Need advice first time pool

I'm looking at buying my first pool. It'll be a Walmart intel 18x48 above ground. I'm also looking at upgrading it to the sand filter and saltwater system all made by index the Krystal brand. My wife really wants a $4k dollar pool but we don't want another bill so were going this route for now until we save the cash for a professional installed pool in a year or two. I know I'll need about 50# of sand and about 50# of salt per 2000 gallons of water and I understand how to put it in but I'm having a hard time finding info on what stabilizer to use and what else I'd need for the pool to get it ready for use. Thanks in advance and any advice is greatly appreciated.

Hi gofast, and welcome to the forum.

The stabilizer is cyanuric, or isocyanuric acid. It is sold at pool stores, Home Depot, Lowe's, WalMart, and most any other place that sells pool stuff. It's often labeled conditioner or balancer--just look at the ingredient label for 100% cyanuric acid. You'll need to check the manual for the SWCG you get--they all require different amounts of stabilizer, most average around 80 ppm or so.

One absolute MUST, and one that's going to save you tons of money even just your first season, is a good test kit. We recommend the K-2006 that you can find in the "testkits" link in my sig. There's also a recommendation for salt strips there, as well. If you can get your kit, run a set of tests on your fill water(don't test it for CYA, there won't be any--save the reagent) we can tell you what else you're going to need for your pool.

What is the source of your fill water?

I'm really not sure I'll have to ask my neighbor haven't lived here long and were out in the country. It'll come from our house water. Let me find out it'll take a few hours since they all work I'll post it once I find out.

Welcome to The Forum!

As this is a 'trial' pool, I wouldn't go with the SWCG at this point. Save up your money and use it when you're more comfortable with caring for the 'better' pool.

Yea we talked with a pool store today and they said it would rust the metal top of the pool after a few years of use. We're looking at buying a professional pool now there not to expensive. Plus the cost for the saltwater system at this time will be to expensive with the cost of everything else. Thanks for all the help I do appreeviate it. We're going for a 18 foot pool since that's basically all the extra room we have without really doing some ground removing living on a good size hill does have a down fall.

Not to mention that the Intex SWCG system has a copper ionizer in it--you'd spend half of your time trying to treat your water for metals, or swimming in clear, green water! Good decision to postpone that purchase....

Janet

Yea were not going the Walmart route at all now just gonna get a good pool. Being a disabled Vet it would be hard on me putting it up and breaking it down this way once it's up it's up and then just have to maintain it much easier plus my wife would be much happier this way.

I think that's a good move on your part. When you get the pool, also PLEASE get a good test kit--see my first response above--it will save you more money in one season than any other part of the pool purchase will!!

Well the place where we are buying the chemicals from will test it for free and sells the chemicals needed to get it back on track very cheap. It's a good deal it's kind of a yearly plan we'll be buying. Our niece has a pool and uses this same place and it's much cheaper then buying all the chemicals at a different store.

Yea were going to buy a Taylor kit the k2006c one it cost slightly more but we'd get more supplies for it.

You have to be careful with chemicals from the pool store. They often try and sell you things you don't need and some of those things have stuff in them that cause problems for your water. It would be a good idea for you to do a lot of reading here on the forum, especially the stickies at the tops of the different sections of the forum. Also, do some reading on our sister website www.poolsolutions.com. Lots of good information there as well.

Finished yesterday:
Super-simple pool chemistry recipe for Intex type pools: start-up & routine care.