Start Up Chemical Help!!!

[Jmcameron87]

I set up a 15 foot/42 Inch Intex above ground pool on Wednesday.
To begin I added Canadian Tire Aquarius Shock treatment.

Thursday:
Tested water with the following results:

Parameters	Value	Recommended
Total Alkalinity	240 ppm	80 - 120 ppm
pH	8.4	7.2 - 7.8
Free Chlorine	5 ppm	1 - 3 ppm
Stabilizer	0 ppm	30 - 100 ppm

Using test sticks, does not show a reading for stabilizer?!?!? Perhaps I am better off purchasing other type of water test.
Step 1 - Your Total Alkalinity level is high:
Use 2.8 KG of AQUARIUS PH REDUCER. It will prevent scaling of your pool surface and equipment and increase bather comfort.
Step 2 - Your Stabilizer level is low:
Use 436 g of AQUARIUS POOL WATER STABILIZER. It will prevent sanitizer loss.

These results recommended that I use pH Reducer and Water Stabilizer
This evening I added 1.4 kg of PH Reducer. (Will retest tomorrow and add the other 1.4 kg recommended)

I have not added the chlorine pucks as of yet as I was told to balance pH/Alkalinity first. Once this is done, I believe 1 puck per week should be enough.
Do I wait till my "Free Chlorine" is lower?

Also what about CYA?

Am I on the right path?
I appreciate your help!

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

We do not recommend the use of test strips at all. Best location for them is the trash
I would also recommend you stop following advice you are getting from the pool store and let us help you.

IMO, it is more important to get CYA in the water to protect the chlorine from the sun than it is to worry about the TA.
But, you should try to lower the pH also.

I also caution you about the use of pucks as they do a lot of different things to the water. The worst being build up of the CYA. But since you have a short season and likely are planing to take the pool down for winter, you may be able to get by.

A good test kit and some learning about the chemistry will afford you a much better chance at a trouble free summer in the pool.