Ordered the TF-100 w/ speedster. Nearing the end of my pool build and would like to test my water before fill. I have a water softener system and reverse osmosis for drinking. Will this impact the testing in anyway?
TF-100
- Thread starter Watershow
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 58,388
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Great choice in test kits.
Get a sample of the water from the non-softened water system. You will be filling your pool with that water.
Do you plan to use the softened or non-softened water for make up water when you top up the pool for evaporation?
Get a sample of the water from the non-softened water system. You will be filling your pool with that water.
Do you plan to use the softened or non-softened water for make up water when you top up the pool for evaporation?
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,849
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
A water softener will strip out some or all of the calcium from the water. If you have a plaster-based finish, it'll need that calcium. So you use the hard water (with calcium) to fill your new pool. But if you keep replacing evaporation with the same hard water, because calcium doesn't evaporate, it'll build up in your pool until you'll have to exchange water to get rid of some of it.
If you replace the evaporation with soft water, then that will slow or eliminate the calcium build up, and will put off or eliminate the need to replace water because of too much calcium. (Which is what a lot of us do.)
If your house is plumbed like it should be, your indoor plumbing will be soft water. The water coming from the hose bibs outside will be hard water. Which you can confirm with your kit!
Have you loaded up Pool Math on your phone yet? You can create more than one pool in the app. Use one to track the chemistry of your pool. Create a second pool and name it "City Water" and record your results from testing the hard water. Create a third one and name if "Soft Water" and record your results from testing the soft water. That way, over time, you can keep on eye on all three. If you see an increase in the calcium of the Soft Water, then you can troubleshoot if that is coming from the street, or maybe it's time for a new softener.
Otherwise known as the very long answer to your question!
But there's more!! By reading your water meter just before and right after you fill your pool, you can calculate the water volume of your pool. That's the most accurate way to get that number. The pool builder's number is only a rough estimate. Doing math with the pool dimensions will also yield an iffy number. If you can limit the use of water in the house while you're filling, you'll get a very accurate number (turn off all landscape irrigation, limit showers and flushes, postpone laundry until the next day, etc). Knowing your pool's water volume is necessary for dosing the right amount of pool chemicals. The better the number, the better the dosing.
If you replace the evaporation with soft water, then that will slow or eliminate the calcium build up, and will put off or eliminate the need to replace water because of too much calcium. (Which is what a lot of us do.)
If your house is plumbed like it should be, your indoor plumbing will be soft water. The water coming from the hose bibs outside will be hard water. Which you can confirm with your kit!
Have you loaded up Pool Math on your phone yet? You can create more than one pool in the app. Use one to track the chemistry of your pool. Create a second pool and name it "City Water" and record your results from testing the hard water. Create a third one and name if "Soft Water" and record your results from testing the soft water. That way, over time, you can keep on eye on all three. If you see an increase in the calcium of the Soft Water, then you can troubleshoot if that is coming from the street, or maybe it's time for a new softener.
Otherwise known as the very long answer to your question!
But there's more!! By reading your water meter just before and right after you fill your pool, you can calculate the water volume of your pool. That's the most accurate way to get that number. The pool builder's number is only a rough estimate. Doing math with the pool dimensions will also yield an iffy number. If you can limit the use of water in the house while you're filling, you'll get a very accurate number (turn off all landscape irrigation, limit showers and flushes, postpone laundry until the next day, etc). Knowing your pool's water volume is necessary for dosing the right amount of pool chemicals. The better the number, the better the dosing.
Last edited:
I believe the water inside of our home is soft. How would we access the soft water to refill the pool? I would ask our water softener co but they are closed on the weekends. This is all great advice! This is why I love this site. I will upgrade the pool math app so I can create multiple pool logs. I used the formula in this site to calculate my pool volume but will do the water meter test to be accurate. Thanks!A water softener will strip out some or all of the calcium from the water. If you have a plaster-based finish, it'll need that calcium. So you use the hard water (with calcium) to fill your new pool. But if you keep replacing evaporation with the same hard water, because calcium doesn't evaporate, it'll build up in your pool until you'll have to exchange water to get rid of some of it.
If you replace the the evaporation with soft water, then that will slow or eliminate the calcium build up, and will put off or eliminate the need to replace water because of calcium build up. (Which is what a lot of us do.)
If your house is plumbed like it should be, your indoor plumbing will be soft water. The water coming from the hose bibs outside will be hard water. Which you can confirm with your kit!
Have you loaded up Pool Math on your phone yet? You can create more than one pool in the app. Use one to track the chemistry of your pool. Create a second pool and name it "City Water" and record your results from testing the hard water. Create a third one and name if "Soft Water" and record your results from testing the soft water. That way, over time, you can keep on eye on all three. If you see an increase in the calcium of the Soft Water, then you can troubleshoot if that is coming from the street, or maybe it's time for a new softener.
Otherwise known as the very long answer to your question!
But there's more!! By reading your water meter just before and right after you fill your pool, you can calculate the water volume of your pool. That's the most accurate way to get that number. The pool builder's number is only a rough estimate. Doing math with the pool dimensions will also yield an iffy number. If you can limit the use of water in the house while you're filling, you'll get a very accurate number (turn off all landscape irrigation, limit showers and flushes, postpone laundry until the next day, etc). Knowing your pool's water volume is necessary for dosing the right amount of pool chemicals. The better the number, the better the dosing.
DanF
Silver Supporter
- Mar 17, 2019
- 594
- Pool Size
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- Plaster
- Chlorine
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- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,849
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Sorry Dan, I try to share that whenever I spot a fill happening.
Watershow, time to start working on your signature, so we know what type of pool and array of equipment you have. Do you have auto-fill on the pool? Or are you going to be topping off with a hose? I connected my auto-filler to my soft water plumbing. I have a few posts that describe how I did that. If you're filling with a hose, you can install a new outdoor soft water hose bib. An easy-ish way to do that would be to find the indoor plumbing closest to the pool that is located in an exterior wall: so a bathroom sink or kitchen sink or toilet. You open up some sheetrock under the sink or near the toilet and punch a hole through the exterior wall and run a pipe through the hole: hose bib on the outside end, connect to existing indoor plumbing on the other end, attach the pipe to an existing stud, patch and paint.
So give me some more info about your pool and fill method and I can give you some more detailed instructions. Here's how I did mine. It's an obnoxiously long thread that details a lot of my new-owner-of-a-pool woes, but the softener hook up starts at post #76:
#76
Watershow, time to start working on your signature, so we know what type of pool and array of equipment you have. Do you have auto-fill on the pool? Or are you going to be topping off with a hose? I connected my auto-filler to my soft water plumbing. I have a few posts that describe how I did that. If you're filling with a hose, you can install a new outdoor soft water hose bib. An easy-ish way to do that would be to find the indoor plumbing closest to the pool that is located in an exterior wall: so a bathroom sink or kitchen sink or toilet. You open up some sheetrock under the sink or near the toilet and punch a hole through the exterior wall and run a pipe through the hole: hose bib on the outside end, connect to existing indoor plumbing on the other end, attach the pipe to an existing stud, patch and paint.
So give me some more info about your pool and fill method and I can give you some more detailed instructions. Here's how I did mine. It's an obnoxiously long thread that details a lot of my new-owner-of-a-pool woes, but the softener hook up starts at post #76:
#76
.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,849
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
OK, I'll be around if I can help you out. Nice signature! Thanks. Looks like you have auto-fill. That's a good start! Take a few pictures of where the "automatic underground refill line" comes out of the ground. Is that near your pool equipment pad? Is it near an exterior wall of your house? Is it near a sink or toilet on the other side of the wall?
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