New Pool Owner in need of help

[redstormsju]

Hello - I am new to owning a pool. I am preparing for opening my pool and would greatly appreciate your help. I was going to do this professionally but many people have told me that it is easy enough to do it myself. The one thing that I am confused about are the chemicals that I need to open my pool up. Every supply store I look into has their own method and some have more chemicals on their list than others.

Would some of you more advanced pool owners be kind enough to guide me on what chemicals I MUST have and in what order do I put them in after taking the cover off and filling up the pool and cleaning it? Have a 15x24 oval pool.

Thank You!!

Joel

 

[Griswald]

The absolute first thing you need to purchase is the required test kit. If you don't know what condition your water is in, you cannot correct it.

Second, get a carton or two of regular bleach to add until you do get the test kit. Adding a quart or so a day will keep things in check fairly well until you can properly know what else you need.

Going to go out on a limb and suggest some chlorine stabilizer and muratic acid, as those two will PROBABLY be needed as well.

P.S. Did I mention getting the correct test kit?

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

Test kit first is a great idea. I buy the TF100 from TFTestkits.net. We don't add anything to our pools without good test results. Pool store tests and guess strips don't count and can cause real problems with their inherent inaccuracy. Then you need to tell us about your pool so we can help your further. There are lots of variables depending on pool type and equipment. Add your pool info to your signature as shown here, Pool School - Read This Before You Post