New and TERRIFIED pool owner

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ABSOLUTELY you SHOULD stop using them. For most folks, they are nothing but trouble.

You will need chlorine though. We recommend using regular ol' concentrated bleach as your regular source of chlorine. Concentrated 8.25 is fine. Cheapest you can find. And none of the fancy scents, splashless or other additives either.

When bleach (a.k.a. sodium hypochlorite), is added to water, a chemical exchange takes place and the bleach is converted into hypochlorus acid, and a tiny bit of salt.

its the hypochlorus acid that will keep your pool sanitary and algae free as long as you keep the levels appropriate.

Please please, read the ABC's of pool chemistry, and some of the other links that pooldv supplied to you so you can be a bit familiar with
some of the lingo and know where to look for your references.







kmatheson said:
I dispise the chlorine tabs so I can really get behind not using them!!

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And I promise not to spend another penny without checking with y'all!:bowdown:
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Welcome to TFP! This simple test will determine if you need a Speedstir:

1. Pat your head continuously with one hand.
2. Rub your tummy with the other hand.
3. If you have even the slightest problem performing this test you MUST get the Speedstir.

I ran out of batteries for mine and decided to do the FC test manually; I felt like Barney Fife trying to quickly put his bullet in his gun!
 
kimkats said:
Sounds like you found TFP just in time with your hubs being laid off. I hope it is for a short time or he finds another job fast.

Take all of that stuff back except the CYA.

HUGS!

Kim
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Thanks, Kim. This is his second layoff in three months. We almost decided to return the pool but decided we need it for our family's sanity. Even the worst day ever can be made a little better by taking a dip on a hot day!
 

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Alright, Folks! We're fillin'er up! I have the new test kit all ready to go. So the very first thing that I need to do is measure the actual water depth, right? Then what? I can't return the PH up or down so I'd like to use it if possible. I need to go buy a bunch of bleach, right?
 
FUN times on their way! What fun for everyone!

Yeah go buy some bleach. Make sure it is PLAIN bleach. NO scents, splashless, etc. Just plain bleach. If you are getting it from Walmart just make sure you get the 8.25%. They have started to sell something callled "cleaning" bleach that is only 6% for the same price!

Kim
 
How much of what you buy depends on how far from it you are. Since it's "New" water you aren't going to be doing a SLAM so you likely only need 2-4 Gallons of bleach to start off with. The place I get it from is about 5 miles away so I usually get a 4gal pack at a time unless I need to SLAM. The further away the store is the more you want to have on hand but you also don't want to store it where it's warm or for too long. Heat will degrade it so outside near the pool in the sun is worst. If you can find some place that's cool like a basement or ... whatever you can do to keep it from sitting in the heat and getting cooked.
The pH up, down will get used but likely be around for a while. After they are used up you can go with the cheaper baking soda (up), muratic acid (down) route.

The chemistry is a bit much at first but it's just a matter of time and you'll get familiar with it. Reading is your best defense against a green pool. After all it's just water. ;)

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Is your pool info the new pool or still the old one ??
 
Kiss4aFrog said:
How much of what you buy depends on how far from it you are. Since it's "New" water you aren't going to be doing a SLAM so you likely only need 2-4 Gallons of bleach to start off with. The place I get it from is about 5 miles away so I usually get a 4gal pack at a time unless I need to SLAM. The further away the store is the more you want to have on hand but you also don't want to store it where it's warm or for too long. Heat will degrade it so outside near the pool in the sun is worst. If you can find some place that's cool like a basement or ... whatever you can do to keep it from sitting in the heat and getting cooked.
The pH up, down will get used but likely be around for a while. After they are used up you can go with the cheaper baking soda (up), muratic acid (down) route.
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Borax or soda ash (aka washing soda) should be used to raise pH. Baking soda will raise TA with very little effect on the pH.
 
It's the new one. Since it's not full yet, I just estimated the gallons. I'll measure as soon as it's full. So the CYA should go in a sock instead of adding it to the pool? How long does it usually take for it to be at the proper levels? I'm trying to get an idea of how long it'll be before we can swim. And the CYA is what gets added first?
 
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