Wanting to start off right, please help?

[NewPoolGirl80]

Hi! This site has been an awesome resource, but I am having a case of information overload, and want to start off right, to prevent water issues in the future. This will be the first time I have ever done pool maintenance myself. My 4 year old son, Water Baby III (I am Water Baby Jr) is counting on me to get it done NOW!

I am going to list some info first, then ask questions. I originally was going to do do sand pump and saltwater, so did lots of research on that, but am NOW just going cheap. I think I am confused on some stuff.

A. My main concern is comfort and safety. I am not so concerned about the pool itself, as it was cheap and plan to up size in 2-3 years, bases on my my sons height and swimming abilities. I specifically went with this pool because it was the largest surface area I could find where my son could still touch bottom (36" max water depth).

B. Current stage of construction the frame is up and reasonably level with liner attatched. We filled a good portion of the water, but don't have the pump attatched and water depth up that high yet anyway.

C. What I have on hand - 6 way test strips (includes test for CYA), 6 gallons of Liquid Chlorine, 4 or 5 pounds of Stabilizer (CYA stuff). I hope my husband bought the thermometer, but I know the water is COLD right now.

D. What I intend to buy off amazon (although I have questions) - Intex Deluxe pool cleaning kit, solar cover, ladder mounted foot bath and the Intex skimmer.

E. The pool location is in our large backyard, with closets trees more than 100 feet away. I expect little leave litter, moderate to severe bug litter and direct sunlight from approx 9a-6pm (9 hours).

F. Both my son and I are extremely fair skinned, so we will have to use lots of sunscreen if I cannot figure out some shade. I don't know if this affects anything.

G. I have played with the poolmath calculator quite a bit, so I am comfortable figuring the amounts of the chemicals.

H. I will have the pump attatched and ready to go by early afternoon.

I. We are filling with city water which is good overall, might be on the hard side.

Whew... Deep breath... ok, questions.

1. What the heck do I do now?!?

For example, do I fill the rest of the way, get the pump running, let it run for 24 hours, then test the water?

Do I forgo testing and put chemicals in as soon as I get the water level right and pump running?

Do I put the CYA in and get it to the correct level before adding chlorine in? Can I do the casting method, or do I have to do the sock thing?

I suspect the PH level will be on the higher side (7.8). I have been playing with the test strips on our old pool with no pump. Does this make a bit difference. I haven't bought the muriatic acid yet.

A do this first, then this, then this list of instructions would be GREATLY appreciated!

2. Does anyone know if I can fill this frameset pool to only 30" or 32" safely? At 36", my just turned 4 son, water baby III, would barely be able to stand on tip toe and breathe. I would adjust my chemical amounts accordingly.

3. I plan to buy a solar cover ASAP. Although my son would swim no matter how cold it was, I cannot spend 2-3 hours in a 70 degree pool. Can I just buy the $30 Intex cover and be good, or do I really need a better, more expensive one?

4. Since I plan to keep the solar cover on the pool at all times when we are not swimming, is it worth it to buy the skimmer? I know that a skimmer is good for a pool, but it seems like it wouldn't work with the solar cover on.

Finnally...

5. During this whole setting up and balancing chemicals process, when is it safe and not safe to swim? If Water Baby the III has to wait a week to get in, his heart will be broken. He is beside himself with excitement.

I can do a test strip and hopefully get a temp reading in the AM and post that info if needed.

Sorry for the novel, but I figured too much info was better than not enough!

Thank you in advance!

 

[DeanP66]

I'll try to answer some of the questions relating to the chemicals. I'll leave the rest to others with more knowledge about the equipment.

I would not use those test strips. Test strips are very unreliable at best, and the ranges aren't precise enough. They will cause you nothing but frustration. If you don't want to get one of the 2 recommended quality test kits (TF-100 or Taylor K2006C), you would be better off getting a cheap HTH 6 way drop test kit from Walmart or Amazon. Here's the link:

https://www.amazon.com/HTH-Pool-Test-Kit-6-Way/dp/B01JLY4KEM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527495000&sr=8-1&keywords=hth+6+way+test+kit

I would get your stabilizer dissolving in a sock right away as you're filling up the pool. Turn on the pump and start circulating the water once the water level is above any returns or skimmer openings. Once it's filled get your FC up to recommended levels with liquid chlorine using pool math.

Check your pH and lower it with muriatic acid if needed. 7.4 - 7.6 is a good range to be in.

 

[domct203]

Welcome to the forum!

With a small ‘seasonal’ pool, You can go about this two ways.

You can invest in a proper test kit, and completely test and manage the water. While the cost of a proper test kit may seem a bit expensive at first, it will pay for itself in the long run. A proper FAS/DPD test kit will help you maintain a sanitary pool following the TFP methods, but will also allow you to complete a SLAM Process if the pool should develop algae and not require a drain and refill.

You could treat the pool as a seasonal/temporary pool and follow our guide on that. If the pool should develop algae you would just drain and start over.

Pool School - Guide for Seasonal/Temporary Pools

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi NewPoolGirl,
I dont know much about AGP's, but I'll try to help with what I can.

Hi! This site has been an awesome resource, but I am having a case of information overload, and want to start off right, to prevent water issues in the future. This will be the first time I have ever done pool maintenance myself. My 4 year old son, Water Baby III (I am Water Baby Jr) is counting on me to get it done NOW!

I am going to list some info first, then ask questions. I originally was going to do do sand pump and saltwater, so did lots of research on that, but am NOW just going cheap. I think I am confused on some stuff.

A. My main concern is comfort and safety. I am not so concerned about the pool itself, as it was cheap and plan to up size in 2-3 years, bases on my my sons height and swimming abilities. I specifically went with this pool because it was the largest surface area I could find where my son could still touch bottom (36" max water depth).

B. Current stage of construction the frame is up and reasonably level with liner attatched. We filled a good portion of the water, but don't have the pump attatched and water depth up that high yet anyway. You should get your pump installed and ready asap, as soon as the water is high enough, you will want to start circulating.

C. What I have on hand - 6 way test strips (includes test for CYA), 6 gallons of Liquid Chlorine, 4 or 5 pounds of Stabilizer (CYA stuff). I hope my husband bought the thermometer, but I know the water is COLD right now. The test strips are not very accuracte. Age and humidity where the are stored effect them and them and they are basically not very accurate anyway. A TF100 or Taylor K2006 are good kits and can measure FC above 5, and measure for CC. The strips cannot.

D. What I intend to buy off amazon (although I have questions) - Intex Deluxe pool cleaning kit, solar cover, ladder mounted foot bath and the Intex skimmer.

E. The pool location is in our large backyard, with closets trees more than 100 feet away. I expect little leave litter, moderate to severe bug litter and direct sunlight from approx 9a-6pm (9 hours).

F. Both my son and I are extremely fair skinned, so we will have to use lots of sunscreen if I cannot figure out some shade. I don't know if this affects anything.

G. I have played with the poolmath calculator quite a bit, so I am comfortable figuring the amounts of the chemicals. excellent!

H. I will have the pump attatched and ready to go by early afternoon. awesome!

I. We are filling with city water which is good overall, might be on the hard side. Its ok if its a little on the hard side. A vinyl pool really doesn't care what the harnedss is.

Whew... Deep breath... ok, questions.

1. What the heck do I do now?!?
1. Determine the volume of your pool.
2. Get the pump running.
3. Get some CYA and also some plain unscented, regular old bleach, or some liquid pool shock. And get some Muriatic Acid
4. Order a TFP recommended Test Kit. It will be invaluable in keeping your pool algae free, and sanitary, so its safe for you and your son to actually swim in.
5. Use Pool Math and determine how much CYA to add to the water to get you to a level of 30. Then put CYA in a sock and add it to the pool.
6. When the CYA is in the sock and in the water, consider the level to be 30 and dont worry about it.
7. COnsidering a CYA level of 30, Use Pool Math and determine how much bleach you need to get your FC to a level of 5 to 7, then add it. - Note. The pump must be running when you add chemicals.

For example, do I fill the rest of the way, get the pump running, let it run for 24 hours, then test the water? Your water level needs to be high enough so the pump can circulate the water. This should go without saying. Start the pump as soon as you can so it can start filtering dirt and whatever might get in the pool. You only need to wait about 30 minutes after adding any chemical to test, or to swim in the pool.

Do I forgo testing and put chemicals in as soon as I get the water level right and pump running? Yes. Since CYA is not naturally existing in nature, then know there is not any in the municipal water. The CYA level is 0, so no need to test upon filling. Municipal water does have FC but its a very small amount. Just consider it to be 0 also.

Do I put the CYA in and get it to the correct level before adding chlorine in? No. PUt it in and consider the level to be whatever level your Target CYA is, for example 30. Can I do the casting method, or do I have to do the sock thing? CYA is a light acid. Casting it will probably discolor the bottom of your pool liner and it will be unattractive. PUtting it in a sock eliminates the liner discoloration risk, plus, you can squeeze the sock periodically helping the CYA to dissolve quicker than it would if you were to cast it

I suspect the PH level will be on the higher side (7.8). I have been playing with the test strips on our old pool with no pump. Does this make a bit difference. I haven't bought the muriatic acid yet. You should have some MA on hand in case you need to lower the pH of the new water.

A do this first, then this, then this list of instructions would be GREATLY appreciated! see 1 - 7 above

2. Does anyone know if I can fill this frameset pool to only 30" or 32" safely? At 36", my just turned 4 son, water baby III, would barely be able to stand on tip toe and breathe. I would adjust my chemical amounts accordingly. not sure. Maybe someone else can answer this.

3. I plan to buy a solar cover ASAP. Although my son would swim no matter how cold it was, I cannot spend 2-3 hours in a 70 degree pool. Can I just buy the $30 Intex cover and be good, or do I really need a better, more expensive one? as the old saying goes, you pretty much get what you pay for.

4. Since I plan to keep the solar cover on the pool at all times when we are not swimming, is it worth it to buy the skimmer? I know that a skimmer is good for a pool, but it seems like it wouldn't work with the solar cover on. I dont know how clean the pool can be without a skimmer. Im sure lots of others here who do, so will let them comment.

Finnally...

5. During this whole setting up and balancing chemicals process, when is it safe and not safe to swim? If Water Baby the III has to wait a week to get in, his heart will be broken. He is beside himself with excitement.
its not safe to swim when you have no idea of what the chemical levels really are. Thus the reason for a very good test kit. Consider it a must have safety tool. Other 'not safe to swim ideas'.
1. You cannot see the bottom of the pool due to dirty water, algae, or any other reason.
2. If the FC is more than 40% of the CYA level.
3. if there is any fecal incident in the pool - if this happens, bring FC to SLAM Level and wait a couple of hours.
4. the pH is well above 8.2

I can do a test strip and hopefully get a temp reading in the AM and post that info if needed. Ok.

Sorry for the novel, but I figured too much info was better than not enough!

If you havent done so already, you really need to read pool school. Also, if you havent found these yet, here are a couple of links which will help you.
Pool School - Recommended Levels
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart



Thank you in advance!