First time fill chemical questions. Need advice. Thanks

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imitchely

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Sep 4, 2015
29
akron, OH
Hello ALL,
I joined late last year in prep for our pool this year. We received the pool from a family member and bought a new Liner and Filter. I feel kind of comfortable with what to do once the pool is up and running but I have a question or two about getting to that point. I also feel comfortable with the calculator but once again that's once the pool is already up and running.
1) should I use an opening kit to start off with a new fill? I'm guessing no but gotta ask.
2)What order should I raise the following in. CYA, PH, FC, TA. Also any recommendations for order and estimated amounts for fresh fill from city water would be appreciated. I will be taking a sample once filled and adding to this post before I start throwing any thing in unless you guys let me know that I can add a few things safely and then run testing. I will be filling the pool this coming Friday and Im sure I will have lots of questions this first year!

Thanks in Advance. This by far the most helpful place I have come across!
 
All city water is different, there is no normal.

Day 1
Add 3 ppm of chlorine
Adjust PH to 7.6
Put 30 ppm of CYA in a sock and hang it in front of a return, squeeze it a few times a day to help it dissolve

Day 2
Begin chlorinating your pool assuming CYA is 30, Chlorine CYA Chart

24 hours after the sock is empty you can test CYA to make sure it is 30.

Always keep your FC at Target for your CYA, never let it drop below minimum, ever.
Always keep you PH between 7.2 and 7.8, 7.5 to 7.8 is better.
We can talk about TA after we see what it is.

Read this, Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry. If you already read it read it some more :)
 
Thank you.. A few more question for you. Im not sure if the PoolCalculator works from 0 to 3ppm. Just want to make sure as it says I only need to add around 63oz of 10% bleach to hit 3PPM. I have been reading a lot and it seems like members are adding more Bleach for their openings. Is this because its a new fill or should I stock up on Bleach now? Any estimate on how much 10% Bleach I should buy as its on sale at walmart and I want to get enough for opening and a month or so.
I will pick up CYA, Bleach and whatever I need for my PH corrections this week. Is the sock used for CYA a regular white tube sock or panty hose?
Thank You imitchely
 
imitchely said:
Thank you.. A few more question for you. Im not sure if the PoolCalculator works from 0 to 3ppm. Just want to make sure as it says I only need to add around 63oz of 10% bleach to hit 3PPM.
Click to expand...
Me, too. You've figured out poolmath.
attachment.php

I have been reading a lot and it seems like members are adding more Bleach for their openings. Is this because its a new fill or should I stock up on Bleach now? Any estimate on how much 10% Bleach I should buy as its on sale at walmart and I want to get enough for opening and a month or so.
Click to expand...
If you have algae, you need a whole lot more bleach. You don't, so you don't need all that much. Typical usage is 2 ppm/per day, which works out to about 1/3 gallon per day for your pool. So 10 gallons ought to get you pretty close to a month. The only way to know for sure is by testing.
I will pick up CYA, Bleach and whatever I need for my PH corrections this week. Is the sock used for CYA a regular white tube sock or panty hose?
Thank You imitchely
Click to expand...
There's a difference of opinion on that, Kimkats thinks the tube sock should be pink... Whatever you have laying around without holes in it will work.
 
I like the 4lb HTH CYA "stabilizer" from WalMart for $16
Ph up is free using aeration technique- simply causing surface disruption with the return jet pointed up causes ripples and bubbles and ph up free
Test the hose water with the k2006 right now to see what the ph is. My city water is 8.2+ so I use muriatic acid to lower ph every time I add. Its cheap and available at lowes/home depot/pool store/other places if those strike out. My pool store has 31.45% gallon for $15 but my old lowes had 2 pack gallons for $14 a couple years ago. Either way, learn how to handle it before you buy it should you need ph down. Alternatively, WalMart phdown dry acid.
I assume you might be able to return unused WalMart 10% if you buy too much.
 
Tested the water from our sink and PH was 7.4 possibly 7.5 (Gonna need some practice). Im thinking this will most likely raise a bit when filling pool up. Should I try to keep the hose at the bottom of the pool during the fill to reduce risk of aerating and raising PH? I will take pics but I have a feeling with the help I'm getting they will be plain old pics of clear water!
 

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It should be at the bottom of the pool anyway with a towel or washrag tied around it anyway. Although that is probably a lot more important in new plaster. Use two hoses, it will go a lot faster. Especially if you grab the neighbor's hoses! :)
 
My hose water tests at PH 8.2 so after adding water (which I do under the waterline to avoid aeration) I always wait 15 minutes with pump on and then test, add just less acid than it says I need, wait 30 minutes with it running, then retest, add more acid if not good enough. Once ph is where I want it (7.2 for me), I test FC and adjust accordingly. After I get my pool trouble free I intend to measure and determine the amount of acid I need to add when filling just markings on my skimmer basket. I'll test to be sure the first many times, but in the long run, I'll know if I let it get to lower mark and fill to higher mark, add the set amount of acid, it will be right. This assumes that TA remains consistent and that hose water PH doesn't change, so we'll see if it works out. Long story short, since stopping using pucks that are acidic, my life involves Muriatic Acid, but at least it is cheaper than pucks and my CYA isn't unmanageably high anymore!
 
WIN_20160514_16_21_11_Pro.jpg Pool is up and water just finished filling up (little under 24hrs). Pool guy wont be back until Monday to put skimmer on so Im not sure what I can do at this point. I tested the water about 8inches down just to get an idea. PH: 7.3, TA was 210 and Temp was 57degrees. It was raining lightly all night while it was filling up. Im not sure the test results I have are even close since the pump isn't hooked up yet. The temperature for the next 4 days is below 65degrees.
Should I place the solar cover with bubbles up over the water until the Skimmer/Pump are attached or should I wait?
Should I add anything at this time or once again should I wait.
Just for sanity sake.. How long before I have a problem with no pump running and no chemicals? Is Monday or Tuesday too late?
Thanks in advance..
 
Tap water shouldn't turn green before Monday. If the pool guy is a flake -- and it seems like a whole lot of them are -- you could add a third of a jug of bleach and brush it around to get it well mixed and then put the cover on to get a jump on heating and prevent UV losses. But if he's good about showing up when he says he will, it's kind of a waste of time.
 
The pool guy seems to be a flake as he didnt show up and didnt return my call! I added 1/3 bottle of 10% chlorine and tried to mix really well. The water turned from clear to cloudy. I took a pic but doesnt show up too good. Is this ok or do I need to mix more? Is that a normal reaction?WIN_20160516_17_49_15_Pro.jpg
 
Since your pool is full sun exposure, I believe it is capable of burning off half a gallon (2.9 FC for you) in one sun day at zero CYA. If pool guy says he is coming today, i would just wait, but if he doesn't, as soon as sun is low, i would add just over 3/4 gallon and brush very thoroughly, which should be enough to keep you from green.

Any more questions about PoolDV's day plans for you? You should have the chemicals to achieve those numbers. Use PoolMath set to 17,000 to achieve the needed quantities. When in doubt, ask.
 
Hello All,
Pump is running and 4lbs CYA added last night should get me into the 20's for my CYA. I added 48oz of 10% Chlorine 2 days ago, got pump running last night and added remaining 80oz 10% Chlorine to return stream. Pump has now been running around 16hrs on high speed.
Here are the results from testing that was just completed.
PH: 7.4
TA: 230
FC: 3
CC: 0
Temp: 60F
CH: 310
Sat Index between 0.0 and 0.1. If I'm reading it correctly.

I used the broom on walls and floor very thoroughly. Is it normal for CH to be this high and should I worry? Everything else seem to be in line except TA. I took a pick of my return facing up to try to aerate to raise PH ( not sure if this is good enough).
Should I start using Muriatic Acid to lower TA and PH (down to 7.2) or should I wait to correct something else first.

How long will it take until the pool is no longer greenish/cloudy now that the pump is running?
Here is a pic of current water color. I just squeezed the remaining CYA in the sock.WIN_20160518_16_07_01_Pro.jpg

Thanks Guys/Gals!
 
Many of us in hard water areas deal with CH values far higher than that. Put all of your numbers into PoolMath and you can see the CSI value - which will tell you if the combination of temperature and your other numbers could create a scaling issue. Past that, unless you have a heater with specific requirements, not having a plaster pool, you shouldn't have to worry too much about CH.
 

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