What order to add chemicals at opening?

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arl0726

Active member
Aug 23, 2022
28
New England
Hi all,
This is my second summer opening our 90's era in-ground vinyl liner pool in New England. Last summer, we had great results using TFP. This summer we're needing to do a bit more at opening, it seems. What order do I add everything? Added complexity: our SWG is out of commission while we wait for replacement parts, so it'll be liquid chlorine only for a few weeks.

FC 4.5 /CC 0.5 (Sunday AM after pool company added lots of liquid chlorine Saturday)
pH 7.0 (again, this was after chlorine, so I'm not sure how reliable this is)
TA 50
CYA less than 30
CH 50

Pool was a bit cloudy but has cleared up. I'm prepping for SLAM, and planning to add stabilizer today to get it up to 30.
Once SLAM is complete, in what order do I address getting CYA up to 60, TA, pH (and, eventually, salt!)? Is there a Pool School post on this maybe?

Thank you!
 
arl0726 said:
Hi all,
This is my second summer opening our 90's era in-ground vinyl liner pool in New England. Last summer, we had great results using TFP. This summer we're needing to do a bit more at opening, it seems. What order do I add everything? Added complexity: our SWG is out of commission while we wait for replacement parts, so it'll be liquid chlorine only for a few weeks.

FC 4.5 /CC 0.5 (Sunday AM after pool company added lots of liquid chlorine Saturday)
pH 7.0 (again, this was after chlorine, so I'm not sure how reliable this is)
TA 50
CYA less than 30
CH 50

Pool was a bit cloudy but has cleared up. I'm prepping for SLAM, and planning to add stabilizer today to get it up to 30.
Once SLAM is complete, in what order do I address getting CYA up to 60, TA, pH (and, eventually, salt!)? Is there a Pool School post on this maybe?

Thank you!
Click to expand...
The only thing you need is maybe a bit more CYA. All the rest is fine as long as you continue to follow the FC/CYA chart. The order of adding things dont matter as long as you arent pouring them on top of each other and mix each of them well/brush afterward.
 
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Bperry said:
The only thing you need is maybe a bit more CYA. All the rest is fine as long as you continue to follow the FC/CYA chart. The order of adding things dont matter as long as you arent pouring them on top of each other and mix each of them well/brush afterward.
Click to expand...
I’d probably warn against using the same measuring cup for liquid chlorine and acid though. I dont use those so didnt think of it but some folks with smaller pools might need them.

Also cal hypo powder and trichlor tablets are a no-no. Really, dont share any containers with any chemicals at all.
 
Update:

Is soda ash recommended to raise pH and TA? Or is it recommended to raise each separately? I purchased pH increaser, but then saw some threads that recommeded raising each separately. Currently running on liquid chlorine only. SWG and new pool heater will be back up and running next week, and I'd like to try to have everything as balanced as possible by then.

FC 3.5, CC 0
pH 7.0
TA 50
CYA 30 (sock in to start getting this up to 60)
CH 50
Salt 2200 - rainy winter!!

Thank you, as always!
 
arl0726 said:
Update:

Is soda ash recommended to raise pH and TA? Or is it recommended to raise each separately? I purchased pH increaser, but then saw some threads that recommeded raising each separately. Currently running on liquid chlorine only. SWG and new pool heater will be back up and running next week, and I'd like to try to have everything as balanced as possible by then.

FC 3.5, CC 0
pH 7.0
TA 50
CYA 30 (sock in to start getting this up to 60)
CH 50
Salt 2200 - rainy winter!!

Thank you, as always!
Click to expand...
Your pH and TA are fine. Leave them alone. Your FC is on the low end though.
 
I think I agree about the pH, as our SWG will tend to push that higher over the summer. The CircuPool manual wants TA to be at least 80 and CH to be at least 200 for optimal effectiveness of the SWG. Both were lower than that throughout the 2023 summer, but the SWG was also throwing up error codes every now and then, so I'm trying to start this summer closer to ideal for the SWG unit.
 
arl0726 said:
The CircuPool manual wants TA to be at least 80 and CH to be at least 200 for optimal effectiveness of the SWG.
Click to expand...
They just state industry numbers. Neither of those chemistry levels actually concern the SWCG. You should keep TA in the 50-90 range and CH in your case does not matter on the low side with a vinyl pool.
 
Oh, ok. Great! That's very good to hear. It's tricky to navigate all of the pieces of information. I trust this site since it hasn't failed me, but I do wonder at times like these when the manual for the specific equipment I have says something different. Thank you!
 
Look at the numbers the manual (s) state. Oddly, they are all identical whether is a SWCG, a pump, or heater. How could that be?
 

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You have a vinyl pool. CSI is Calcite Saturation Index. You have no calcium containing surfaces to be concerned about.

Turn OFF tracking CSI in your PoolMath app. No need for you to bother.
 
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