New pool, new test results

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pleasekeepmypoolclean

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Jul 27, 2007
17
Inman, SC
I'm just getting started with my new pool, since it was just filled. Have so far just added some bleach, baking soda, and stabilzer last night and vacuumed real good. Pump run all night and this is my test results this morning. What do you think? Am I on the right track? Also, I have a cartridge filter and am unsure about how and how often to clean it; and how long to run it everyday! Any tips would be appreciated. Here's my numbers.

CL 5.0
Ph 7.6
Alk 70
Br 11
Hardness 100
Stabilizer 30

16X32X4.5 rectangular, vinyl, inground
 
pleasekeepmypoolclean said:
I'm just getting started with my new pool, since it was just filled. Have so far just added some bleach, baking soda, and stabilzer last night and vacuumed real good. Pump run all night and this is my test results this morning. What do you think? Am I on the right track? Also, I have a cartridge filter and am unsure about how and how often to clean it; and how long to run it everyday! Any tips would be appreciated. Here's my numbers.

CL 5.0
Ph 7.6
Alk 70
Br 11
Hardness 100
Stabilizer 30

16X32X4.5 rectangular, vinyl, inground
Click to expand...

Looks real good. Did you check for combined chlorine (CC)? Don't worry about bromine since you are using chlorine (I assume you are using a DPD test that checks both simultaneously). How does the water look?

I can't help on the cartridge filter questions, I'm a sand man. It may take some time to determine how long you need to filter each day to keep the water clean and clear. I would start by running it 8 hrs a day.
 
Typical pump run times are between eight and twelve hours a day, though some setups require more or less than that. I would try 10 hours a day and if after a week the water still looks great then lower the run time a little and if instead it gets worse then raise the run time a little.

Your numbers look good. CYA (stabalizer) can take up to a week to disolve, so CYA will come up some more over the next several days. Also, Br normally stands for bromine. Since you are using chlorine instead of bromine as a sanitizer the bromine reading isn't useful (it is just detecting the chlorine).

Take a look at the pressure gague on the filter and note the current reading. When it reads 8 to 10 psi higher than that clean the cartridge (at least once a year in any case). A quick cleaning can be done by simply spraying the cartridge with a garden hose. A more complete cleaning involves spraying the cartridge off as normal, then soaking the cartridge overnight in one cup of automatic dishwasher detergent (not dish soap) and lots of water (enough water to cover the cartridge) and then spraying it off with a garden hose again. Many people like to have two cartridges so a clean one can be put right in while you clean the dirty one for next time.
 
Thanks. No CC and the water is sparkling clear this morning. What do you suggest I keep the chlorine level at consitently and what would be "shock" level? Oh, my new system doesn't have a pressure guage as my previously owned sand filter did, so that's one reason I was unsure of when to clean it.
 
pleasekeepmypoolclean said:
Thanks. No CC and the water is sparkling clear this morning. What do you suggest I keep the chlorine level at consitently and what would be "shock" level? Oh, my new system doesn't have a pressure guage as my previously owned sand filter did, so that's one reason I was unsure of when to clean it.
Click to expand...

Maintaining a free chlorine of 11.5% of the cya should keep green algae away. As far as shock level, it depends on what you are shocking for. Green algae shock to 40% of the cya level, yellow algae shock to 60% of the cya level. For CC, shock to 10x the CC (for example if you had 4.0 free chlorine and 1.0 CC, add 10 ppm free chlorine to the existing free chlorine, for a total of 14.0 free chlorine). Your filter should have a 1/4" pipe thread for a gauge somewhere. Maybe it's plugged with a pipe plug?
 
For CYA between 30 and 50 maintain FC at or above 3 at all times, perhaps add to 6 or 7 so it is still above 3 later, and shock to 15. Check in a week to be sure your CYA level didn't go above 50.

Without a gague it can be a little tricky. Does it have a place where you can add a gauge? If the water looks dull or cloudy and there isn't any other explanation, such as too low a FC level, then clean the filter. Over time you will get a sense of how frequently you need to clean the filter in various seasons.
 
Without a pressure gauge, about all you can do is check your return flow back to the pool. With a clean filter, you should get a good strong flow out of the return, and as the filter gets dirtier and dirtier, the flow will be reduced. I've got a cartridge filter as well and mine has a gauge that I've had to change twice already, so I pretty much just check my return flow along with a cursory check of the gauge.
 

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