First Time Pool Opening numbers. HELP :)

[Wadeod]

13000 gallon fiberglass pool just installed and in process of opening. I was playing around the the testing kit I bought off here and got 0 Chlorine. Pool builder said the generator breaker broke so salt wasn't being converted as i could smell chlorine a week before? Anyway, he stopped by today and tossed a bunch of packets of Chlorine in pool. Perhaps this is what you call a shock?? Then he said now would be a good time to take your sample to the pool store and they would help you get the water right... Im going to try my luck on here first.

Anyway,

Here are my numbers.

FC 22
TC 22
PH above 8.2 It looks like
CH 200
TA 200
CYA Less than 20. My tube was full and still easy to see.

How do I test salt? Didn't see that in my kit? Or does it tell me on the instrument panel? Or are there test strips?

And do I need to test for Borate?

So pool math says I need:
74oz Muriatic Acid
116oz Calcium Chloride or 154 oz Calcium Chloride Dihydrate
440z Stabilizer.

Do i just go to pool store and get all this? Just dump it all in at same time? Toss it in middle of pool? didn't I read CYA stabilizer was put in sock by skimmer.

Sorry for my ignorance. First timer. Hopefully be a master soon. Do I need to wait on these chemicals till i figure out my salt numbers?

any words of wisdom??????

 

[zea3]

Do not buy anything just yet. Salt is a separate test. If your SWG is not functional I would not trust the salt readout on it until it is repaired. What was the active ingredient in the chlorine packets he threw in the pool? How many exactly is a bunch? If it was calcium hypochlorite you may not need additional calcium to raise CH. If it was dichlore/trichlore you may not need additional stabilizer. You only need to test for borate if you have added borates to the water.

 

[cfherrman]

Pass on the pool store, they don't know anything.

Probably what the pool builder dumped in was Cal hypo since you don't have any cya, so now he is really trying to bleach your fiberglass.

Firstly get the cya (stabilizer) in the pool. 30 ppm worth. Hand in a sock in the return stream not touching anything.

Then test your FC daily with the fas-dpd and use the FC/cya chart and add bleach every day to mantain the recommended FC

Us muratic acid to lower pH, keep it in the 7's, your ta is high so test pH every day and hit it to 7.2 untill your ta gets down.

Don't worry about ch

When your swg gets fixed build your cya to 70 and use that

 

[Wadeod]

Not sure, it was like 6:30 this morning, Just saw him rip open like 3 bags about the size of a bag of chips

- - - Updated - - -

Pass on the pool store? I was going to pass on their advice, but isn't that a good place to buy CYA? Where do people buy all their chemicals?

 

[cfherrman]

I do Walmart, if the pool store is cheap that's great, I was more talking about their advice

 

[Wadeod]

electrician was out today to fix supposedly. Ill check in the morn. Its all muddy out there now

- - - Updated - - -

i didn't know walmart had this stuff. Im learning

 

[karendino]

FC is high. PH Reading may not be correct with FC over 10.

 

[splashpad]

13000 gallon fiberglass pool just installed and in process of opening. I was playing around the the testing kit I bought off here and got 0 Chlorine. Pool builder said the generator breaker broke so salt wasn't being converted as i could smell chlorine a week before? Anyway, he stopped by today and tossed a bunch of packets of Chlorine in pool. Perhaps this is what you call a shock?? Then he said now would be a good time to take your sample to the pool store and they would help you get the water right... Im going to try my luck on here first.

You are smart, Pool Builder was a tart

Anyway,
Here are my numbers.
FC 22
TC 22
PH above 8.2 It looks like
CH 200
TA 200
CYA Less than 20. My tube was full and still easy to see.

If you're FC is 22, both your PH and CYA tests will be inaccurate. (excess FC can bind with CYA and provide a lower then actual reading) (high FC changes the chemical used to test/check PH level)

How do I test salt? Didn't see that in my kit? Or does it tell me on the instrument panel? Or are there test strips?
And do I need to test for Borate?

These are separate additional tests. You could have salt checked at a fish store or pool store

So pool math says I need:
74oz Muriatic Acid
116oz Calcium Chloride or 154 oz Calcium Chloride Dihydrate
440z Stabilizer.
- - - -
Do I just go to pool store and get all this? Just dump it all in at same time? Toss it in middle of pool? didn't I read CYA stabilizer was put in sock by skimmer.

You can scout out your best local prices, Most big box stores and your local pool stores have these products, find out who has the best PRICE (stay here for ADVICE)

Sorry for my ignorance. First timer. Hopefully be a master soon. Do I need to wait on these chemicals till i figure out my salt numbers?
any words of wisdom??????

Do NOT apologize for wanting to learn!
Definitely read up in ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry and check out Pool School - Getting Started

I would suggest: (using PoolMath)
Add enough Stabilizer (CYA) to add approx 10PPM (there is some in the pool), you'll aim for full [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] balance later
Allow the FC to drift down to under 10 so you can get accurate set of tests.
Which will probably be followed by additions of muriatic acid (per PoolMath dosages) to lower your PH (which will lower your TA), this will be a process you'll repeat a few times
Hope that the Pool Builder got your SWCG repaired correctly!!

 

[zea3]

If you're FC is 22, both your PH and CYA tests will be inaccurate. (excess FC can bind with CYA and provide a lower then actual reading) (high FC changes the chemical used to test/check PH level)

This is not true. High FC will not affect the CYA test results. An FC value higher than 10ppm will temporarily raise pH. The pH level will fall as the FC level falls.

Wadeod doesn't need to add CYA until we find out how much CYA is actually in the pool. If the pool guy dumped in dichlore the CYA level will rise in a few days as the granules dissolve.

 

[kellyfair]

Zea3 has you!

When you get everything sorted and are ready to deal with salt, the Taylor K-1766 is the kit I use to test salt.

 

[Wadeod]

Ok. I’m working on it
FC is now 30 though.

Ph down to 7.8
TA 180
CH 250
CYA 20
salt 2500

so basically doing ok. Still fine tuning my numbers. But my main question is how do I get chlorine down.

Should i I turn off my Hayward Aquarite and monitor daily? Or turn dial down to 10% output?

how shall I get this chlorine down?

 

[kellyfair]

Turn off the salt water generator. Don’t need it right now.

Then you just have to let time and the sun do its thing.