Town water vs truck for first fill?

[awstevens]

Our pool is currently being built and should be ready to fill in the next 2-3 weeks. The pool is ~28,000 gallon IG vinyl pool. We aren't planning to use it this year but I assume the builder will fill it to normal level to test everything before lowering the water for winter. Are we better off trucking in water or just using the hose? Is trucked water pre-treated/cleaner or is it essentially the same as town water? Should I order a test kit now and test my tap water even though we'll be closing it right after they're done?

In terms of cost we're on town water but don't pay for sewer so the cost to fill would only be about $350 using the hose vs about $900 for 3 truckloads.

 

[Oly]

I would get a good test kit and find out the quality of your fill water at home first. If you expect problems with your tap water then try and test the water to be delivered before you decide. You would be smart not to assume anything at this point because you can have this information verified by your own testing for very little $$. Also your local government may have the municipal water test results for you to review and this would list the metals in the water.

Pool School - Test Kits Compared

 

[awstevens]

OK I just ordered the tf100 with the speedstir option. Is that all I need to get started?

 

[AftonJeeper]

That is a great start, now do some research and make a few calls to see if the trucked in water is treated or just pulled from the hydrant around the corner from your house.

 

[awstevens]

My test kit should arrive tomorrow. Is there any trick to testing the tap water or just take a sample right out of the faucet?

 

[DanielJ]

Yep, from the faucet. No need to test for cya. It will be zero.

 

[joonbug99]

Most IG liner pools have to be filled slowly to make sure the liner is seating properly. This may need to be discussed with your PB. If a truck has to come back several times you may wind up paying a lot more for multiple trips.

 

[awstevens]

PB said we can do either but the truck is definitely the more expensive option. I estimate about $375 for town water vs $900 (3 loads at $300 per) for the truck. I tested my tap water out of the hose today. This was my first time doing these tests so let me know if anything is way out of whack.

FC: 1.5
CC: 0.5
pH: 8.2 (maybe a bit higher?)
TA: 40
CH: 125

 

[Oly]

Turn on the tap and fill her up.

The pH is high so bring it down to 7.5, use pool math to get a good estimate of how much acid to add relative to the concentration you are using. You should be able to estimate with the acid demand test in your TF100 also.

You're going to be the first to jump in right after it's filled right?

 

[awstevens]

Thanks! I'll be the first to jump in as long as I can beat the dog to it.

 

[PoolGate]

The "pool water" trucks get their water from fire hydrants. They have a special permit to do this and an inline meter so the water is paid for. The only advantage to the pool water is your pool will be filled quicker. My pool took around 36 hours to fill using 2 hoses. Go to Home Depot and get a 3/4" hose and tie a rag to the end of it. The plaster guys usually do this.

 

[sccm_sysadmin]

$350-$375? Wow. Running the numbers here, that size pool would cost me $148 if I were on city water.

 

[awstevens]

$350-$375? Wow. Running the numbers here, that size pool would cost me $148 if I were on city water.

We have a tiered rate system so the rate goes up for usage over 10,000 gallons and again at 22,500 gallons.

 

[sccm_sysadmin]

We have a tiered rate system so the rate goes up for usage over 10,000 gallons and again at 22,500 gallons.

We're on a tiered system as well, albeit, much cheaper. Rates here. Seems like everything in the northeast is expensive!

Technically I'm on a well now but I used to be on that pricing system.

 

[awstevens]

We're on a tiered system as well, albeit, much cheaper. Rates here. Seems like everything in the northeast is expensive!

Technically I'm on a well now but I used to be on that pricing system.

Indeed it is! Our water is $9.07 per 1000 for 0-10,000 gallons, $13.31 for 10k-22.5k and $18.14 for 22.5k and up. In the unlikely event our liner gets installed this week I could split the fill between 2 quarters which would save me a little bit.

 

[sccm_sysadmin]

Indeed it is! Our water is $9.07 per 1000 for 0-10,000 gallons, $13.31 for 10k-22.5k and $18.14 for 22.5k and up. In the unlikely event our liner gets installed this week I could split the fill between 2 quarters which would save me a little bit.

Ouch!

 

[peirek]

At those rates be especially careful when adding stabilizer (CYA). You definitely want to creep up on your target.

 

[awstevens]

The good news is the PB installed the liner today and started filling the pool. The bad news is the water was brown and is apparently full of iron. Our water in the house hasn't been brown so not sure what the issue is. The only thing I can think of is the town did work on the water main right in front of our house last week and may have disturbed things.

The PB said iron is very difficult to get out so we decided to stop filling it. They are going to pump out what's already there and have two truckloads of water delivered tomorrow morning.

This may be a temporary condition due to the work on our water main but if we do have high iron in our water what's the best way to proceed going forward? I'm fine with truck water for the initial fill but it's obviously not practical to do that every time we need to top it off. Do I need something like this? METALTRAP FILTERS (available in 3 sizes) | Hydropure Technologies

 

[AftonJeeper]

I use a pentek whole house filter to fill or add water to my pool from my well. Something like this works well: Pentek DGD-2501 10 in. x 4-1/2 in. Dual Gradient Sediment Water Filter-PENTEK-DGD-2501 - The Home Depot

 

[awstevens]

Thanks that looks like a good solution and less expensive than the MetalTrap filters. For what it's worth, the town tested our water today and found the iron level to be very low so hopefully it was a fluke condition.