New pool owner, starting up IG pool (closed for over a year)

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yamahammer342

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Aug 24, 2016
15
Hurricane WV
Hello

I have been lurking on the forums for a little while doing my reading and research. I am buying a house with a IG salt water pool that has been closed for quite a long time, about a year and a half. It has been covered for the entire time so there isnt much solid waste, but lots of green algae. We are closing on the house friday so I don't have any test numbers yet, just trying to get a head start on what I need before we get there. I do know there is little to NO salt left in there at all and I am sure the FC level is 0. I have been reading up on the SLAM process but I don't really know where the salt comes in. I do know that i'm not going to turn on the swg yet, but when do I actually need to add salt? once the water is cleared up? Other than that i'm just looking for any advice in general. I already ordered this test kit, it will be here on friday. Amazon.com : TAYLOR TECHNOLOGIES INC K-2006 TEST KIT COMP CHLORINE FAS-DPD : Swimming Pool Liquid Test Kits : Patio, Lawn Garden Also, it appears by using pool math I am going to need a ton of bleach. Can I not just use some 70% chlorine granules to make things easier? I appreciate any help!

Ok for some reason my sig is not showing up. Here is the pool info

22500 Gal salt water IG pool
Pentair SWG
Vinyl liner (approx 5 years old)
 
Don't worry about salt until your pool is balanced. With the generator turned off, it is just like any other conventional pool. Once your pool is clear and you have completed the SLAM, add salt. Once the FC has lowered to or close to your target level from the SLAM/shock level, then turn on the generator to keep the chlorine at its target. This will probably be a couple days after the SLAM is completed.

Use the liquid chlorine/bleach. It shouldn't take as much as you think. If your CYA is so high that it does take a lot, I would go ahead and do a half drain and refill to make the process go by much quicker and use that much less chlorine. I would never want to SLAM with a CYA of 80 (i keep my CYA closer to 50 for reasons I won't go into here). Wal-Mart sells the liquid chlorine for pretty cheap in the pool section (usually cheaper than the household bleach when factoring in the strength). It took me 4 gallons and 72 hours to turn this green pool into the sparkling oasis below.
13220852_10153433907466436_9031180171381764179_n.jpg20160818_155211.jpg
 
Welcome!

Out of curiosity how do you know the salt level? If it was maintained as a salt pool prior to closing i would imagine it would still have a detectable level of salt even considering 1.5 years worth of rain. Google tells me you get 41" of annual rainfall, if your pool has an overflow and all that rain water got in and overflowed well maybe it has dropped by 1/2. I find that the testing strips for salt match my cell's readout but as long as your SWCG is happy and generating that's what matters.

Until you have your test kit and measure your CYA I can't comment on the powdered chlorine as an option. I can tell you that just because it's super strong doesn't mean it will work any faster, during the SLAM you raise and maintain your FC to the level specified, no need to go above.

You'll be so happy you found this site in a few weeks.

Edit: Please tell us what type of pool filter you have, depending on the type you may run into specific issues during the SLAM that we can prepare you for.
 
Sorry, meant to put filter type in first post. It's sand.

I can already tell this is a great site, and I have learned a lot already!

Georgia, that is a quick transformation. Did you use any type of flock in the process?

Should I expect the CYA to be low or high for a pool that has been sitting for a long time? I realize a simple test would determine this, but I can't at the moment.

The reason I thought the salt level was 0, was during the home buying process I had a local pool company come out and do an inspection. They basically started up the pool and turned on the pentiar cell and they told me it read no salt. They then re-winterized it again.

Pool math tell me I need 7 gallons of bleach at 8.25% to bring the FC from 0 to 25. Any idea how much more I should account for? Or is it just impossible to even make a guess?

Also, should I just go ahead and do a waste vac right away before anything?
 
The salt cell might read no salt for any number of reasons. Best to test the salt content of the water properly independently. The cell might have other issues.

Expect CYA to be low - but again better to test.

If CYA is low you could use Dichlor Shock to both raise your CYA and FC at the same time - just don't add too much. It's a lot easier to SLAM at lower CYA levels. Pool Math can give you an idea of how much Dichlor will raise you FC/CYA ppm.
 
yamahammer342 said:
Sorry, meant to put filter type in first post. It's sand.

I can already tell this is a great site, and I have learned a lot already!

Georgia, that is a quick transformation. Did you use any type of flock in the process?

Should I expect the CYA to be low or high for a pool that has been sitting for a long time? I realize a simple test would determine this, but I can't at the moment.

The reason I thought the salt level was 0, was during the home buying process I had a local pool company come out and do an inspection. They basically started up the pool and turned on the pentiar cell and they told me it read no salt. They then re-winterized it again.

Pool math tell me I need 7 gallons of bleach at 8.25% to bring the FC from 0 to 25. Any idea how much more I should account for? Or is it just impossible to even make a guess?

Also, should I just go ahead and do a waste vac right away before anything?
Click to expand...


Nope, just some baking soda to raise PH and Alkalinity and liquid chlorine. My CYA was about 30 when I started, so the shock level wasn't too high.
 
I picked up 15 Gallons of HDX bleach at 8.25% for 2.99 each and 2 bottles of muratic acid. Hopefully that will get me started. It looks like for a salt pool my CYA is supposed to be high, however, would it be advisable to wait until the slam is over before raising the CYA?
 

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Ok first test results.

FC 6.5-7
PH 7 maybe slightly less
TA 40
CH 40
CYA 0

did the cya test twice. Completely clear.

the FC level was taken about 2 hours after dumping in 4 gallons of 8.25%. I did add about 15 oz of solid cya to skimmer then put another 15 oz in a sock in the skimmer.

Any recommendations so far?
 
If you already started your slam, you could add a tad less than PoolMath recommends of Arm and Hammer WASHING soda, not baking soda. It is found in the laundry aisle. If you haven't started your slam, you can add and recheck pH before proceeding. Washing soda will also raise your TA which is not bad for you.
 
Just a note to clarify re: cya -- don't add more than 30 until you FINISH the slam...then bring it up to SWG levels of 70 or 80...otherwise, it will take you a lot more bleach/chlorine to slam ;)

See the [fc/cya][/FC/cya] chart - and use regular pool slam figures for your target FC.

Likewise, don't raise the ph to more than 7.2...it makes slam more effective to have it a bit lower...also note that ph doesn't read right when FC is higher than 10, so don't test ph when FC is higher tan 10 ;)

After you've completed the slam, waters clear, and you've passed the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test...then you will:

1. Add more cya to get to 70 or 80

2. Test salt level, and if needed, add salt to the SWG brand's optimal range (salt strips are good enough for this purpose as what matters is what the unit thinks your salt is...not what you think the salt is ;)

3. Let everything mix/dissolve for a day, maybe 2, depending on water temp (warmer dissolves faster)

Then 4. Turn on swg and spend the next few days getting your run time sorted to produce enough FC to high end of swg target (eg 5 or 6)

There's a chance the salt cell might need cleaning after sitting idle if it wasn't left clean, but wait until you see how it acts in service...cleaning with diluted MA actually shears some life off cell. Depending on brand, it might read low salt (when salt is not low) if there's scaling, or might just flash "check cell." You can also just rinse off a cell and inspect it for scale. Just don't trust a "low salt" message if there's a chance the cell needs cleaning and if strips read your salt as in range. We'll help more when you get to that part but I outlined this for your future planning.

I always like to know what's next ;)
 
Swampwoman said:
Just a note to clarify re: cya -- don't add more than 30 until you FINISH the slam...then bring it up to SWG levels of 70 or 80...otherwise, it will take you a lot more bleach/chlorine to slam ;)

See the [fc/cya][/FC/cya] chart - and use regular pool slam figures for your target FC.

Likewise, don't raise the ph to more than 7.2...it makes slam more effective to have it a bit lower...also note that ph doesn't read right when FC is higher than 10, so don't test ph when FC is higher tan 10 ;)

After you've completed the slam, waters clear, and you've passed the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test...then you will:

1. Add more cya to get to 70 or 80

2. Test salt level, and if needed, add salt to the SWG brand's optimal range (salt strips are good enough for this purpose as what matters is what the unit thinks your salt is...not what you think the salt is ;)

3. Let everything mix/dissolve for a day, maybe 2, depending on water temp (warmer dissolves faster)

Then 4. Turn on swg and spend the next few days getting your run time sorted to produce enough FC to high end of swg target (eg 5 or 6)

There's a chance the salt cell might need cleaning after sitting idle if it wasn't left clean, but wait until you see how it acts in service...cleaning with diluted MA actually shears some life off cell. Depending on brand, it might read low salt (when salt is not low) if there's scaling, or might just flash "check cell." You can also just rinse off a cell and inspect it for scale. Just don't trust a "low salt" message if there's a chance the cell needs cleaning and if strips read your salt as in range. We'll help more when you get to that part but I outlined this for your future planning.

I always like to know what's next ;)
Click to expand...

Excellent instructions!
 
Thanks so much for the help so far. This site has been a huge help. I added a bit of soda ash and got the ph up a tad. Looks like it's reading between 7 and 7.2. I will leave it alone. I have been trying to keep the fc at 10 even though I'm sure I have less than 30 cya. I guess I'm doing something right it's not even been 24 hours yet and I can see about 5 feet down. Here is a few pics.
 

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