New to owning a pool

[Jonacani]

Just set up my sand and saltwater 12x24 above ground Intex pool.
I am a bit intimidated by the chemistry so far.

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! Remember a few first-fill basics:
1 - New water has no stabilizer (CYA), so you'll need about 60-70 ppm to start with since you have a salt pool.
2 - Add about 2-3 ppm of liquid chlorine as soon as water is moving on day 1 of fill. Also get the salt in there to let it start mixing for 24 hrs. Continue to monitor the FC so it doesn't fall below 2 ppm. After 24 hrs, start the SWG and manage output % and pump run time to produce the FC you need per the FC/CYA Levels.
3. Keep the pH in the 7.2 - 7.8 range.

Start there and we can help you more after.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

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[Jonacani]

I added the stabilizer today, 2.1lbs, per the intex guide. It is a 8400 gallon pool, how much liquid chlorine should I add? The 210 lbs of salt is in and the SWG is on (for about the last 6 hours). When should I start checking levels? I haven't yet.

 

[Texas Splash]

You should check the FC level right away. For today it should be about 2-3 ppm. By tomorrow adjust the SWG and pump time to keep the FC balanced according to the FC/CYA Levels to avoid algae.

I haven't asked the million dollar question yet, but here it goes ... how are you testing the water? If it's not with a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C, getting one of those needs to be your next priority. Nothing else comes close to reliability. If you do have one of those, include it with your pool details in your signature.

 

[Jonacani]

Have not gotten the test kit yet. Using just strips by HTH and it says I need to add pH reducer and the alkalinity is excessively high. Everything else is fine.

 

[AK-]

Guess strips are not reliable. Any action you take base on them might create a problem you may not yet have.

 

[Jonacani]

Just purchased the Taylor K-2006 Kit. It does not arrive until next week, maybe Thursday. What can I do in the mean time to treat my pool......and not screw it up......

 

[AK-]

Just purchased the Taylor K-2006 Kit. It does not arrive until next week, maybe Thursday. What can I do in the mean time to treat my pool......and not screw it up......

With CYA 70 on SW your target FC is 5, min is 3 (algae is almost guaranteed below min) and SLAM is 28. Hypothetically if I had ran out of reagents and had a SWG I would add a gallon of plain 7.5% bleach (unscented, non-splashless, non-cloromax, no additives) to raise the FC by 10, leaving the FC somewhere in the 15ish ensuring enough chlorine to prevent anything from growing. Any FC at or below SLAM level is safe to swim.

 

[wireform]

This hasn't been mentioned yet but you'll need a Taylor K-1766 salinity test kit for the salt portion of your pool testing. You can get it from K-1766 Taylor Salt Test