New Pool Questions

[LookBehindYou]

Good Morning Everyone!

So we finally decided to get a pool again (I was within minutes of getting one a month ago and started to panic when I realized my yard would be dug up a bit, so backed out). We are going to Watsons today to purchase a 24' agp. I know I am going to use the BBB method and will purchase a test kit today and start buying the bleach and stuff over the next week since it will be two weeks before they install the pool.

I will be reading and re-reading pool school over the next two weeks. I guess my first couple questions are:

1. After it's filled can we jump right in, or add chemicals, wait and then jump in? Just curious if we need to wait at all after it is filled. (We will be using city water out of the hose to fill).

2. How effective are solar covers? It seems they work but it is it worth it having to move that thing off all the time?

I'm sure I'll have many questions in the near future. This site is great by the way, have been lurking for a while as I have debated numerous times over getting a pool.

 

[ping]

Welcome to TFP LookBehindYou!

1. It depends on what the condition of the water that you are filling the pool with. You can use the pool calculator, http://www.poolcalculator.com/ to figure out how much of each chemical you will need to balance the pool. The CYA will be zero from the city, so you can add enough to bring the pool up to 30 ppm for that. Add it to a sock and hang it on a bleach bottle and let it float while the pool is filling up. Once you get the test kit you can run all the tests, except CYA, on the city water to give you an idea what the numbers will be.

2. Solar covers are very much worth it depending on your climate. The main thing they do is prevent heat loss overnight from evaporation. When I don't use mine overnight, I'm still losing about 5 degrees to only losing 1 or 2 degrees with the cover on. They only last about 2 years before they breakdown, so we recommend on getting the cheapest cover you can get.

 

[Richard320]

Good Morning Everyone!

So we finally decided to get a pool again (I was within minutes of getting one a month ago and started to panic when I realized my yard would be dug up a bit, so backed out). We are going to Watsons today to purchase a 24' agp. I know I am going to use the BBB method and will purchase a test kit today and start buying the bleach and stuff over the next week since it will be two weeks before they install the pool.

I will be reading and re-reading pool school over the next two weeks. I guess my first couple questions are:

1. After it's filled can we jump right in, or add chemicals, wait and then jump in? Just curious if we need to wait at all after it is filled. (We will be using city water out of the hose to fill).

2. How effective are solar covers? It seems they work but it is it worth it having to move that thing off all the time?

I'm sure I'll have many questions in the near future. This site is great by the way, have been lurking for a while as I have debated numerous times over getting a pool.

Seeing as you bathe in and drink the same water, you can get right in. I'm betting it will be too cold initially.

The CYA takes a while to dissolve, so you can actually get a head start on that while it's filling. You just don't want it sitting in one spot all the time. Once the thing is full and the filter is going, test pH and fix that so your eyes don't sting, add about 2 ppm chlorine half an hour after that, and you're started.

 

[LookBehindYou]

Thanks for the replies. We're about a week out from install, the pool was delivered last friday. My TF100 test kit arrived so I'm good with that now. Should I wait til it is filled before I start adding chlorine or do it little by little as its filling?

Thanks everyone for the replies, this site is great and I'm on about my 3rd read through of pool school.

 

[Charlie_R]

You can add while filling. Best to dilute in a bucket, as you won't have a lot of "buffer zone" of water in the liner. Using the pool calculator, you can figure your full pool amount then divide that into steps so you don't overchlorinate and risk fading your new liner.

 

[pwrstrk]

Congrats on your new pool !! Enjoy.

You can add chlorine while its filling if you would like.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.

 

[LookBehindYou]

Thanks for the info everyone. The pool goes up on Tuesday afternoon, the pool builder said they do two a day and I'm the second one for Tuesday, I am definitely looking forward to the challenge and fun!

I tested my water as practice and to see where I stand. These are the results:
FC 0
CC 0
pH 7.5
TA 70
CH did not test
CYA did not test

Going by the pool calculator, I figure I need to add 81 oz. of bleach (gradually as its filling?) to bring up the chlorine, 32 oz of baking soda to raise the TA to 80, and 72 oz of CYA to bring it to 40.

Hopefully this goes smoothly and I've done my homework.

 

[LookBehindYou]

One last thing, I have a four pound jug of CYA, should I try to put all that in one sock, or throw it in a couple socks and just leave them all as its filling or do it it little by little.

 

[Charlie_R]

You can use as many socks as you desire. It might even help to get it all dissolved faster.

 

[heavyweight_4u]

Congrats on your pool..... Mine installs Tuesday morning, we shall race to fill and add pics.

 

[jblizzle]

Don't bother adjusting the pH or the TA until the pool is completely full. That said, a TA of 70ppm is fine and not really in need of adjustment.

 

[LookBehindYou]

Don't bother adjusting the pH or the TA until the pool is completely full. That said, a TA of 70ppm is fine and not really in need of adjustment.

Awesome, I'll just add the socks of CYA when I start filling and gradually add in the chlorine while its filling and should be good from there.

 

[jblizzle]

Sounds like a plan

 

[LookBehindYou]

So the pool is filling as we speak! I threw two socks of cya in....and apparently one has a hole. I have cya granules on the bottom now. Is that a big deal or will they just dissolve?

 

[Richard320]

So the pool is filling as we speak! I threw two socks of cya in....and apparently one has a hole. I have cya granules on the bottom now. Is that a big deal or will they just dissolve?

Keep moving them around with a brush, or vacuum them up. They are a mild acid, and could damage the liner if they just sit in one spot until they dissolve completely.

 

[LookBehindYou]

Awesome, thanks for the help. I tell you what, I feel like a little kid on Christmas right now. My 9 year old keeps running in and out to "check on the pool", hopefully we'll be swimming tomorrow after football practice. Which, by the way, should we wait til the cya is dissolved or can we swim with those things floating around?

 

[techguy]

I say go lay on the floor of the pool and let it fill up around you.

It's water... its clean...it's fun. Splash each other. Break out the squirt guns!

be gentle... once you have a foot of water, the liner is not going anywhere.