New start up....and I am drowning!!!

[mrwerk]

Hi

I am a newbie. Just turned the filter on 2 days ago.....

We have a SWG but our contractor doesn't want to start it up before the concrete deck is on...???? I don't see a problem but he is fearful that the salt will interact with the concrete...???

So we are starting with chlorine. He handed me a bottle of test strips, a bucket of dichlor and along with 9lbs of pH upper( sodium carbonate) and alk increaser(soduim hydroxide carbonate).

We added 3 cups of chlorine and 2 lbs of upper.

FC=5
Alk=80
pH=6.2

What else should I be adding? I have been reading pool school and it seems to me that I should worried about my CYA.....????

I presume that I will need to get these values stable before we start the SWG?

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! Your TA (alk) is fine where it is. You need to increase the pH to 7.5. I would advise you to purchase a high quality test kit such as a Taylor K2006 or a TF 100. Test strips are notoriously inaccurate and list too wide a range as "acceptable" without taking other chemical levels into account.

You do need to add CYA/stabilizer to your pool. For pools with SWG we recommend 70ppm of CYA. You will add some CYA using the dichlor, but it takes about 5-7 days to show up on the test. To avoid raising the CYA too high we recommend liquid chlorine, either from the pool store or plain unscented bleach from the grocery store.

You can use the Pool calculator to determine how much of each chemical you need to add for your pool.

 

[mrwerk]

You don't think I should be worried about the pH???

 

[fast1971chevelle]

You need to raise your pH to around 7.5 using team mule 20 borax which can be found at wally world in the same aisle as the bleach you will need.also while your there pick up a couple bottles of stabilizer(cya) use the pool calculator to determine the dosage. I would adjust pH first and a half hour later add enough bleach to get to 2 ppm and add enough cya in a tube sock and suspend it in the water in front of the return jet and squeeze it from time to time to help it dissolve( by no means throw it into the pool or pour into the skimmer as instruction will tell you to do) also do not let the sock lay against the side of the pool as this can possibly discolor the liner

 

[zea3]

You don't think I should be worried about the pH???

Hi, welcome to TFP! Your TA (alk) is fine where it is. You need to increase the pH to 7.5. I would advise you to purchase a high quality test kit such as a Taylor K2006 or a TF 100. Test strips are notoriously inaccurate and list too wide a range as "acceptable" without taking other chemical levels into account.

You do need to add CYA/stabilizer to your pool. For pools with SWG we recommend 70ppm of CYA. You will add some CYA using the dichlor, but it takes about 5-7 days to show up on the test. To avoid raising the CYA too high we recommend liquid chlorine, either from the pool store or plain unscented bleach from the grocery store.

You can use the Pool calculator to determine how much of each chemical you need to add for your pool.

Yes

 

[mrwerk]

Sooo....

What levels should be my priority? Or is the rule of thumb to work on all of them at once. I guess I feel funny adding all this stuff to the pool at once. Or is it best to add about 1 hr apart???

I am adding borax tomorrow to get the pH up and also the dichlor for my FC. Hopefully that will get my TA up and then iN a few days I will test CYA.

?????

 

[zea3]

Always fix the pH first, then tackle the rest. You should keep the pump running and wait about an hour between adjusting each chemical.

 

[mrwerk]

Ok...thanks!!

I read that the dichlor lowers the pH level. Would it be best to add some dichlor and bleach to get my FC leveled out while trying to raise my pH?

The calculator says to add 16lbs of soda ash since I have to raise pH and TA. so, I will add all of my buffer and then add the ash.

 

[duraleigh]

I see no real point in raising your pH only to lower it again with dichlor. I would suggest you....

1. raise your pH as suggested using 20 mule team borax

2. Add enough CYA in your pool to get to 60 ppm.

3. Add enough liquid chlorine into your pool to get to about 4-6ppm and then keep it there until you bring your SWG online.

read "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School. Then, adjust your chemistry one parameter at a time. dichlor seems counterproductive in a pool with pH too low.

 

[Butterfly]

The calculator says to add 16lbs of soda ash since I have to raise pH and TA. so, I will add all of my buffer and then add the ash.

Just to be clear, your TA is just fine and you do not need to do anything with it!

Follow the advice given above and your pool will be fine :-D

Welcome to the forum