We bought our house last year in July opened up a nightmare pool and decided to recover it until this year. We cleaned out the sand filter and added new sand , drained, scrubbed and refilled the pool and now we are stuck . We aren't sure exactly how big the pool is we believe it's 24ft around and 5ft deep by our measurement but since we don't understand pool slang terms or have a clue where to begin I found myself here . We have liquid chlorine, stabilizer, and a test kit because that's what we were told we would need at the store the problem is we have zero idea how much , in what order, or even how to test to know if it's right ?
Stuck getting started
- Thread starter Cshhhg
- Start date
Welcome! 
First, what kind of test kit did you get? Odds are high it's incomplete, but we'll get back to that after you answer. You may only need a little bit to make it complete. That's no kiddie pool you have there, so you need a grownup test kit.
Second, ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry will get you speaking our lingo
Third, Poolmath can quickly calculate the volume of your pool for you as well as crunch numbers so you know how much of each chemical to add. Don't just rush straight to the tab and start typing. Take a few minutes to read Pool School - PoolMath first and you'll find it much less confusing.
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals will explain what chemical does what and how to add it. Especially important is the CYA. Do it wrong and you may end up with white freckles on the floor.
Now the important stuff. It's a fresh fill so you can be sure there's no stabilizer in the water and any Chlorine in the tap water has or will be destroyed by sunlight in short order. So consider it zero, too. I wouldn't bother testing either of those. Even the cheapest of test kits will test pH, so you can get a handle on that. And if you can test Calcium and Alkalinity, do them too.
So... fill 'er up, get it circulating for an hour or so, maybe brush a little to set up some cross currents like adding cream to coffee, and then draw off a water sample from as far down as you can reach. Carry that off somewhere comfortable like a patio table, and start testing. Post the results here and we'll guide you through the next steps.
First, what kind of test kit did you get? Odds are high it's incomplete, but we'll get back to that after you answer. You may only need a little bit to make it complete. That's no kiddie pool you have there, so you need a grownup test kit.
Second, ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry will get you speaking our lingo
Third, Poolmath can quickly calculate the volume of your pool for you as well as crunch numbers so you know how much of each chemical to add. Don't just rush straight to the tab and start typing. Take a few minutes to read Pool School - PoolMath first and you'll find it much less confusing.
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals will explain what chemical does what and how to add it. Especially important is the CYA. Do it wrong and you may end up with white freckles on the floor.
Now the important stuff. It's a fresh fill so you can be sure there's no stabilizer in the water and any Chlorine in the tap water has or will be destroyed by sunlight in short order. So consider it zero, too. I wouldn't bother testing either of those. Even the cheapest of test kits will test pH, so you can get a handle on that. And if you can test Calcium and Alkalinity, do them too.
So... fill 'er up, get it circulating for an hour or so, maybe brush a little to set up some cross currents like adding cream to coffee, and then draw off a water sample from as far down as you can reach. Carry that off somewhere comfortable like a patio table, and start testing. Post the results here and we'll guide you through the next steps.