Do we need to wait to get in the pool a certain amount of time after adding? I have read to turn off salt water generator but turn on pump As you insert salt. The directions with the pool are confusing. Husband and I are terribly stressed. We have never had a pool and we seem to underestimate how challenging this would be. I have always wanted a pool. We have a 14364 gallon pool. I am so grateful for assistance.
What is the process of adding salt to a 32 x16 Intex pool?
- Thread starter Cathyinww
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 58,694
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Welcome to the forum!
With a fresh water fill you can add the salt while it is filling. Do you have a way to test the salt level? We suggest you add 2/3rds of the salt that is called for, wait for that to fully mix in with the pool full of water, then test salinity and add more salt as needed.
Do you have CYA (stabilizer, conditioner) and some liquid chlorine? You need those to get started too.
www.troublefreepool.com
www.troublefreepool.com
You also need a proper test kit. I suggest the TF-100 A proper test kit is needed to get the accurate water chemistry results needed to follow the TFP protocols.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
With a fresh water fill you can add the salt while it is filling. Do you have a way to test the salt level? We suggest you add 2/3rds of the salt that is called for, wait for that to fully mix in with the pool full of water, then test salinity and add more salt as needed.
Do you have CYA (stabilizer, conditioner) and some liquid chlorine? You need those to get started too.
What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?
Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.
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
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
Ideally you get everything all balanced and ready, then you add salt, give it 24 hours to mix, and then switch over seamlessly to having the SWG chlorinate instead of you with your jug. Some people like to let the kids in when they add the salt. It's like being inside a snow globe, and they'll do a good job mixing it.
Thank you. So the salt won’t bother them? Also I thought we didn’t need chemicals if we use a salt water pool (this is confusing). So can I get a test kit for salt and everything else on Amazon? Thanks y’all so much for your time and support.
DeanP66
0
You won't need to add chlorine because the salt water generator (SWG) will make the chlorine for you. You will have to monitor pH which will tend to rise. You will need muriatic acid to lower it every so often. That's really the only chemical you will need to add, once you add your initial dose of stabilizer to protect the chlorine from the sun's UV rays. Definitely get the test kit though. It will be your #1 tool to tell you how your pool water is being maintained.
- Mar 5, 2020
- 3,091
- Pool Size
- 66000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Astral Viron V35
Hey Cathy,
Welcome to TFP! Don't worry, it might all sound overwhelming, but it's actually very easy, you'll get used to it.
Start with the articles that mknauss recommended, and order the test kit he mentioned, the TF-100 from tftestkits
Welcome to TFP! Don't worry, it might all sound overwhelming, but it's actually very easy, you'll get used to it.
Start with the articles that mknauss recommended, and order the test kit he mentioned, the TF-100 from tftestkits
I'll add one thing. If you are putting the salt in yourself, don't use the Clorox brand of salt sold at the big box stores. I converted my pool over to salt a few weeks ago and had a time with iron in the water which we determined came from the Clorox salt. I don't know if the others are any better, but definitely don't use the Clorox salt.
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- May 28, 2020
- 1,235
- Pool Size
- 13000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
You'll need some liquid chlorine to add to the pool before the SWG is up and running.
CYA - Cyanuric Acid - Stabilizer..........Three different terms for an identical product.
It protects your chlorine from the UV rays of the sun so the FC isn't consumed so quickly
It protects your chlorine from the UV rays of the sun so the FC isn't consumed so quickly
- Mar 5, 2020
- 3,091
- Pool Size
- 66000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Astral Viron V35
Hey Cathy,
I saw that you also had a question in another thread regarding CYA:
I'll reply here, probably best to keep your questions in your thread, rather than "hijacking" someone else's.
The best way to add CYA, is the following, as described in TFP's Wiki:
Solid stabilizer is best added by placing it in a sock or nylon and hanging that sock in front of fast moving return(s). Shaking and squeezing the sock while in the pool water will help the stabilizer dissolve faster.
Alternatively, the sock can be placed into the skimmer basket BUT it should only be left in there if the pump is continuously running and not turned on and off by a timer. CYA is acidic when it dissolves into water and so it is not a good idea to leave the sock in the skimmer without the pump running.
Pouring granular CYA into the pool directly, or into the skimmer as recommended on stabilizer bottles, is not recommended as it takes a long time to dissolve and the granules can sit against the pool surface creating locally low pH levels.
The pump should be run for 24 hours after adding solid stabilizer and you should avoid backwashing/cleaning the filter for a few days if stabilizer was added to the skimmer.
CYA protects your chlorine from being broken down to quickly by exposure to UV (sun). It basically keeps some of the chlorine bound so it's protected from UV. Once the remaining active chlorine is being used or broken down by UV, the CYA releases some more. Think of it as a chlorine reservoir. Because some of your chlorine is bound with CYA all the time, your chlorine is a little less effective at keeping particularly algae in check. That's why you need to maintain higher chlorine levels the more CYA you have in your water. Even though you will have have more chlorine in the water, this is not dangerous, because most of the chlorine that your chlorine test will show, is in a bond with CYA, where it is not aggressive.
This is something that many pool stores fail to acknowledge (or even know). They will tell you that you need CYA to protect your chlorine. But they won't tell you that you need to adjust your chlorine level to your CYA level. Consequently, most pool owners that follow pool store advice will have an algae infestation sooner or later. This is great for the pool store, because they can sell their customers heaps of stuff (algaecides, phosphate removers, clarifiers, flocculants, ...) that will temporarily clear the pool, but not fix the root cause: There is not enough chlorine in the water.
That's how many people ended up on this forum: They followed pool store advice and had never ending algae problems, until they found TFP. You are in the lucky situation to follow TFP from the scratch.
More details you will find here, including a short video that will explain what you need to know for now:
www.troublefreepool.com
Follow the table for SWCG pools (SWCG = salt water chlorine generator). I wouldn't add it all at once. It dissolves very slowly, and you want to avoid overshooting on CYA. I'd suggest to first add enough to get to 30ppm. For your 14364 gal pool, this will be about 58 oz of dry stabilizer. Verify with the CYA test in your TF-100 kit that you really reached 30ppm, this might take a couple of days. I'd suggest to add some liquid chlorine to have enough chlorine for this CYA level straight away. Once your up and running, you can increase the CYA slowly to the level recommended in the chlorine-FC table.
Recommended levels for all the other pool chemicals apart from CYA and chlorine (that are covered by chlorine-FC table) you can find here:
www.troublefreepool.com
How much you need to add of a chemical you can calculate with the PoolMath app (that's how came up with 58oz of CYA - no rocket science, just PoolMath):
www.troublefreepool.com
I saw that you also had a question in another thread regarding CYA:
I'll reply here, probably best to keep your questions in your thread, rather than "hijacking" someone else's.
The best way to add CYA, is the following, as described in TFP's Wiki:
Solid stabilizer is best added by placing it in a sock or nylon and hanging that sock in front of fast moving return(s). Shaking and squeezing the sock while in the pool water will help the stabilizer dissolve faster.
Alternatively, the sock can be placed into the skimmer basket BUT it should only be left in there if the pump is continuously running and not turned on and off by a timer. CYA is acidic when it dissolves into water and so it is not a good idea to leave the sock in the skimmer without the pump running.
Pouring granular CYA into the pool directly, or into the skimmer as recommended on stabilizer bottles, is not recommended as it takes a long time to dissolve and the granules can sit against the pool surface creating locally low pH levels.
The pump should be run for 24 hours after adding solid stabilizer and you should avoid backwashing/cleaning the filter for a few days if stabilizer was added to the skimmer.
CYA protects your chlorine from being broken down to quickly by exposure to UV (sun). It basically keeps some of the chlorine bound so it's protected from UV. Once the remaining active chlorine is being used or broken down by UV, the CYA releases some more. Think of it as a chlorine reservoir. Because some of your chlorine is bound with CYA all the time, your chlorine is a little less effective at keeping particularly algae in check. That's why you need to maintain higher chlorine levels the more CYA you have in your water. Even though you will have have more chlorine in the water, this is not dangerous, because most of the chlorine that your chlorine test will show, is in a bond with CYA, where it is not aggressive.
This is something that many pool stores fail to acknowledge (or even know). They will tell you that you need CYA to protect your chlorine. But they won't tell you that you need to adjust your chlorine level to your CYA level. Consequently, most pool owners that follow pool store advice will have an algae infestation sooner or later. This is great for the pool store, because they can sell their customers heaps of stuff (algaecides, phosphate removers, clarifiers, flocculants, ...) that will temporarily clear the pool, but not fix the root cause: There is not enough chlorine in the water.
That's how many people ended up on this forum: They followed pool store advice and had never ending algae problems, until they found TFP. You are in the lucky situation to follow TFP from the scratch.
More details you will find here, including a short video that will explain what you need to know for now:
The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship
Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.
www.troublefreepool.com
Follow the table for SWCG pools (SWCG = salt water chlorine generator). I wouldn't add it all at once. It dissolves very slowly, and you want to avoid overshooting on CYA. I'd suggest to first add enough to get to 30ppm. For your 14364 gal pool, this will be about 58 oz of dry stabilizer. Verify with the CYA test in your TF-100 kit that you really reached 30ppm, this might take a couple of days. I'd suggest to add some liquid chlorine to have enough chlorine for this CYA level straight away. Once your up and running, you can increase the CYA slowly to the level recommended in the chlorine-FC table.
Recommended levels for all the other pool chemicals apart from CYA and chlorine (that are covered by chlorine-FC table) you can find here:
What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?
Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.
www.troublefreepool.com
How much you need to add of a chemical you can calculate with the PoolMath app (that's how came up with 58oz of CYA - no rocket science, just PoolMath):
PoolMath
www.troublefreepool.com
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