powder "pH Down" ... add it where?

[macher]

Hi, I am new to pool care. Just this month we set up a small above ground 8ft wide X 4ft deep pool [Aye, I did say small. Its a wee dipper, aprox 3700L of water.]... anyhoo, we have pretty hard water here, so naturally my pH & Alkalinity are very high [don't have the test strip right with me, but both were at the highest end of the strip colour code.] My free chlorine levels are fine.

I added the initial chemicals [shock, pool clear, stab. chlorine tabs & an anti-algae] about four days ago. In the next day or two I am going to add a powder "pH Down" product ... my question is where exactly should I add this?

Should I stop the pump and add it to the pump's debris filter basket? Leave the pump going and just add it to the skimmer's debris basket, like I do with the Pool Clear? Or should I put it directly into the main pool water area itself, which being a power has me concerned it will sit on the bottom.
Also, how long should I let the pH down circulate before allowing anyone into the pool?

Right now I am thinking of adding the powder to the skimmer basket [basically, wearing kitchen rubber gloves, measuring out the amount in a plastic cup and tipping the cup upside down in the skimmer] and keeping anyone out of the pool for 4-5hrs after.

So far I am loving my small splasher, the water has warmed up quickly. Initially it was 12C straight from the hose, the last few days its been 24C and wonderful floating around in it. For late may in Nova Scotia thats very good for a pool temp.

Any tips or advice are more than welcome. I've read through the sticky posts on the boards [very helpful in answering several other questions I had]

cheers,
Heather

[gregugadawg]

fill a bucket with water then add chemical then add directly to pool, you don't want any form of acid solution running directly through your equipment

[Watermom]

I wouldn't add anything until you post some water testing results for someone here to take a look at. The best way to mess up a new pool or any pool for that matter, is to blindly add a bunch of stuff that you may or may not need. Also, get a test kit that uses drops instead of teststrips.