I just use plastic shims, like you would use for installing windows. While it is running I just use trial and error. Tap one in a little here - oh that made the vibration worse. Let's try it over here then. Ah, much better. Takes about 10 minutes of futzing around with a hammer and a half dozen shims to get it quiet.
18 x 33 x 56" Semi-In Ground NJ
- Thread starter Brian.O1484
- Start date
I just use plastic shims, like you would use for installing windows. While it is running I just use trial and error. Tap one in a little here - oh that made the vibration worse. Let's try it over here then. Ah, much better. Takes about 10 minutes of futzing around with a hammer and a half dozen shims to get it quiet.
So until I get the electrical done with the pump/filtration operational I was going to stick on this thread when it comes to water chemistry. Taylor 2006 test kit didn't come in until yesterday 
........Pool finished filling up Thursday last week, I stopped it just below the return and the skimmer since I still had plumbing to do. Thursday afternoon I stopped at the pool store and picked up conditioner and chlorine (12.5%). Chlorine bottle says 2.5-4.75 quarts for 15,000gal & the conditioner says 3.75 lbs for 15,000 gallons. I got an Aquastrong 1HP submersible pump with a 1 1/4" hose on it which should* be flowing about 4500gpm just circulating the water.
Thursday night I put 1.875 lbs of the conditioner in a rag, zip tied together and hung in the water, I also added 2.5 qts of the chlorine.
Sunday I added 2 qts of chlorine, and I mushed up the bag of conditioner to try and disperse it a bit more
Today I added another 2.5 quarts of chlorine, mushed up the conditioner even more, I opened up the bag a bit to check it and a little bit of it came out and settled at the bottom of the pool, which I'm assuming is completely fine?
Anyway the testing today I did about an hour after I added chlorine and mushed up the conditioner
Free Chlorine = 3.6ppm
Combined chlorine = 54ppm (I'm not sure if the water turned pink enough to signify there was combined chlorine present, refer to picture)
CYA = Big goose egg!
Ph = 7.3
Alkalinity = 110 ppm
Hardness = 80 ppm
First picture = Step 2 after 2 dippers of R-0870
Second picture = Step 5 after 5 drops of R-0003 (not sure if that's pink enough to say there is combined chlorine?)
Third picture = Conditioner/stabilizer sack
Fourth picture = Undissolved cond/stab on pool bottom
With the conditioner dissolving slow as heck should I hang another bag in there? possibly get the liquid cya? Going to the pool store tomorrow after work since I need more chlorine, I only got a 2.5 gallon jug on Thursday. Aside from the oak tree worms and the Crud on the bottom the water is staying clear so I suppose I'm not doing terrible, it has also only been a week too
........Pool finished filling up Thursday last week, I stopped it just below the return and the skimmer since I still had plumbing to do. Thursday afternoon I stopped at the pool store and picked up conditioner and chlorine (12.5%). Chlorine bottle says 2.5-4.75 quarts for 15,000gal & the conditioner says 3.75 lbs for 15,000 gallons. I got an Aquastrong 1HP submersible pump with a 1 1/4" hose on it which should* be flowing about 4500gpm just circulating the water. Thursday night I put 1.875 lbs of the conditioner in a rag, zip tied together and hung in the water, I also added 2.5 qts of the chlorine.
Sunday I added 2 qts of chlorine, and I mushed up the bag of conditioner to try and disperse it a bit more
Today I added another 2.5 quarts of chlorine, mushed up the conditioner even more, I opened up the bag a bit to check it and a little bit of it came out and settled at the bottom of the pool, which I'm assuming is completely fine?
Anyway the testing today I did about an hour after I added chlorine and mushed up the conditioner
Free Chlorine = 3.6ppm
Combined chlorine = 54ppm (I'm not sure if the water turned pink enough to signify there was combined chlorine present, refer to picture)
CYA = Big goose egg!
Ph = 7.3
Alkalinity = 110 ppm
Hardness = 80 ppm
First picture = Step 2 after 2 dippers of R-0870
Second picture = Step 5 after 5 drops of R-0003 (not sure if that's pink enough to say there is combined chlorine?)
Third picture = Conditioner/stabilizer sack
Fourth picture = Undissolved cond/stab on pool bottom
With the conditioner dissolving slow as heck should I hang another bag in there? possibly get the liquid cya? Going to the pool store tomorrow after work since I need more chlorine, I only got a 2.5 gallon jug on Thursday. Aside from the oak tree worms and the Crud on the bottom the water is staying clear so I suppose I'm not doing terrible, it has also only been a week too
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You have real good fill water based on your starting PH, TA and CH. Sweep the conditioner around to help it dissolve as it can stain the pool. Pink does count. I don't know the K2006 kit, does it say to put two scoops of powder in? The TF kits have us do one scoop. It takes 24-48 hours for the CYA to be measurable but you're asking for a lot of it to dissolve quickly with no water flow. It should hang in front of a return to the pool, so in the flow of your pump return if possible.
This is the 'all things your pool build' thread. Balancing the water and learning as you go applies to that, and is something everyone else building who reads this in the future will have to go through also. Teaching you preemptively helps teach them.
Forget any and all of anything that isnt
PoolMath
Cyanuric *acid* ????? What could go wrong ? (Lots could go wrong. Always brush any spillage until it dissolves. Really try not to spill in the first place).
Switch to 10ml samples and each drop is 0.5 FC. There's no need for 0.2 resolution. A 2.2 and 2.5 equally suck and put you on the same bullet train to SwampVille.
Sweet. Something would be horribly wrong if it was in your fill water. Or any water besides a pool that it was specifically added to for that matter.
Let em ride. These 3 won't ever really do or need much with vinyl and pool friendly fill water.
It clumps on the bottom so besides being 4X as expensive its impossible to get a partial dose. With the full jug you can rinse and rinse and rinse it at least.
So stick with granual CYA. The UV demand is still low and you have time to take your time. Count it as added once its soaking. You will quickly see how many FC you lose per day, then you start to forsee it happening tomorrow.
As it warms up. You'll lose a little more each day and dose a bit higher to match it. Steer clear of minimum by the time you test/add next. If you need 5ppm in July, add 5 and a few insurance glugs. 2 may last a week in Septempber/October once it cools down. Know where min is, and what you need at that point in the season to avoid it. Thats it. Its the easiest thing ever under those parameters.
Fair enough for keeping it in this thread! I know on some forums you’ll get the “this doesn’t belong under this topic” argument so just wanted to put that out there.
With the CYA and staining is that somthing that’ll happen in a day if the granules stay on the bottom? I stored up with the pump discharge a bit then I swept the bottom a bit but there are still granules, no piles like the picture I posted.
I did move the CYA bag in front of the discharge from the submersible pump, little surprised after a week it’s still dissolving, which was the reason I screwed with the bag…and spilled some granules
The test kit is a little intimidating at first glance when I opened the box but isn’t bad once ya read a bit and a used some YouTube lol. Much appreciated as usual!!
With the CYA and staining is that somthing that’ll happen in a day if the granules stay on the bottom? I stored up with the pump discharge a bit then I swept the bottom a bit but there are still granules, no piles like the picture I posted.
I did move the CYA bag in front of the discharge from the submersible pump, little surprised after a week it’s still dissolving, which was the reason I screwed with the bag…and spilled some granules
The test kit is a little intimidating at first glance when I opened the box but isn’t bad once ya read a bit and a used some YouTube lol. Much appreciated as usual!!
Yes it's like bleaching something with chlorine if it is going to bleach or melt the liner. It'll happen pretty quick if its going to happen and won't happen after the fact if its brushed and dissolved.
Cold water takes longer and so does poor circulation.
Yeah. Rocket science at a glance, but 'see spot run' once you read any step of the rocket science. Its literally laughable its so simple. Add 5 drops of XYZ. Um. Ok ?
Line up and uncap whatever supplies you need for a test, in order, on the left. Grab, do, and put down on the right. Cap and cleanup after you're done. Or right to left if youre lefty.
We got you.
Was out for the last half hour mixing the bottom up, better than it was but still some granules on the bottom. Water is also 69.8F so I know that ain’t helping lol. I have been unplugging the pump at night but I think I’m gonna keep it going for tonight.
Didn’t see any granules this morning but swept the bottom and re-tested the water 15 min later. Stopping at the store after work to get a 5 gal jug of chlorine so I’ll have it.
Water temp 68F
3.5ppm FC
0 ppm Combined
0 ppm CYA
Water temp 68F
3.5ppm FC
0 ppm Combined
0 ppm CYA
Sounds like your fill water pH and TA is similar to mine, which makes sense given our wells are probably pulling from the same aquifer.
For the first year of my pool, I had high TA and the pH would rise. I'd let it get up to 8.0 and then add Muriatic Acid to drop it back down to the low 7s (use the aforementioned PoolMath app to tell you how much to add.) I had to do that a few times, but then after a while of doing that the TA came down and now it pretty much balances itself unless I get heavy rains that dilute my TA, or have to add a lot of fill water that raises it back up.
For the first year of my pool, I had high TA and the pH would rise. I'd let it get up to 8.0 and then add Muriatic Acid to drop it back down to the low 7s (use the aforementioned PoolMath app to tell you how much to add.) I had to do that a few times, but then after a while of doing that the TA came down and now it pretty much balances itself unless I get heavy rains that dilute my TA, or have to add a lot of fill water that raises it back up.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,050
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Definitely forget the toilet paper math on the packages -
PoolMath is the only way to go.
Glad you didn’t get any bleaching from the cya spill.
I try to only dissolve 2# at most at a time.
You could also dissolve it in a 5 gal bucket 1# or less at a time with warm water. Then pour that slowly into the pool whilst stirring with the brush.
It takes at least 24 hours after dissolving to show up on the test
PoolMath is the only way to go.
Glad you didn’t get any bleaching from the cya spill.
I try to only dissolve 2# at most at a time.
You could also dissolve it in a 5 gal bucket 1# or less at a time with warm water. Then pour that slowly into the pool whilst stirring with the brush.
It takes at least 24 hours after dissolving to show up on the test
All tests with the 25mL sample size
5/8/25 5:30am
3.5ppm FC
0 Combined
0 CYA
5/8/25 4:00pm
2.5ppm FC
0 Combined
0 CYA
Added 32oz (1 qt) chlorine
Tested again at 530 at about 8ppm FC and 17ppm combined
Dissolved 8oz of CYA in a bucket and slowly added to the pool, including what was in the rag the past week (which is almost gone) that a total of 38oz/2.375 lbs
Tested at 5:30 am this morning
5.5ppm FC; 2.5 ppm drop from last night I guess an hour isn't long enough to wait till the chlorine disperses
0 Combined
0 CYA (I know, 24 hours! idk why I tested that I guess I was just in a groove this morning lol)
5/8/25 5:30am
3.5ppm FC
0 Combined
0 CYA
5/8/25 4:00pm
2.5ppm FC
0 Combined
0 CYA
Added 32oz (1 qt) chlorine
Tested again at 530 at about 8ppm FC and 17ppm combined
Dissolved 8oz of CYA in a bucket and slowly added to the pool, including what was in the rag the past week (which is almost gone) that a total of 38oz/2.375 lbs
Tested at 5:30 am this morning
5.5ppm FC; 2.5 ppm drop from last night I guess an hour isn't long enough to wait till the chlorine disperses
0 Combined
0 CYA (I know, 24 hours! idk why I tested that I guess I was just in a groove this morning lol)
Lighting is 95% of the test. You need overhead sun as directed, especially when new at it. If you have any daylight bulbs inside, compare them VS outside. While they dont come close to actual, i found the daylight LED shop lights in my garage and the highhat LEDs I put in my kitchen work great in a pinch.
You can pour the sample back and forth as many times as you need.
Switch to 10ml and save 2.5X the supplies for FC and CH. The finer resolution isnt needed in any capacity.
LED headlamp used during all the morning testing, even without the lamp in the tube i could see the dot clear as day.
Sorry 10mL* used not the 25…
You'll need the CYA to register the old fashioned way before testing it against alternative methods. Even then it may take some getting used to first. This test spawns many, loud, adult words.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 16,050
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Just keep track of the amount of cya you have used and consider it to be there. Chlorinate accordingly.
No sense in wasting regeant before it will show.
Ps - in PoolMath you can use the effects of adding calculator in the hamburger menu to determine this ppm.
Or if you get a subscription you can simply keep logs of all your additions and use the summary function.
Also, If you keep logs of results and additions you can link them here by selecting sharing in the settings. This can be helpful when needing advice.
Click my avatar to see mine.
No sense in wasting regeant before it will show.
Ps - in PoolMath you can use the effects of adding calculator in the hamburger menu to determine this ppm.
Or if you get a subscription you can simply keep logs of all your additions and use the summary function.
Also, If you keep logs of results and additions you can link them here by selecting sharing in the settings. This can be helpful when needing advice.
Click my avatar to see mine.
Yes this is huge because you'll never be 100% certain you started with 0 until the next liner change. The gallons should be reasonably close from the manufacturer, take your own measurements to double check. Their water height may assume a bit different than your actual. Then train your new CYA detecting brain with that value per what you added. (Once it registers)
This is 19 CYA in 15k gallons. 20 and under are sketchy at best if it even registers, so I wouldn't expect to see much/any yet.