No clue in NE Missouri.

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rumpunch

rumpunch

0
Apr 14, 2017
28
Shelbina, MO
Hello guys. I'm a new pool owner (as of two days ago) and have absolutely no clue as to what I'm doing. I'm reading a bunch on here and I'm starting to wonder what I've gotten myself into... I'm hoping you guys can guide me through the new pool owner process as painlessly as possible.

I'm a lawyer in a small town in Northeast Missouri. I've been married 20 years and have two boys-- ages 11 and 14. I enjoy basically anything that gets me outdoors-- shooting, camping, hiking, etc. I am half-owner of a gun shop and occasionally teach some firearm classes. I'm active in my church and have been training in Jiu Jitsu for several years.

I also like to compete in BBQ competitions, I'm a Parrot-head and I really like rum.
 
Welcome to the forum -- rum -- watch out for some folks on here - that will attract them!!

Post up a list of your test results, what you have added to the pool so far, etc.

Ask questions -- and let them boys swim!

Take care.
 
Thanks! I'm still filling the pool-- it takes a long time to fill 13,500+ gallons with a garden hose! It should be full this afternoon so I'll run a test when I get home and see where to go from there.

The boys swam yesterday as it was filling. It was way too cold for me to get in, though.
 
A new fill. So - shopping list.
Stop at Walmart or Home Depot and get two 4# or 5# containers of CYA. Sometimes labeled as conditioner, stabilizer, etc. Should be about $4 per pound.
Do you know if you have 'hard' water? If so, get muriatic acid at Home Depot. Be sure it is 31.45% concentration. Should be outside in the garden center with the pool chemicals.
You will need bleach / liquid chlorine. Best place for now is Walmart - Great Value bleach - 8.25%, plain, no scents, splashless, etc.
Get 6 bottles. That should last a week or so.

When you test - no need to test for CYA. Your fill water has none.

When you get home - put 4# of the CYA powder in a sock. Tie it shut. Hang it in front of a return. Tell the boys to get in and squeeze that sock. It will dissolve in a couple hours, at most.
Add bleach to get a FC of 3 - about half a jug. Plan to add that every day, but check your FC before you add and we can see if you need more or less.

Thats a start -- good luck!
 
Oh you two are going to be easy to work with! I love it!

So a few notes, bleach and muriatic acid additions need 20-30 minutes apart, and both with pump running. As with most chems, you'll be adding them in front of the water return jet (water comes back into pool from filter) very slowly so it gets mixed it very well and no strong clouds of it.

Are you familiar with the sock method of CYA additions?

Here are some links to help you with your test kit (also read the instructions that came with it, probably on underside of lid and packet): videos of tests being done and extended (more detailed) directions

- - - Updated - - -

You can test the fill water for PH, TA, FC, CC, and CH if you would like to practice those tests once and post results. CYA will be zero, so skip that. Be sure to flush the water that was sitting in the hose first, and then take sample to test. They also give us a rough idea what to expect.

The FC and TA and CH tests can all be done with 25ml or 10ml. The 10mL instructions are at the end of the instructions for each test. You can almost always follow the 10mL instructions/drop counts/multipliers. Only rare circumstances require the 25mL instructions.
 
mknauss said:
A new fill. So - shopping list.
Stop at Walmart or Home Depot and get two 4# or 5# containers of CYA. Sometimes labeled as conditioner, stabilizer, etc. Should be about $4 per pound.
Do you know if you have 'hard' water? If so, get muriatic acid at Home Depot. Be sure it is 31.45% concentration. Should be outside in the garden center with the pool chemicals.
You will need bleach / liquid chlorine. Best place for now is Walmart - Great Value bleach - 8.25%, plain, no scents, splashless, etc.
Get 6 bottles. That should last a week or so.

When you test - no need to test for CYA. Your fill water has none.

When you get home - put 4# of the CYA powder in a sock. Tie it shut. Hang it in front of a return. Tell the boys to get in and squeeze that sock. It will dissolve in a couple hours, at most.
Add bleach to get a FC of 3 - about half a jug. Plan to add that every day, but check your FC before you add and we can see if you need more or less.

Thats a start -- good luck!
Click to expand...

:goodpost:
 
And one other thing... avoid the pool store like the plague.





Any problems, come here first and ask. Don't add anything to the water without running it past the folks here first until you get a handle on it.
 
I Google'd Shelbina MO and was worried were you were going to get the items on the shopping list! Good job!!
 
When I got home yesterday afternoon, I put 4 pounds of Clorox Pool Conditioner (https://www.amazon.com/Pool-Spa-Chlorine-Stabilizer-10004CLX/dp/B00PZZF9P6) in two socks and hung them in front of the return with the pump on high. I let those dissolve fully while my kids were swimming. When the kids were done for the evening, I added half a jug of Clorox bleach (the 6% regular strength stuff). I left the pump on high all night.

This morning I broke out the test kit. Here are my numbers as of this morning:
FC- 1
CC- 1
PH- 7.2
TA- 125 (I was using the 10ml test so it might be between 100-125)
CH- 160 (it was light blue, I hope that counts)
I didn't test for CYA yet

Based on those results, I added the rest of the bleach from last night and left the pump on high to circulate. I'm sure the boys will be in the pool quite a bit today, and the water is getting warm enough that I might swim this afternoon, too.

Thoughts? Advice? Also, how much should I be running the pump right now and on what speed?

*ETA* Dumb questions: Should I be putting a cover on the pool at night? And, do you have to remove the ladder each time you install the cover?
 

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Be sure to use PoolMath for your bleach adds. You are using 6% bleach so that would be greater than the half a jug I stated. You want to keep your FC at 3 as the MINIMUM for the day, so need to up that to about 6 ppm when you dose.

Look for a source of higher strength liquid chlorine, like 10% or 12.5%.

See this on pump run time - Pool School - Determine Pump Run Time

The cover - will need to wait for some other Above Ground pool owners to chime in --

Take care.
 
Now that you've added the cya you'll want to keep the correct target FC for what it is projected to be after full dissolved.[FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]. Most find that 8.25% generic bleach is their best deal, unless they find 10% pool chlorine which can sometimes be cheaper. Nothing wrong with the 6% though. One way or another though, please get FC up to target or above (but not above shock) today/tonight. Your pool is below the minimum FC for your cya and if left that way long enough, will succumb to algae and bacteria. The CC is like an early warning sign. 1 and higher is like your pool kicking and screaming for bleach.
 
I just called my wife and told her to add another bottle of the 6% bleach right now. I'll test again when I get home this afternoon and adjust as necessary. Also, I'll look for some higher % bleach-- she bought 4 jugs of Clorox 6% when I sent her shopping yesterday, so I'll use that until I get some stronger stuff.

As to the rest of my numbers, is there anything I need to do? Also, do I need to be testing for all those things each day, or just FC and CYA? Finally, when should I first test for CYA?

*ETA* Thanks for the quick responses, I really appreciate it.
 
Once you get your CYA stablized, no need to test for it except on a monthly basis or if you have to do a major water exchange.

No need to test CH. You have a vinyl pool. Test it monthly to see if it rises, if not, then you are golden.

Daily test pH and FC for now. Those are most important for sanitation and swimmer comfort.

TA monthly for now. It should drift down with your use of acid to lower pH, but that depends on your fill water.

Take care.
 
Need to give it a full 24 hours. Be sure to carefully read the Extended Test Directions in Pool School. The CYA test must be done in bright sunlight.

Since you are a fresh fill, and you know what you added, and you added it directly to the pool via the sock method, it is in there. The only variable will be the pool volume and the normal error in testing for CYA. So wait a few days, then see if when you test you get close to what PoolMath says it should be. Will be a good learning moment on testing for CYA.
 
The cover is a personal choice. If you don't mind hassling with it each night, it will keep your pool a little cleaner. But a cover that wraps over the rails will also require you to remove your ladder each time.

I got tired of doing that and seldom used mine. Instead, I got a solar blanket which is cut slightly smaller than the diameter of your pool and used that instead. You don't have to take the ladder out and it has the added benefit of keeping your water warmer. It doesn't keep bugs and leaves out as well as a full cover, but it gets some of them.

Eventually I got lazy and stopped even using that very often. It finally deteriorated and I never replaced it. You just have to be sure to empty the skimmer basket daily, especially after a storm, or it might be full of leaves.
 
I feel like I'm being a pest, but I'll post this anyway.

I had my wife add a gallon of 6% Clorox this morning (around 9:00 am) to bring the FC level up. When I went home at noon (3 hours after she added the bleach) the FC level was still at 1. From what I read, I figured that the chlorine was being used-up fighting something off. So... I added another jug (121 oz.) of bleach-- this was 8.25% bleach, not the 6% Clorox.

I waited an hour, then re-tested. This time, the FC level was 9%. I didn't test for anything else, but I will tonight once the kids are done swimming. Am I on the right track, or did I put in too much bleach this last time? For what it's worth, it's around 84 degrees today and my pool is in full sunlight.
 
We may find that you need to add more CYA to fend off the UV load on your pool. UV eats chlorine. Also bathers (the boys and their friends).

At FC 9ppm you are OK. Just need to find the sweet spot. I would suggest adding 10ppm more CYA tonight and see if that helps.

Take care.
 

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