New pool owner, still confused on getting started....

[Nubster]

Pool is up and filled and pump is running. It's an Intex 15 foot 48" deep round pool holding approximately 4400 gallons of city water. Tested the water and came up with this:

FC - 0
pH - 7.8
TA - 120
TH - 200
CYA - 0

So from what I gather these numbers are ok. Now my first question is, do I need to shock the pool or just add chlorine to the target FC level? Chemicals I have on hand are:

hth Super Select Shock = 56.44% Calcium Hypochlorite

and

hth Super 3" chlorinating tablets = 93.6% Trichloro-s-Triazinetrione
3.5% Zinc sulfate monohydrate

I bought those before finding this site. I've decided to return the tablets and use bleach for my chlorine source along with a stabilizer. I guess my second question is, should I go ahead and use the shock this evening (if I need to shock initially) and return the tablets tomorrow and get the bleach and stabilizer for tomorrow or when needed or just wait, return it all and get bleach and stabilizer tomorrow and start the process tomorrow?

 

[tado921]

Well...I hesitate to post this but...since you have no FC, no CYA, and pH just a bit high it might not be a bad idea to use the tri-chlor pucks to get started. They will add FC and CYA, plus they are acidic and will lower the pH somewhat as well. Monitor it closely and they can get you lined up for the switch to bleach.

How are you testing the water, and how does it look?

Also, standard stuff: Order a test kit, read Pool School, then read it again.

EDIT: I will leave the original post for clarity. Ignore what I posted, I didn't catch this part: 3.5% Zinc sulfate monohydrate

Don't want that in the pool. Take it all back, get the bleach and stabilizer as you planned. Test kit, pool school, etc.

 

[Richard320]

I actually agree with this ^^^

You have the stuff, and you need the side effects, so use it. Just keep count of how many pucks you use so you can estimate the CYA level. Fill up a floater with pucks and hop in. :splash:

 

[Kristap178]

I'm a newbie but had the same question. You do not need to slam the pool on initial fill. get the stabilizer and bleach in. Don't forget to order your test kit

 

[Charlie_R]

Those particular trichlor pucks wouldn't be that great an idea, because of the zinc sulfate monohydrate.

Get your bleach in asap, dosing according to this chart.

Use PoolMath linked at the top of this page for the appropriate amount. While you are there, check also for the needed amount of stabilizer (CYA) to bring that up to 30.

In Pool School, the beast place to start reading is http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/123-abc-of-pool-water-chemistry to get a basic understanding of what is needed to keep your pool clean and safe.

 

[Nubster]

Thanks. Yeah, I've been reading the Pool School over and over but still wasn't certain about the initial SLAM/Shock which is sounds like I don't need. Water right now is clear and beautiful...just begging to be swam in. Kids are also drooling but I've not given in to the temptation because I figure it will just lead to problems.

So I do have bleach at the house. I should go ahead and add that this evening even without the stabilizer? Just to keep things clean and sanitized? I'll get more bleach tomorrow and some stabilizer and dose to appropriate levels for both. The pool has been filled since yesterday evening. Started running the pump late this morning to get the water circulating.

I'm using a 6 way test strip at the moment for water testing which I'm sure isn't the best, most accurate method. They didn't have anything else at the store (Walmart) when we were buying the other stuff so I figured it would get us started until a better kit could be obtained.

 

[jblizzle]

Yup. Put about 2ppm of FC in the water now and swim. Then recheck and add more bleach tonight. Then get the CYA up.

BUT ... we do not trust test strips at all. You need to get a drop based kit. Ideally one of the Recommended Test Kits.

 

[tado921]

If it were me, I would add enough bleach to hit about 2-4ppm FC and go for it.

EDIT: Make it 1-2ppm as stated below.

 

[jblizzle]

4ppm is too high with no CYA in the water. 1-2ppm is a good range, but without the CYA it will drop quickly due to the sun.

 

[Nubster]

Well...dosed to 2ppm per the calculator and the kids had a blast for the short time they were in the water. It was getting late and the water was pretty chilly so they didn't last too long. I'll be getting stabilizer and more bleach tomorrow so I can get it setup properly.