We are almost finished with our pool build and I would like to take care of the pool myself. I ordered a TF-100 test kit and am wondering what I should do first? Test my tap water? I am in Dallas TX and we are not doing a salt pool. Thanks in advance.
newbie
- Thread starter NDallasModPool
- Start date
Sure you can test the tap water to get a feel for what you will be starting with. No point in testing the CYA as it is 0ppm until you add it.
I second the idea of testing tap water. It gives you practice with the kit (except CYA as jblizzle mentioned) and gives you a good feel for your refill (fill?) water.
Post the fill water results, then let us know when you start the fill. We'll walk you through it, and you'll have sparkly water from the start.
Welcome! 
You can also amuse yourself by shopping for the best deal on bleach. Sometimes it ends up cheaper buying "liquid shock" aka "pool Chlorine" from a pool store rather than bleach. Sometimes the opposite is true.
bleach-prices-2013-t58266.html
cost-comparison-of-chlorine-sources-t1859.html
Yeah, test the tap water except for CYA, since you won't have any in tap water. Then you'll have an idea if you'll need anything to raise pH (Borax) or TA (Baking Soda) or if it's just going to be acid, bleach, and stabilizer. That's all my pool uses - and I get the stabilizer when I use pucks while I'm out of town, so I've never actually had to buy plain cyanuric acid.NDallasModPool said:
You can also amuse yourself by shopping for the best deal on bleach. Sometimes it ends up cheaper buying "liquid shock" aka "pool Chlorine" from a pool store rather than bleach. Sometimes the opposite is true.
bleach-prices-2013-t58266.html
cost-comparison-of-chlorine-sources-t1859.html
DFW has varying levels of CH throughout the year and depending on source. Knowing the CH of your fill water can help you prevent high CH in the future.
There will be chlorine in there, although it is usually in the form of CC.
There will be chlorine in there, although it is usually in the form of CC.