Newbie With Questions On Initial Startup

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Bkndsdl

Active member
Jun 24, 2020
30
Irvington, alabama
Good morning. I am scheduled to have a 24' round AG put in next week. I purchased the pool used, but it was brand-new and never installed by the PO, which was intended to replace one that collapsed. The installer I've hired, who is also a retailer for pools and spas, recommended the Pristine Blue product for pool cleaning. My brother, who has a 27' round purchased from and installed by the same company many years ago, now uses the product and swears by it. HOWEVER - me being completely different from my brother, who hates testing and just brings it to the retailer to test and tell him what to add, and being the OCD person that I am, I researched and researched, eventually finding this website. After reading the posts and input from other friends that have pools, I have decided to not use the product, mainly from the sanitation concerns. I am going to try to use the BBB system that so many have used here. I will be purchasing a Taylor test kit, as I actually enjoy that kind of stuff (DIY is my middle name).

The one question I haven't been able to find is, do I need to use chlorine tablets and the floater whilst using the BBB method? Or does the BBB method eliminate the need for that? Thanks in advance.

Mike
 
Welcome to the forum!
Great decision to not use Pristine Blue. It creates quite the mess and leaves you with many problems.
TFPC is based on pool owner testing and adding what is necessary to maintain your pool water chemistry using normal, known, products.
www.troublefreepool.com

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.
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Recommended Pool Chemicals

Which should I buy? TFP's recommended pool chemicals are cheap, easy, and won't unbalance your pool water.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
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What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.
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As far as your question on tablets, it is not a bad idea to have a floating tablet holder and a small bucket (5#) of tablets on hand. They are useful for when you plan to go out of town for several days and no one is available to add chlorine to the pool during that time.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
 
What test kit are you getting?
Once the pool is full and circulating. Add 30 ppm CYA via the sock method and 3 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine. If you cannot test, add 3 ppm FC each day until you can test.
 
OK -- realize the K2006C is the one you want. The C is important. The TF100 is the best value. From TFTestkits.net
 
The C version does have more tests. The FAS-DPD and CYA are the ones you want more of. The TF100 has the larger amounts for the tests you will do the most.

Use PoolMath to determine how much chlorine to add for 3 ppm FC. If you add the volume of our pool to your signature, we can help you on that.
 

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So to get a bit ahead of the install this Thursday, I've purchased 2.5g of liquid chlorine, and 8 lbs of CYA. I have a small test kit that I was able to test my tap water with; PH is 6.8, and my chlorine is 0.5. So if I'm looking at Pool Math correctly, once I get the pool filled, I should be adding 1 lb of Borax to get my PH up to 7.6, first, correct? Then the next I am assuming would be to add the 5lbs 4 oz of CYA? Then after that the 3 quarts of liquid chlorine?

Also curious as to why the granular CYA is preferred over the liquid? Wouldn't the liquid be much easier to add? Thanks for all the help! Can't wait until Thursday, these days it's HOT in Forest Gump land!!
 
I calculate you need 3.5 lbs of dry stabilizer to reach 30ppm in your 14000 gallons. It is generally recommended to add half the CYA then test. Overshooting to far on CYA is not ideal. Dry is recommended over liquid based on monetary reasons (cheaper).
Keep the chlorine out of the sun and preferably indoors. It will degrade with exposure to either.

Add chlorine before CYA. Keep your pump running during CYA dissolving.
 
The pH may rise some as you are filling. Go ahead and let the water aireate a bit during fill (allow the water to splash). Ideally, You want to get your pH into the 7’s but until you have a proper test kit you won’t know what your starting with. I would just focus on FC and CYA until your test kit comes in. I would target 30ppm CYA not 45.
 
Thank you Mknauss. So I searched all over the TFP forum and I haven't been able to find a specific series of events to do with first startup of a pool. IE, what comes first, PH then CYA then Chlorine?? Is there somewhere you can point me to? I have already read the Pool School, downloaded and installed the PM app, entered my pool size etc, read what my ideal pool levels are supposed to be, but nothing that tells me what to do in some sort of chronological order. Sorry but I have a lot of info all over but no 'start your pool from scratch 101' to get me on the right foot.
 
Depends on your pool and water chemistry.
Chlorine is king. Always be sure that is in the water. Then adjust pH to the 7's. Then CYA to protect the chlorine from UV.
 

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