vinyl liner replacement: when to add what?

[iam4iam]

My pool is currently about 1/4 to 1/3 full after replacing liner. Here are readings on fill water:

FC: 1
CC: 0 (which I assumed, but measured anyway; anything else would have been disturbing!)
pH: 7.3
TA: 60
CH: 100-200?*

Also possibly pertinent is that I have an SWG, but I'm assuming I'll be using bleach until the salt level is adequate for running it. When can/should I add the main things I know I'm going to need--bleach, salt, and CYA? I assume I can't add CYA until pool is filled enough to circulate the water, or can I disperse it out on the surface of the water sooner? My pool gets 12+ hours of sun, so I'd like to get it in ASAP. Can I reach over the sides and add small doses of bleach? Will it be zapped almost immediately by the sun rendering it worthless since I have no CYA, rendering it worthless and therefore a waste of good bleach? Am I worrying too much? (I'm guessing the answer to the last question is yes.)

*The CH test is very "hard" to perform, in my opinion! One drop never makes a dramatic color change. I have copper plumbing, so I tried again with the "add 2 drops of R-0012 before adding R-0011L, but that didn't seem to make a difference. The sample cleared from red in <10 drops. It then just gradually blued. I continued to 40 drops, thinking maybe there would be a dramatic change to darker blue (similar to my experience with the TA test, which seems to be gradual at first and then BOOM, you finally get a distinct red), but it was still a "clear blue" after 40 drops! I then searched TFP and found extended test kit directions. I tried the 10/3/multiply by 25, figuring that making each drop "more significant" might make the color change more dramatic, but I'm still not sure. I suppose it is not a huge issue anyway, since I don't have a plaster pool.

 

[Richard320]

You are correct that low CH isn't a problem with a vinyl pool. High CH can be, so you should at least know the CH. Run the test with 10 ml water, do the R-0012 first, then 10 drops R-0010, and 5 drops of R-0011. It makes the color deeper and easier to see. Then run the test normally.

As far as order of operations, your pH looks good now, but once the water starts circulating, it might change. With fresh tap water and zero CYA, I'd add 2 ppm FC right off the bat, as soon as the pool is full and the pump is running. Then fumble around with CYA and the sock. Target 40 or so. You can always add more if you're low, but removing excess is a PITA. When the pump's been on half an hour, recheck pH and TA and adjust pH if needed. That's it. Grit your teeth and jump in. :splash:

Add 2 FC every day until the CYA is dissolved. Then assume you're at your target CYA and maintain the right FC level for that. Check CYA in a week and fine tune CYA level and minimum FC level then.

 

[iam4iam]

It turns out I was not using the correct volume in my sample. I was using 25 ml (as per instructions that came with test kit), which calls for 20/5/x10 drops of the reagents, respectively, for the modified 10/3/x25 instructions, which calls for a 10 ml sample instead of 25 ml! When I redid the test correctly, the "more significant" x25 drops did, in fact turn out to be more significant. The third drop made a distinct color change, so I know I'm good with CH<100!

As for adding stuff, it sounds like I just wait until pool is full and proceed normally, taking into account that my initial CYA is 0. I'm just a little OCD, and thanks to TFP, since my initial SLAM (not called that back then) in 2012, my water has always been pristine except immediately after a heavy bather load. Ironically, I've put up with a liner that was separated in one corner for 3 years and separated in all 4 corners last year, which I remedied using a variety of on hand materials, from a kitchen trash bag to an arm floaty! I guess I've always (until I got a brand new liner, at least) been more obsessive about the appearance of the water than the pool structure itself!

 

[pooldv]

Here are some helpful links on water balance and how to add chemicals that should help. Congrats on the new liner!

Here are the Recommended Levels for your pool.
Here is the Water Balance for your SWCG pool.
Use PoolMath to figure out how much to add.

 

[iam4iam]

Thanks! Those links are the reason my pool has been clear for 3 years!

 

[pooldv]

right on!