How much CYA to put into new pool

[Cords]

8,200 gallons based on 20' round, 3.5' of water. Vinyl above ground pool. I'm trying to get it started, and I don't know how much CYA and bleach to initially dump in.

[Watermom]

Is this a freshly filled pool with nothing added yet? If so, how long has it been filled up sitting without any chlorine in there? Do you have a drops-based testkit? Do you have a pH reading? Also, what type of filter do you have?

[Cords]

The chart I was looking for was actually printed on the side of the hth Stabilizer container. Yes, freshly filled pool, still filling actually. Started filling at 7:00 last night. I do have a Taylor K-2006 test kit because I found this site last summer! PH is 7.2 Filter cartridge A. Thanks!

[Watermom]

How smart you are to get that great test kit so you have it from day one of pool ownership and to read ahead on pool care!

Have you tested your pH of your water yet? If not, do so and post the reading.

In a pool this size, each quart of 6% bleach will add about 1.8ppm of chlorine. Since you'll lose a lot to the sun initially until you get some stabilizer build up in the water, I'd suggest adding a 3 qt. jug as soon as it is filled. This will take you to around 5.5ppm. For the first week or so, you'll probably need to add chlorine morning and evening and if you are home, check it in the afternoon, too. Test and each time, add enough bleach to get back up to around 5-6ppm. After about a week, when the stabilizer has dissolved, you'll be able to go to testing and adding bleach in the evenings only.

For starters, I'd add about 2 lbs. of stabilizer slowly through the skimmer. Then keep your pump running 24/7 for the first 4 or 5 days while it is dissolving.

Come back with more questions if needed and also keep us posted on how things are going. Welcome to the forum, by the way!

P.S. (Actually, if you're not gonna be finished filling today, I'd still go ahead and get some bleach in there. It is amazing how fast an un-chlorinated pool can turn green! You can walk around the perimeter of the pool slowly pour in some bleach as far from the sides as you can reach and then use a clean broom or something to stir the water up.)

[Cords]

Thanks! The PH is 7.2 I put in 3qt (96oz) as you said, and will add the stabilizer soon.
I am excited to have a fighting chance at a clear pool this summer. It will be the first summer in 5 years of pool ownership that I have an arsenal against algae. I found this site out of desperation last August and had the best water around for the end of the season. Problem was easy to guess, my CYA was off the charts.

[Watermom]

CYA that is off the charts is something that most pool owners have no clue about. They just keep putting in those pucks, more pucks, more pucks, and some dichlor shock for good measure. All the while keeping their chlorine between 1-3 because according to their cheap little tester, that is "ideal." A recipe for a big algae bloom that they then spend weeks and lots of money trying to clean up. Knowledge is power and you have made a smart decision by reading on this forum.

Hope you have a great swim season and that we'll see you around the forum frequently. Glad you found us!

Edit: Keep an eye on your pH. 7.2 is ok, but if it drops any lower, you'll want to bump it up a bit. Come back in a day or so and give us a full set of readings.

[Cords]

Good grief, pouring a cup of the powdered stabilizer into the skimmer plugged the pump. I removed the cartridge and still don't have more than a trickle of flow. Can't anything be simple? I'll let it run a bit to see if it clears out.

[PoolDoc]

Did you pour it slowly through the skimmer? If you did, and it still plugged the impeller, I'm amazed. Powdered CYA will plug up, but I've never seen it do so like that.

BTW, if you add borax, make SURE you pour it in slowly -- it WILL plug things worse than CYA, if you get ahead of the water flow.

Back to your pump: you can replace the seal and impeller, or your can wait a couple of days -- pump running! -- and see if it will dissolve.

Ben

[Cords]

Oh, slowly... yeah I dumped half a cup right in. The pump cleared after about 10 minutes.
Tested today:
PH 7.8 (not sure how I got 7.2 the other day, I tested it twice and got 7.8 today)
CYA >30 but barely. I guess 30 will be my future target since I can't read much beyond it. I'm sure with splashing out water and having to top it off the level will drop slowly to 30. Only get 4 tests with the minuscule amount of testing liquid!
FC 4 (using 10ml and .5ppm multiplyer)
CC 0 Testing chlorine looked intimidating until I actually tried it. My son interrupted me during the FC drop test & I lost count, but it's always easier the 2nd try. I couldn't get every single white chunk to dissolve but the test seemed to perform well anyway.
TEMP- 68 degrees brrrr

[Watermom]

I think you are reading the CYA test backwards. If you can still see the black dot when the tube is filled with the testing solution, it means your CYA level is less than 30, not greater than 30. If it is greater than 30, the black dot would disappear before the cylinder was filled to the 30. (All CYA testers that I have ever seen don't differentiate greater than 100.)