We are having a new above ground pool installed this weekend and I want to be proactive on buying the chemicals we will need. We already purchased the Tf-100 test kit so we are set there. The pool is a 27' 54" above ground pool with a 250lb sand filter. We will be filling it with city water (haven't tested it yet). It will probably take 3-8 days after pool installation before we can get the electricity run for the pump/filter. We definitely want to use the BBB method. How much bleach should we have on-hand to start? What other chemicals and how much should we buy? Thanks in advance!
New Pool - What chemicals to have on hand?
- Thread starter pmsmith2032
- Start date
We can't give you a complete list until you have water test results. But to start off with I would get at least 10 ppm of chlorine (about three gallons) and some CYA/stabilizer. Beyond that, it all depends on what your fill water numbers are.
A lot depends on the individual pool, size, location (if it gets direct sun light, etc), region of the country (acidity of dust that may blow into pool varies), mineral content of the fill water, etc. In some areas the pool pH will drift up so fast that it requires quarts or perhaps even gallons of muriatic acid added every week, others like mine may require maybe only a quart or so per year, yet others the pH may even drift down and need raised through assorted methods. There is also the question of pool construction, for examples plaster pools have different demands than vinyl pools one of which has to do with minimum safe calcium hardness which does not apply to vinyl or fiberglass pools. If you can tell us a bit more about your pool, type size, location, etc. as well as provide us with some numbers from your fill water we can be of more help, but in the end it is a matter of trail and error.
Ike
Ike
You don't need to test for CYA or FC. There will not be any CYA in city water, the FC you see will disappear pretty quick. And while the CH won't matter for your pool, if it is high you will probably not want to use cal-hypo for chlorine regularly. So do test for TA and pH, but pH may change after a day as the water gives up its carbon dioxide so test that again in a day or two.
Without electricity, you will need to stir the pool frequently to keep it circulated. Either drop the kids in daily for several hours or use a Wall Whale brush to mix it all up. Or both.
I suggest shopping around, by phone if you can, to find out where you want to buy your chemicals once you know what you need. You will need CYA and around here we typically suggest to get it separately, so try local pool stores and Walmart and maybe Sam's club. You will also need chlorine which can be separate or combined with other stuff, so try those places again for that as bleach and as liquid Pool Shock.
You may need muriatic acid so price that at all the above places, plus hardware stores. You may need baking soda so price that at Walmart. I like to keep some dry pool shock (cal-hypo) on hand for emergencies since it keeps better than liquid bleach does, so price a small bucket of that. Even if you CH is high you can get a great FC value from a small amount of that and it is good to have on hand for an emergency; someone barfs in the pool and you need to get FC up really high, really fast and don't have enough bleach on hand, cal-hypo can buy you the time to go shopping for bleach the next day.
Without electricity, you will need to stir the pool frequently to keep it circulated. Either drop the kids in daily for several hours or use a Wall Whale brush to mix it all up. Or both.
I suggest shopping around, by phone if you can, to find out where you want to buy your chemicals once you know what you need. You will need CYA and around here we typically suggest to get it separately, so try local pool stores and Walmart and maybe Sam's club. You will also need chlorine which can be separate or combined with other stuff, so try those places again for that as bleach and as liquid Pool Shock.
You may need muriatic acid so price that at all the above places, plus hardware stores. You may need baking soda so price that at Walmart. I like to keep some dry pool shock (cal-hypo) on hand for emergencies since it keeps better than liquid bleach does, so price a small bucket of that. Even if you CH is high you can get a great FC value from a small amount of that and it is good to have on hand for an emergency; someone barfs in the pool and you need to get FC up really high, really fast and don't have enough bleach on hand, cal-hypo can buy you the time to go shopping for bleach the next day.
I suggest you stock up on Ethanol.
Cans are safer than glass bottles around the pool, by the way.
Cans are safer than glass bottles around the pool, by the way.
