Can anyone direct me to a good newbie thread?

I am 1st time pool owner and know NOTHING! 28' round pool is up with water in it and pump/de filter attached. Thats it. Can someone give me a step by step from here. (ie starting filter {what to do}, adding de, using BBB method, etc.) I've read some good tips but don't know what to do 1st or what order these things should go. And I assume when adding BBB everything goes throug the skimmer. Also, what more do I need to purchase? I have 5.25% bleach, borax, baking soda, de, ph strips. Want to get this running ASAP.

Thanks
Bridget

Oh, I forgot to say...the guy we bought our filter/ pump from gave us a pressure style chlorine feeder thats attached to pump/filter area. Don't know how to use this either.

ok- you have the filter and pump attached, so that's a good place to start- Was DE already added to the filter?
1. Make sure pump basket is full of water (if empty, you can open the top and fill with water- in an AG pool, it will fill itself from skimmer when you open the top, then secure the top)
2. Make sure no plugs in skimmer and returns
3. if you have multiport valve (6 or 7 position valve at filter) make sure on filter setting. some DE filters have a different valve assembly, but should be a flush setting and a filter setting marked.
4. Turn on pump
5. Make sure water is returning to pool (hold hand in front of return, make sure a good flow is happening)
6. Add Chlorine (bleach); 1 gal of 5.25% bleach will give you almost 3ppm Cl- enough for a start if water is freshly filled and clear
7. If no DE in filter, add your DE per filter directions
8. After about 1/2 hour to 1 hour of circulation, get a good water test
9. Make sure pH is between 7.2 and 7.8 ( some people use 7-8, I'm a little more conservative on pH), if not add acid to decrease or borax to increase. If your pool is 4 foot deep, I'd guess 18k gallons for calculating how much to add (shoot for the middle of the good range initially)
10. after about 1 hour of circulation, get a full test of water and we can adjust everything from there.

That's the quick breakdown, and at that point it's probably good to go if it was fresh water- you'll have to test regularly, and maintain/adjust balance over time, but you can swim almost immediately!
If you have problems (green water, bad smell, get no FC when you test, etc) let us know and we'll help you out!

First thing you need to do is get some chlorine in there or you'll be amazed at how fast it turns green! I'm assuming your pool's volume is around 18K. In this amount of water, each gallon will add approximately 3ppm of chlorine. Until you get some stabilizer in there, the chlorine will disappear fast. You'll probably need to test and add bleach at least twice and 3x a day is better for the first week and each time, add enough bleach to get back up to 6ppm or so. Also, you'll need to add some CYA, also called cyanuric acid, stabilizer or conditioner.) Aim for an initial amount of about 30-35 ppm. You can always add more if you need it, but the only way to remove it is to drain which you don't want to do. Add it slowly to the skimmer while the pump is running and let your pump run 24/7 for several days. It will take up to a week to totally dissolve in the filter, so don't backwash, test for it or add more for a week. Once you get a CYA reading, you'll be able to go to testing and dosing with bleach in the evenings only. (By the way, take a look at the "Best Guess Chlorine Chart" in my signature line below.)

Another option is to use dichlor powder for a while which adds chlorine and CYA at the same time. If you do decide to use this, you'll have to keep an eye on your CYA level and when it gets to about 35-40, you'll need to stop using it and switch to another source of chlorine.

Also, you need to buy a good test kit. Click the link in my signature and you'll see the kit we recommend which is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C. If you buy through that link, Pool Forum makes a little money.

Post a full set of readings for us to take a look at and we'll go from there. Do some reading on our sister site www.poolsolutions.com and you'll learn a lot.

I'll let someone else talk to you about your DE filter.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for becoming a subscriber. We appreciate it!

Ok. Water started pouring out of what I assume is backwash valve. Even when its closed.

Is the handle on your multiport set to "filter"?

Janet

Sorry. I only have a little test kit that I bought from Kmart for now. Pump/filter finally working. Added de and 1 gallon of bleach to skimmer about 2 hours ago. Tested CL 1.0 BR 2.2 pH 7.8. Pool is a faint green color. What to do next? What are stabilizers, should I add them now and how much?

Thanks

Reread post #4 in this thread. You need to add more bleach at a time while your pool is still green. Since you have no CYA, you can add enough bleach to take the chlorine level back up to 10ppm to try and kill the algae. Test at least twice per day and more often than that will clear it faster, and each time add enough bleach to get back up to 10.

2 choices:
1. Use dichlor shock powder for awhile which will add chlorine at the same time as stabilizer

Or

2. Use bleach and add stabilizer separately. Stabilizer is CYA, which is cyanuric acid. Sometimes it is also called conditioner. Check the label ingredients and if it says cyanuric or isocyanuric acid, it is the right stuff.

Thanks. CYA added last night but showing up as 0 on test strip. Add more or wait?

wait, unless you backwashed your filter. If you backwash the filter before the CYA is dissolved (takes 3-5 days), then you've lost it and need to add more. If you don't backwash the filter, give it 4-5 days before you retest or add more.

Janet