the TA. Raising the TA can raise the pH. It is more important to maintain pH than TA. Most folks water TA is too high, not low. Where did your pool fill water come from?

The startup guide says not to add calcium until Day 4.

Most important is maintaining FC of 3 and pH in the 7s. No rush adjusting other chemicals.
Click to expand...
So in order to maintain ph, I add Acid daily until ph is at a good level, correct? I used city water to fill. I do have a water softener system for the house. Thanks for the clarification!
 
Have you downloaded PoolMath? Use it to calculate the chemical dosage required to get to your target.

Test the pH, TA, and CH of your city water using your test kit and post the results.
 
You are in fine shape by monitoring and understanding your current levels.

1. Have you reported current pH? It will not necessarily match your fill water ph.

2. Please ignore TA for now

3. Same with CH.....ignore it for now

4. Don't add any more CYA. It should continue to rise and stop around 40-50

5. Most important, keep your FC up around 3-5 ppm by testing and adding daily

6. Don't try to make everything perfect at once. Get your FC consistent. Your CYA will stabilize on it's own. Then report CH in a week or so.....it likely will have changed. Last, report your TA......again, no rush but you may wish to tweak it or leave it alone.....depending
 
duraleigh said:
You are in fine shape by monitoring and understanding your current levels.

1. Have you reported current pH? It will not necessarily match your fill water ph.

2. Please ignore TA for now

3. Same with CH.....ignore it for now

4. Don't add any more CYA. It should continue to rise and stop around 40-50

5. Most important, keep your FC up around 3-5 ppm by testing and adding daily

6. Don't try to make everything perfect at once. Get your FC consistent. Your CYA will stabilize on it's own. Then report CH in a week or so.....it likely will have changed. Last, report your TA......again, no rush but you may wish to tweak it or leave it alone.....depending
Click to expand...
Thank you. will check TA when I get home from work. I was able to quickly check FC and Ph before I left for work.
8am:
FC went down from 2-1.5
Added about 4 cups of 12.5 %liq chlorine. Pool math said 3 cups, 6 oz. with a cya level of 28. Is it ok to round up? Ph is still high at 8.2. Didnt have time to add this morning will do it when I get home. Is this fine or does it need to be 15 mins after adding chlorine? Thanks!
 
Your CYA level is 30. If the dot disappears between 30 and 20 we round up and call it 30. You cannot eyeball values between the lines since the scale is logarithmic and not linear.

It is fine to round up your FC level.

Add chlorine and acid at least 15 minutes apart to prevent unwanted chemical reactions. Otherwise you can add either at any time alone.

Lower your pH to 7.6-7.8 as needed.

You posted above that your fill water had a TA of 100. You PB added a bunch of acid as some type of acid startup to lower your TA to 40. What is good is that your fill water TA is not that low. As you add fill water to replace evaporation it will naturally raise your TA. Any TA of 50 or above is ok. So you are not far away from that. Just monitor your TA and you should see increase in time. TA is the least important chemical you measure in the pool. But you need the value for PoolMath to correctly calculate the acid required to lower the pH.
 
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