Should I test fresh water before starting BBB

[momov2]

Good afternoon from the great state of Mississippi,

I have one of those strange "newbie owner" questions. We will start filling over the weekend and I was wondering if I should test my water prior to adding any chemicals. We will be running a salt system for maintenance, but we will start out using BBB for a few weeks to get our water where it needs to be to make it safe. I guess due to my lack of knowledge, I was wondering if an initial test of the water prior to adding the recommendations on the calculator is a good idea or a waste of a good test. We live in the county and already have a strong chlorine smell to our water. I am not saying it's swim ready out of the hose, but I was just wondering where do I get a baseline from without testing prior to adding BBB. I know I know what you guys are thinking.... But asking is the only way to find out.

 

[JohnT]

Testing the fill water ahead of time is a good idea. It will let you know what to prepare for and can even tell you that you need to find an alternate water source if the water has serious problems.

 

[duraleigh]

MO2,

As John said, not a dumb question at all. In fact, if more people would test in advance of their fill, there'd be a lot fewer green pools.

 

[momov2]

Thanks for the answers guys... :-D

 

[louiss3000]

Having followed these forums for some time now, and learning tons, I thought I knew what I was doing. I recently had to drain my pool to fix a leak. After re-filling, I used the Pool Calculator to get the proper amount of baking soda for a target TA of 90. Well, it came out at about 140. Long story short, yes, check the water first... (Keep reading and learning, it's all here.)