We just purchased a used pool put in a new liner and are in the process of setting it up. the pool came with a nature 2 natural mineral purifier and a Aqua Smarte Cycler Model 6700 mineral system any suggestions on if you would use them? and also any thought on Baquacil vs chlorine have a son who was allergic to chlorine as a child broke out in hives but that's in a indoor pool thanks
Help new / used pool is all this equipment needed
- Thread starter Gail/Dave
- Start date
Hello & welcome!
The methods taught here in this forum are how to keep your water clean & sparkling by using common household chems you can get at Walmart. Therefore, you will not need the purifier/mineral system and we certainly do not like Baquacil. My sister has two boys who seem to be allergic to everything. They only swim in my pool because she says it's the only one that doesn't give them breakouts to use. If you follow the advice given in this large pool of experts, you'll love your pool.
The methods taught here in this forum are how to keep your water clean & sparkling by using common household chems you can get at Walmart. Therefore, you will not need the purifier/mineral system and we certainly do not like Baquacil. My sister has two boys who seem to be allergic to everything. They only swim in my pool because she says it's the only one that doesn't give them breakouts to use. If you follow the advice given in this large pool of experts, you'll love your pool.
Welcome to TFP!!!We do not recommend adding metals (minerals) to you water as it can lead to staining of the pool and green hair. They can help prevent algae, but you need chlorine to kill pathogens to avoid disease ... so if you need chlorine anyway, why risk the negatives of adding metal?
Take a look in the Baq forum and you will see that most people who come to TFP with experience with Baq are here to learn how to switch to chlorine after they get tired of the expense and cloudy water.
Public indoor pools are often WAY more "out of balance" than if the methods we teach were followed. How do you know the reaction was to chlorine and not to something else, like the intermediate products of bather waste being broken down? Indoor pools can suffer from high Combine Chlorine (CC ... these are the byproducts and not the active chlorine) due to lack of the suns UV rays to help break down the CCs. In fact, this problem is usually due to a lack of enough chlorine in the water.
Thanks for the info I will use chlorine and no mineral systems. I am really a newbie have never had a pool before so wasn't sure what all the things where about. decided to use glass in the sand filter. what chemicals should i have on hand to start up the pool. don't want to purchase what isn't necessary. i have ordered the tf 100 test kit as recommended. FYI i live in MN and will be using a pool heater. what other things do i need to get started. thaks for your patience
You will only need to add stabilizer (CYA) and chlorine for sure. You might have to adjust your pH or TA, depends on the test results.
Have you discovered Pool School yet? Start with these:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool
Have you discovered Pool School yet? Start with these:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool
Thanks for your reply i read and re read all the articles you recommended. They where very good. I ordered the TF-100 test kit and am waiting for it to arrive. The pool is full, pump has been running now for 24 hrs. Like i mentioned before this is a new fill with well water. FC and CYA level's are obviously 0 should i put chlorine in now while I'm waiting for the test kit to come. Also i have 2,4,6 Trihydroxy-s-triazine - 100% granules which is another name for cyanuric acid right. Should i put CYA in the pool also while I'm waiting for the test kit. I read on the forum that people put CYA in a sock in the skimmer. DUMB Question but do they mean a skimmer sock or like a cotton sock ? or should i be patient and wait for the test kit. I have the patience of a gnat.[FONT="] [/FONT]
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,027
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
being from MN I know you have an old pair of long johns, they worked great for putting CYA in.. I ziptied the long john ends and zip tied it to a tube flotie worked great.. Follow poolmath to put in your CYA to 30, it will take a week to be able to test it with your TF100 once you get it..
You can also put in chlorine/bleach at the same time.. shoot for 2 FC the first day and then follow the CYA/chlorine chart and stay above 4 fc.. test at night just when the sun goes down, then test the next night at the same time.. add bleach to stay at or above 4 24 hours later... try shooting for 6fc and see if that keeps you at or above 4 and work from there
worked great.. Follow poolmath to put in your CYA to 30, it will take a week to be able to test it with your TF100 once you get it..You can also put in chlorine/bleach at the same time.. shoot for 2 FC the first day and then follow the CYA/chlorine chart and stay above 4 fc.. test at night just when the sun goes down, then test the next night at the same time.. add bleach to stay at or above 4 24 hours later... try shooting for 6fc and see if that keeps you at or above 4 and work from there
Yes have plenty of long johns! thanks for the picture! Thanks for the info about when to test! didn't know that. Will add chlorine incrementally!!
Hi,
I will admit I had to google Trhhydroxy-s-triazine.
It does turn out to be CYA.
As the others said, you can use a sock, or you can use an old pillow case (my fav) or some other thing like long johns to basically make a bag. Use Pool Math to determine how much CYA to get you to 30 ppm (74 ozs) , and then tie the sock or bag to a pole and hang it over the side of the pool in front of a return. Give a squeeze every now and then to help the CYA get out.
Actually just so you dont over do it, it would be a good idea to target maybe 20ppm (47 ozs) of CYA to start. Then a week later, measure CYA and bump it up to 30. Its always better to "step up" to CYA rather than overshoot it by mistake.
After adding the CYA, go ahead and add 80 ozs of 8.25% bleach. that will get your chlorine level to 3ppm in your size pool and hold off algae from forming.
While waiting for your TF100, I would recommend hopping down to Walmart and get a basic HTH brand OTO test kit. It will test for Total Chlorine and pH. Not the best quality but better than nothing at all, and its cheap. Cost about 7 dollars I think. Use that to measure your pH and your FC until your TF 100 arrives.
You will need to test every day and add enough bleach to get you back to 3ppm.
good luck with the new pool!
I will admit I had to google Trhhydroxy-s-triazine.
It does turn out to be CYA.
As the others said, you can use a sock, or you can use an old pillow case (my fav) or some other thing like long johns to basically make a bag. Use Pool Math to determine how much CYA to get you to 30 ppm (74 ozs) , and then tie the sock or bag to a pole and hang it over the side of the pool in front of a return. Give a squeeze every now and then to help the CYA get out.
Actually just so you dont over do it, it would be a good idea to target maybe 20ppm (47 ozs) of CYA to start. Then a week later, measure CYA and bump it up to 30. Its always better to "step up" to CYA rather than overshoot it by mistake.
After adding the CYA, go ahead and add 80 ozs of 8.25% bleach. that will get your chlorine level to 3ppm in your size pool and hold off algae from forming.
While waiting for your TF100, I would recommend hopping down to Walmart and get a basic HTH brand OTO test kit. It will test for Total Chlorine and pH. Not the best quality but better than nothing at all, and its cheap. Cost about 7 dollars I think. Use that to measure your pH and your FC until your TF 100 arrives.
You will need to test every day and add enough bleach to get you back to 3ppm.
good luck with the new pool!
Put in 56 oz of 12.5% chlorine and 47oz of CYA at 9:00am went to Walmart bought the tested at 12:30pm. 3 1/2 Hrs . The TC is between .5-1 and ph is 7.5 on the hth 3-way test kit from Walmart I'm thinking I should add more chlorine right or should i wait? and leave the ph alone for now.
I would say to add enough to get you to 2 or 3ppm.
Optimally, what you would like to do is for now, keep your FC at 10% of the CYA.
And try to never let it get below 7.5% of the CYA.
47 ozs would have gotten you to 20 ish CYA once its all dissolved, so 2-3 is a good number to be at.
Optimally, what you would like to do is for now, keep your FC at 10% of the CYA.
And try to never let it get below 7.5% of the CYA.
47 ozs would have gotten you to 20 ish CYA once its all dissolved, so 2-3 is a good number to be at.
Again new fill . FC is now between 3-7ppm as accurate as test shows for now. pool is now a green color . how can i tell if its algae or iron. we have well water with iron . Again waiting for test kit to arrive. any suggestions on what to do in the mean time or how to treat the water
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,053
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
In regards to your iron questions: Ideally, the more “pre-filtering” of iron you can do to physically remove before treating chemically the better. Some folks have had decent success placing layers of dishrags, paper towels, or pillow batting in the skimmer to catch iron/rust particles. Others place socks or other products over the garden hose as they fill. Your best and most reliable bet is to add sequestrant to the water and replenish it periodically. Sequestrant is a chemical that binds to the iron in the water so that it can't form stains or turn brown. Unfortunately, sequestrant breaks down slowly, you need to add more regularly. ProTeam's Metal Magic and Jack's Magic the Pink Stuff (regular), the Blue Stuff (fresh plaster), and the Purple Stuff (SWG) are some of the top sequestrants.
Here is a link you may find useful:
Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains
- - - Updated - - -
You won't be able to confirm organic materials in your water until your good test kit arrives. Algae will usually feel a bit slimy and/or you may actually see it attached to the pool surfaces, or it may puff-up in a cloud of green dust when you sweep.
- - - Updated - - -
For now, I would suggest simply adding bleach to your pool as recommended by the folks above each evening to help maintain sanitation. You'll adjust from there when the kit arrives.
Here is a link you may find useful:
Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains
- - - Updated - - -
You won't be able to confirm organic materials in your water until your good test kit arrives. Algae will usually feel a bit slimy and/or you may actually see it attached to the pool surfaces, or it may puff-up in a cloud of green dust when you sweep.
- - - Updated - - -
For now, I would suggest simply adding bleach to your pool as recommended by the folks above each evening to help maintain sanitation. You'll adjust from there when the kit arrives.
Again new pool new fill - WATER IS CRYSTAL CLEAR YEAH THANKS FOR ALL THE ADVICE!! But I do have a fine dust on bottom that is hard to vacuum up i believe its iron as we have a well and the water has iron in it. - Still waiting for my test tf-100 test kit according to the test kit i have Tc is between 1 - 2 will add a appropriate amount of bleach but the ph according to the test i have has risen 7.8 should i lower the ph or wait till the test kit arrives don't obliviously have any other test readings as yet but pool has been holding the TC level I have been checking twice a day should i adjust or wait for the test kit to arrive- - sure its iron also did the white cloth in the skimmer ( i have red a lot of the posts thanks to all who post ) and the cloth is red/brown any suggestions on what to do with the sediment on pool bottom. or should i not worry till i get the test kit
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,053
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Hello again Gail/Dave! If you see sediment on the bottom and you suspect it's metal particles from your well, definitely keep it moving towards the filter. The more you get out now and keep off of the pool surface, the less chance you will have of staining. Yes, also watch the pH as best as you can with your limited testing ability. If it looks to hit the 8.0 mark, you'll want to lower it some with muriatic acid.
With new water, have you added any stabilizer yet? Up north it will be cooling-off soon, but you still want at least 30ppm of CYA. I know you can't test it yet, but the good thing about stabilizer is you can add the appropriate amount to a sock by using the Poolmath calculator , let is soak near a return jet, and you can assume it's there in a few days. Later in about a week you can check with your new TF-100. But you do want CYA to not only protect the FC from the sun, but also to protect you and the pool from bleach.
Since you know you have iron, you'll want to consider a sequestrant and replenish it periodically. Sequestrant is a chemical that binds to the iron in the water so that it can't form stains or turn brown. Sequestrant breaks down slowly, so you need to add more regularly. ProTeam's Metal Magic and Jack's Magic the Pink Stuff (regular), the Blue Stuff (fresh plaster), and the Purple Stuff (SWG) are some of the top sequestrants.
And as always, once your stabilizer dissolves in a day or two, always make sure your FC stays at your FC target level based on the Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart to keep that water clear. I hope some of this helps get you going again. Glad to hear your water is clear, so let's keep it that way. Enjoy!
If you see sediment on the bottom and you suspect it's metal particles from your well, definitely keep it moving towards the filter. The more you get out now and keep off of the pool surface, the less chance you will have of staining. Yes, also watch the pH as best as you can with your limited testing ability. If it looks to hit the 8.0 mark, you'll want to lower it some with muriatic acid. With new water, have you added any stabilizer yet? Up north it will be cooling-off soon, but you still want at least 30ppm of CYA. I know you can't test it yet, but the good thing about stabilizer is you can add the appropriate amount to a sock by using the Poolmath calculator , let is soak near a return jet, and you can assume it's there in a few days. Later in about a week you can check with your new TF-100.
But you do want CYA to not only protect the FC from the sun, but also to protect you and the pool from bleach.Since you know you have iron, you'll want to consider a sequestrant and replenish it periodically. Sequestrant is a chemical that binds to the iron in the water so that it can't form stains or turn brown. Sequestrant breaks down slowly, so you need to add more regularly. ProTeam's Metal Magic and Jack's Magic the Pink Stuff (regular), the Blue Stuff (fresh plaster), and the Purple Stuff (SWG) are some of the top sequestrants.
And as always, once your stabilizer dissolves in a day or two, always make sure your FC stays at your FC target level based on the Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart to keep that water clear. I hope some of this helps get you going again. Glad to hear your water is clear, so let's keep it that way.
Enjoy!Test kit finally came tested water Results:
FC - 3
PH - 8.2
TA - 420
CH - 325
CYA - 25 ( checked 3 times this is a tough test very subjective)
2 questions
1: i believe i should add muriatic acid to lower ph according to pool math i will add 111oz of 31.45% muratic acid to lower ph.
2) should i add stabilizer to increase CYA to 30 or wait a bit there is still about an ounce or 2 cya that hasn't dissolved out of the pillow case as of yet. my plan was to add 6oz more of stabilizer (pool math says add 11 oz) and then recheck in a week as FC is 12% of CYA
FC - 3
PH - 8.2
TA - 420
CH - 325
CYA - 25 ( checked 3 times this is a tough test very subjective)
2 questions
1: i believe i should add muriatic acid to lower ph according to pool math i will add 111oz of 31.45% muratic acid to lower ph.
2) should i add stabilizer to increase CYA to 30 or wait a bit there is still about an ounce or 2 cya that hasn't dissolved out of the pillow case as of yet. my plan was to add 6oz more of stabilizer (pool math says add 11 oz) and then recheck in a week as FC is 12% of CYA
Last edited:
- Jun 22, 2014
- 52,053
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
You have the right idea(s). Acid will lower pH, so definitely do that right away to get back to the mid-7s. It may actually be higher than 8.2, so double-check after about an hour of missing with the pump on. Then increase FC once the acid has mixed well for over 30 minutes. Never mix acid and bleach together. With a CYA of 30, your ideal target FC is 4, and should never go below an FC of 2 to avoid algae. As for the CYA and stabilizer, let it dissolve and check it in about a week. It takes that long for dissolved stabilizer to show-up on tests. If by this time next week it is still below 30, you can raise it a little. Have a nice day!