New AG pool owner

[gardengurl62]

Hi to my new Pool friends. So glad I found this forum as I know I will learn all I need to know from this group. I am currently filling up my pool and
will be having "pool school" from the pool store where I purchased my pool. I was going to use baquacil but after reading some of the posts in here it doesn't
sound like a very good idea. So I guess I will go with chlorine. I feel really green about what I will need to do to maintain it. I have had intex AG pools every summer
but they were small ones and not so hard to maintain. So I know I will be following this forum closely. Thanks for letting me join and look forward to making new friends.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

welcome Gardengurl! You will save tons of money using chlorine over the Bacquagoo. You'll have more money for pool toys, ha ha

You need a good test kit- we only recommend these two: Taylor's K-2006 or the TF-100. Both are available from TFTestkits.net, but sometimes you can find the Taylor's locally or on Amazon. Don't let the pool store try to talk you into any other Taylor's kit like the K-2005. They are NOT the same. You need the one that will test FC at higher levels and the CYA test. I have the TF-100 and it is an excellent kit. Shipping from NC it comes quickly.

Don't put anything in the pool except some bleach/liquid chlorine and stabilizer until you get your test kit. No algaecides with copper or anything!! You're in a great place being able to balance your new water from the start instead of fixing problem water down the road.

Any questions- just holler!

 

[Texas Splash]

+1 with YS on those comments. Here's a few basic links/pages that every new pool owner should know about:
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - Recommended Levels
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

So after the store's "pool school", check back in with us so we can really get you on track.

I too have the TF-100 (link in my sig) and love it! Don't' forget the speed stir so you can mix like a pro. Welcome!

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

 

[gardengurl62]

Thanks so much for the warm welcome! I was told when the "teacher" comes to do the school pool she was going to bring some ph and something for calcium deposits? Is that okay to put in it? I am assuming she will test it first.


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[Texas Splash]

More than likely they are referring to acid to lower pH and perhaps something to raise calcium (?), however between you and us, AG vinyl pools don't really need a lot of calcium hardness management unless they are using specific equipment like a salt water generator. They also should add a stabilizer or condition (CYA) that serves as sunscreen to protect your free (good) chlorine. If not, let us know. One thing though - no algaecides. Those tend to add copper to the water. After they leave, and you get a chance to review the links above, you'll see that TFPC utilizes regular liquid bleach as our primary source of sanitation. It works great against algae and other organics without adding other chemical by-products that tend to skew other testing. Hopefully you'll get a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006 test kit soon, and we can really help you become an independent pool owner and take total charge of your water. If you have any other questions, just let us know.

 

[gardengurl62]

Thank you so much! I am going to order that kit now as I am not sure what my pool school will supply me with. And when you liquid bleach is that the kind you but at grocery stores or Walmart etc...?

 

[Texas Splash]

That's correct. Regular bleach, no splashless or funny scents. Generic is fine too so you can save a buck or two. Just pour slowly near a return jet and let it mix with the pump on for about 30 minutes.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Thank you so much! I am going to order that kit now as I am not sure what my pool school will supply me with. And when you liquid bleach is that the kind you but at grocery stores or Walmart etc...?

Yes, the standard household bleach is 8.25% now, and you can get it at any market. Costco also sells 3 gallon jugs in a box for $8.99 or so, which is handy. Avoid discounted or old jugs, or getting it from any place like Lowes/Home Depot that store it outside in the heat. Heat and sun will degrade bleach. You can check the date code on the jug and it should say something like 15167 which translates to 2015 +167th day of the year. Don't buy scented, thickened, outdoor or any specialized product, just buy basic 8.25% plain bleach. Pool Stores sell liquid chlorine in higher concentrations which may be cheaper for you? Use the PoolMath ap to determine how much to use

http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html


Take a look at our Pool School lessons up at the top right of this web page. LOTS of useful, helpful info found here!

 

[gardengurl62]

I am so glad I found this forum! You are all great and so helpful! I just ordered the TF-100 kit from the link you supplied! Probably will not use it too much this year as we will be winterizing it by the end of Sept. I have a friend who goes to Costco every week so I will get her to get my bleach for me. And I will be studying with all the great lessons here too! Thank you so much!

 

[gardengurl62]

Okay so now my pool is up and running and I had a hour of pool school last night. When the pool peeps were installing the pool they had brought baquacil as that is what I had decided to do at the beginning. I told them that I had changed my mind and was going to use chlorine. They said they had not brought any but they would be bringing some in a few when they did my pool school. So I said that I had some some liquid bleach I could use. Well they looked at me like I had a third eye and said "That's fine if you want your liner to turn white." So. I just went ahead and let the guy from the pool store(who happens to be my new very nice neighbor from across the street) do my chemicals last night. The guys who put pump in took a sample back to store so he knew what I needed. I got a small little test kit too. My new test kit I ordered TF-100 is not here yet or my magnetic stirrer. So.... My question is "Will the liquid bleach fade my new liner?" How do I keep that from happening? It is a very dark blue with little white speckles in it. I would really like to use the liquid bleach for cost purposes. Thanks so much!


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[Texas Splash]

Bleach is just fine for your water, liner, and equipment when used at the proper levels based on the Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart. Has anyone added stabilizer or conditioner to your water yet to increase the "CYA" level? If so, do you know how much was added? That is the starting point to know how much bleach to add.

 

[gardengurl62]

Yes 2 lbs of ph decreaser was added. Calcium hardness was low so he added 6 lbs last night and I add 6 lbs more this morning and 6 lbs this evening. 1 lb of stabilizer was added. 2 chlorine tablets. And 39 oz of pool breeze metal removing agent. How do you add the liquid chlorine so it will not bleach the liner?


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[Texas Splash]

When we add regular bleach, we pour it slowly near a return jet with the pump running for at least 30 minutes to circulate the water well. You'll notice the bleach is heavier than the water, so go slow. If you need to, you can also have a brush handy just to stir it up and get it moving as well.

FYI - With an AG pool (vinyl) and no SWG, calcium should not be a big issue for you (scaling). You may want to hold-off on adding any more calcium hardness increasers.

As for your CYA (stabilizer), by using the Poolmath calculator , 1 lb of stabilizer increases CYA from zero to only 10ppm. Is that all the stabilizer ever added? Ideally you want to be between 30-50 ... 30 on the low end. That helps to protect your FC (chlorine). Also, understand that we typically advise against the use of tablets/pucks because they raise CYA without your knowledge. Since your CYA appears to be low right now, it's not a big deal, but you should be prepared to remove them once that pool company is done. Your kit shold be here soon so you can confirm CYA when it arrives. That will be very important so you know how much FC to maintain.

 

[Texas Splash]

Also, since they added a metal removing agent, I'm assuming you are on well water? Iron in the water probably? If that's the case, please read the following so you know what to expect as a pool owner with metals in the water: Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains.

Ideally, the more “pre-filtering” of iron you can do to physically remove before treating chemically the better. Some folks have had decent success placing layers of dishrags, paper towels, or pillow batting in the skimmer to catch iron/rust particles. Others place socks or other products over the garden hose as they fill. Other methods have been used such as increasing the FC and/or PH levels to help separate the metal ions and then vacuuming and/or filtering-out the residual metal from the main filter media, but this can be risky if the metal is allowed to rest on the pool surfaces and may cause staining if not watched closely. Your best and most reliable bet is to add sequestrant to the water and replenish it periodically. Sequestrant is a chemical that binds to the iron in the water so that it can't form stains or turn brown. Unfortunately, sequestrant breaks down slowly, you need to add more regularly. ProTeam's Metal Magic and Jack's Magic the Pink Stuff (regular), the Blue Stuff (fresh plaster), and the Purple Stuff (SWG) are some of the top sequestrants. You can also find many other brands with similar products, some of which are noticeably less expensive. Sequestrants based on HEDP, phosphonic acid, or phosphonic acid derivatives are the most effective.

 

[gardengurl62]

Thank you so much! Not on well water but our water is not too good in our area. I have a friend down the street that also has to add metal remover to her pool. I do have a small test kit that I can use and also take a sample back to pool store.

 

[mariane]

Welcome to pool ownership! ;o)
If you go to the pool store with a water sample, they will show you different results from your own test kit. The store's testing is NOT reliable. Then they will try and sell you very expensive chemicals to "balance" your pool. Hundreds, or is it thousands (I am not exaggerating, including me) of people on this forum have learned this lesson the hard way, and hence found this forum out of desperation. Trust your test kit, especially the TF-100 and you will be good.

 

[Texas Splash]

Yeah, stick to the TF-100 and your own readings. You can however take a fresh (non-pool) water sample (like from your garden hose) to the store to see what they show for metals - just in case. If it turns-out there are no metals in the water, then don't let anyone put a metal remover in your pool in the future. We always try to add only what our water needs and nothing more. Helps on the pocketbook too. Cha-Ching.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Back up in post #2 I wrote this-"Don't put anything in the pool except some bleach/liquid chlorine and stabilizer until you get your test kit. No algaecides with copper or anything!! You're in a great place being able to balance your new water from the start instead of fixing problem water down the road."

Don't let anyone put anything into your pool that you don't *need*. A pool man who was obviously clueless about bleach is going to be clueless about other things too.

 

[gardengurl62]

Hey Friends. So I got my TF-100 kit and stirrer now. But I guess because I am new I am having problems. I got readings for everything except CYA. FC is 6 combined Chloramines is 0 Total Chlorine is 6. Calcium is 250 Alkalinity is 100 but I have no clue what CYA is as the black dot never disappeared. I did the CYA test twice and the black dot does not disappear. Does that mean I have no CYA? And mine taylor stirrer does stir. The light comes on but it does not stir. I feel like I way above my head on all of this. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong? I have been using pucks but I want to go with TFP way. I just needed to wait on my kit and my stirrer. Thanks so much!


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