First Fill... what do I stabilize first ???

[Luis Rovira]

Hi all,

I'm closer (finally) to fill my new pool. I have the Taylor's K-2006C test kit, and today I did a quick test of the tap water that I will be using for the first fill.

The test results are:

1. pH = 7.0
2. TA = 30 ppm
3. CH = 20 ppm

The PoolMath Calculator is a nice tool... but I really do not know what parameter to stabilize first...?, is there a particular order that is recommended in order to nail the numbers right without having to go through several iterations ???

Many thanks in advance for your advise...

Luis R.

 

[pooldv]

You have them in the correct order in your post. But, it really doesn't matter much. All are independent except for TA and PH. You can use soda ash, Arm&Hammer Super Washing Soda, it will raise PH and TA at the same time. Bring your TA up to 60 and leave it there for a couple of weeks and see how your PH does.

Here is what the goals are, Pool School - Recommended Levels

Here are the chemicals to use, Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

 

[Luis Rovira]

Thanks for the help PoolDv.

If I understand correctly, it will take a few weeks for pH, TA, CH, and eventually CYA to properly stabilize... I guess then that for this initial stage I will need to check them according to the frequency indicated in the tables, and keep the FC in good order while the rest finds its balance.

One question... here (in David, Republic of Panama) we are in the last stretch of the rainy season... will the excess rainwater delay the balancing process ???

 

[pooldv]

It does not take 2-3 weeks for things to stabilize. It is fine to start adjusting PH right away and fine to add 30-40ppm CYA in a sock in the skimmer basket. It is important to maintain PH between 7.2 and 7.8 at all times, 7.5-7.8 is ideal. And it is important to maintain FC daily at or above the minimum level for your CYA level to prevent algae, Chlorine CYA Chart. The extra rain, especially the daily heavy rain you get in Panama, will probably have some impact on PH, depending in the PH of the rain. The overflow will dilute your CYA which is a bit of a problem because it takes 3-5 days for granular CYA to fully dissolve and register on the CYA test. So, it can be difficult to know where you are on CYA. We had significant rainfall this spring (the lake near us went up 25 feet in less than 2 months) and I had a hard time maintaining my CYA.

 

[borjis]

agreed. It took me 1 week to go from a fresh fill to the recommended levels of TA / CH / PH / CYA and had everything perfectly dialed in by then.