New Pool - what supplies are recommended?

[shuye]

New pool owner - we filled the pool and started it up on 8/24. I have been reading this forum for several weeks and am ready to start the BBB method on our new pool.

1. The PB recommends pucks and a weekly shock - his suggestion is to keep the chlorine around 2-3 with the pucks and then the weekly shock to keep the pool clean. He has mentioned CYA and not wanting it to get too high or i would get "chlorine lock" where the chlorine would no longer be effective and then needing to drain and replace the water (at least he is somewhat informed about high CYA and I guess is referring to chlorine lock as the need for higher and higher ppm of FC before it is effective)

I plan on using liquid chlorine and keeping the pucks as a backup in case we are gone for a few days or on vacation.

As of right now, my main function has been to brush the pool and monitor the pH and lower it with MA as needed to keep it around 7.2

I have a TF-100 test kit and did my first test last night - I don't have all the numbers in front of me but these are close:

FC: 2
CC: 1
pH: 7.5
CH: around 170
CYA: less than 50 (water was cloudy but could still see the black dot with a full tube)
TA: around 80-90 (quesiton, when testing for TA, do you stop when the sample turns and stays pink or add another drop or two until it is a darker shade?)

The quesitons I have right now:

1. What supplies do you recommend besides the chemicals? I have the TF-100 test kit and stirrer. Should I get a measuring cup for the chloring and acid, or get separate ones? Should they be glass / plastic / does it matter?

Any other supplies recommended?

2. I need my CYA to increase, should I add some stablizer now or keep using the pucks and let it gradually go up from there?

I'm sure I'll have more questions in the future - this site has been a great help so far. I will post pictures of our build when I get back to the house.

Thanks,

Steve

 

[krazykrames]

I'm sure more experienced people will chime in with specifics, but, one thing to consider is any kind of warranty the PB has and will doing something different than his recommendation affect that warranty?

 

[ping]

1. Get yourself a plastic measuring cup, you don't want glass around the pool in case of breakage. You only need one measuring cup and just wash it out with pool water after using it. I have a 4 cup size and it works perfect. What type of pool cleaner do you have? In about a month you should start using some type of cleaner.

2. It is a lot easier to add a known amount of CYA at one time and then using liquid chlorine than calculating how much CYA was added with each puck. Either way will work, it is up to you to decide which way is easier for you. When my pool builder started my pool he gave us granular chlorine and I followed his advise. I didn't want to do anything different than what he suggested for the first month, as I didn't want them to give any reason not to honor the warranty.

Your CYA is <20 if you can still see the black dot when the tube if full of water.

 

[jblizzle]

I assume you meant that the CYA is below 20ppm (not 50ppm). If you have the pucks you can continue to use them, but they are going to raise the CYA pretty slowly (I would certainly keep track of exactly how many you use and what the affect of the CYA should be).

Of course the simpler solution would be to just raise the CYA and start using liquid (although the pucks are also helping the pH not to rise as quickly).

If you are pretty confident in tracking your water, either method is fine (as long as the FC stays high enough with just the pucks ... or supplement with bleach).

Regarding the measuring cups ... some people use them (usually smaller pools) and other just estimate and pour directly from the jugs into the pool. It is not an exact science and handling the MA as little as possible helps avoid spills. Glass is not really ever a good idea around the pool, so I would stick with plastic if you get one.

 

[jrichv]

I have a 32ounce (4cup) glass measuring cup, and a 5gallon plastic bucket. I do not meticulously measure the liquid chlorine, and always err on the side of a little bit more than what the calculator calls for... I just dump it in the bucket, which (to me) makes it easier to distribute around the pool. Then I wash out the bucket using water from the attached hot tub, and leave 1-2 gallons of water in it if I need to add MA (about a half hour after I add the bleach). I do meticulously measure the MA, and stay in a wind-friendly position to do so. Then I distribute the diluted MA+water around the pool - and again rinse the bucket in the hot tub. I store the measuring cup in the 5gal bucket, both inside a large plastic storage chest (got it at Lowe's) on my patio, which also holds my vacuum head and hose, and whale-wall brush.

That works for my setup - you'll find your own pattern and develop good habits soon enough.

 

[jblizzle]

Just a note that we generally recommend slowly pour the bleach and acid in front of a return jet in the deep end to ensure it mixes into the bulk of the water and does not end up pooling on the pool surface. I suppose if it is sufficiently mixed in 5 gallons and distributed around the pool the likelihood of a problem is low ... but that sounds like more work to me

 

[shuye]

Thanks for the responses so far. I was planning on following the PB recommendataions for the frist month and then completely switch. We have been using pucks (about 10 so far in the chlorinator) and have only been using them for 4-5 days at this point so I know that is why my CYA is low. From the calculator, it seems that each 7oz puck will raise my CYA by 1.5, so I have a ways to go. I think I will just stick with this for now and add additional liquid chlorine as needed in the evenings.

I have been adding the MA in front of the return jets so I will do the same with the chlorine.

Thanks.

 

[jrichv]

Just a note that we generally recommend slowly pour the bleach and acid in front of a return jet in the deep end to ensure it mixes into the bulk of the water and does not end up pooling on the pool surface. I suppose if it is sufficiently mixed in 5 gallons and distributed around the pool the likelihood of a problem is low ... but that sounds like more work to me

Let me clarify a few things:

1) I have 6 returns - I distribute bleach and MA "around the pool" in front of those returns.
2) I only put in chemicals when the pump is running, and I keep it on for a couple of hours or so.
3) If you knew me, you would know that I am against any and all forms of pool upkeep that are remotely resembling "more work" :lol:

An old professor once taught me that if you want to find the fastest/simplest way to do a task, get a lazy man to do it for you.

 

[duraleigh]

Nice work, shuye,

You have caught on to this stuff very quickly. Be careful, you may come down with an affliction called sparklypooltis. I think our moderator, Butterfly, may have first discovered the illness first but I can't remember.

Practically hundreds of members on this forum have it (posting pictures of a crystal clear pool is a symptom.....vacuuming the entire pool when a gnat fell in is another) and, as far as I know, there is no cure.