Setting Up Intex Pool, Need Help

[tbay2005]

OK, I had problems with my pool last summer and that is when I found this forum, great site.

I am getting ready to set up my 14'x48" Intex pool. What is the best way to do so? Do I add anything while filling it or do I wait until it is full before I add anything? How much do I add of each chemical? I am doing it the BBB way, found it to be best after I got rid of my algae problem last summer.

Thanks.

 

[JasonLion]

You want to get water test results before deciding many of chemical additions.

You will want to add 2 ppm of chlorine the first evening, and add some CYA/stabilizer/conditioner to bring your CYA level up to around 40 or 50. The other things you need to adjust depend on what your PH, TA, and CH levels start at.

 

[tbay2005]

Ok, finally filled it up, here are my levels.

Free Chlorine = 0
pH = 6.2
TA = 80
Cyanuric Acid = 0

2500 gal pool.

I can understand the bleach amount to add but what about the borax and baking soda? Can someone help with the amounts I need to add? How much of each do I need to add?

Calculator says I need to:

add 71oz by weight or 68oz by volume of borax.

and

Add 12oz by weight or 9.4oz by volume of baking soda

are these right? How many cups is that of each? not good with conversions yet.

Thanks

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Ok, finally filled it up, here are my levels.

Free Chlorine = 0
pH = 6.2
TA = 80
Cyanuric Acid = 0

2500 gal pool.

I can understand the bleach amount to add but what about the borax and baking soda? Can someone help with the amounts I need to add? How much of each do I need to add?

Calculator says I need to:

add 71oz by weight or 68oz by volume of borax.

and

Add 12oz by weight or 9.4oz by volume of baking soda

are these right? How many cups is that of each? not good with conversions yet.

Thanks

Hi there, are you certain of your pool gallons? That seems small compared to what the pool calc shows for that diameter. I came up with something closer to 4,000 gallons. Is that the gallons listed on the pool info/box?

I plugged in your numbers and got the following:

22 oz by weight of Borax to raise your PH to 7.4
Your TA is fine at 80
2 cups of bleach to raise your FC to 3
13 oz of CYA /stabilizer to target a level of 40

Use a sock to add the stabilizer - tie it off in front of the return. Once you add it, and it's done dissolving out of the sock, assume your CYA level is 40 and maintain your FC levels according to the chart. Don't retest the CYA for about 1 week.

Play with the calculator some more, your pool size goes in the box, your "now" column is your current test results, your "target" column is your recommended levels which you can get from Pool School. Hit calculate - when you move your cursor over the amount listed, it converts it to cups, pounds etc.

Hope this helps.

How are you testing the water?

 

[PaulR]

Hi there, are you certain of your pool gallons? That seems small compared to what the pool calc shows for that diameter. I came up with something closer to 4,000 gallons. Is that the gallons listed on the pool info/box?

The pool calc {edit} volume calculation {end-edit} doesn't work for the Intex easyset pools. I didn't see 14x48 listed here but it's in the right ballpark.

{edit} Pool calc of course still works great for figuring levels and chems, if you already know what your pool volume is. {end-edit}
--paulr

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Is it an easyset or a quickset? (inflatable ring time or metal pole type.)

 

[tbay2005]

EasySet, inflatable ring

 

[tbay2005]

What should I use for a stabilizer?

 

[PaulR]

In a typical pool you would buy stabilizer (cyanuric acid) at the pool store; for 2500 gal you only need about 1/2 lb so I think you'd have a lot left over.

My personal opinion is that these teeny pools should be handled more like an oversize spa; that is, use dichlor as the chlorine source initially, until the CYA from the dichlor has built up enough, and then switch to bleach. For 2500 gal that would be about 1.5 lbs dichlor, which would probably take 2-3 weeks to use up.
--paulr