NEW! (AG pool & to forums) some advice needed

[Timmy425Oldstyle]

I would first like to declare how pleased I am to have found this great resource and community. I have been patiently reading for the past few weeks, but neglected to create an account until now, the day my new AG pool was installed!

The goods:
We have a Vogue Costa Del Sol 15x26 oval that nis 54'' deep. We opted to have a main drain installed, and we have a ClearWater2 Cartridge filter by Water Way (200sq ft) and a Supreme 2 speed, 2 HP pump also by waterway. All electrical work was done by a licensed electrician. Finally, and I almost hesitate to say this, the pump and filter combonation also included the FROG leap system. I'm on the fence about this because of what i have read here, but I also want to use what was given to me for free. I Will wait to hear more on that later.

For now, i have some simple questions. When should i start testing and adding things to the water? The water level is about 6 inches from my skimmer right now.

The only thing that is not done yet is installing the ground wire from pump motor to pool frame. However i have a resin top rail and the only part of the bottom track that is visible is also resin. The only steel that is exposed is the upright, but i'm not sure i want to be drilling and grounding anything on my pretty new upright. Can anyone suggest where i might make the connection (no one will be entering the pool until the ground is on).

Thanks in advance! I'm looking forward to learning and helping in any way i can!

[aylad]

Now is the time to start adding chlorine to the pool--it only takes a day or so with these temps and algae will start growing. Do you have a test kit (one that uses drops, not strips?) If not, do yourself a favor and get one--we strongly recommend the K-2006 linked below in my signature. Strip testing is notoriously inaccurate, and pool store testing is designed to sell chemicals more than it is to help you keep a clean, clear pool. Check your local WalMart and see if they have any of the hth 6-way drop-based kits left, and that will at least allow you to run a basic set of water tests on your pool (don't check for CYA--you don't have any yet--save the reagent!). If you'll run a basic set of tests and post them here, we can help you figure out what/how much you need to add to the water. But in the meantime, even until you get the pump running, you need to get some chlorine in there. Keep the level at 1-3 ppm. I'm assumig that your pool walls are 54" high, but the actual water level is more like 48"--is that correct? If so, then I'm estimating about 9100 gallons of water. If this is accurate, then each 1/2 gallon of 6% bleach you add will raise your FC by 3.3 ppm. Until you get the pump running, you can dribble it slowly into the pool and walk around to make waves to help disperse it into the pool (wear old clothes/suits for this in case you walk through a "hot pocket" of bleach), or stir it around with your leaf net, broom, or other tool. Without stabilizer in the pool, the sun will consume the chlorine quickly, so you really will need to test and add more bleach 2-3 times a day to make sure that it doesn't ever get below 1 ppm.

You can add some stabilizer once you get the pump running, but not until then because you don't want it sitting on the bottom of your pool.

You can use the google search feature linked in my sig (you'll have to log out to do so until your registration is completed) to look for other posts about the Frog, but we don't have good opinions of it--it is a trichlor system (which is fine in itself) with an added mineral pack (that's the part we don't like) that supposedly allows you to run lower chlorine levels because the minerals help control the algae. However, they don't tell you what a headache the minerals are to deal with in your water chemistry, or that they're not effective against some bacteria or any viruses. Here's a link to what Pooldoc has posted about it (may have to log out to follow it) http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...-amp-More-quot

You can do what you want, but I would just use the trichlor tabs and leave out the mineral part of the cartridge.

Welcome to the forum!

[Watermom]

OOPS! Jan, this new member won't be able to follow your link until they are fully registered.

You can get to the link she wants you to read by logging out, and going to the Minerals section of the forum and reading the FAQ thread stickied at the top of that sub-forum. (It is the 4th thread in the list.)

[Timmy425Oldstyle]

Thanks very much for the answer and warm welcome. The "starter package" i was given from the installers included a granulated shock that they recommend i mix in a bucket with water and add to the pool. Will this alone be sufficient to prevent early algae growth, or should i supplement it with bleach? I very much appreciate the knowledge and experience harbored here, but I'm having trouble getting over non use of the included materials my installers have me. I fully agree that i need to get a better test kit, add i am wary of relying on the strips we were given. My plan right now is to shock the pill and stay running the filter. I did use a test strip and it shows that my house full is pretty close to where it should be, with the exception of slightly high ph (about 8). However i realize that my test may be in accurate and doesn't show any metal levels

[Watermom]

What are the ingredients of the granulated shock? What is the source of your fill water? I would advise that you go ahead and order the Taylor K-2006 kit.

If the pH of your fill water is 8, go ahead and pick up some muriatic acid as you'll most likely need it to lower the pH some. Please read the link in Janet's signature above about using muriatic acid.

[PoolDoc]

membership updated. -ben

[Timmy425Oldstyle]

Very Sorry for the long wait before a response. Been busy cleaning up the yard/landscaping after leveling, trench for electric and the pool install. I got my Taylor test kit yesterday (ordered through link on Poolforum!) and promptly tested the water. Don't worry, I have been using the strips that the store included to at least monitor the water and make sure things weren't out of control. Here are the results from my Taylor k-2006:

FC= 2.4 ppm
CC= .4ppm
ph= 7.1
TA=100
CH=120

To address some questions from above:
Aylad estimated my volume to around 9100 gallons, which I agree with. the pool is a 54'' and the water level is about 48''.
The package for the granulated shock that was used after filling was unfortunately thrown away.
Our water source was our city tap water. It is pumped from lake Michigan initially (and of course treated).

My "better half" also added the stabilizer that the store included. That bottle indicates that the ingredients are . . . nothing! Not a big surprise based on what I have been reading that there is no indication what exactly was in that bottle, but she added the entire 1.75 lb container into the pool and we ran the pump for the next 12 hours, per instructions on the bottle. Other than that, the "frog leap anti-bac mineral pack" (sorry!) and the "torpedo pack" that dispenses our trichlor are the only other things that have been added to the water.

So I have a few new questions.
1. My slightly low PH and subsequent reading tells me i should add about 2 lbs of Sodium Carbonate to the pool. Am I correct?
(6 drops of reagent brought my sample's PH to 7.6 - for a 10,000 G pool, my little manual tells me to add 1.9 lbs of Sodium Carbonate)
2.My combined chlorine levels are high. I may have misinterpreted the test slightly, but the CC level is either .2 or .4 ppm. What may have caused it to climb so quickly? (the pool hasn't had a TON of use, so I am guessing this may be some of the havoc that the minerals will wreak on my pool chemistry)
3. The calcium hardness level is also low, should I add calcium chloride?
4. Based on the recommendation given to me by Aylad, i did not perform a test for CYA. Should I do that now, since we've added stabilizer and the trichlor has been doing it as well?

Questions not related to pool chemistry:
1.Where exactly should my attachment point be for the pump's copper ground wire? The installers did not take care of this. I purchased the proper solid ground wire and I do have it attached to the metal frame of the pool, but I had to remove the plastic cover that goes over the bottom of one my uprights so I had a good attachment point. I'm sure it varies from pool to pool, but i'm wondering if this is a common problem.
2. Should there be some kind of check or gate valve between my return and the pool? I removed and cleaned the pump basket the other day, so I closed the gate valve on the suction side of the pump, but there is no such valve on the other side of the pump, filter, or mineral infuser. I had to put a plastic cup over the return jet in the pool to keep the water from flowing out of the pump while I cleaned the basket.

Last question: Are my posts too long? I have not previously been a part of a forum community and I do not want to have bad etiquette. I'm finding that my reading has given me insight into how to care for my pool, but getting some reassurance sure has been helpful.

Thanks in advance!

[PoolDoc]

1. My slightly low PH and subsequent reading tells me i should add about 2 lbs of Sodium Carbonate to the pool. Am I correct?

Add 1/2 box of borax instead.

2.My combined chlorine levels are high. I may have misinterpreted the test slightly, but the CC level is either .2 or .4 ppm. What may have caused it to climb so quickly? (the pool hasn't had a TON of use, so I am guessing this may be some of the havoc that the minerals will wreak on my pool chemistry)

Don't worry about this, till your pool has been running a few weeks (unless the CC starts getting higher!)

3. The calcium hardness level is also low, should I add calcium chloride?

Low calcium is not an issue for you.

4. Based on the recommendation given to me by Aylad, i did not perform a test for CYA. Should I do that now, since we've added stabilizer and the trichlor has been doing it as well?

Yes.

1.Where exactly should my attachment point be for the pump's copper ground wire? The installers did not take care of this. I purchased the proper solid ground wire and I do have it attached to the metal frame of the pool, but I had to remove the plastic cover that goes over the bottom of one my uprights so I had a good attachment point. I'm sure it varies from pool to pool, but i'm wondering if this is a common problem.

I have ZERO knowledge of AG pool wiring requirements; ask the electrician who hooked things up for you, what the code is. Failing that, call the pool mfg.

2. Should there be some kind of check or gate valve between my return and the pool? I removed and cleaned the pump basket the other day, so I closed the gate valve on the suction side of the pump, but there is no such valve on the other side of the pump, filter, or mineral infuser. I had to put a plastic cup over the return jet in the pool to keep the water from flowing out of the pump while I cleaned the basket.

It's helpful to have a valve like that.

Last question: Are my posts too long? I have not previously been a part of a forum community and I do not want to have bad etiquette. I'm finding that my reading has given me insight into how to care for my pool, but getting some reassurance sure has been helpful.

They are fine. We get a bit antsy, when people write 2 page newsletters about their pool, family, and Oh!, yeah, the chlorine -- but you're fine.

[BigDave]

I have a comment about your "pump's copper groud wire". I'm pretty sure you're referring to the pool bond and the bonding lug on the housing of your pump's motor (there should also be a ground in the electrical supply wiring). According to code in my town (when I built the pool last year) an AG pool requires #8 solid copper wire that encircles the pool completely and is electrically connected to every piece of metal (larger than 4") in or on the pool and the pump and any other electrical pool equipment and to the water itself. Your town may be different.

The pool bond is an important electrical safety system for your pool designed to make sure that everything your swimmers touch is at the same electrical potential helping to keep them from becoming conductors.

Your electrician should be responsible for installation of the pool bond. Did your electrician pull an electrical permit for the construction of your pool? Your electrical inspector should have examined the bond and verified it's connections.

Definitely call your electrician back and discuss the pool bonding requirements. Call the electrical inspector if you're unsatisifed with the electrician's answers.