Intex 13 x 39 above ground, very new to this.

[Azgirl71]

It is was incorrect on mine too. When I was still pool stored and they did my testing I was always under adding.

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When it is filled to where you plan on keeping the water level, uses a tape measure to measur the water level from inside the pool and you will then understand. Punch those numbers into pool math and I bet you get about 3300 gallons

 

[ChicaLi]

Note on pumps... The "general rule" is to run the pump long enough to turn over the water at least once (you can do a search on this forum and find discussions about that -- search for something like "how long to run pump"), although there are caveats to that -- but that rule will do for starters once you get your water chemistry balanced (for now, I'd keep it on 24/7 so that your water is continually circulating through the filter).

So where I'm going with this is, for the pool size you have and the pump you have (running 530 gal./hour), you'll need to run the pump for about 6 hours to turn over the water. A more powerful pump (more gallons per hour) would be able to do that more quickly. Whether a smaller pump running longer would use less electricity than a bigger pump running for less time is the question. Just something to think about.

With the pump Azgirl71 has (see the details in her sig line), she can turn over her water in 1 hour and 40 minutes, less than a third of the time it takes for my pump to turn over the water in my *smaller* pool.

 

[tracyboston]

Hello

So, the pool is now filled and pump has been on since around 10am. We've put the 1.5 cups of bleach in at 10am. Just tested w/ strips. I know they aren't ideal but have to wait for kit to arrive. The chlorine says "ideal". I need to add baking soda & borax now. I'm about to go to the calculator to see the amounts I should add.

Once I do that...and tests seem to be ok - how long before someone can swim? My 10 yr old is about to drive me nuts wanting to get in!!!

 

[tracyboston]

From the cal I am getting for 3200 gallons (which is what you guys said is probably the correct gals rather than what the box said)

24 oz baking soda
18 oz borax

Is there anything else I should be putting in? Stabilizer? I believe we have some. Should I also have Muratic Acid to lower PH when necessary?

 

[Azgirl71]

Without knowing PH and TA levels I would not add anything but bleach until you have your test.

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Fill water has different levels and you may already have enough in there.

 

[tracyboston]

The strips test it all. I just didn't know if it was relevant since I'd only added bleach. But here is a pic of what I just took....

 

[kimkats]

Let that kid in the pool! CANNON BALL!

Keep the chlorine up. Don't worry about anything else until you get the good test kit!

kim

 

[tracyboston]

oh Lord thank you. Seriously, she is making me NUTS. And my 6 yr old nephew will be home soon, I really don't want to hear it from him.

Now I have to figure out how to keep chlorine up. Everything I read is saying to put stabilizer in there to prevent the loss. We have the HTH purple caps stuff....

 

[Azgirl71]

Use pool math to determine how much chlorine to add.
also how much stabilizer to add.

Right now since you don't have any CYA target to add 2ppm of bleach.

Don't do the stabilizer until the kids are out of the pool. Then add add it to a sock and hang in front of the return jet to disolve. Target 30

 

[pooldv]

And squeeze it several times per day to speed up the dissolving.

 

[kimkats]

I hope she had fun!

Kim

 

[pooldv]

Do not adjust TA or CH based on results from test strips. They are invariably wrong.