New Pool Owner

[Marissa]

Hi All. I just got my pool this year. I've had some issues with Algae and found this site through google. My brain is about to explode with all the pool knowledge I have gained in the last day reading through everything. I'm not sure how I managed to keep my pool in decent condition in the last 5 months!

I have been doing the pool maintenance myself and going to Leslies to get my water tested in between my crappy test kit (I now know!). I will be ordering a better test kit immediately.

 

[BoDarville]

Marissa:

Welcome to TFP!

I will be ordering a better test kit immediately.

Great first move!

Here's the key to sparkling water and avoiding a majority of problems that plague most pool owners: Understanding the chlorine /CYA relationship. The CYA level is something every pool owner must know in order to determine the proper chlorine (FC) level. CYA (a.k.a., stabilizer) is needed to help protect chlorine from being consumed too quickly by sunlight. However, too much CYA can cause problems. The higher the CYA level, the more chlorine is needed to provide proper sanitation. See the Chlorine CYA Chart. Chlorine gets used up as part of doing its job sanitizing your pool. Therefore, chlorine must be replenished regularly (usually daily during the swim season). However, CYA does not get "used up"; it accumulates. This is why we recommend either plain unscented liquid bleach or a salt water generator (SWG) for the chlorine source. Both add chlorine without adding CYA. If additional CYA is needed, it can be added separately by using a product that is commonly sold as "Stabilizer".

I would suggest reading all of the Pool School articles, but would start with these to give you a good foundation: ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry, and Recommended Pool Chemicals.

 

[257WbyMag]

Welcome to TFP!

Getting yourself a proper test kit is the single best thing that you can do to prevent problems with your pool water in the future. I would suggest a TF-100 from tftestkits.net.