First opening!

[mikeems911]

Firstly, hello all! I found this gem of a website, last year when I bought my first AGP and had to learn how to make it swimmable. Then how to close it for the winter, and here we are now with my first opening. I was surprised when I took the tarp off and the water wasn't green! I could smell chlorine. Got my filter hooked up and added my water. Ran a bottle over to that place that starts with a "L" and these are my readings.
FC 0.4
TA 82
CYA 25
pH 7.3
CH 23
SALT 1702
Temp is around 75 F
I added 20lbs of salt, its all I had, I need to add about 73lbs more according to pool math app. ( I don't remember adding this much salt last year when I started???)
I hope that was the appropriate first step?
What should I do next?
FC then CYA?
Thank you guys/gals in advance. Your patience with the daily repetitive questions is commendable!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Please..... we don't trust pool store tests. You really need your own test kit that contains the FAS-DPD tester in particular. And the Taylor 1766 Salt test kit is needed.

Taylor K-2006 or the TF-100 test kit is recommended. (TF-100 comes from www.tftestkits.net ). The Taylor kits come from either Taylor directly or online. Just make sure its the K-2006 one if you go that way and not a 2005 (NOT the same!)

Remember to keep your SWG *off* when adding salt and for another day after. Gotta make sure ALL the salt has dissolved and is well mixed in.

Use Liquid Chlorine while you wait.

We want you to have a great year with your pool and not miss any days swimming!

Maddie

 

[mikeems911]

Thank you, I have the

Please..... we don't trust pool store tests. You really need your own test kit that contains the FAS-DPD tester in particular. And the Taylor 1766 Salt test kit is needed.

Taylor K-2006 or the TF-100 test kit is recommended. (TF-100 comes from www.tftestkits.net ). The Taylor kits come from either Taylor directly or online. Just make sure its the K-2006 one if you go that way and not a 2005 (NOT the same!)

Remember to keep your SWG *off* when adding salt and for another day after. Gotta make sure ALL the salt has dissolved and is well mixed in.

Use Liquid Chlorine while you wait.

We want you to have a great year with your pool and not miss any days swimming!

Maddie

Thank you, I have both test kits, I assumed the "pool store test" would be more accurate for the opening test due to such low results. Live and learn.
Am I SLAMming the pool or just bringing my FC up to acceptable levels(or is that one and the same just different degrees of doing so), water is clear no visible growth going on and not cloudy.
For educational reasons, why keep the SWG off?
Thank you again.

 

[Newdude]

For educational reasons, why keep the SWG off?

You won’t be able to easily keep track of FC loss when the unit is adding it on the sneak for you.

You will also pass all the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test once the water is clear because the unit added FC overnight when you weren’t supposed to.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

When you add salt it takes time to dissolve and mix in. If a big bolus of salt goes thru the SWG prematurely it "messes up the SWGs brain". The way the SWG reads salt level is actually a bit different from how we measure the salt using a test. Its like its measuring electricity or something which I can't explain but others can, Keeping it off while the salt is mixing in protects the device.

If you've tested your water and have CCs of 0.5ppm or less, water is clear and your FC is where you want it- GO SWIMMING! I think some folks just feel "safer" bringing the water up to SLAM process level when they open. But its not required.

Maddie

 

[mikeems911]

Adedd recommended bleach, 39oz of 7.5% yesterday. FC went from 2.5 to 3.5.
pH is 7.5.
Waiting on the Taylor salt test kit.
Should I add the recommended 37oz of 7.5% bleach tonight.
Should I be adding CYA?
Wait till I get a number on salt so I can turn on the SWG?
I'm assuming the sun is just burning the bleach I add daily till I can turn the SWG on? But can't do that till there is enough salt in the pool?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

39 ounces only gave you 1ppm of FC? That seems low.....? PoolMath tells me 14 ounces of 7.5% should give you 1ppm.
So 39 ounces should have given you 2.5ppm.

All you have to do until you get the SWG up is follow the CYA/FC chart for NON-SWG pools at this point. FC/CYA Levels. Test the FC daily and add chlorine as needed.

Yes, I'd add that bleach tonight. You should aim to keep your FC higher so that when it drops due to sun you'll still be higher up than minimum.

Don't add salt till you know how much you have in there already.

Maddie

 

[mikeems911]

So I added the recommended bleach last night. Just tested the water and it was .45!!?? So I reread the instructions and it hit me! There is a typo, in parenthesis the example says to multiply 14×.05! I've been multiplying ✖ .05 instead of .5. I'm so stoopid!
FC officially 4.5!
Just got my salt tester
Salt is 2800.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I like to tell folks "count your drops and divide by 2" as that sounds like less work than multiplying by 0.5.

 

[mikeems911]

I like to tell folks "count your drops and divide by 2" as that sounds like less work than multiplying by 0.5.

Sound advice! OK so water is clear, start SWG?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Yup! Get your FC to where you want it using liquid chlorine, then let the SWG maintain that level.

Maddie

 

[mikeems911]

Ok so...
SWG running time 12hrs/day
Temp 68F
FC 7.5
TA 90
CYA60
pH 8.2
Salt 2600
So my amateur assumption is cut the SWG time to let the FC come down, and add salt as per the pool math, which is 29lbs (keep SWG off while the salt dissolves, 24-36hrs?). By then the FC should be lower just because the SGW has been off for 24-36 hrs?? re-check everything in 2 days?
Add some CYA now or after salt has dissolved and we know what the FC is??
Deal with TA last???
Is the pool too cold to be micro managing it?
As always TIA gang!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

A FC of 7.5 is ok actually as it gives you room to lose some and still be over your minimum until your CYA until the SWG is entirely up and running in the warmer weather.

First off get that pH down into the 7s. Use Muriatic Acid (not dry acid) and PoolMath to tell you how much. I'd aim for 7.6 or so. Then hang a sock of granular CYA with 10ppm to bring you up to 70. Just hang it over in the water and will dissolve slowly

Just turn the SWG off and toss in the salt. Mix and brush and in a day turn the SWG back on.

TA is a-ok!

This work for you?

Maddie

 

[mikeems911]

Maddie, you great, thanks!