How/What chemicals to use in pool...

Hello,

A newbie to this forum and hoping you can give some much needed guidance..:) We are getting ready to set up above ground pool for my 8 and 4 yr olds. 12x30 which holds 1700+ gallons. Most pools have been the inflatable kind, but steping up a bit to see how difficult this whole process is before considering going even bigger...
My problem is, once the pool has water in it, I have no idea what to do next. It comes with a small pump and A type filter made by Intex. Could you advise as to a good test kit that a person would have success with and what to do next??
Thanks a bunch.

Carrie:)

Hi Carrie, and welcome to the forum!!

The very best things you can do for yourself and pool success are to 1) order and use a good, drop-based kit, and 2) read, read, read through our sister site, PoolSolutions and the things "stickied" at the top of the forums here. Those things alone will give you a good grasp of pool chemistry and how it works. The test kit we recommend here is the Taylor K-2006. Two of the cheapest places we've found online for it are http://www.spspools-spas.com and http://www.amatoind.com. Leslie's online also sells a re-labeled version of the same kit. They tend to be a little pricey, but I guarantee you that they will save their cost hundredfold over the life of your pool.

Do all the reading you can, and we'll be here to answer any questions you have.

Janet

It would also be good to test your fill water with the drops based test kit and post the results here prior to filling your pool. That way someone let you know what your numbers look like and give you some pointers as to what you're likely going to have to put in first (beside bleach). Are you filling from a well or city water?

Hello,

Thanks Sturev, as Janet mentioned in the previous post, I will be getting the Taylor K 2006 test kit. I will be filling with city water. When you mention bleach, could you elaborate a bit more.. Is this put into the water just after filling the pool and before any other chemicals?
I assume I test the water right away? I really do not know the first thing about taking care of a pool.. I just changed the water about every 4 days in the inflatables:) I have been trying to read as much as I can to get familiar with how all of the chemicals work, but with my 8 and 4 year old there always seems to be a need for something about every 5-10 minutes which really hinders the amount of time I can actually read and comprehend anything:). Will appreciate any information you can pass along.

Thanks,
Carrie

Bleach is used for the source of chlorine for the pool. You will use it for daily chlorination and also for "shocking" the pool if that becomes necessary. Just plain, unscented laundry bleach. Many of us buy Walmart's generic brand. Read the information suggested above by Janet. Post testng numbers when you get them and we will advise you what to add.

Go ahead and buy several jugs of bleach and some 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry aisle at Walmart) and a box of baking soda as these are things you are likely to need right at first. Also, a small bottle of cyanuric (or isocyanuric) acid, which is sometimes called stabilizer or conditioner. (Buy the smallest container of cya that you can find.) You will most likely have to buy that at the pool store but everything else you can get at Walmart. Just don't let the pool store tallk you into buying anything else!

Hi Carrie, yes bleach is part of the whole BBB method that we all swear by here. Here's a good post for you to read first: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=7408 This is a real simple explanation as to what BBB is. Bleach is what is added to pools as a sanitizer (keeps the kids from getting sick from germs while swimming). You can quickly read some of the "sticky posts" at the top of each one of the forum sections here to learn a ton in a very short time.

Since you're filling from city water, you probably won't have any issues with metals in the water, so that's going to be a huge help for you right out of the gate! You would be best to wait to fill the pool until you get the test kit, that way the awesome mods here can give you some really good easy advice as to what to do and keep you from creating a mess.

You'll find that this whole method of taking care of your water is super easy and doesn't take much time at all, you just need to test your water and keep the chlorine & pH levels right and chances are you'll have a sparkling pool all summer long!

Enjoy and welcome to the forum!

Let me simplify:

You want to do two things with your water:

1) Keep it sanitary--that means kill anything dangerous in it. Chlorine does that--Bleach is the best sanitizer you can use in your house and it works GREAT in pools.

2) Keep it not too acid and not too alkaline--that means keep the pH neutral.

EVERYTHING else you will do is to help and support those two things.

All of the B-B-B method is based on these ideas: Keeping your pool sanitary and pH-neutral.

You are NEXT going to wonder "Well, what should I be looking for?"

For Chlorine levels (measured by the Free Chlorine and Combined Chloramines tests in your new K2006) it will depend on the level of your stabilizer--CYA or Cyanuric Acid. They are related.

Here we have "Ben's Best Guess" table that tells you the amount of chlorine you need in your water (Measured in PPM--Parts per milion) for given levels of stabilizer--also measured in PPM. For starters, we look for a CYA level of 30ppm and for that Free Chlorine should between 3 and 6 PPM (Combined Chloramines should always be Zero--0).

For pH, we suggest between 7.2 and 7.8--I personally like 7.5 as my target, others like 7.6 or 7.7 as it's easier on the eyes. With your pool you should NEVER let pH fall below 7.0--or it could begin to damage the vinyl.

That's 90% of what you need to know at a minimum for your pool.

Welcome! There's no such thing as too small or too big a pool! What cools you off and gives your kids fun is the PERFECT size!

Good Morning,

Thanks to everyone for giving me some VERY USEFUL information. I have looked into getting the Taylor K 2006 test kit and the recommended sites will not ship to
Canada:( Does anyone know of a supplier up here?

Cheers:)
Carrie

I did a little searching and found this link:

http://www.taylortechnologies.com/learnmore_faq.aspx#1

Also, Amazon.com sells the kit. i glanced at their page and it appears they will ship it to Canada, but I didn't read it thoroughly. You'll need to take a closer look or call them.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Hi Watermom,

Thanks for your time in researching for me:) None of the sellers through Amazon will ship these test kits to Canada! I have since located the distributor for Taylor here in BC and have been quoted $ 155.00 + $14 for shipping... OUCH!!!! Will keep looking for now:)

Have a great day!
Carrie

YIKES!!! :eek::eek::eek:

An idea -- make a new thread in the Testing and Adjusting Pool Water Chemistry forum called "In Canada: Where to Buy Taylor Kit"

That way it might catch the eye of somebody who might know. Down here buried in this thread, your question will get less exposure. Hope somebody comes along who can help you find someplace!

OK another newbie here that may be asking a repeat question but here goes.
Now that I have found out to use the bleach,Borax and baking soda how do I calculate how much is needed for my pool after I get my readings. Is there a chart that I can punch in the size of my pool and the readings and it comes back with amounts?

There sure is... http://www.poolcalculator.com/