Green....around the ears that is....

[mriche]

Just purchased my first above ground 16X24 oval pool. We put it semi-inground and are living with a muddy mess at the moment, but that's another story.
The water is one week old. Looks pretty clear. My husband and I have to laugh as neither of us have a clue as to what we're doing. It's like an I love Lucy show. At least we have a sense of humor.
Need some help. Why and when does one need to backwash. What's that all about. I did not see this topic listed in the Pool School. Could use a bit of advise especially since when we turn the sand filter on, it shoots a good 3-5 seconds of dirt into the pool, then clears.

The lovely lady at the pool store who sold us the pool and a ton of "stuff" told me today after I brought it a water sample, that I need to add the following:
Step 1: sprinkle 10 lbs of alkalinity up around the pool= seems like a lot. My level read 40
Step 2: sprinkle 1 lb of power powder plus (shock) arond the pool 4 hrs later
Step 3: Pour 1 gallon of "liquid conditioner" into the skimmer
Day 2: sprinkle 12 lbs of hardness plus into the pool


This seems like an awful lot of chems to add, doesn't it?

Just so you now... my pH is currently 7.2
Calcium Harness 100

 

[DaveNJ]

Welcome to TFP. You have come the right place. There are allot of knowledgeable people here to help you. Filter cleaning is done when the pressure increases from what the normal clean filter pressure reads, or you notice its not cleaning as well as usual. A full set of water test numbers would help. Might I suggest a good water test kit, and test the water yourself. You will stay ahead of any potential problems and have a beautiful clear pool. Testing the water yourself puts you in control.

 

[JasonLion]

You should do some reading in Pool School.

I would add about half that amount of alkalinity up for now (which is the same as baking soda by the way).

The liquid conditioner is probably a good idea, though the solid kind is less than half the price. One way or another you need some conditioner/stabilizer/CYA in the water.

You should be adding chlorine to the pool every day one way or another. I recommend bleach, but for now you can probably use what you have.

I would avoid the hardness plus, see if you can return it.

Having your own top quality test kit will save you money in the long run and free you from the pool store. I suggest a kit from TF Test Kits, see the link in my signature. The Taylor K-2006 is also good.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

All good advice from the experts here....I have nothing to add except to say Welcome

 

[cubbybeave08]

All good advice from the experts here....I have nothing to add except to say Welcome

I will say that I would agree with Jason...you can always add more if the numbers don't come up the way they should but if you add too much then you end up adding more chemicals to the pool...do all adding in moderation...you can always add more...If you go too high, you could end up draining half of the pool and adding more water...especially if you put in too much conditioner, or any of the other stuff. Work up to the proper numbers, and then you won't want to pull your hair out later when you are trying to work your way backwards from amounts that are too high...