Hello Everybody
I opened my new 18'x42" Intex Easy Set pool last Thursday which was immediately after filling it as my kiddies just couldn't wait.
Prior to filing it I received some excellent start up advice from FPM in another thread here on the board as follows:
This advice made alot of sense to me and is what I have done so far. However, due to the lack of any CYA in my water the FC level dropped to zero on the first day. So in addition to dissolving in the Dichlor each night I have been watching and adding 6% bleach several times per day to keep the level up above 3. The FC is actually dropping so fast that I have been resetting it to 6-8 and then waiting about two hours before anybody swims. I test after they swim and the level can easily drop by 5 or so.
On saturday while nobody was in the pool I used the calculator to raise the FC level to 8. However in about 3-4 hours in the sun it was back down to 2. That's how fast it's dropping so even though I haven't done another CYA test yet, I'm pretty sure there is almost none in there.
Lastly, last night I added enough bleach to bring the FC up to 5 and then later tossed in the 1/2 cup of Dichlor. I'm still shooting a little high on the FC as it drops pretty quick and I don't want to let it get down to zero again. Even if it was only for two hours. Anyway, the FC was at 7 in the dark evening with the cover on the pool. I checked it again this morning at 7am and it had dropped to 5.5 There was some light morning sun on the pool cover.
So anyway that's what I'm doing. Adding the Dichlor to raise the CYA and FC. And also adding bleach to keep the FC from dropping too much.
My PH is still 7.5 and the pool temp is 83f. The water looks very clear but not perfect.
Am I still OK with this ??
I opened my new 18'x42" Intex Easy Set pool last Thursday which was immediately after filling it as my kiddies just couldn't wait.
Prior to filing it I received some excellent start up advice from FPM in another thread here on the board as follows:
frustratedpoolmom said:Hi Jim,
Welcome to TFP.
If I may suggest a slightly different route, and then you can decide which action to take... my reasoning is the pucks probably won't produce enough CYA at first, to keep your FC levels stable. Then you can use pucks for vacations, etc. they keep a long time stored properly.
I would suggest you pick up three 1 pound bags of Dichlor granular chlorine (look for "sodium dichloro s triazinetrione" on the active ingredient label).
Use 1/2 cup of Dichlor every night for the first 10 days. This will build your CYA level up to 30. Then stop using the Dichlor and switch to bleach each night, referring to the CYA chart for your recommended FC level and using the Pool Calculator to determine how much bleach that is each night. You shouldn't have to shock the pool to get started.
You can usually find 1 lb bags of Dichlor or 2 lb canisters (marked for Spa use) in the pool departments of stores like Lowes, etc. or you can find it at the pool store. Wal-mart probably won't have it.
Okay, that's my suggestion, good luck and ask any questions you may have.
This advice made alot of sense to me and is what I have done so far. However, due to the lack of any CYA in my water the FC level dropped to zero on the first day. So in addition to dissolving in the Dichlor each night I have been watching and adding 6% bleach several times per day to keep the level up above 3. The FC is actually dropping so fast that I have been resetting it to 6-8 and then waiting about two hours before anybody swims. I test after they swim and the level can easily drop by 5 or so.
On saturday while nobody was in the pool I used the calculator to raise the FC level to 8. However in about 3-4 hours in the sun it was back down to 2. That's how fast it's dropping so even though I haven't done another CYA test yet, I'm pretty sure there is almost none in there.
Lastly, last night I added enough bleach to bring the FC up to 5 and then later tossed in the 1/2 cup of Dichlor. I'm still shooting a little high on the FC as it drops pretty quick and I don't want to let it get down to zero again. Even if it was only for two hours. Anyway, the FC was at 7 in the dark evening with the cover on the pool. I checked it again this morning at 7am and it had dropped to 5.5 There was some light morning sun on the pool cover.
So anyway that's what I'm doing. Adding the Dichlor to raise the CYA and FC. And also adding bleach to keep the FC from dropping too much.
My PH is still 7.5 and the pool temp is 83f. The water looks very clear but not perfect.
Am I still OK with this ??