New at this - Pool Calculator?

[AprilNC]

I'm new at this and working on getting our 1st pool set up. I am trying to get an idea of how much chlorine and stabilizer I need to have on hand for the initial fill up of the pool. We are planning on filling up with our well so the start levels of free chlorine and stabilizer are 0. I tested our water just to confirm that. The gallons of water are going to be approximately 12000-13000 and the pool calculator is telling me to add about 72oz of 8.25% bleach ... that just doesn't sound right??!!

It told me to add 48oz of stabilizer ... which sounds like a reasonable number although a friend that has used this BBB method told me that might be a lot to start out with and to only add half, wait a week and then add more if needed.

It is an above ground pool 16x32 oval 48" high (not sure of the top water level yet, but thinking 42") ... sand filter, and I am in central NC.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

I think you are using the calculator correctly. Only, I would not target 4ppm. You should only initially add about 2ppm of FC to the pool until the CYA is in the water and dissolved, then you should raise the FC up a little higher.

3 pounds (48 oz) of stabilizer will put you up around 30ppm which is a good initial dose. Once that is in the water and dissolving, then you want to keep the FC above 2ppm and likely need to target 4-5ppm each day.

 

[AprilNC]

Ok - I'll keep it lower and check often.

My next question is about shocking ... do I need to shock initially? Or if I keep up the numbers right it is ok? I will need to raise the ph a bit as it is only reading about 6.8 now

This is all a bit overwhelming at first!

 

[Richard320]

If you have hard water - high TA, say 200ish - just aerating it, perhaps just hanging the hose so it splashes the surface rather than underwater where it's quieter, should raise pH for you. There's also nothing to stop you from suspending the sock full of CYA of a floating toy as soon as the water's deep enough so it bobs around and starts dissolving right away.

 

[AprilNC]

The test showed that we didn't have very hard water - it showed between 100-250 - but maybe I shouldn't start raising the ph until I get the pool full. I did plan on starting to add some CYA as it filled since it is going to be in full sun most of the time - and since I am starting out with none.

I'm ready to be swimming! This project has been going on for far too long!

 

[Richard320]

The test showed that we didn't have very hard water - it showed between 100-250 - but maybe I shouldn't start raising the ph until I get the pool full. I did plan on starting to add some CYA as it filled since it is going to be in full sun most of the time - and since I am starting out with none.

I'm ready to be swimming! This project has been going on for far too long!

That looks like test strip results

 

[AprilNC]

Sorry - I just wrote down the numbers from the - what we need to help you - section and the TH number wasn't on that list ... and my memory isn't so good lately LOL!

I'll retest again when I start filling as until then I'm just in "preparation" mode. I was just reading about iron in water ... and I know we have high iron levels in our water. We do have water filtration that filters out the water, but I'm not sure how that works with the outside spigot that we will fill the pool with. Having water trucked in is probably not an option ... since my hubby is feeling like he is already spending too much money on this ... and we still need to build a deck ... I'm hoping that being able to cool off in the pool while he is building a deck will open the wallet a bit LOL!

I will be prepared for some green tint ... and look for some metal stuff in the pool section at walmart ... is that the best course of action? any brand that is better than others?

 

[harleysilo]

Don't buy anything until you need it, you may not have an issue.

 

[AprilNC]

ok - I will hold off on that

Now that I think of it I am pretty sure the spigot is filtered water as the filter connects to the house where the well line enters the house and all of the other plumbing branches off after that. I will pick up another water filter though and change that before we fill the pool up. Try to filter out the iron before it hits the pool. The whole house filter seems to do a good job for the rest of the house.

 

[AprilNC]

I think I am finally absorbing all of this information ... and getting much less nervous about filling the pool and the chemicals. Hopefully, if all goes smoothly we will start filling on Friday ... I've got some sheet metal work to do today.

My last question - just to confirm that I am understanding this all correctly is this ... I understand that CYA doesn't always register on tests immediately, and can take up to a week before it shows up on the test. However, if I am using the sock method the CYA should start working as soon as it is dissolved. So once it is dissolved I need to keep a close eye on the FC levels and if that is still going down a lot then I need to start the shock process ...

Am I understanding that all correctly?

I probably need to start brushing the steps and wiping down every thing with bleach before they go into the pool also!

 

[JasonLion]

Yep, that sounds more or less right.

Always give CYA the full week after adding before testing again, regardless of what the sock does or does not do. You can start behaving as if the CYA is in the water 24 hours after you add it.

There is no reason to suspect that you will need to shock after filling. If you are losing chlorine overnight, then you need to shock, but that is not likely to happen right after filling.