First Timer Ready to Fill, Could use some help

[jkoch]

Finally have 24' Round vinyl pool set up and ready for water. I have Taylor Test Kit.

Due to Well and lots of Iron I am going to fill thru me Softener. Should take 2 to 3 days with fill time, regeneration and sleep considered.

My Numbers from tap prior to fill:

Capacity: 12,500 Gallons

CYA: 0
Free Chlorine: 0
Tot Chlorine: 0
pH: 7.6
TA: 241
CYA: 0


So, I guess I will add approximately 3 quarts of Bleach ( 6% ).
Add 4 lbs of CYA.
11 oz of 20 Baume Muratic Acid to Lower my Alkalinity. (But with that goes my ph down. Possibly aerate to help bump up my PH.)

Can someone help me with the sequence of this? Anything I am missing?

Do I gradually add the Chlorine? When do I add the Muratic Acid and the CYA?

Keep in mind this will all take place over a 2 or 3 days and my pump will not be on for the first day for sure.

Your help is greatly appreciated. I really hope to get ahead of this and not have to catch up with problems by doing it right the first time.

Thanks a bunch in advance,

JK

[aylad]

I wouldn't worry about the TA and pH until you get the pool filled--any adjusting you do there will just be negated by the additional water while completing your fill. The pH is really okay for now, and the only consequence to the higher TA on filling is that it could possibly cause iron to precipitate out of your well water--but hopefully the softener will take care of that. If you do see that the water turns brownish looking when you add your chlorine, you probably need to add some metal sequestrant (see the "Metals" forum).

4 lbs of CYA seems like a lot for your size pool--what target are you trying to reach?

You can add a little bleach as the pool fills, just to keep it from trying to start a growth of anything until you get your pump on--I would add it slowly in front of the hose and stir it up afterward with something, just to keep it away from your liner. Keep in mind that until you add CYA, you're going to have to dose it daily, probably two or three times, just to keep "some" FC in the water until it's filled all the way up. Once it's filled up, add your CYA (remember that it often takes several days to dissolve and register) and adjust your chlorine levels from there--then you can tackle the pH/TA issue.

Kudos on doing your homework--it will really payoff to start the pool off right from the get-go!

Janet

[Watermom]

You sound like you are well prepared. Good for you getting your kit before the pool and doing all the reading. I agree with Jan. Don't worry about TA right now. I would suggest starting with only 3 lbs. of cya to start with. That should take you to around 30. After about a week, test and see where you are and then you can tweak it with the other pound if you decide to.

[jkoch]

Thanks for the Help.

Can I spinkle in distributed around the pool some of the CYA as is fills along with adding the bleach? As this point I can wade around the pool to mix in the bleach.

thanks,
JK

[Watermom]

I wouldn't. CYA is a slow-dissolving acid. I wouldn't want the granules laying on my liner. Just wait until the pool is filled and then you can put the cya into the skimmer. Aim for an initial reading of 30.

[jkoch]

Ok. The vinyl pool is filled with 12K gallons of softened well water.

Chlorine: 6.5
CC: 0
PH: 7.5
TA: 280
CYA: 0

I have 1.5 lbs CYA in sock in front of return.

My plan is to add muratic acid and leave the water aereator running to get my Alkalinity Down.

Is this the correct course at this time?

Your help is appreciated very much.

Thank you,
JK

[Watermom]

Yes, Your TA is pretty high. It is most likely going to take several cycles of dropping the pH and TA with muriatic acid and then aerating the pH back up, repeat, before you get the TA where you want it.

BTW -- 1.5 lbs. of cya is only gonna take you to about 15ppm. You'll need to try and get it higher than that. 30-50 is a good range for cya.

[waterbear]

I have 1.5 lbs CYA in sock in front of return.

That is not going to be enough to even test for in 12k gal. Why not take
watermom's advice above and use 3lbs. You can pour the other 1.5 lbs directly into your skimmer if you have one, with the pump running. You will need to get three pounds in there to really have enough in the water to be able to test it.

Edit: Seems watermom and I were posting at the same time! twisted minds think alike!

[jkoch]

Thanks, I'll get more CYA. Can I just dump it into my skimmer? I have a sand filter.
Also, Should I leave cover on or off?

[Watermom]

Yes, you can dump it in the skimmer. Just don't backwash for a week to give it plenty of time to dissolve. I usually run my pump 24/7 for the first couple of days after I put cya in the skimmer. I don't think it matters one way or another about the cover.