Starting up new vinyl pool with pond water & swcg...

[chatcher]

Ok, I am still digging, so this is a question for "a few weeks" from now.

My vinyl pool will hold about 25,500 gallons, plus about 300 for a spillover spa. Once filled and balanced, I'll be using an Aqualogic system to maintain the chlorine level. The best source of water for filling will be a pond near the pool. I plan to pump the pond water through the sand filter (maybe with a little DE added) while filling to remove as much of the suspended solids as I can.

Since the pond water undoubtedly contains some algae, I want to treat it as soon as I get it into the pool. I know the Aqualogic won't be of any use at this point, the pond water will have zero CYA, and I'll most likely be filling on a hot, sunny day. My question is what is the most efficient way to get the new water under control and avoid unnecessary problems and wasted chemicals?

My pool kit came with an inline chlorinator for use with trichlor which I originally did not plan to use. I could use it with trichlor until the chlorine and CYA levels are where they need to be. Or I could try to dissolve the amount of CYA I need as quickly as possible right off the bat and use bleach to get the chlorine level up. I'll test the pond water before filling to get an idea of just what it will need for ph and alkalinity. Also, I can't think of any reason not to add the salt for the swcg right from the start.

I had a vinyl pool at a previous house and made all the possible mistakes with it. This time I want to be smarter, and starting from scratch with a new pool I have no excuses for not getting it right.

 

[JasonLion]

I would do it all right at the start. Put a couple of pucks in the chlorinator, add bleach, and add CYA. You are going to need to bring it up to shock levels as soon as you have the circulation pump running and several jugs of bleach are the best way to get there. Then you are going to want to hold it at shock levels for a couple of days. Having a couple of pucks in will help with that, particularly with the solar losses before the CYA level comes up, though you are also going to need to be adding plenty of bleach regularly right at first. Meanwhile you also want to get your CYA level up. It is best to do that in stages, so add perhaps half of the CYA you will need in a sock hung near a return. The pucks will supplement that and give you an easy way to ease it up to the right CYA level in a couple of weeks. Once the CYA level is stable where you want it you can stop the pucks and save the in-line chlorinator for vacations or other special needs.

 

[duraleigh]

Chatcher,

I have filled my pool from the pond twice. It's very doable but requires some slightly different methods from normal pool maintenance. Since they are not applicable to the vast majority on the forum, if you will PM me with your phone # (or I'll send you mine) I will be able to discuss them at length with you.

 

[Rob]

I'm not an expert, and don't know the details of your exact situation, but why not just use water from the hose?

You may have other reasons I'm not aware of, but if cost is one, you'll probably end up spending more on the chemicals are going to have to dump in to keep things under control then water.

 

[duraleigh]

I'm not an expert, and don't know the details of your exact situation, but why not just use water from the hose?

You may have other reasons I'm not aware of, but if cost is one, you'll probably end up spending more on the chemicals are going to have to dump in to keep things under control then water.

Rob,

Chatcher may have other reasons, but, in my case, my well produces 2gpm in this incrredibly compact North Carolina soil. Filling my 43,000 gallon pool would've taken .........well, you do the math....weeks!!

Additonally, well water is infamous for iron content.... a huge issue if you can avoid it. My pond contained none....don't know about other ponds.

Chemical cost? It's just a matter of bleach and lots of it. Oh yeah, and some electricity to keep that filter going.

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

Filling my 43,000 gallon pool would've taken .........well, you do the math....

14.93 days, assuming no drop in pressure and filling 24/7! yikes!!

 

[haze]

Filling my 43,000 gallon pool would've taken .........well, you do the math....

14.93 days, assuming no drop in pressure and filling 24/7! yikes!!

Plus Dave not showering for 15 days------Double Yikes !! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[ktdave]

No clean dishes.... no toilets flushing.....OK, this is getting down right disgusting!

 

[chatcher]

We do have a well, and while I don't know exactly how many gpm it can sustain, I have run it dry a few times and that necessitates crawling under the house with water jugs to prime the pump. I have a submersible pump I could drop into the well (which is only a few feet away from the pool location) but still if the well is pumped dry the house jet pump will probably lose prime. City water (and fire hydrants) have finally reached us and are at the curb, but as long as the well produces good water we don't plan to tap on.

Our pond is about 3/4 acre and 18 feet deep. The pond water is nothing to be afraid of - basically rain, storm runoff, and a few underground springs. If not so cold we wouldn't need a pool for swimming. It was recently drained and cleaned (40 years of muck and silt had more than half filled it), as a matter of fact it isn't yet full but should be by the time the pool is finished. The fish (and turtles) were removed for the cleaning, so there isn't much nutrition for algae in the water right now. I don't anticipate treating the pond water will cost me any more than any other kind of water.

I'm sure I could make a deal with one of the nearby town fire departments to fill the pool from a hydrant but honestly just don't think it's necessary. The city water is not without its problems anyway.

 

[haze]

My community gets its water out of a river, cleans it and sends it to my house, It flowed out my faucet and filled my pool. I then got to pay for it on my quarterly water bill !!!

You will basically be doing the same, but at cost.