Read Pool School, but where do I even start!?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
jark87 said:
It’s not nearly as hard as it may seem, especially with a SWCG. I’ve found that I really only have to manage my pH by adding acid once a week. I test total and free chlorine, pH, and total alkalinity several times per week. Even though my salt cell has a sensor to tell me the salt content, I use the Taylor kit to test salt roughly once per month. My sensor usually shows a reading about 10% less than the Taylor test. I test CYA and calcium hardness about every other month, as they don’t change very quickly.

I was still working and traveling often during my first decade of pool ownership and tested weekly at best. My pool still managed to survive with virtually no trouble. Give it a good brushing from time to time and keep debris out of the water. Then follow the guidelines of this site and you’ll spend more time enjoying the pool than taking care of it, and you’ll also save a ton of money by managing it yourself!
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm pretty confident on maintaining once the SWG is kicked on and my TF-100 and Taylor 1000 have been nice to play around with. But this first 28 day startup period makes me nervous and our PB didn't really give us anything to go by...yikes!
 
If you really want to use the Clorox salt, and are willing to spend the time, if you pre-dissolve it in a bucket and then pour in the pool, it will not stain. It will still add the iron to your water.
 
  • Like
Reactions: trophft
I don’t recall too much about our startup, but I do remember that we ran the salt cell from the beginning, as I never added chlorine. I think the PB added some just to get it up to the right level, but the SWCG took over from there. I don’t remember doing anything differently during the 1st 28 days than what I do today. That may not have been a best practice, but all is well 13 years later!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: trophft
jark87 said:
I don’t recall too much about our startup, but I do remember that we ran the salt cell from the beginning, as I never added chlorine. I think the PB added some just to get it up to the right level, but the SWCG took over from there. I don’t remember doing anything differently during the 1st 28 days than what I do today. That may not have been a best practice, but all is well 13 years later!
Click to expand...
Seems i've read several posts that said their PB cranked up the SWG right after fill, and some said NO WAY!
 
Read When Can Salt Be Added to Plaster Pools - Further Reading

We compared adding 3000 ppm of salt at the beginning of the start-up process with not adding salt.

The results obtained suggest that adding 3000 ppm of salt does have a negative effect on plaster when added at startup, and up to two weeks.

The bottom line. Waiting 30 days before adding any salt is recommended for plaster pools, including for quartz and pebble pools. And of course, when adding salt to the pool, never allow undissolved salt to lie and remain on the plaster surface for any length of time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: trophft
ajw22 said:
Read When Can Salt Be Added to Plaster Pools - Further Reading

We compared adding 3000 ppm of salt at the beginning of the start-up process with not adding salt.

The results obtained suggest that adding 3000 ppm of salt does have a negative effect on plaster when added at startup, and up to two weeks.

The bottom line. Waiting 30 days before adding any salt is recommended for plaster pools, including for quartz and pebble pools. And of course, when adding salt to the pool, never allow undissolved salt to lie and remain on the plaster surface for any length of time.
Click to expand...
Another random observations for us, we have had ZERO plaster dust. Brushing regularly, water is crystal clear, not even the slightest cloud of dust while brushing...
 
Mid-day TF-100 results:
Water Temp 92 (Air Temp 95) FULL SUN

FC reading no chlorine (also nothing on Taylor 3-way)
pH 7.5
TA 60
CH 93
CYA 40

Should I be concerned about that CH with new pebble/plaster curing?
Should I raise it up? to what? Water is still crystal clear, no dust, not cloudy.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
ajw22 said:
You should be checking and adding chlorine daily.

You should be follow the chemistry in the startup guide - https://wetedgetechnologies.com/files/28_Day_Start_Up_Instructions.pdf

Maintain your chlorine at 3 ppm.

Raise CH to 250 ppm.

www.troublefreepool.com

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
Click to expand...
I've got 4 tablets in the feeder on setting 5 (out of 6) per the PB's instructions, should I also be adding liquid bleach? I have a surplus of 81oz jubs of bleach (7.5%) as well...
 
Your CYA is already 40. You need to remove the tablets and chlorinate with liquid chlorine.

You should never allow your FC to get to 0. It allows algae to take hold in the water.

Check that the bleach has no additives, fragrances, thickeners (splashless), or surfactants (outdoor bleach) may cause foaming. Bleach with fabric protectors (chloromax technology) may also cause foaming.
 
  • Like
Reactions: trophft
ajw22 said:
Your CYA is already 40. You need to remove the tablets and chlorinate with liquid chlorine.

You should never allow your FC to get to 0. It allows algae to take hold in the water.

Check that the bleach has no additives, fragrances, thickeners (splashless), or surfactants (outdoor bleach) may cause foaming. Bleach with fabric protectors (chloromax technology) may also cause foaming.
Click to expand...

The ingredients are 7.5% sodium hypocholrate and 92.5% "other", not water. So I assume the "other" is chock full of all the things you just listed...
 
All liquid chlorine has other as it’s remaining percentage. It is water, salt, and a bit of lye.

Post pics of the labels on the bottle.
 
It doesn't specifically say it on the bottle, but online it is called "Great Value Concentrated Fabric Protection Bleach" and it lists the full ingredients as:
Water, 7732-18-5, Intentionally added non-fragrance, Diluent
Sodium Hypochlorite, 7681-52-9, Intentionally added non-fragrance, Bleaching Agent
Sodium hydroxide, 1310-73-2, Intentionally added non-fragrance, Stabilizing agent, Present on CA Non-Cancer Hazards list
Sodium Silicate, 1344-09-8, Intentionally added non-fragrance, detergent builder
Sodium Metaperiodate, 7790-28-5, Intentionally added non-fragrance, detergent builder
 
“Fabric protection “ are code words for some additives.

Using a few gallons if that is what you have should not do any damage. But I would get pure liquid chlorine when I could.
 
  • Like
Reactions: trophft
I just found another gallon of Pro-Chlorinizor 12.5% liquid that the PB left in a box (thought it was just another bottle of Muriatic Acid)... i just added that and brushed sides floors. I'll check for pool chlorine at store tomorrow after work. Not enough hours in the day!
 
trophft said:
I just found another gallon of Pro-Chlorinizor 12.5% liquid that the PB left in a box (thought it was just another bottle of Muriatic Acid)... i just added that and brushed sides floors. I'll check for pool chlorine at store tomorrow after work. Not enough hours in the day!
Click to expand...

Are you using PoolMath?

A gallon of 12.5% in your 15,000 gallons will raise your FC by 8.3.

The recommended target in the startup guide is 3 ppm to not bleach the color out of your new plaster that is still curing.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply