Here's my new (to me) AGP!!!! WHOO HOOO

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flyweed

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Bronze Supporter
Aug 3, 2009
524
SW Wisconsin
Well

after a few weeks of blood, sweat, a few tears and many cuss words, I finally have my pool installed, and almost full. I did not do the ground excavation and I had water trucked in..other than that, everything was assembled by me, my wife and two oldest boys (12 and 10)....I am very happy with our outcome..but what a TON of work!! Next spring we will be putting the deck on.

This is a 33 foot round and 52 inch deep. Yeah it's HUGE! I got a deal on it...it is a little over 2 years old, and I got the complete package for $600..which included pool, filter, pump, heater, covers, etc etc. It has all Stainless steel hardware, epoxy coated wall and rails, steel verticals, and a 10 inch top rail all the way around.

Here's some pics: :goodjob:
pool005.jpg

pool004.jpg

pool003.jpg


Now, my question is..now that it's got 46 inches of water in it...DO I test the water BEFORE I add any shock or pool start up chemicals? What do I need to test for if I should test prior to adding anything?

Thanks for looking.
Dan
 
Very nice!

First check your pH and adjust to 7.5-7.8. Here is a chart that give recommend levels for all pool/filter types.

Then get some chlorine in your pool, and start dissolving your CYA. Use Jason's calculator linked in my sig to get the proper amounts.

Also check TA and CH, but you can deal with those a little later!
 
Looks great! :goodjob:

I suggest you first test for pH & adjust to around 7.4 ish.[Edited for clarity: If TA is low, raise to about 60. If TA is high, ignore 'til later when you test your CH.]

Then add about 2ppm chlorine and enough CYA to get to 30 - 50. Maintain about 2ppm FC until 24 hrs. after your CYA has dissolved and then maintain FC levels based on your CYA level.



Edit: TMQ :thequeen: types faster than the Butterfly :mrgreen:
 
Ok,

I went out and did some tests...Now, I am still using my HTH 6 way test that I used on our little 16 foot intex pool, and am waiting for my T100 test kit to arrive.

Anyway, here are my readings:

Temp: 60F at 1:00 p.m.
pH: 7.4
TA: 300 ppm
CH: 380 ppm
TC: 0 ppm
CYA: 0 ppm

That was the test on the plain water in my new pool.....what would you guys advise.....again it's 33' round and the depth is 48 inches. That's about 25,700 gallons of water.

Dan
 
You can use the pool calculator to find out how much CYA and chlorine you need and add them to the water. Buy a little less CYA than it says you need. Easier to put more in that to get too much out! Put CYA in a sock and hang it in front of a return and leave it there till it all dissolves. Get enough bleach to bring the water to shock level. Pour bleach or liquid chlorine in front of a return with the pump running. Test for CYA in about a week, do an overnight test for chlorine to make sure you have less than 1ppm combined chlorine. Then test chlorine daily until you have a feel for how much chlorine your pool consumes on a daily basis.
 
I would love to use the pool calculator, but I don't know where to begin...I am horrible at math, and that page simple looks like a foreign language when I look at it. I've read the pool school info and been to the calculator several times, but I get frustrated and give up. I need a little "help".. :oops: :oops: :oops:

Dan
 
O.K. plugged in the numbers for you. The pool volume estimator at the bottom of the pool calculator said your pool was 28800 gallons so that is the number I used. The pool calculator has two columns for each tested value. The column on the left is called "Now". That is where you put the number you got from your most recent testing. "Target" is the column on the right. The target is calculated from the test values you put in the "Now" column and information you put in about the size of your pool.

O.K. so for your pool at 28800 gallons and no CYA you will need 1.9 96 oz jugs of 6% bleach to bring your FC to the upper end of your target (1-3). You will need 6.2 jugs of 6% bleach to bring your pool to 10 which is your current shock level.

You will need 9lbs 10oz of CYA to bring your CYA level to 40.

Your ph is fine. TA and CH are high but you don't need to deal with that right away since you have a vinyl liner.
You need chlorine and CYA as soon as possible. Go ahead and put 2 96 oz jugs in and get the stabilizer in as soon as you can. Once you add the stabilizer you should assume it is in the water and adjust your chlorine level accordingly.

Write down your test results and play with plugging them into the pool calculator. It does all the math for you. If you are not sure about the results post it here and someone will help you out. Good luck with the "new" pool, it looks great!
 
Welcome to TFP :wave:

You are about where I was with my fill water...high TA and high CH. Your CH of 380 is manageable though and with rain it will come down over time. The key is that you want to keep your PH below 7.8 or you could face possible calcium scaling/cloudiness issues.

I agree that you should get some chlorine in there and some CYA as well, but if you water is consistently at 60deg or lower, your not at a huge risk of an algae outbreak. Better be safe tahn sorry, but I also don't want you to panic. If it were 80+ deg outside and your water was warming up above 70 deg, I would say run and get some bleach, but for now just obey the speed limit :goodjob:

OK so the main problem you have with your fill water is the high TA, which will promote PH rise and with that increase the potential for calcium scaling given your higher CH level. Again, I was in a very similar situation and it can be managed. You will need to read the lowering your TA sticky in pool school and get yourself about 10 gallons of muratic acid and a few days of aeration (you can build your own out of pvc for about $5...just google aerator on the lower left corner of this forum) to lower from 300+ to below 100. Shoot for a TA of 80 and then you can easily adjust/fine tune from there.

Pool looks awesome :goodjob:
 
Nice job - if you can do that, then you can work the Pool Calc. :wink: You'll have to learn at some point...

Okay, go to the Pool Calc.

Enter the size (gallons) in the box where it say "size". 25,600

In the "now" column is where you put your current test results. The "target" column is your goal. So in the "now" you put 0 for FC, and in the "target" you put 2. Then it calculate.

In the very next box it says "Add" and an amount in ounces. You should see 106 ounces appear. Move your mouse over that amount and it converts it to quarts, cups etc., in the longer box immediately above it. In the boxes to the right, make sure you have the correct % of bleach selected, and the correct jug size (depends what you have on hand or plan to buy). You can change these amounts as needed. You don't need to shock it yet, just get enough in there to 2ppm. You'll have to test for this daily....

You can do the same thing for CYA. Enter 0 in the "now" and 30 in the "target". You should see 103 ounces appear in the box to the right....

Give it a try.

So get 2ppm of bleach in there, some CYA, get to lowering the TA before you close to avoid any scale issues developing over the winter. Then before you close you just raise it up to shock level with bleach. It's that simple.

If you need help with the Lowering TA issue just let us know.

The pump is running right? You need circulation to add these chems. :wink:
 

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HI all,

just to update you now since my last tests. I added 192oz of 6% bleach last night, and I added 9lbs 10oz of CYA in a large fine mesh bag hung in front of my return flow.

I retested a few numbers right now:

Temp: 63F
TC = 1
pH = 7.2
CH = 330ppm (down from 380 yesterday already!)
haven't checked CYA yet or TA again.

I also have a "movable" return flow outlet..and I aimed this upward, so right now I have a fountain splashing lots of water on my pool surface, aerating the water well.

Are these numbers looking better???? any insight from you guys would be great.

Dan
 
Pump up and running I assume (hope, so chemicals are getting mixed)?

Honestly, with 63 degree water and evening temps in the 50's, daytime highs in the 70's, with September sun angles, your aren't going to warm up anything too fast! So, you don't need to be worried about rapid algae growth. I'd just make sure the chemistry is swimmable for the brave ones (i.e., reasonable pH and FC that isn't too high re: CYA) and then get ready to close by cleaning, shocking (measure your CYA and check the chart for your shock level), draining below the return, and covering. For next year getting the TA down (SW Wisconsin = limestone; just like eastern Iowa) will take time (repeated MA applications and aeration). You can help yourself by trying to refill your pool from its winter closing levels with rainwater and snowmelt. After the threat of brutally cold weather passed I started pumping clean water off my cover into my pool as the snow melted and whenever it rained (just don't draw the cruddy bottom water off the cover; I used an inexpensive transfer pump with an intake hose I could position). Then after my pool was full (and TA was still higher than I liked) the spring/summer rains did the rest by dilution.
 
yes of course pump is running 24/7 right now and I have the return directed to created lots of bubbles and turbulence on top of the pool. I do have a heater but haven't even started it up yet, figure I'll just let it go for this season and get the heater set up and ready to go for next spring.

Dan
 
UPDATE:

Ok, it's been 5 days since I last tested my water parameters. Pump has been running continuous and I have been aerating the heck out of the water with the return shooting up out of the water.

my test findings today:

Temp: 69F
pH: 7.8
TC: 3ppm
TA: 230ppm (down from 300 ppm)
CH: 300ppm (down from 380ppm)
CYA: 80 ppm

Let me know thoughts, suggestions, etc. Thanks

Dan
 
TA is down 70 ppm...nice job :goodjob: Lower your PH to 7.0 and repeat the aeration...you may be able to spead up the process if you use a water fountain or a home built aerator...here is a link to what I used

http://s702.photobucket.com/albums/ww30/dmanb2b/?action=view&current=CopyofIMG_1066.jpg

parts needed

pvc glue
1.5 male threaded/1.5 female slip schedule 40 fiting
some 1.5" pvc pipe
one 45deg elbow (sch 40)
one 90deg elbow (sch 40)
and 1.5" end cap with a bunch of holes drilled through it...like a mini shower head
 
If you are going to close it soon, I really wouldn't worry about the CYA of 80ppm. I closed last year and lost all of my CYA of 40ppm. It may go down on it's own...

I'm sure others will chime in soon. I'm just giving my experience on the matter. :wink:
 
The only way to lower CYA is thru water replacement.

I agree with Casey. You will soon close and need to lower your water level.

You may also lose CYA over the winter.

Then when you open, you will be backwashing which will also lower the CYA level.

So, my suggestion is to ride it out.
 
flyweed said:
Ok

I'll lower my pH today...I figured it was getting a bit on the high end......also what about my CYA? at 80ppm.....should I try and get it down under 50? How do you lower CYA??

Dan
Click to expand...
Are you using a Salt water chlorine generator? Those usually can take around 60-70 CYA.
 

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