New and overwhelmed

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M

Mdhkdh

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Bronze Supporter
Jun 24, 2017
125
Winter Haven/Florida
I just got my TF100 test kit today. New pool was filled last week so chlorine test produced a no chlorine reading. So to get started do I add liquid chlorine before starting to use SWG or where do I go from here?? I ran the calcium test and it is 225 so what is my next step to increase that? Didn’t run the TA test, I figured I would get these 2 figured first then move on. Also considering calling the pool guy to get me up and running so talk me off the ledge!
Finally, pump and SWG are not running yet, when do I turn them on??
Thank you!
 
First let's focus on that FC. Zero is no good. Add some bleach ASAP to get your FC to about 3ppm for now. Use the Poolmath Calculator to help. Next issue - stabilizer. New water won't have any CYA. Did you or an installer add ANY stabilizer or conditioner? If not, consider it zero and you need to add that ASAP as well. Since you'll want to use your SWG right away, the TFP recommended minimum CYA is "70" which helps protect your FC production. So as needed, add granular stabilizer using the sock-soaking method for that CYA 70 goal. Squeeze the sock often to help it dissipate then consider that goal reached. If you're nervous about going over, use the calculator to project for a CYA goal of 60, then you can re-tests in a couple days and add more if needed.

Once the stabilizer is in the water, bump the bleach FC to about 5-7 until you turn-on the SWG and have made sure it's working okay. That's assuming you added the required amount of salt as well. By the way, do you have a good salt test kit? Once you have the SWG working, you'll back-off of the bleach and let the FC create the FC at the proper level for a SWG-pool (see the CYA/Chlorine Chart link below).

Once you have that going, focus on the pH next - or even now really. If it's over 7.8, bring it down with muriatic acid. Never add bleach and acid at the same time though. Separate by about 10-15 minutes with good circulation. That should get you going. Let us know if you have any problems. Congrats on the new pool! :swim:

PS - THANK YOU for being a TFP supporter!

Also, not sure why your pump isn't on, but yes - get that water moving! Water needs to be moving to add chemicals as well. You will turn on the SWG once the required salt is in the water.

- - - Updated - - -

If you have ANY concerns about what to add or how, PLEASE see the links below in my signature - especially the Recommended Chemicals link as that will tell you what each product is for, and how to dispense it. :)
 
I bought 3 gallons of liquid chlorine but it sounds like I should buy bleach instead?
No stabilizer was added when filled so I will be doing the sock method....for the first time of course.
I did get the salt test kit also from TF but no salt is added to pool yet. I’ll need to lookup how much to add.
Do I need to take a day off (or a week off!) work to get all this going....it seems like a LOT!!
 
I bought 3 gallons of liquid chlorine but it sounds like I should buy bleach instead?
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Same ingredient - sodium hypochlorite, but more expensive at the pool store. Regular bleach will work just fine in the future. :) You can get this going in short-order as long as you have the items handy. The sock can sock even if you're away.

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HI there MDHKDH, I just wanted to pipe in here and mention that when you add the salt to your pool, you want to make sure the SWG is *off* for the next day or two to allow the salt to dissolve.

This protects the device from getting a strong blast of salty water which would possibly damage it.

If you just filled your pool your salt level is about nothing to speak of. Use Pool Math and enter current testing values in the far left hand "now" column, and then your desired levels (per the SWG manual) in the second to the left "Target" column. It will then advise you on how many pounds of salt to add. Add to the pool and brush it around to help it dissolve.

Don't buy Clorox brand salt- we've had problems reported with it.

Also....don't worry about adding any calcium to your vinyl pool. It doesn't need any.

Don't let the sock filled with CYA stabilizer rest against your liner or it could stain it. Keep it free floating in front of a return or just hanging off a pool noodle or something.

All the additions added up *might* take an hour... so only take the day off if you need a mental health day. Not needed for the pool. LOL

Maddie :flower:
 
Hi again. So I had a bit of delay getting my equipment up and running but am finally there. I added 96 oz of chlorine and now have stabilizer in a sock. The calculator said I need about 8 lbs...does that seem right? And if so can I put 3 socks in at once... ??? Thank you!!
 
Can you elaborate on what you mean by "leave the sock in a hurry"? Is the CYA dissolving in the water or are pieces coming out of the sock? If the later, that's no good.

That is the standard TFP recommended way to add CYA, my personal preference (if the water is warm enough!) is to get in with the sock and squeeze it and swing it around until empty.
 
Maddie, thank you for the salty advice! ;) So I now have the initial chlorine in and the stabilizer and I’m ready to add lots of salt! I have not run the SWG yet and you say not to run it for a day or 2. But I do keep the pump on and keep the salty water flowing, correct? It just won’t be chlorinating for a day or so...
 

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Also ... at what point will I test my water now that I’ve added chlorine and stabilizer? Later today after I add the salt? Or tomorrow at some point? Sorry.... I am brand new to this and trying to find most answers without asking too many questions but am stumped on this one. Thanks!!
 
Yes, keep the pump on (low is fine) to allow everything to mix well. Now that you've added stabilizer for a projected Target, simply consider the water at that CYA. You can test it again in 2-3 days if you like. For now though, focus on your FC control as that will be most critical to avoid algae until you get the SWG going. At a minimum, test your FC once each day. I'd also recommend testing the pH daily until you know for sure it's remaining stable and not trying to shoot way up over 7.8. Hope that helps.
 
Ok so I should go ahead and run a test on FC and pH this afternoon?
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You can test whenever it is best for your schedule, but test these two every day. Maybe later when your water stabilizes, you can back-off of the pH testing to every 2-3 days or so, but for now, test both each day. You can add salt at anytime you're ready. As noted above, it will take a couple days before the salt is fully incorporated into the water and ready for the SWG. Until that time, bleach is your pool's best friend.

So whenever it's good for you, test the FC & pH and adjust as required.
 
At this point, I'd hold-off on any more chlorine. Looking back at your posts here, there have been some gaps in chlorine since first adding fresh water. It's hard to tell if you actually have an algae issue or not at this point without some specific info. So I'm going to try and slow some things down for the moment and go with some specific questions/guidance:
- In your signature, it would help us more if you could replace the cost values with item info. For example: replace pool cost with number of gallons. The other costs can be removed if you like to save space in your signature. Also add your TF-100 to your signature.
- It's good you added chlorine as 1.5 is much too low and an open door for algae. But when you get a chance, after allowing the water to mix for about an hour or so, I'd like for you to post the following please:
FC
CC
CYA
pH

We'll hold-off on TA and CH for the moment. The test results above should help tell us some good stuff about the condition of your water.
 
Actually, it's a good thing you did add all that bleach. That elevated CC (over 0.5) is an indication your water is not happy. I really think your water is on the edge or getting cloudy and showing signs of algae. If you were to look at the Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below), you'll see that for a CYA of 50, the SLAM/shock level is 20, so you have plenty of room. Here's what I would recommend:
- Keep that FC elevated for this evening at least just above 10. Test it again before bed and record. Then test tomorrow morning before the sun hits the water at compare. If you lost more than 1 FC overnight, you'll want to SLAM the water. But if you do not lose more than 1 FC overnight, you dodged a bullet. So for today keep that FC elevated, test before bed one last time (leave pump running if you can) and check in the morning. The results will tell us what we need to know.
 

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