Need Help/Advice...

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twiles

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Jul 8, 2012
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Hello all,

I am new to the forum (kinda)....been snooping around and reading off and on for a year or so. However this is my first post.

About 6 weeks ago I purchased a 30' diameter 4' deep in-ground pool from Medallion Pools in Virgina. I have been busy installing it with help of my 9 and 10 year boys. It has been a fun project so far. I have the pool up and it is being topped off with water as I type (need another 2 or 3 inches and it will be full. For filtration I am using an annode, Pentair SD40 Sand filter and Pentair SWG.

I am filling the pool with well water that definitely has rust in it. So the water is brown and I have add a 32oz bottle (16oz per 10000 gallons of water) of the stuff that causes it to fall to the bottom of the pool. I calculated my water volume to be roughly 21,100 gallons. I have not started the pump yet nor have I put any salt in the water. Also, the SWG is not electrically hooked up yet (that happens Monday).

I received test strips from the pool company that check Total Hardness, pH, Alkalinity, Total Chlorine, Bromine/Free Chlorine. I have ordered a test kit from TFTestkits.net based on the advice from this forum. Hopefully it will be here this week (I should have ordered it sooner). Anyway, being brand new to the pool ownership business I am not sure how to proceed from here.

Should I
1. Back wash the filter first to remove any construction debris in the plumbing?
2. Should I vacuum the rust particles off the pool floor first?
3. I have taken some initial readings using the strips and here is what I can see: TH around 250, pH around 7.4, Alkalinity around 240, Chlorine is obviously zero.
4. Do I shock it? If so how do I do this (chemicals, quantity, etc.)?
5. I guess ultimately I am not sure how or where to start meaning what chemicals to add, steps to take, etc.

Chemicals - I have another bottle of the stuff that causes the rust to fall to the bottom of the pool, a bottle of Stabilizer, and a bottle of pH down.
Pool Location - Northern Indiana
Temp - around 85 degrees (guessing) still have to get therm.

I know all of you get asked the same questions all the time so I apologize if there are duplicates in my post.

I will post some pics soon....

I appreciate any help or guidance that you can provide.


Thanks,

Twiles
 
Welcome to TFP Twiles. :wave:

1. If you can't skim it by hand or similar, vacuum it to waste. You don't want junk on the wrong side of your filter.
2. Yes, if you can do it without getting that "debris" you mention. That is kind of vague honestly. What is this debris?
3. They cannot be trusted. Please get a good test kit. It is essential.
4. You can use the Pool calculator to make dosage additions. You need some Chlorine and the stabilizer in your pool. We like to use bleach for the long term. The Pool Calculator will tell you how much to add. If you have questions, ask before you add.
5. Go to Pool School. Start with the ABC's of pool chemistry. Understanding this stuff is our main philosophy, and you won't have success without the knowledge.

Don't use the pH down just yet. Hopefully your pH really is 7.4. Once more...you need a good kit to know for sure. All the Pool School and test kit info is in my sig line. Click the links and start reading as much as you can absorb. Come back and ask questions as you need too. I guess you have Iron in your fill water? There will be others along to weigh in on that better than I can.
 
Welcome to TFP.

You've gotten off to a good start already. You need to add about 2 ppm of FC in there each day until you get things going. That's about 2 quarts of 8.25% bleach.

I would go ahead and backwash the filter. Vacuuming to waste uses a lot of water so you may not want to do that considering your water source.

You're pool is actually about 19,000 gallons.
Once you've backwashed the sand then vacuum and add more of the metal rid stuff and vacuum again if needed.
I wouldn't shock it right now just add some bleach every evening.

Wait until you get the good test kit and have a good set of test results before doing anything else.

One more thing, once you get the pump running you can go ahead and add the salt. Wait 24 hours before turning on the swg after adding it.
 
Your going to need to get some stabilizer in there. You should have a CYA level of 70-80 ppm for your SWG. You could add enough to get to 30-40 ppm then when your kit comes and your ready with the SWG bring it the rest of the way up. Take a look at this. pool-school/salt_water_chlorine_generators

The pool calc will tell you how much stabilizer to add. Put it in a sock and hang it in front of the return. Run your pump until it is all dissolved. It will take up to week to fully register on a test. It will also lower your PH a bit.
 
Bama-Rambler, Brushpup,

Thanks for the quick help and response. I forgot to mention that the pool is a vinyl liner pool and the pump is a Pentair Dynamo 1 HP pump.

So, let me re-state your instructions and make sure I have it right:

1. So I need to add 2 quarts of bleach (8.25%) daily. At what point do I stop adding the bleach?
2. Back wash the filter. How long does this take?
3. Vacuum
4. Add GLB Sequa-sol (protects against stains, rust)
5. Vacuum again if needed
6. Receive test kit (hopefully by Tuesday) test and provide results on this forum
7. Add salt wait 24hrs and start SWG.

Is this correct? As far as bleach goes, can I buy this off the store shelves or is it a specialty item to get from pool store?

Guys I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate the help you are providing me. It is interesting how I have contacted several pool stores here in the local area and the moment they figure out I didn't buy my pool from them their attitude changes and they become less helpful more difficult. So, again I appreciate your help tremendously!

I have been reading the various topics on the site and continue to learn. However, sometimes things just do not come together for you as you read it forcing you to ask questions. I appreciate your patience with me.

Twiles
 
Sure thing. The Bleach you want is plain unscented bleach. I don't know where you are, but walmart is usually pretty good on price and freshness. Don't buy "Easy Pour" or "Outdoor" stuff either. Go where it sells the fastest, stay out of the dollar stores for it. Add it until you get your kit.

Also, if you don't have the salt yet, walmart also has that. Buy the one that says SOLAR salt. It's a buck or so cheaper per bag than the "Pool Salt" one. It is absolutely as good, and as pure, so don't let anyone try to fool you on that one.

You backwash until it is clear in the sight glass or coming out the end of the hose.
 
Hey guys,

Again, I want to thank all of you for your advice! I spent the weekend working mainly on running the electric from the house to the pool. This was quite the job as I am sure all of you know. I have the pump running temporarily off of a drop cord until the Electrician makes the connections to the house and pump (only going to run it for 6 to 8hrs daily). I have been putting 2 qt's of bleach in daily now since yesterday and I added the last bottle of sequa-sol to protect against rust stains. I have yet to vacuum the pool due to being a little tired... :wink:
I did locate a basic test kit that checks Chlorine, Bromine and Alkalinity. The kit contains the double water vials with color samples on each side and has Orthotolidine and Phenol Red. Using 5 drops of each I got the following results: the Chlorine 1.5, Bromine 3.0 (using conversion chart), pH 7.8. So I will let you guys weigh in on those numbers because for now there not Greek to me but their close....

I appreciate all the help you guys are providing.

Twiles
 

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duraleigh,

Understand! I am going through that entire section multiple times if needed.

Bama Rambler,

I have the CYA. What is the correct method for adding it to the pool? Should I go ahead and add it even though the SWG is not hooked up yet?


Twiles
 
With or without the SWG, you want some CYA in the water. Add the recommended amount for non-SWG pools now since your SWG is not hooked up yet - 30-50 ppm.

If you have the granular form of CYA, put it in a sock, and hang it in front of one of the water returns/jets in the pool. It will take about a week to dissolve. You can help it along by squeezing the sock when you're by the pool. If you have liquid CYA, pour it slowly in front of the return. Either way, add enough to get to around 40 ppm for now. Use the pool calculator link to see how much is needed for this.

After the SWG is hooked up, you'll want to add more CYA--enough to get you up to 70-80 ppm total.
 
Good afternoon guys,

Well today I left work at 11:00am and spent the day hooking up the electric (pump, swg, lights, switches, etc.). I now have power! :whoot:

So, I have added 9 bags of salt, adding CYA via sock in front of the return method, running the pump, and have not turned on the SWG yet.

I have also received the super test TF-100 from the site suggested on this forum.

So, what should I do next?
1. Should I go ahead and test the water? If so, which test should I do? All of them or only certain ones?
2. Any additional chemicals I should add?

Thanks for all the help!

Twiles
 
Smykowski,

Just finished the testing.

Ph 7.8-8.2
FAS/DPD=0 no chlorine (added salt but have not turned on SWG yet)
Sod Chl = 2400
TA = 370
CH = 360

Let me know what you think. I am still adding CYA.

Twiles
 
First things first, bring your chlorine level up using PLAIN bleach. No splash proof, lavender scented, etc. You need to have the FC up before you fire up the SWG.

What is the required range for salt for your system? 2400 seems a little low. But, you can let the SWG tell you if salt is low if you want.

That's a really high TA. I would lower your pH to 7.2 right away using muriatic acid.
 
Just a quick update:

Ph 7.8-8.2 NOW 7.8 continuing to add pH down to bring down.
FAS/DPD=0 no chlorine (added salt but have not turned on SWG yet)
Sod Chl = 2400 Now 3000 thinking about adding one more bag of salt....according to pool calculator
TA = 370
CH = 360

Planning on picking up some more bleach tomorrow to help chlorine level up.

Please let me know if I should be doing anything additional.

Thanks for all your help!

Twiles
 

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