Opening Salt pool (no salt yet)

[BigMouthStrikesAgain]

Hi all,
I have a SWG pool however, I drained the pool this winter to start with new water as I was unable to get the chemistry right last year. So, new water and salt cell removed. I want to ask what the recommended procedure for opening the pool is?

should I SLAM before opening? I do not believe I have anything growing in the pool as my highest levels of CCs have been 0.5 this winter.

Should I bring up the chlorine level before adding salt? And to what level? Also how about CYA? Do I bring it up before adding salt or after?

My latest pool check:
pH 7.8 (I have been checking pH religiously as it was my main issue. I bring it down to 7.0 and never let it go above 7.8)
FC 3.5
CC 0.0
TA 55
CH 350
CYA 45
Salt 500
temp 55

any other tips are also appreciated! Thank you

Also: I removed the SWG and turned the heat off this winter. Plaster pool, 1 year old, 6000 gal. Las Vegas, NV

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I'm confused- will you be using a SWG again or not?

Either way you need to get some chlorine in there, as well as some CYA. I'd suggest taking the CYA up to 50 and the FC up to 8ppm. Then you can maintain that while you decide what you want to do about how to chlorinate.

Maddie

 

[Jimrahbe]

BMSA,

I see no reason to SLAM, but if you want, you can run an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test, just to be sure... See this.. Overnight Chlorine Loss Test

If it passes than you should be good to go to me... you can install the cell anytime, but I would not turn it on for about 24 hours after you have added the salt.

You can then start adding CYA to bring your level up to 70 to 80 ppm..

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[BigMouthStrikesAgain]

Sorry that was confusing. I removed the salt cell for winter. I will be reinstalling and using it for the season. Thank you

 

[ping]

Continue on as you are until the water gets to be mid 60's and then add the CYA to get it up to 80 and install the SWG.

Don't drop the pH down to 7.0 as that is causing you to use a lot more acid than you should. Drop it to 7.5/7.6 at the lowest as the TA is low right now.

You can add the salt now so when you install the SWG it will be ready to turn on when it is hooked up.

 

[BigMouthStrikesAgain]

Ok I had a huge pH problem last year. Taking lots of notes this year. Hopefully I can balance the pH. I will try to maintain 7.5ish then.

Performing a OCLT tonight.
Numbers at sunset:
pH 7.6
FC 3.0
CC .5
TC 3.5
Temp 48

 

[BigMouthStrikesAgain]

And the results are the same! I will skip the slam and start adding CYA and Chlorine. Thank you

 

[BigMouthStrikesAgain]

So I brought the CYA up to 70 and chlorine 4.5 and ph 7.7ish...
I then needed 140lbs of salt. First, I cleaned my filters. Then I added 80lbs and tested the water.

April 1 test results:
temp 52
salt 2000
pH 8.0
FC 4.0
CC 0.0
TC 4.0

I heated the pool and added more salt. I added MA but my chlorine is all but gone! No CCs. I haven’t turned on my SWG yet. I don’t know if I need more chlorine or if I need to to an overnight loss test or if I simply just need to turn on my SWG.

April 3 results:
temp 92
salt 3000
pH 7.4
FC 0.5
CC 0.0
TC 0.5
CYA 70
TA 60
CH 400

** I forgot to mention, when I brought the water to the pool store, the only significant difference is they read the CYA 30, whereas I consistently get 70 with my TF-100. Do they use a different test?**

 

[Jimrahbe]

bmsa,

You do understand that your pool will used 2 to 4 ppm of FC each day... You can't just add it and be done with it, you must keep adding whatever amount the pool uses. This is the great thing about having a SWCG, it will add chlorine each day... you just need to tell the SWCG how much to add and then adjust that amount as the weather changes over the summer.

Since you drained and refilled the pool, how much CYA stabilizer have you added? That will give us a good idea if your 70 ppm of CYA is correct or not.

Every day you go without adequate FC in your pool is one day closer to an algae out break... Why have you not already turned you SWCG on???

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Mr Bruce]

Did your heater get you 40 degrees F or is that a typo?!

Pool store test results are obscenely inaccurate, ESPECIALLY the CYA test. Do yourself a favor and save the gas and time, it is a waste to take a water sample there. We trust your test results and you should too.

e: To echo what Jim said, that low FC is asking for trouble.

 

[BigMouthStrikesAgain]

Hi and thanks for the quick replies!

to answer your questions,
over the last 3 months I have added about 100oz of CYA (powder). I believe I am actuallu at 70. I have been taking copious notes since the draining. Just curious how the pool store which is 10min away can be so far off my reading. It would explain the significant chlorine loss but then what am I doing wrong with the CYA!?

I did not want to turn on the SWG until 24 hours past my final salt addition. I read conflicting views on the topic.

After reading these replies I turned on the SWG and set it to 100% and will run it overnight. I did not add any more liquid chlorine. I am curious if the SWG will produce chlorine or if it has to have more chlorine in the pool to start it off.

as to the pool temp, I checked it early morning and it was 52. That afternoon it had heated up to 66 naturally. Then I decided to heat the pool to 77. I did this bc I wanted to get accurate salt readings as I was adding salt.... anyway... it was time for a swim so I heated it to 88. By the time I tested the pool it had gone up to 92. I believe these temps to be accurate. I keep a thermometer in the pool and my heater has a temp reading. I have not seen a difference greater than 4 deg. So, yes, the pool went up from 52 to 92 deg.

Thank you!

 

[Jimrahbe]

bmsa,

100 oz. of stabilizer should have increased your CYA from zero to 125 ppm .

So I would say you have at least 70...

Tell us what your FC is tomorrow afternoon...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[BigMouthStrikesAgain]

Ran the SWG at 100% all night. This morning’s numbers:
temp 80
FC 9.5
CC .5
TC 10.0
pH 7.8
salt 3300

I think we’re good to go! Thanks to all for your help

 

[Jimrahbe]

bmsa,

Glad that it is working... You might want to crank the SWCG output down to about 25 or so...

Thanks for the feedback,

Jim R.