New Pool Owner in Florida

[SunkissedAdventures]

Hi All, My name is Nicole and I am from south Florida. My husband and I purchased our home in December. It just so happened to come with a nice pool. We never actually wanted a pool because of all the work and money that goes in to one, but we fell in love with a house and the house happened to have a pool! Of course, we love it now and our 2 year old swims 3-4 times per week with us. I joined because I'd like to understand how this works. I happen to be fascinated with learning (I was a teacher for 9+ years), so I always want to know the hows and whys of everything. I'm fairly pool-stupid, so this will be a learning experience for me.

The previous owners, the people who had it installed, were not very cooperative with us, so I have limited knowledge at this point. I do know, from permit records, that it was installed in March of 2010. I've been maintaining it by taking my water in to the local pool store every few weeks. So far we know the following about the pool:

It is 21,205 gallons.
It has a Hayward SWG.
It is not screened in and the back of our home faces north.

I would be glad to gather more info on the pool gadgets and stats for people who want to know. I am sure I'll need to learn this stuff eventually.

 

[BoDarville]

Welcome to TFP!

The first thing you want to do is order one of the Recommended Test Kits. I use the TF-100 and ordered it from here: TFTestkits.net. They ship fast and you will likely have it in 2-3 days.

To give you a high-level overview of the TFP process, check out these articles:

1. ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry
2. Recommended Pool Chemicals
3. Chlorine CYA Chart - Understand this relationship and your pool will likely never get algae.
4. Pool Math - Helps you determine proper dosing amounts.

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi Nicole!
Welcome to TFP!

there is a lot of good info here and one of the first things you will notice, is that we all belive in taking care of the pool ourselves. Its fun, it's easy, and its not expensive to do by following some basic science and only adding what the pool acutally needs, and not what someone at the pool store wants us to buy! Of course in order to do this, we recommend to folks to get their own good and reliable test kit. The TF100 test kit and the Taylor K2006 are the only two on the market that have the capability of doing full water testing. Considering the two, the TF100 is the best bang for the buck!

If you haven't done so yet, browse over the ABC's of pool chemistry and familiarize yourself with it. Its a great place to start!

And also, that's a beautiful pool you have there! I love it!

 

[duraleigh]

Hi, Nicole,

Very nice Pool and landscaping. Welcome to the forum.

Yours is a great first post.....precisely written and to the point. TFPC is very similar. You will learn to test with precision, and know exactly what to do with your results and, importantly, know WHY you are doing it.

The ABC's article in Pool School is a great start and, when you begin your own testing, it will be an eye-opening experience....we promise.

Avoid a couple of common pitfalls if you can....

1. Trying to blend Pool Store advice with what we teach......you end up caught in the middle.

2. Purchasing an inadequate kit. The two kits we like are in "Test kits compared" and the big distinction is they contain a sophisticated chlorine test (FAS/DPD) that none of the other kits have. You'll need that test.

 

[SunkissedAdventures]

Of course in order to do this, we recommend to folks to get their own good and reliable test kit. The TF100 test kit and the Taylor K2006 are the only two on the market that have the capability of doing full water testing. Considering the two, the TF100 is the best bang for the buck!

Is one test easier to use than the other?

 

[Divin Dave]

Ive never used the Taylor kit, but I suspect its as easy as the TF100, or thereabouts....

The The TF100 is basically a K2006 on steroids. Both kits use Taylor testing regents. The TF100 has considereably more quantity of test regents though, which means you dont have to order refills nearly as often. It also comes with a nice laminated instruction card. The need not to have to reorder so often is what makes the TF100 the best value.

you can get either kit at TFTestkits.net. Its the only place on the east side of the country that has them.
the Taylor K2006 can be gotten at several places online.

here is a video on how to use the TF100. The taylor kit will be similar.
FAS/DPD Chlorine test for the TF-100 - YouTube

Is one test easier to use than the other?