New to this

[BrandyK]

So I began my pool journey with the Permasalt system. It was great the first year but the past 2 years have been brutal in regards to pool maintenance and money.

I am now switching over to chlorine. After reading through everything I am still feeling intimidated. I feel like I need “Pool School for Dummies.” I have gone ahead and ordered the test kit and chemicals mentioned. Everything should be here Monday. I will call my pool store to get my exact dimensions for my pool.

Be patient with me as I will probably have 100,000,001 questions.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
Great choice on getting rid of that copper ionizer thing. Do you have any staining? Now is the time to take care of it as you need to drain the pool after releasing the stains.
What test kit did you order? Please put that in your signature - Create Your Signature - Further Reading
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

 

[BrandyK]

Thank you for your response! I have no staining. I cleaned the pool on Tuesday and added 2 bags of shock. the water looked clear on a Wednesday. The copper chamber has been turned off. Do I still need to drain the pool? Or am I okay to I’ve forward? I have read the ABCs of pool chemistry but still feel a little lost. I am confident it will get better with time. I ordered the Taylor K-2006C test kit and just waiting for everything to arrive on Monday. I think I have updated my signature with the needed info. Thank you so much for the help!

 

[mknauss]

If no staining you should be good.
Be careful of 'bags of shock'. They are either Calcium Hypochlorite (calcium stays in your water) or Dichlor (CYA stays in your water).
Liquid chlorine is best to use as you do not have a SaltWater Chlorine Generator.

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

TFP-TV

A collection of Videos from the source you trust the most, TFP! These videos are to help the average homeowner understand their pool and enjoy their water.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[csconner]

Welcome to TFP.

Don‘t let it overwhelem you. I’m a recent new user, forum folks are super helpful, so don’t be afraid to ask. Also look for posts that are similar to your questions, lots of learning and sharing to be gained.

Lots to study here for sure, it will make sense a bit at a time.. testing can be challenging in the beginning it was for me, but the forum folks helped a ton.

Based on you introduction I’d suggest you focus on testing and water balance in the beginning then you can expand to other topics of interest.

I’d recommend you start here: Pool Care Basics - Trouble Free Pool

I‘ve encountered a range of challenges in my first year with my pool, folks like mknaus and other experienced members give good guidance, give their suggestions consideration, they’ve really been spot on for my situation.

we’re here to help.

 

[BrandyK]

If no staining you should be good.
Be careful of 'bags of shock'. They are either Calcium Hypochlorite (calcium stays in your water) or Dichlor (CYA stays in your water).
Liquid chlorine is best to use as you do not have a SaltWater Chlorine Generator.

How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Before chlorinating your pool, you should know these simple tips. Learn the best way to add chlorine to your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

TFP-TV

A collection of Videos from the source you trust the most, TFP! These videos are to help the average homeowner understand their pool and enjoy their water.

www.troublefreepool.com

Thank you! I plan to do nothing except vacuum until everything gets here Monday. We have quite a bit of rain in the forecast the rest of this week. Is there anything I should do to prevent algae growth prior to the arrival of my chemical and test kit?

 

[mknauss]

You need to keep chlorine in the water. As you do not know your CYA level, I would suggest adding 3 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine each day to the pool and when you get your test kit, run all the tests and post up the results.

 

[BrandyK]

Welcome to TFP.

Don‘t let it overwhelem you. I’m a recent new user, forum folks are super helpful, so don’t be afraid to ask. Also look for posts that are similar to your questions, lots of learning and sharing to be gained.

Lots to study here for sure, it will make sense a bit at a time.. testing can be challenging in the beginning it was for me, but the forum folks helped a ton.

Based on you introduction I’d suggest you focus on testing and water balance in the beginning then you can expand to other topics of interest.

I’d recommend you start here: Pool Care Basics - Trouble Free Pool

I‘ve encountered a range of challenges in my first year with my pool, folks like mknaus and other experienced members give good guidance, give their suggestions consideration, they’ve really been spot on for my situation.

we’re here to help.

Thank you! I am hoping the calculator will make things more simple for me! There is tons of info here and it seems a bit overwhelming. I look forward to having a group of individuals to help navigate the process. I feel like the pool store is always selling me something.....and then I am having to fix another problem.

 

[BrandyK]

You need to keep chlorine in the water. As you do not know your CYA level, I would suggest adding 3 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine each day to the pool and when you get your test kit, run all the tests and post up the results.

Okay....this is where I meant for dummies. You say 3 ppm, is this where I go to the calculator and add 3 to the target free chlorine? Assuming mine is 0? Then add the recommended amount based upon the chlorine percentage?

 

[woodyp]

Correct.....and welcome.

 

[Flying Tivo]

You can download the PoolMath app so you can have it on your phone.

 

[BrandyK]

So I have gotten in most of the chemicals that I ordered and I have been playing around with the Taylor 2006C test kit. Initially Everything was out of whack. It appears I still need to get my Ph down to help correct most of my problems. The one chemical I didn’t order was muriatic acid. I am waiting on that to come in (any day now). I also need to do a vacuum on the pool. Question is, do I test, then vacuum, then add chemical. Or vacuum, then test. Not sure if stirring up stuff will effect the test result. Also, when I am ready, how do I share my test results with you?

 

[Texas Splash]

Vacuuming really won't impact water testing tooo much unless you were to backwash a LOT of water to waste. Poolmath numbers aren't showing on your profile, so I can't se your numbers, but if your water is still chilly, say around 70 or so, a slightly elevated pH won't be a big deal.

To share your test numbers, go to the PoolMath APP, settings, then slide down to where it shows share Poolmath to your TFP profile.

 

[BrandyK]

You can download the PoolMath app so you can have it on your phone.

Thank you. I have it. I just wasn’t sure how to share my log. Hopefully I have it figured out now.

 

[mknauss]

Hopefully I have it figured out now.

You do! Great. Be sure to save the test results you input. Right now all we see are some chemical additions.

 

[BrandyK]

You do! Great. Be sure to save the test results you input. Right now all we see are some chemical additions.

Thank you for the update! Can I log the results without doing the recommended interventions? I plan on playing with it some more this afternoon and would like to add the results prior to doing any interventions.

 

[mknauss]

Can I log the results without doing the recommended interventions?

Yes. Test results are a separate entry. Just be sure to touch the check mark in the upper right of the data entry screen to save the test results.

 

[mknauss]

 

[ghall6292]

Welcome to TFP. As you begin this new journey, know that most all of us needed some "Pool School For Dummies" in the beginning. You're in luck... this is where you will find it (but will never be treated as a "dummie.") After about a week of testing and getting your water right, you will wonder why this whole pool chemistry thing was so intimidating to you in the first place. Continue to ask questions. You will probably find, as I did, that the experts on here will seem to be competing to be the first to help; not a BAD thing, right?

 

[BrandyK]

Thank you! That was really helpful! I work so much that finding time for this can sometimes be challenging. Then when I look for info there are 850 thousand threads. I did not realize I needed to purchase a membership....but that it done and I have added a couple of maintenance things, so hopefully I am on the right track I will play with the test kit later this afternoon and update the logs prior to any intervention. Thank you for your patience!!