Easy Set Intex Pool

[Naunnie]

Hello! Last year we purchased and set up a 16 x 3.6 Intex Easy Set Pool. After a hard winter, we decided to drain it and start over. We have cleaned the entire inside with mild bleach solution and refilled with tap water. The pool looks great! It holds approximately 3,988 gallons of water. Unfortunately, I only have 6-Way test strips for testing the water. The only chemical I have added is 7 1" Chlorinating Tablets to the filter cartridge inside the pump. My question is, what else do I need to do? At this time, we cannot afford the recommended water testing kit. Here are the results from the strip: Total Hardness-B 100 Low Low, Total chlorine-B 1 Ok, Free Chlorine B 1 Ok Bromide- B 2 Ok Low, pH- B 7.2 Ok, Total Alkalinity-B 40 Low Very Low, Stabilizer- B 50 Ok. When I used the on-line results site, it recommended I add several other chemicals. I have been reading this forum, now I am confused and have grandchildren ready to swim! I do not want to add chemicals that are unnecessary and throw the whole water balance off. Thank you in advance for advice.

[Watermom]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Hopefully we can help you get your pool ready for those grandkids to swim!

It is hard to know how accurate your readings are when using test strips. But, we'll give it a try. If you really do have a CYA reading of 50, I would suggest taking the chlorinating tablets out as they will cause your CYA to get higher and you don't want that. It would be better for you to just use bleach for your chlorine. In a small pool of this size, each cup of 6% bleach will add approximately 1ppm of chlorine. With a cya of 50, you want to keep the chlorine level between 3-6 all the time. If you let it dip below 3ppm, you invite an algae bloom to come on over and live in your pool.

Your pH is ok, but don't let it drop below 7.0 or the water will become acidic. Keep the pH between 7.2-7.8. If it drops too low, you can use some 20 Mule Team Borax (laudry aisle at Walmart) to raise it. Your alk is a little low. I would suggest adding a little baking soda to bring it up. Start with a one pound box. Check it tomorrow and see how much that raised it. If needed, add more until you get the alk around 100ppm. Don't worry about the hardness reading. You do not need calcium hardness increased in a soft-sided pool. Also, this is a chlorine pool; you don't have any bromine in it. Ignore that reading.

Hope this will help you get started so those little ones can go swimming! Come back if you have further questions.

[CarlD]

Since money is tight, Watermom (Lisa) is giving you good guidance. My first pool was a 3500 gal Intex donut we used for 3 years. The K2006 kit from Taylor is between $58-$70 dollars and worth its weight in gold. If WalMart still sells their 5-Way drop test kit, buy one of those, it's about $15 and is the best cheap alternative.

Meanwhile, every evening check your chlorine and pH, if it's off (Chlorine low, pH too low or high). Plan to keep your FC high--that's safest. Try to keep FC at 5ppm, at least. I wouldn't try to maintain it lower than that.

Also: In your pool, TOTAL HARDNESS is irrelevant. Bromine is an alternative to Chlorine. Since you are using Chlorine, ignore the Bromine level. It's meaningless.

Carl

[Naunnie]

Oh! Thank you so much. I knew I had found the right place to learn about pool maintenance. I have a few more questions please. Is "CYA" also known as "Stabilizer? I have read about the BBB method and is what I prefer to use. I have baking soda, borax, and bleach ready to use! Should I expect any fluctuations in this CYA reading? If so what do I use? I will recheck before sundown tonight and again in the morning.

[aylad]

Yes, CYA is the same as stabilizer. If you've taken the 1" tabs out of your chlorinator, then it shouldn't rise any more. You might lose a little during the summer due to splashout and backwashing, but probably not enough to make a difference in the chlorine levels that Watermom suggested. If you find that it does get low, then you can always go back to using the 1" tabs. HOwever, I'll be surprised if that's necessary during this swim season!

Welcome to the forum!!

Janet