Buying new AGP today after months of research

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MrBfromNC

MrBfromNC

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May 23, 2018
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Fuquay-Varina, NC
Just wanted to say hello. This is my first post but I've been reading and re-reading Pool School for a week now and I am about to go pick up my new Swim'n Play Serenade 24' pool this afternoon. County permit should be granted sometime next week and then I've got installers scheduled for first week of June.

I'm a little bit nervous since I've never tackled anything pool related in my life but I think with all the info available here, I'll be able to "fake it until I make it". Got three grandkids who will really love playing in my backyard oasis when I can get the water balanced and healthy. (And my wife has been dreaming about having a back yard pool for the past 10-15 years so I certainly can't let her dream look all greenish or cloudy!!)

Wish me luck, y'all.
 
Welcome to the forum!

If you can get your money back on the Nature2 mineral thing do it! You will NOT want to use that device.

Order your test kit now. We recommend the TF100 from TFTestkits.net or a Taylor K2006C. The TF100 is the best value for the residential pool owner.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the welcome mknauss. I just ordered the K2006C kit off Amazon yesterday so I should have it by the time the pool is installed. And yes, I've seen lots and lots of negative comments about all mineral systems. I really didn't know about the copper stains and green hair issues when my pool lady recommended it. She said "use less chlorine" and my head said "cheaper maintenance each month" instead of "Hey, chlorine pools have been around since my momma's momma was a little girl and they are all safe." I'll ask about returning it but even if I can't... $160 is not the biggest mistake I've ever made.
 
MrBfromNC said:
Whew!! Thankfully, I was able to return my foolish initial purchase of the Nature2 express system when I picked up my new pool yesterday.
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Good!

Welcome to TFP! Read pool school, specifically the ABCs. This will give you a head start once you start to manage your water after fill up.

I remember moving into this house 8 years ago after having a pool for many years and staring at a hillside. My husband didn't want a pool because he never had one and for 3 years I thought about how I would slay the hill. The summer I installed the pool, I was blessed with a granddaughter (she's our one and only to this day) and she loves our pool! We have made many memories here and you will do the same with yours! Just make sure you prevent unnecessary access when the pool isn't in use to protect them.

Congratulations on your purchase of your pool. You will love It! Again... welcome!
 
Thanks the warm welcome, Casey.

I've read through the ABC page 3-4 times now and have been taking lots of notes. So far all I've purchased for the water is the Taylor K2006C test kit, liquid chlorine from Wally World and the 4# CYA stabilizer bottle. But yes, I'm planning on building a deck around 1/2 of the AGP with that white fencing around the rest of the pool. And the deck will have railings installed to prevent access along with a self-closing gate (latch will be 48" above the decking as well). My 2nd oldest grandchild is only 2 so he is the one I worry about the most around that much water.

To begin with, I called my county public utilities dept. yesterday and they said to fill up my 13K pool with water from the garden hose it would only cost about $100 on my next water bill. I've seen those water filter attachments you can use with a garden hose but they don't seem to be made for somewhat large sized pools like mine will be. I thought I'd test my tap water when the test kit arrives in the next couple of days, just to see what I'll be starting with. I'm sure I'll have some newbie questions for folks here but I'll try my best to read through the past several years worth of posts here before asking something too common. LOL
 
City water will be fine straight from the hose. If your on a well, it would introduce iron to the pool.
 
MrBfromNC You said "I thought I'd test my tap water when the test kit arrives in the next couple of days, just to see what I'll be starting with." I like you!! That is something we usually have to suggest to new folks. I would say that you are heading in the right direction for sure!

- - - Updated - - -

Be sure to post the numbers you get from your tap water and the folks here will most likely have some things to note about it.
 

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cfherrman said:
Could, not would

Op, looking great on the right track! Do you have a water softener or are they needed in your area?
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thanks cfherrman. We don't have a house installed water softener but I'm not 100% sure how to find out how hard the water is. I'm on the county water supply (not my own well). Don't remember anyone in my neighborhood talking about needing one either. Hmmmmm.
 
Sounds like you're off to a great start.

Testing the fill water will give you some practice. Don't waste reagents testing for CYA. You won't have any. DO test for CC... some water systems use chloramines in the tap water to prevent pipe corrosion. It's good to know so that if you someday add a lot of water and see a bunch of CC you don't panic.

It will also tell you if you need to hunt for a good source of Borax and baking soda or a good source of acid, mostly. If you have high TA and high CH, it means hard water which means acid. If it shows low CH, be happy. You don't need it with a vinyl pool, but if some smokin' deal comes along on Cal-hypo, or a neighbor is moving and offers you half a dozen bags for free, you'll get to use them.

Trust me, once you start doing, what I just typed will make sense. A whole lot of this stuff makes a whole lot more sense once you've got your mitts on it.

Ideally, your installer will just install the pool and drop the hose in to fill it, leaving the chemistry all to you. If that happens, you will know there has been no unnecessary magic potions added. No algaecides, no copper, no nothing that will throw off your test results.
 
Richard320 said:
Sounds like you're off to a great start.

Ideally, your installer will just install the pool and drop the hose in to fill it, leaving the chemistry all to you. If that happens, you will know there has been no unnecessary magic potions added. No algaecides, no copper, no nothing that will throw off your test results.
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Thanks Richard. It's funny that you mentioned that. My installer asked us if we'd like to schedule a local contractor who would be willing to sell us a tanker full of water for like.... $250. I said no thanks. So they said they would simply add 1 inch of water to hold the liner in place and leave the rest up to me. After reading the ABC's here in the Pool School, I thought I'd better stick with my own tap water (which is a known quality to begin with) and go from there.

I mean honestly, I don't know what would be in that water they would bring out to me. I'd rather take 10 or 20 or 30 hours and fill it myself and KNOW exactly what the water consists of. I'm not in a big hurry to swim on the very first day it's put together. I'm in a hurry to make it healthy and look good. LOL
 
Hooray! My Taylor test kit arrived yesterday. So after reading the instructions on the inside of the lid and getting thoroughly confused, I watched some videos on YouTube and got a little better idea how to perform the tests. I ran a few on my tap water so I'll know what I'm going to start with when I fill my pool next week. Here are my results:

FC = 1.4
CC = forgot to test
CH = 70
pH = 7.8
TA = 60
CYA = not tested

As far as I can tell, I'll need to add a little baking soda and lots of CYA (slightly over 4 lbs). I think the pH and calcium levels look pretty decent. What do y'all think?
 
MrBfromNC said:
Hooray! My Taylor test kit arrived yesterday. So after reading the instructions on the inside of the lid and getting thoroughly confused, I watched some videos on YouTube and got a little better idea how to perform the tests. I ran a few on my tap water so I'll know what I'm going to start with when I fill my pool next week. Here are my results:

FC = 1.4
CC = forgot to test
CH = 70
pH = 7.8
TA = 60
CYA = not tested

As far as I can tell, I'll need to add a little baking soda and lots of CYA (slightly over 4 lbs). I think the pH and calcium levels look pretty decent. What do y'all think?
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CYA is a given. So is chlorine. By the time the pool is filled, pH may have climbed a little, so have some acid on hand to lower it. TA is at the low end of normal, but since you have no plaster to etch, who cares? Use the money to buy some pool noodles or squirt guns or beer. Low CH is no problem, either, unless you get a lot of foaming on the surface near the returns and it bothers you. It'll slowly climb over the summer anyway as water evaporates leaving the CH behind.
 
Richard320 said:
CYA is a given. So is chlorine. By the time the pool is filled, pH may have climbed a little, so have some acid on hand to lower it. TA is at the low end of normal, but since you have no plaster to etch, who cares? Use the money to buy some pool noodles or squirt guns or beer. Low CH is no problem, either, unless you get a lot of foaming on the surface near the returns and it bothers you. It'll slowly climb over the summer anyway as water evaporates leaving the CH behind.
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Richard, you said the magic word..... BEER.


cfherrman said:
See what the pH does before buying baking soda
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cfherrman said:
Plan on a gallon to 1.5 gallon a week on bleach
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Roger, Roger on the baking soda. thanks CF. And I already bought four gallons of 10% at Wally World in the pool section. Two gallons for $7 ain't too bad, is it?

​
 
cfherrman said:
Use the clorine calculator in PoolMath or I use one one the internet.

At my Walmart the cleaning bleach 6% at $1.77 is the best price but your lugging almost twice as much jugs.

Whatever you buy make sure it's fresh
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Yes, I've been practicing using the PoolMath web page here. It's a little confusing at first, but I'm getting the hang of it.

And I've been reading more on buying bleach for good prices and came across the info on using the date codes on the bottles. So, as I understand it, the code will be something like 18141 which means it was created on the 141st day of 2018. So if I bought that today, it would only be 10 days old. Do I have that about right?
 

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