Pool needing complete overhaul! But i'm willing to go the distance.

[OldPoolYoungKidFirstHouse]

Plaster job is done and looks great i took a few days off work so i could stay on top of the guys doing the work but all in all i think they did a great job. My new filter was delivered on friday they finished the plaster on friday night around 8pm and the pool is still filling! Only about two-three inches left to go. My new pump was suppose to arrive with the filter but i guess got backoredered at the last minute and is now scheduled to be delivered Wed. and it is now Sun. So if there is anything i can do to prevent an algae bloom or any preventative tips that would be great. I've read of some people that do the bbb method just adding bleach in until they can get everything up and running, little more info on that... haha. but i also ordered a taylor test kit (K2006) as well i ordered that last week and i am thinking that will be here Tues. or Wed. because of the holiday. Me and my wife are really excited we are justb a little intimidated by the test kit and chemical stuff, sounds kinda confusing but i know this site will help tremendously.

[Watermom]

You'll do fine with the kit. After a couple of times, you'll be pros.

Go ahead and add some bleach in there or you'll have a green pool by the time your pump arrives on Wed. I'd suggest adding 3 gallons of 6% bleach each morning and each evening. That will add just over 8ppm of chlorine to the pool. Pour it in slowly around the perimeter of the pool as far away from the edge as you can reach. Then, take a clean broom, oar or something and stir it around as much as possible. Hopefully that will be enough to keep algae at bay until you get the pump hooked up and running. Keep us posted.

[OldPoolYoungKidFirstHouse]

Alright Pool has been full for a few days, and is staying nice and clear. I am still waiting on the pump to come in but i am adding bleach and cleaning the debris out of the pool daily with a leaf rake. I missed adding the bleach yesterday morning but last night i added the three gallons and again this morning. I had the water tested yesterday after work at the pool store and here are the numbers.
FC: 0
TC: 0
CC: 0
pH: 8.2
TA: 50 ppm
CH: 100 ppm
I see there is no chlorine but i figured because i missed adding bleach the morning of the test it all was gone by the afternoon. I am still waiting on my test kit to come in the mail, hoping for today. I'm not sure what all these numbers mean yet but i'm sure i'll learn fast. They gave me a sheet that says what i need to buy and i figured i would come here and ask before purchasing anything.

Sodium Bicarb;Alkalinity Plus - 28lbs
Muriatic Acid;PH Minus - 1Gallon
Shock;Chlorine - 6lbs
Those are the only things they told me to buy. Any thoughts, I would like to learn how to do the BBB method to hopefully avoid being "pool stored" in the future.

[Watermom]

Add some more bleach. A newly filled unchlorinated pool will turn green faster than you can imagine. Wait til you get your kit before trying to adjust the other things. For now, just concentrate on keeping some chlorine in there. It will be tough because with no CYA you'll lose it fast to the sun. When is the pump supposed to be there?

The only thing you need in that list from the pool store is the muriatic acid which will be used to lower the pH. You can just buy regular baking soda to raise the TA. Pool store Alk Plus is the same thing at a much higher cost. What kind of shock were they trying to sell you? Since this is a plaster pool, you'll need your calcium hardness to be between 200-400. So, it might be a good idea to use some cal-hypo as your source of chlorine until your CH comes up a bit. Then you can switch to bleach or some other form of liquid chlorine. One other thing you will need to buy is some stabilizer (a.k.a. as CYA, or conditioner). You're going to need about 7 lbs. of it. That will give you about 40ppm which will be a good level.

[OldPoolYoungKidFirstHouse]

Hey Watermom,

Thank you for your help. I just checked my tracking number again and the pump is being delivered today! It should be at the house when i get out of work. I will definately get some chlorine in the pool i like the idea of adding cal-hypo until the calcium comes up to between 200-400 ppm and then going back to bleach. I will also purchase stabilizer. Is there a certain kind of stabilizer to buy or whatever i can get. Baking soda for TA and muriatic acid to lower pH. Ok i think i got it, i will be waiting to add anything until my test kit arrives like you instructed. I am hoping i will get the plumbing done today if i can get started soon enough. I'll keep updating this thread because without it I would be lost. Thank you for your help.

[Watermom]

Is your kit also going to be delivered today? Do you have any kind of kit? If not, go ahead and pick up a cheap OTO/Phenol Red kit from Walmart (yellow and red drops). You cn use it in the interim until the good kit arrives. It won't test everything like the good kit will, but it will test pH and chlorine which is fine for now.

If the pH still reads above 8.0, go ahead and add a little muriatic acid (maybe a pint) slowly in front of a return jet once you get the pump running. After a couple hours, retest pH and add more acid if needed until you get the pH between 7.2-7.8. Muriatic acid is nasty stuff. Wear gloves, glasses, stay upwind of fumes, pour with the bottle very close to the surface of the water so it won't splash. With new plaster, you'll have to repeat this process frequently from time to time as newly plastered pools tend to have high pH.

You can also go ahead and add the CYA once your pump is up and running. Pour it slowly into the skimmer and then run the pump 24/7 for at least the next 4 to 5 days. Don't run the CYA test before then or else you'll just be wasting your reagents. It is slow dissolving and won't register on your test for about a week or so.

(BTW -- even with the Taylor K-2006, it will still be handy to have the little OTO kit for quick daily checks of chlorine and pH when you don't need to test everything. I of course have a good kit, but use my OTO kit frequently.)