new pump needed

[Watermom]

Since this will be a fresh fill, there will be no CYA in the water. So, if you want, you can use the trichlor tabs for awhile and let the CYA build up to the level you want. (We usually recommend 40-50 for most people's pools.) Trichlor will cause your pH to fall so you'll have to monitor it closely while you are using the tabs.

Once the CYA is up, the you can switch to an unstabilized form of chlorine -- bleach, liquid chlorine, or cal-hypo. Does your cal-hypo list what the other ingredients are in it? Sometimes they have other things in there that you don't want to add to your water.

Are you going on vacation this summer? If so, you may want to use your tabs for awhile now but not to the point where your CYA is too high and that way you'll be able to use them for awhile when you are away on vacation. They are very convenient for times when you can't monitor your pool daily.

Order the good kit, and pick up the cheap OTO/Phenol Red kit for now. Test the pH of your fill water and report back. Also, tell us what you want to do with your pool. You have some choices.

[bomberchamp]

They don't list what the other ingredients are in the cal hypo. I have a Leslie's basic pool care dpd test kit, is this the one I need for now?
I am looking to change what I do to this pool because I believe I may be the one who ruined the finish on the gell coat of the pool by not properly maintaining it. I don't want that to happen again to the new surface, that is why I am looking for advice from someone who actually knows pools and works with them, not just someone who wants to sell me chemicals.

I think I read on this forum somewhere that on a fresh fill you should add bleach at about 1/3 full then 2/3 full and then more when completely full, is this correct for my type of pool? I will be around most of the time it is being filled so shouldn't be a big deal if I have to sit on it and make sure I get it right out of the box.

[PoolDoc]

If you've got trichlor, I'd buy a cheap floater and a couple of boxes of borax at Walmart.

1. Start filling but do not let the hose water strike the pool directly. Instead, put a *clean* plastic bucket in the pool, and let the hose go into the bucket. Put a trichlor tab in the bucket. Filling via a bucket this way reduces the chance of iron spotting, if there's some iron in the fill. Putting the trichlor tab in the bucket keeps a small amount of chlorine in the fill.

2. Once you have a 1 foot or so of water, put the floater in with some tabs in it and pour a box borax in the bucket. (Borax and trichlor are one of the very few combinations of pool chemicals that can touch each other!)

3. Start the pump as soon as possible, but again, avoid having jets of water aimed at the pool surface.

4. Keep the pump on 24/7 till the pool is filled and adjusted.

5. Order a K2006 -- the Leslie's kit is OK to start, but . . .

6. Except for staining, I'm not aware of water chemistry ruining gel coat. When you say yours was 'ruined', what exactly do you mean?

[bomberchamp]

There was spots on the pool where there was no gel coat at all and we were looking at bare fiberglass. I was told this was caused by not keeping the proper ph levels. It is an old pool and there was so much chalk on the surface we thought we had a white pool but after sanding it all down realized we indeed had a light blue pool. I just don't want anything like that to happen again and I'm a little nervouse about the epoxy paint holding up for at least a few years. I followed all the directions per the manufacturer and love the results, just want it to last.

[Watermom]

I just don't want anything like that to happen again and I'm a little nervouse about the epoxy paint holding up for at least a few years. I followed all the directions per the manufacturer and love the results, just want it to last.

I don't blame you. That is a LOT of work!