THANK YOU - TFP

[Stryker]

This is the first year I've every owned a pool. We bought a 10' x 16' Best Steel Oval pool with an Intex 1000 GPH Pump. My MIL also gave us an ECO7110 SWG. I bought a pH upper and downer and Muriatic acid and baking soda. I was trying to boost my chlorine up to 3 from 0 using the SWG on boost. My alkalinity was swinging from 40 - 180 and I saw pH anywhere from 6.2 - 8.4. I was adding chemicals based off of the App that came with my test strips, but they didn't have exactly what I bought so I was also going off what the back of the bottle said. After a week of that I went to Google and found TFP.

After a week of reading through all of the articles here, and using Pool Math, here's what I've been doing for the last week. I added 9 ounces of 10% Bleach I got at walmart to increase chlorine my pool. Alkalinity was back at 180, so I've been using muriatic acid based off the Pool Math app to lower pH to 7.0 and then using the SWG to bring the pH back up. And that's really it.

My Pool tested beautifully this Morning!! So far it's been the best $1,000 I've ever spent for family enjoyment, and with your help I don't think it'll be as stressful to maintain as I originally thought.

Hardness - 100
TC - 5
FC - 5
pH - 7.2
TA - 120
CYA - 30 - 50

I need to bring the TA down a little more and I might have to add CYA. I added it last Friday and I am waiting a full week before adding anymore since too much would be a headache..

If I'm missing anything please let me know. I'll take all the advice I can get from this place

Question: I didn't really plan on getting this pool. Just decided one day, bought it, borrowed a tiller and eyeballed the ground as it was mostly level. After setting it all up I did find it's 2" higher on 1 side than the other. Is this anything to be concerned about?

 

[mknauss]

Congratulations.

Welcome to the forum!

That far off level is not great. But others can chime in on it.

 

[Newdude]

So. Um. You didn't mention your reliable test kit. 'CYA 30-50' sounds awfully test strip-y.

If so, you can't have the proper level of sanitizing per the FC/CYA Levels if you don't know your CYA.

See Test Kits Compared, and Welcome !!

 

[jeffchap]

Don't worry too much about chasing TA. It's not that high and by using MA to lower your pH occasionally (which you almost certainly will have to do since you have a SWG), it will come down on its own over time. Plus, it's just not that important. It's usually the last thing we worry about.

Maintaining your CYA/FC ratio is the key.

By the way, congrats on your pool. Those soft side above ground pools are the best bargain in the world. We went through several of them before deciding to buy a house with inground pool and we loved them. I wish I had been the guy that invented them!

I had one that was slightly out of level too. It continued to lean worse to that side until it eventually collapsed. It took a couple of years, but if you want this pool to last, you need to drain and relevel it.

 

[Flying Tivo]

As mentioned before you need a proper Test Kits Compared

 

[koffey]

2" high is a problem if the pool is fill over 90% capacity and you keep it up all year round. If you plan on dissembling come the fall, you'll be fine in the short term. .5 to 1" is acceptable.

Congrats and welcome.

 

[Stryker]

So. Um. You didn't mention your reliable test kit. 'CYA 30-50' sounds awfully test strip-y.

If so, you can't have the proper level of sanitizing per the FC/CYA Levels if you don't know your CYA.

See Test Kits Compared, and Welcome !!

Good Tip! They were just the first strip I saw when I bought the pool. I wondered about that large of a variant for 1 color after I started reading more. I'll check out your link!

 

[Stryker]

2" high is a problem if the pool is fill over 90% capacity and you keep it up all year round. If you plan on dissembling come the fall, you'll be fine in the short term. .5 to 1" is acceptable.

Congrats and welcome.

Thanks! quite a bit has splashed out at this point so I don't think it's at 90%. My plan is to drain it and take it down in the fall and then figure out proper leveling next spring.