Brand New 18' x 48" Intex Ultra Frame

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clayallen17

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Jul 2, 2013
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Just set up a brand new Intex Ultra Frame 18' x 48" AG pool w/ fresh fill 2 days ago (roughly 6500 gal). Tested fill water using a hth 6-way test kit from wal-mart and got the following results:

pH: 8
FC: 0
TA: 270
CH: 0
CYA: 0

So... based on what I read in pool school and calculated in the pool calculator(I'll admit I may have skimmed too quickly), I know that I need to lower my pH, lower my TA, increase everything else. On first night, I added 8oz of 31.45% muriatic acid, which would lower pH to ~7.8. After running pump for about an hour, I also added ~12oz of dichloro powder, hoping to lower my pH some more while increasing TC and CYA. On second night (no new test), I added another ~12 oz of dichloro powder (with the intention of doing this for 4 nights as recommended in the temporary pool section of pool school). Today (3rd day) I tested everything again and got the following:

pH: 7.8
FC: 0.5-1
TA: 200
CH: 0
CYA: 0

Am I approaching this wrong? Should I focus on lowering pH to ~7 with muriatic acid FIRST before trying to get my CYA/TC up?

I should probably mention that the water was a little murky (local water) before adding anything; it is currently crystal clear blue but has a pungent chemical smell.
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!! :wave:

With the low CYA, the FC will be lost to the sun quickly.

The 12oz of dichlor would have added 7.7ppm of FC and 7ppm of CYA ... doing this twice now would only have raised the CYA up to 14ppm which is still below the minimum of the test.

The pH is fine for now continue what you are doing for 2 more days and then you CYA should be measurable and then you can lower the pH some more if needed (the high TA is contributing to the pH not dropping very fast).

If you find the FC is near 0ppm, soon after adding the dichlor, use some bleach to keep the FC around 2ppm.
 
Ok thanks. Yeah I didn't think to realize the test only measures CYA down to 30 ppm. Also, I figured out the smell is actually from some of the reagents in the test kit itself and not my water.

So I'll keep adding the dichlor for 2 more days then use liquid chlorine once my CYA level is good. I have been running my pump for 8 hours after adding dichlor; will this be sufficient on a daily basis in the evening? Also, the return jet is pointed upwards and is breaking the level of the water, will this be sufficient aeration to eventually lower my TA level? Should I worry about CH last? What's the optimal CH level for this pool?
 
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