Brand New Pool - No idea how to care for it...

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jonallen356

jonallen356

0
Oct 16, 2018
14
Salisbury, NC
We just bought a house with a pool. (Details are in the signature) I am going to buy one of the recommended test kits (TF-100 or Taylor) to see where we stand.

I read the Pool School eBook and understand the elements/terminology, I'm just not sure exactly how to put it all into action. Can someone please give me the right next steps to get the pool in shape? Start with a quality test once the kit arrives?

The other wild card here I don't really understand is the Pool Sanitizer. I think it automatically regulates TC levels, but I'm not sure how to work with it. I could use some guidance there as well.

Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated!

Jon

IMG_1767.jpg
 
Hi! And welcome to TFP. You're in the right place, and you're already off to a fantastic start, with a fantastic looking pool! Congrats on the new digs!!

Your signature is not visible, so that's step one.

How far out is the arrival of the test kit? Order it immediately if you haven't already. OK, that's step one! ;)

Pools often get neglected during the last stages of an escrow, so we want to make sure you have enough chlorine in the pool. We'll first take a look at your equipment list, then advise about how to proceed with the sanitizing until your kit arrives.

Short version: you test the water with the kit, post the test results, and someone from here will come along and advise you. Basically you plug the test results into PoolMath and follow the directions. Easy as that!

Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post
 
I can't advise about the Sani-King Perform-Max Pool Sanitizer Model 940, as I don't know what that is. Someone here might. Nor how to determine if it's providing enough chlorine, short of testing the water. Did the previous owners leave you any sort of test kit?

Depending on when you order your kit, and how fast it will arrive, you might need to go buy a cheapie kit at Walmart or pool store, enough for you to test to see if there is any chlorine in the water at all. You can't determine how much your pool needs without a proper kit (because you have to know how much CYA is in your water), but you need to have some in there, and just about any pool kit can tell you that.

Don't let a pool store convince you that anything they sell is the same as a Taylor K-2006. It most likely won't be. Order the proper kit online, buy only the cheapest kit you can find from pool store or big box store, 10 bucks or so, unless you already have a little kit. Or maybe you can borrow one from a neighbor until your "real" kit arrives.
 
Thank you, that is helpful. I ordered the T-100 kit today and it will get here when it gets here... I will go buy a cheap-o from walmart to get a baseline.

I looked the sanitizer up online and it looks like it is basically an automated chlorinator. You put chlorine tabs in there of some sort and it dispenses it. There is a knob on the side that regulates how much and the instructions say you basically keep tweaking it until your numbers are right. I am leaving it where the previous owners had it figuring that will be in the ballpark. I opened it up and it is empty.

The previous owners are friends of ours, but they know almost nothing about the pool. They paid a local pool company to manage everything, but I really don't want to go that route.
 
welcome
unfortunately cant provide advice on suspect test results
but every chlorine tab contains 50 percent stabilizer
so i call bs on 0 stabilizer
you will need to add liquid chlorine or plain unscented bleach to keep it from going green until your test kit arrives
i suspect you will be draining a lot of water in the near future
 
Well, be careful there. My now-x-pool-guy didn't know anything about stabilizer, or to add some to a freshly filled pool. Jon's former pool guy might not have been using the tab feeder at all. We don't know. Academic, that's why you need a kit, Jon. And the chlorine level was what I was half expecting, these things fall by the wayside during escrow. You can't have a TC of 0 and an FC of 1 (TC = FC + CC, so TC should have been at least 1), so there is some testing error going on, but no matter, your FC is low. Way low if your CYA (Stabilizer) isn't actually zero, and as aussieta has guessed, it probably isn't.

No matter, you've got to get some chlorine in the water, pronto. Like today if you haven't already. Go grab some 10% pool chlorine from Lowes or a local pool store and pour in the whole gallon (but no more). Circulate the pool for an hour (pump on) and then test the FC (Free Chlorine) again. Report back.
 
Jon, were the results you provided from test strips? Or drops into a color comparator tube filled with pool water? Please give us the model of kit you're using. Have you added any chlorine yet? And retested?
 

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Finally got the kit and tested the water... Here are the results.

FC = 0.5
CC = 1.0
TC = 1.5

CH = 150ppm
TA = 60
CYA = 50

As stated above, winter's on the way, so I need advice on whether to get things stabilized then winterized, or go ahead and close it up for the year.

Thanks for the help!

- - - Updated - - -

Also, I don't know if it is helpful, but the simple chlorine test registered Cl at .5 (Br = 1) and Ph = 7.8
 
I'll defer to others regarding the winterizing, but your FC is still low. Way low based on a CYA of 50. Did you ever add any chlorine? Your CC, at 1.0, is an indicator that you might have algae brewing. You need to plug your numbers into PoolMath and figure out how much chlorine to add to bring your FC up to at least 6, before your pool turns green. Then others here can help you figure out your next step. Get to Lowes or Walmart and grab some chlorine, tonight if you can.

Let us know if you need help with PoolMath.
 
So confused... Lowe’s didn’t have any liquid chlorine ( I guess everyone is winterizing and bought them out), so I got Trichlor Shock and used Pool Math to determine how much to put in. Added 2lbs. 14 oz. into the skimmer right after sunset. I waited 4 hours and then tested. That should have brought my FC up to around 10ppm based on the calculations. Tested using the TF-100 kit I ordered and got an FC reading of 1ppm... I’m using the test where you put water in the measuring cup, add the powder which turns it pink, then add drops until it turns clear. Two drops and it goes clear. I don’t know how that could be.
 
If you can't get any liquid chlorine which is in fact stronger bleach (12.5% instead of 6%) just go to your nearest Wal-Mart or other big grocery store and buy some regular bleach. Make sure to get non-Clorox, unscented and non-splashles bleach as those have some additives that you don't want. Trichlor you added will take time to dissolve but what's worse it will raise your CYA. Your CYA is already as high as you want it for non-SWG pool.
 
I would suggest doing a SLAM Process. May be quick, but with your past low FC numbers and an on the border OCLT, it will not hurt.

Check and adjust your pH to 7.2. Then add LC to shock level based on [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]. Maintain that FC every couple hours and do another OCLT in a few days.

- - - Updated - - -

You need to do another CYA test after adding the shock (most likely dichlor) a few days ago.
 
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