About to become a pool boy (w/ pics)...

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tfpusername

tfpusername

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Apr 23, 2017
109
Las Vegas
Recently got a new place with a pool (13x28 fiber glass, so how many gallons?). It had been drained, but it's been holding water for a couple months now. Had to do a lot of scrubbing, but aside from a subtle stain at the deep end (where water had been pooling), it looks pretty good!

Was paying a pool lady (115 a month...) to maintain the water, but now that the chemicals/water seems 'stable', I am thinking of taking over myself.

Did a little research on the BBB method, anyone have any advice/recommendations? I am about to head to the grocery store today, can you help me prepare a shopping list? (Regular old clorox bleach, baking soda, and bromax, right?).

*I also plan to order the following from Amazon...

Amazon.com : AquaChek 551236 7-Way 100 Count Pool Water Test Strips : Swimming Pool Liquid Test Kits : Patio, Lawn Garden

Amazon.com : POOL ROVER S2 40, US, JET, 115VAC/48VDC, BLUE : Swimming Pool Robotic Cleaners : Patio, Lawn Garden

*I know that aquabot isn't the highest end, but I heard they can help circulate the water which means less chemicals overall?

Thanks for any newbie advice!
 

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Welcome! Since you're on the way to the store now, I'd recommend getting only some plain, un-scented and not splashless bleach. When you need to stock up, we'll discuss strength, storage, date codes etc.

i wouldnt bother with soda or borax yet. You may not need them.

Those strips may be usueful if you have a table that rocks side to side, but don't use them to test your pool. :)
 
Welcome! :wave:

There's no way of predicting what you'll need without test results. Chlorine, for sure, because that is a consumable item. Baking soda -- unlikely given the hard water in Vegas. Borax, also unlikely. Unless you've been chlorinating with pucks, which are very acidic. But anyway, without good test results, there's no way of knowing for sure what the water needs. You might end up sitting on that baking soda until the box rots.

Don't waste your money on test strips. They're not accurate enough. You might as well taste-test it. You'd hardly be less-accurate.

Invest in a proper test kit. If you buy one locally, don't let them mislead you and tell you the Taylor K-2005 DPD test kit is the same as the K-2006 FAS-DPD test kit. It's not.
 
OK good advice, I will hold off on the baking soda and bromax. Heading to the store now, will just get a bunch of plain "not splashless?" bleach (assume generic brand is ok?).

As for the test kits - dang so those strips are no good? I read in the reviews some people saying they compared them to their liquid test kits and got very accurate results. So which of the following products should I be getting (from amazon pref)...

Amazon.com: pool test kit: Patio, Lawn Garden

I think the k-2006 kit you mentioned is listed there (60 bucks, eek). Guess I don't mind spending a little cash up front, but I already planned on sinking 260 into the aquabot (unless you think that is a waste).

Thanks again for the council!

*oh and you mentioned the chlorine pucks - my pool lady did leave a floater with pucks in the pool. So maybe I should get some bromax just incase...
 
If you have to choose one over the other at the moment, a proper test kit is more important than an aquabot by far. Welcome to TFP, you will be the best pool boy in your neighborhood in no time with the helpful information and people on this forum.
 
Ok back from the store. Got a 3.57L "Generic concentrated bleach" (8.25% Sodium Hypochlorite) and a 3.5L jug of "Clorox Splashless Bleach" (doesn't say ANYWHERE what the active ingredients are, but somebody mentioned something special about "splashless"?) *oops I just re read your post, you said NOT to get splashless bleach right? Well I can use this for something else I guess...

I also grabbed a box of bromax (only 5 bucks). Held off on the baking soda for now.

Yanked the floater.

So for the test kits, I am looking at two...

Amazon.com : Poolmaster 22260 5-Way Test Kit with Case - Basic Collection : Swimming Pool Liquid Test Kits : Patio, Lawn Garden

VS

Amazon.com : TAYLOR TECHNOLOGIES INC K-2006 TEST KIT COMP CHLORINE FAS-DPD : Swimming Pool Liquid Test Kits : Patio, Lawn Garden

17 vs 60 bucks... I can afford it... but is it really worth it?

* And does anyone own this particular aquabot? From the research I've done it just seems like the best value (the top of the line Dolphins are 2x+ as much)

Amazon.com : POOL ROVER S2 40, US, JET, 115VAC/48VDC, BLUE : Swimming Pool Robotic Cleaners : Patio, Lawn Garden

I also wonder - Is it safe to leave these robots in the pool all the time? Removing them to clean the bags obviously. That would be more convenient than having to store it somewhere...
 
Yes the $60 is worth it. You are talking about getting an aquabot, which is a completely unnecessary luxury item. Why wouldn't you spend the money on a good test kit so you know what is in your water? Nobody here is going to be able to help you much if you get the worthless cheap test kit, because we won't accurately know what is actually in your water.
 
Proper testing of the water is the backbone of TFP methods. I personally prefer the TF-100 test kit over the K-2006. Its $70 but will save you much more. For example, it would have saved you that $5 you spent on Borax that you probably don't need.

Yip :flower:
 

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Ok got the k-2006 kit, will be here Wednesday. Also added some 'skimmer socks' (heard good things about them). Any other little items like that worth grabbing now? (already have a skimmer of course)

I decided to hold off a bit on the aquabot... trying to do more research. Some people love it, some people say I need to invest in something more expensive...
 
Hello and Welcome to TFP! You will be glad you found your way here.

Good to see that you decided to go with the Taylor kit over the lesser options. Learning to use the kit and PoolMath will get you well on your way to pocketing most of that monthly pool service fee. The first months savings alone will pay for your kit and more than enough chemicals.

If you want to become your own pool boy, you are going to need to read up on Basic Care Schedule and ABC's of Pool Chemistry. Head over there. Ask any questions you have.

Could we ask that you fill in your signature with your pool details (pool size & volume, wall materials, spa?, pump info, filter info, heater info, chlorine addition method, Test kit, etc). There is a link here. You can see some examples that ppl use in this thread. If you question what equipment you have, post some pics and we can help figure it out.
 
Rollercoastr said:
This is a worthwhile yet cool gadget: TFTestkits.net

(does anyone else feel better about their own impulse purchasing tendencies after reading this thread?) lol
Click to expand...

Almost a necessity at my pool. I had the batteries get low enough to not spin the pill and had to actually do it by hand for one round of tests. That was no fun. Bought a thing of batteries at Costco so I wouldn't have another emergency like that again. I'm so spoiled... (=
 
Analogbytes said:
Almost a necessity at my pool. I had the batteries get low enough to not spin the pill and had to actually do it by hand for one round of tests. That was no fun. Bought a thing of batteries at Costco so I wouldn't have another emergency like that again. I'm so spoiled... (=
Click to expand...

Yeah, that is considered a catastrophe at my house! THE SPEEDSTIR BATTERIES ARE DEAD!!!!
 
It makes the testing a lot easier/faster and more accurate/repeatable. What I did was became a TFP Gold supporter for $100 and you'll get $30 off anything at TFT making the speed stir $7 plus you get additional space for posting pics and with all the money this site has saved me $70 isn't much in the grand scheme of things. Plus it's kinda cool ��

Salty
 

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