Saltwater setup and cya

[Amelia14]

Hi! I’m just setting up my above ground saltwater pool. The CYA levels are at a normal level without having to add anything. Is this right? I’m so confused, I thought I would have to add the stabilizer. I’ve shocked and I’ve been running the salt system and I can’t get the chlorine levels up. I’m not sure if that’s because I haven’t added stabilizer, but I’m scared to add it and have it be too much then have to partially drain and refill. So, the ph and alkalinity are fine, the cya is fine without adding stabilizer and the chlorine is pretty much at 0. Please help!

 

[JohnT]

Welcome to TFP!

What do you mean when you say the CYA levels are fine? How do they compare to what the manufacturer of the SWCG recommends? How does your salt level compare to what the SWCG manufacturer recommends?

 

[Amelia14]

Welcome to TFP!

What do you mean when you say the CYA levels are fine? How do they compare to what the manufacturer of the SWCG recommends? How does your salt level compare to what the SWCG manufacturer recommends?

Thanks for responding! The CYA is at 80ppm, the recommendation is 30-80. The salt level is at about 3500, recommended at 3000-4000ppm. I was thinking about getting new strips because I’m so confused as to where the cya came from. Are faulty strips common? I’m brand spanking new to this and I’m already a little overwhelmed.

 

[pjt]

Are faulty strips common?

Test strips are terrible. You need a proper test kit. The TF-Pro Salt with SmartStir would be ideal for you.

 

[Amelia14]

Test strips are terrible. You need a proper test kit. The TF-Pro Salt with SmartStir would be ideal for you.

Thanks for the recommendation! I just placed an order. I was trying to avoid the extra cost, but I guess you’re right since I’m already having problems

 

[TexEdmond]

You got this thing! Welcome to the club. The thing about test strips is, not only are they not very accurate, they're not very precise either. The strips we used on our pool before we "saw the light" here at TFP had some insanely wide range for the colors that it'd have been impossible to calculate what exactly to put in the pool anyway.

You've got the test kit on the way. Get the app and familiarize yourself with the interface. Get some *liquid* chlorine in your pool, immediately. No shock, absolutely nothing that says "trichlor..." or "dichlor..." or "Cal-Hypo" on it. Home Depot usually has a 4-pack of gallon jugs of 10% pool chlorine for around $17 or so. In front of the return jet on the pool, slowly pour enough chlorine to add 5ppm every day and brush the walls afterwards.

When your test kit comes in, post your numbers on the app and we can help from there. The great news is, every single person on this website wants your pool to be perfect and sparkly and fun and cheap and EASY. Read some "pool school" articles if you haven't yet.

 

[chiefwej]

Salt water chlorine generators are good at MAINTAINING chlorine levels. Not so good at starting from zero. You balance all your water chemistry using liquid chlorine to raise the FC level. Once everything is at proper level, turn on the SWG to maintain chlorine level.

 

[MITBeta]

I was trying to avoid the extra cost,

It may not seem like it, but buying a good test kit IS avoiding the extra cost. It will save you many times its cost in not dumping expensive chemicals blindly into your pool and still not solving the problem.

 

[TexEdmond]

 

[Amelia14]

You've got the test kit on the way. Get the app and familiarize yourself with the interface. Get some *liquid* chlorine in your pool, immediately. No shock, absolutely nothing that says "trichlor..." or "dichlor..." or "Cal-Hypo" on it. Home Depot usually has a 4-pack of gallon jugs of 10% pool chlorine for around $17 or so. In front of the return jet on the pool, slowly pour enough chlorine to add 5ppm every day and brush the walls afterwards.

Thanks for all of the info! I’m learning so much! Does this look like the liquid chlorine I should get? Should I turn off my SWG until I get the test kit and everything properly leveled?

 

[TexEdmond]

Perfect! Sodium Hypochlorite is the magic juice we use. It's the same brand and concentration at our local Home Depots. *Plain* household bleach will work also, but it's usually lower concentration. No fragrance, no "anti-splash," no Clorox products.

Is your water still clear? You can use the PoolMath app to calculate your SWG runtime, or there's a spreadsheet link in my signature. It won't hurt anything to keep the SWG on while you manually dose the pool and wait for the test kit.

 

[pjt]

I was trying to avoid the extra cost

A quality test kit is by far the best money you will spend on your pool (followed by a SWG and robot in my opinion).