First time Startup of 24' AGP

[PaPoolNewB]

I know it is VERY late in the season. However I just moved in about a month ago. The house was vacant for quite some time and the owner of the property did not properly take care of the pool. It has not been opened for at least 2 or 3 seasons and was not covered for winter at all. So as you can imagine the water was disgusting. Like pure sludge with a ton of debris in it. So I decided that draining it was the best way to go if I was going to ever have a chance of getting it clean. I have never owned a pool so this is all new to me and I am very glad I have found this forum. So to make a long story short I finally got it emptied, cleaned out and numerous holes in liner patched. I am on a well here so after doing Bucket Test for metal I started to fill a week ago. Been cycling to make sure I do not dry out well or burn out pump so has been a slow process.

Today it is finally up to the bottom of the skimmer so should be up to appropriate level by end of day. During the fill process I have been adding bleach following the simple intex startup post. Have a cheap 3 way test kit that is very difficult to read that according to directions has PH currently around 7.6 and the FC possibly between 1 and 2 PPM and CC seems to be the same. Have a Taylor 2006 kit on Order so hopefully that will be easier to read. I have a new Pump and Filter that I was given from a family member luckily but I know it is a bit undersized according to what I have read here. Unit is a XPUSA 16" Sand Filter with 1 HP pump that holds 110 lbs of sand. It has not been run yet but I do have it hooked up, filled with sand and ready to go hopefully as soon as water is to proper level.

Have Kem-Tek Dichlor on order set to be delivered tomorrow and currently have 6% bleach, Borax, and Baking Soda on hand. I have only been adding bleach and brushing at this point due to not being able to run filter. That will change today and that is where I am confused on what to do next. I have to figure out how to prime the pump properly and then hope I put in laterals correctly and all the fittings and hoses do not leak. According to directions I need to Backwash filter first then Rinse before setting to Filter mode. Guess I will figure all that out once the water is high enough.

So I guess what I want to know is what do I need to do once the filter is up and running today. I do not have the Dichlor yet and the Taylor Kit may not get here until almost the weekend maybe later. Should I just continue to add 1 dose of bleach every 8 hrs during day and 4 doses at night until tomorrow? Then tomorrow start the Dichlor tomorrow using the same dosage along with equal amount of borax ? How long do I need to run the pump for initially? Would like to run the pump as little as possible to conserve on electric cost in future but think at first needs to be running often. I completed the pool chart yesterday to the best of my ability but do not see it anywhere on my end. Can not seem to access my profile at all so not sure if that is where it would normally be. Just let me know if I need to do it again. Sorry for the long post and my obvious confusion. Just want to get this up and running properly and would like to use the BBB method of course. Needed to get the Dichlor for CYA purposes to start off with as it seemed like easiest way to add CYA at first for a rookie like myself.

Hope I posted enough info but let me know what else you need, thanks in advance for all your help!

[PoolDoc]

OK. Checked and entered your Pool Chart data -- your gallon figure was off. A 24' round with 54" walls would be 13,200 gallons; if you have 48" walls, it would be only 11,800 gallons. So, for now, your PF is 9.1

With a PF of 9, a gallon of bleach will be about 4.5 ppm of chlorine. If you add 1/3 in the AM and 2/3 in the late PM, you should be OK.

Once you have dichlor, adding 1/3 of a pound in the AM, and 2/3 of a pound in the PM will produce similar results, and will give you about 30 ppm of CYA after 7 days. Don't bother to test CYA, till you've added a total of about 14 pounds (~60 ppm). Do cut back on doses, once your chlorine starts 'holding'.

Run the pump 24/7 the first week, or really, until you can hold a chlorine level throughout the day.

[PaPoolNewB]

Thanks Ben,

One question though. You state pounds as the dosage. I just wanted to know how to measure that. 1/3 lb of Dichlor is how much using measuring cups(1/4, 1/3, 2/3, etc....) I tried to find online but not having much success. Thanks again!

Lou

[PaPoolNewB]

Ben,

Think I figured it out but let me know if I am incorrect. 2/3 cups would be equal to 1/3 pound and that would be the AM dose and the PM dose would be 1 1/3 cup? No idea why so flustered with this whole pool thing. Sure it will become second nature hopefully soon enough.

Lou

[PoolDoc]

Dichlor is about 1/2 lb per cup.

[PaPoolNewB]

Received Kem-Tek Chlorinating Granules yesterday from Amazon and added 2/3 cup in AM and 1 1/3cup in PM as suggested. Added 2/3 cup again this AM. Received Taylor 2006 kit this afternoon. Just completed testing. Did all tests except CYA due to it being to soon for it to register. The results are as follows:

FC - 4.5
CC - 0
PH - 7.4
ALK -100
CH - 40
CYA - N/A

Did the Chlorine Test using the 10ml sample size and all the rest with either the 44ml or 25ml sample size. Plan on adding 1 1/3 cup of the Kem-Tek tonight and testing Chlorine and PH levels again an hour later. Then getting up early and checking those levels again before sun comes up and adding AM dose. Pool water is clear currently with tiny amount of dust or possibly dead algae on bottom of pool. I have been adding Kem-Tek by broadcasting around pool and filter has been running 24/7 since installed yesterday. Can you please advise me if this is correct procedure or should I be doing something else or changing amount added to less or more. Thank you!

[PoolDoc]

Everything you're doing is fine, though it's not necessary to have the chlorine that high, when the CYA < 20 ppm. Read the Best Guess page linked in my signature, so you understand what I mean.

[PaPoolNewB]

Thank you Ben,

I understand the Chart and that with such a low CYA the FC is a bit high, but I am in process of adding the Kem-Tech Dichlor(Chlorine Granules) to get the CYA up to the amount you suggested above. I have not added any Bleach at this point in addition. So Is the higher FC just a temporary by-product of getting the CYA in the pool or do you recommend I do something else at this point. I want to get the CYA in so I can switch to just Bleach eventually. Have not added any Borax or Baking Soda yet as well. I know I can purchase just Dichlor but already have the 22.5lb of the Kem-Tek so would prefer to use that if possible.

Originally you stated it would take 14lbs and about 7 days with the 2/3 AM and 1 1/3 PM dosage to get CYA up to 30PPM. I am midway through day 2 so nowhere near that point I would imagine with the CYA level. One last question to add to this, at these levels it is fine to start using the pool even though the CYA is still building correct?

I have read many articles and believe it is fine but at same time I do not want to hinder the CYA process by entering to soon.

Still a little confused about the PH and ALK at this point but am in process of trying to get a grip on it for when time comes.

Thanks,
Lou

[Watermom]

Your pH and alk are ok where they are but dichlor is very acidic, so keep an eye on the pH. If it drops below 7.2, you'll want to use some Borax to raise it some.

Looks like you are doing just fine.

[PoolDoc]

but I am in process of adding the Kem-Tech Dichlor(Chlorine Granules) to get the CYA up to the amount you suggested above.

It's fine to do so, but you don't have to follow that particular pace.

So Is the Higher FC just a temporary Bi-Product of getting the CYA in the pool or do you recommend I do something else at this point. I want to get the CYA in so I can switch to just Bleach eventually.

You're chlorinating and adding stabilizer at the same time; as long as you maintain adequate chlorine, and continue using the dichlor, your stabilizer will get where you're going. You can choose the pace, as long as you keep the chlorine high enough.

There's no particular advantage to switching to bleach, until your CYA is high enough to make that necessary.

Have not added any Borax or Baking Soda yet as well.

No need to, so long as your pH is between 7 and 8.

One last question to add to this, at these levels it is fine to start using the pool even though the CYA is still building correct?

By all means. As long as your chlorine is high enough when you start swimming, and as long as you add a dose each evening to clean up what's accumulated you SHOULD go ahead and use the pool. That's what it's for.