Where does one start?

Stephs69camaro · May 31, 2019

Just bought a house. Have never in my life had a pool and has every intention of getting rid of the above ground pool at this new house, however my teenage son has begged me to keep it. Ive downloaded all the apps and like to think I’m fairly Intelligent but I just don’t even know where to start. I can’t even determine where some of my colors fall on the ph strip key and they change so quick it takes multiple lol

I just started calling pool services but no one wants to service Above ground pools here

Any push in the right direction would be amazing. Going to try to attach a pic of all the “pieces” left by the previous owner

zea3 · May 31, 2019

Hi, welcome to TFP! You have a very nice pool. The Splash Superpool is more durable and more expensive than the soft sided pools you see at Walmart and other big box stores. First I would discard the current pool chemicals you have and invest in a high quality FAS/DPD test kit such as a Taylor K2006 or TF 100 . Test strips are unreliable and do not give the precise results needed to properly dose the pool. Pool store testing is better than test strips but usually not by much, and they are used to help sell you pool chemicals you may not need.

We recommend plain household bleach without additives or fragrance as a source of chlorine. You may also use liquid chlorine from the pool section of any big box store. Bleach or liquid chlorine doesn't have any additional ingredients that may cause problems over time. Granulated or dry chlorine will contain either dichlor/trichlor and cyanuric acid (CYA) or calcium hypochlorite as the chlorine source. CYA levels build up over time and may only be removed by draining and replacing with fresh water. Excess CYA levels increase the chlorine demand to keep algae at bay and make the pool difficult to manage. Some CYA is necessary but only up to 30 to 50 ppm for a manually chlorinated pool. CYA levels above 90 begin to cause problems in most pools.
Calcium hypochlorite contains calcium. In a vinyl liner or soft sided pool calcium levels are not as crucial as for a plaster pool, but if you are in an area with very hard water adding additional calcium may lead to rough patches called scale forming on the pool surface and in the plumbing system.

You can read more able the TFP method at the following links:
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
FC/CYA Levels
We would love to help you learn to care for your pool and we are happy to answer any questions you may have.

Rancho Cost-a-Lotta · May 31, 2019

I have an idea...get your teenage son involved in caring for the pool. Testing with a quality kit is kinda like playing with a chemistry kit. It may be a fun summer project for him.

Get ready for a bit of sticker shock on the test kit. It's a great investment that will last you at least a year. But, you'd pay more with one trip to the pool store on magic potions.

When you get your equipment figured out, take a few minutes to complete your signature. THIS link will help you out with that.

Best of luck!

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Where does one start?

Stephs69camaro

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