Is it ready to jump in??!

[gamerasian]

Our pool is finally fixed and ready. They fixed with new floor and put in new liner. Threw all the old dirty water( there was hardly any).. It took us 2 days to fill up the pool. After a long wait now we wanted to start the pump and found that it's not working and will have to order a new one. The kids are getting impatient.. Do you think they can swim in the pool without any chlorine treatment etc..

Thanks

 

[pabeader]

It's the same water you bathe in. just make sure they don't use it for other things besides swimming. and put some bleach in afterward and use the brush to move it around.

 

[Piolin]

Do you have a test kit?

 

[gamerasian]

Yay!! The previous owner left a test kit with the pool. .. Still learning a lot from the pool school.. So the regular bleach(unscented ) is good (Clorox ) and I pore it in the skimmer? The guys who came to fix said not to pore directly in the pool as it will spoil the liner..??!!!

 

[pabeader]

Oops that is Wrong. Not in the skimmer will ruin the pump and other stuff. Pour directly in front of a return so it mixes in.

 

[Piolin]

Yes you can pour the bleach directly in the return area when the pump is running, this is the recommended method here, you can brush a little where you put the bleach if you want

 

[Pool Amateur]

Since your pump is not working, pouring in front of return is not going to dissipate the chlorine. I think the liner people told you not to pour it directly into pool because concentrated chlorine in high quantity sitting on the liner could burn the liner. But the brushing will dissipate the chlorine and for sanitization it needs to be mixed anyway. If you dilute the chlorine even more before poring into pool will lessen the chance but I do not think a 53 oz. of 8.25% bleach will damage the liner if you brush after adding even without pump but an expert may chime in for further clarification. The question is how much chlorine to put in? Since it was just filled I am going to assume no CYA therefore 3 ppm would be appropriate according to chlorine/CYA chart and I would do it in the evening as it will burn off quickly during the day. Poolmath says 53 oz. of 8.25 % bleach for 12K gal of water. Also if new do you have TF-100 test kit or Taylor-2006. If not I would highly recommend TF-100, it saved me a lot of money and headache. I see you are new to forum since May and since you have new liner you may have been through poolschool already but if not familiar with poolschool I would read through it or ask more questions here. The experts are great here.

 

[Pool Amateur]

Just another thought, since you have just refilled you will need CYA to be at least 30 ppm. You could put a few pucks in a floater if you have one, if you do not then they are relatively cheap. Bucket at Sam's Club was about $80 for 40 lbs. of trichlor 3" pucks if I remember correctly and I live fairly close to you so price will be about same. Also, I have an independent pool store that sells 5 Gallons of liquid chlorine at 12.5% for $15 which is a good price. Now the floater and trichlor tabs are only temporary to add CYA and get some chlorine constantly in the pool during the day while the pump is down for repair, you should still brush it a few times per day to circulate the water and any time you add chlorine. The bucket of pucks are able to be stored for several years and you can use them sporadically in your chlorinator when you go on vacation or if you ever need to slightly add CYA. They are really frowned upon on this site because Pool Stores use/abuse them to manage the Chlorine and do not really pay attention to CYA/Chlorine relationship. But used properly they can be a useful tool in management of the pool, you just need to understand what they do and how to use them. During the day I think you will still need to add liquid chlorine to supplement if it is in the sun most of the day. Also I will just mention about test Kit again. If you are going to follow the TFP method of pool management taught here you need the Taylor 2006 or the TF-100. The TF- 100 is sold by the guy who manages this site and some seem reluctant to buy it. But it is absolutely the best deal going. It is much cheaper in the long run compared to the Taylor 2006 because they give you more of the reagents that you use frequently. The other kits sold are not comparable as they do not have the correct tests and having the correct data is key to correct and trouble free management. Pool store tests are a nightmare and very inaccurate. If you order one now it will probably be here before you fix the pump, mine took a day and a half to get here (faster than Amazon Prime). But if you do not have the kit when you finally realize you need it, you will not want to wait for it. I would also recommend the XL kit which gives you extra reagents for testing chlorine which you will do a lot until you get the pool dialed in, and the speedstir which is not necessary but a great convenience and you will not pay extra shipping by getting it all at once http://tftestkits.net . Also I would caution not to put any chemicals in your pool without knowing what they will do. Some of the stuff poolstores recommend will not only be expensive and useless but detrimental and add metals which will give you more trouble down the line. As you have been a member longer than I have you may already know all this and I apologize, but if not, it will save you money and more importantly time. I was 2 weeks with pool store did things detrimental to pool before I came here, one week went from brown swamp to clear pool.

 

[gamerasian]

Yes you can pour the bleach directly in the return area when the pump is running, this is the recommended method here, you can brush a little where you put the bleach if you want

Thanks .. Is regular chlorine bot from Costco is good to use? How much of that should I be pouring in?

 

[gamerasian]

As you have been a member longer than I have you may already know all this and I apologize, but if not, it will save you money and more importantly time. I was 2 weeks with pool store did things detrimental to pool before I came here, one week went from brown swamp to clear pool.

Thanks for so much information.. I can use every bit of... It's a very good idea to go to pool store ... Thanks a bunch..

 

[Piolin]

any regular, not scented, not splash less bleach will do

 

[Pool Amateur]

It's a very good idea to go to pool store

I would not say that it is a idea to go to a pool store, many pitfalls there. Not every pool store carries the liquid chlorine, the big name ones especially, and pool stores are usually more expensive, but sometimes there are good deals and it is convenient. Just triple check any advice they give you about the pool especially the chemistry, bad advice can cause expensive damage. I know you would think that a pool store is a professional and know what they are doing but in my brief experience, if I followed the 1st guys advice I would have spent thousands trying to fix something that wasn't broke.

 

[Pool Amateur]

The concentration of the chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) is usually listed on the bottle. Bleach from store is usually 8.25%, some bleach is 6% and some even 3%. Also check the date as chlorine potency decreases with time, heat and especially sunlight, but a Wallmart or Target usually have fast turn over. If I read correctly you have a 12,000 gal pool. Putting that in Poolmath, if I did everything correctly and please double check, 53 oz. of 8.25% chlorine will take your pool from zero to 3 ppm with CYA level of 0. The sun and any organics will consume it pretty fast at a 0 CYA so checking it frequently and adding more as needed is recommended to keep it safe for swimming and brushing should mix it well. I would then not be afraid of swimming in the pool before the pump is fixed. I understand that you are using an old test kit left buy the owner, the reagents may not even be good, but I would test with that to see what you are getting, realize the test is probably an OTO chlorine test and only measures to 5 ppm. This is why it is important to get a good test kit and there are only 2 that I would say are good and that is TF-100 and Taylor 2006. Sorry to beat that horse but I have read many who have tried to use other test kits and/or pool store tests and cost themselves a lot of needless money, myself included, I am very impatient by nature and it bit me, and Sorry for being so long winded.

 

[Isaac-1]

Another word on test kits, they do go bad, particularly if not stored properly, some of the individual tests are more effected by storage conditions and age than others, but as a rule of thumb, they should be stored in a cool dry place and never allowed to freeze, and expect a 2-3 year max shelf life even with proper storage. Way too many pool owners keep their test kits in outdoor storage areas near the pools exposed to extreme temperatures and think they last forever.

Ike

p.s. I too would suggest ordering the TF-100 it ships from NC so you should get it in 2-3 days.

 

[gamerasian]

It's the same water you bathe in. just make sure they don't use it for other things besides swimming. and put some bleach in afterward and use the brush to move it around.

When I put figures in the pool math to calculate the chlorine.. I am putting 0 in the now column and 3 in the target.. And I bought 8.25 % strength chlorine... Am I doing it right?

 

[pabeader]

Look at you! Good job. You are well on your way to sparklypoolitis.

 

[Texas Splash]

Yes, regardless of what chemical you are calculating on the Poolmath calculator , make sure you enter your current (NOW) level, then enter your projected (TARGET) level. When doing bleach, also make sure you have the correct percentage (%) listed (i.e. 8.25%). Oh, and don't forget to check your pool volume at the top.

 

[gamerasian]

Look at you! Good job. You are well on your way to sparklypoolitis.

Thanks to TFP!!! and you GURUS!!

 

[gamerasian]

Yes, regardless of what chemical you are calculating on the Poolmath calculator , make sure you enter your current (NOW) level, then enter your projected (TARGET) level. When doing bleach, also make sure you have the correct percentage (%) listed (i.e. 8.25%). Oh, and don't forget to check your pool volume at the top.

So here are my FIRST test results..
FC-0
TAC-0
pH- 8.0
total alkalinity (TA) - 170
CYA -0
calcium hardness- 360
TDS- total dissolved solids- 400

these readings were given by near by pool store when I took the water sample...

Is is the water still ok to jump in. Motor still not in place...

thanks

 

[Texas Splash]

I'm confused..

these readings were given by near by pool store when I took the water sample...

So the readings above are not yours?
If not, there's not much we can do since we dont' trust pool store testing.

If those ARE your very first results from YOUR kit, then here's what to do now right:
- Get Stabilizer in their right away via the sock method near a return jet - target of 30
- Get bleach in there right away to prevent algae. A good starting point would be about 5 ppm
- Before getting in the water, and 30 min after letting the bleach mix with the pump on, adjust PH with acid to the mid-7s.; then re-check.

Those are the key 3 right now. Let it all mix about 30 min before confirming everything adjusted as noted above, then you should be fine.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, and with no motor, you will have to manually mix chemicals very well.