refill - how to start water treament

[fredg]

I've just had my pool acid washed, the truck is on the way to refill it. What are the right steps to start adding chlorine, borax, etc. to this newly filled pool? Does it need to be done in a certain order?

Thanks

Fred

[madwil]

some chlorine needs to go in pretty much immediately, to avoid any algae growth.
Then adjust pH- you need to know the current pH to know whether to go up or down
use Muriatic Acid to lower pH, use borax to raise pH- shoot for 7.2-7.6
Some CYA if it's outdoors
Everything else you can adjust later, as you get the water fully circulated and filter online, etc...

[Manslick]

I’d test a sample of the truck water first so you know what you’re dealing with.

I don’t know squat about truck water. Do you know its source?

And is all the acid water out of the pool?

[Watermom]

I would also test a sample of the fill water. You can actually add bleach as it is filling. Once you get a foot or so in there, drizzle some bleach in around the perimeter of the pool, reaching as far from the sides as you can. Then stir the water around with a clean broom or something. Do this again when you get another foot of water in there. Just small amounts.

Until you get some CYA (stabilizer) in the pool, you'll find that your chlorine disappears FAST! So, for the first few days, you'll have to add bleach 2 or 3 times per day. Once you start getting a CYA reading, you'll be able to test it and dose it with chlorine in the evenings only. How do you plan to add CYA? Separately? Of use dichlor for awhile or ???

[fredg]

I have Smart Sticks/trichlor - so I'll probably use them to add CYA - should I also add some directly? Though using them for a couple of years seemed to have raised the CYA through the roof. That was a side benefit of this work, it's all new water so the CYA should be non-existant to start with.

The pool was empty and virtually dry when the contractor finished, so all the acid is out. I'm not sure of the source of the water, but I have a test kit - a real one not strips :) - and will test what's being put in.

[Watermom]

You can use the trichlor but just monitor your CYA so you can quit using them when you get CYA to 40-50. But, it will take a bit before they get some CYA in there so for a few days, you'll probably need to keep an eye to make sure you have chlorine in there. Or, your other option is also ok, use a little CYA to get to maybe 20 or so and then use the trichlor to get the rest of the way to 40-50. Any way will work. Just have to monitor things. Also remember that trichlor is very acidic so it will push your pH down. Have to watch that, too.