Bought house with pool

[Bdeal]

We bought a house with a cement in ground pool, oval shaped. I was worried about the previous owners closing of the pool, but so far so good. We have had the pump running for just over 24 hours and the pool is looking good. We have the ph currently at 7.2 and the chlorine level is roughly 4.

We've been getting pool magazines and was wondering what the best place and price for chemicals. Especially the 50 lb bucket of 3" tabs, probably shock as well. So far I've seen Dohney's and In The Swim drop their 50 lb buckets from $2.99 to $1.99. I will probably buy locally as long as they are competitive, but was looking for usual best time/ prices

Thanks

[Watermom]

I don't know who has the best prices but .... whether or not you can use pucks depends on what your CYA level is. If you don't have a good kit, that is something you need. The one we recommend is the Taylor K2006 or 2006C which you can get through the test kit link in my signature below.

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

[Bdeal]

Thanks for the welcome, they had left an older test kit and the CYA was at 42. It is mostly clear, a little darker in the deep end (15 feet deep) but can see the bottom. We have some of a lot of chemicals, most I've never used on my previous above ground pool

[Lisa_M]

Can't answer your question, but noticed that you said your pool's deep end is 15' deep? Was that a typo? I never saw a residential pool at 15' deep before. How do you even get the brush down there to clean?

[PoolDoc]

Bob,

As Watermom pointed out, it's probably better to learn to accurately test your pool water, and become familiar with your pool's operation BEFORE you make a large chemical purchase. It's all too common for people to end up with large amounts of stuff they don't need, and can't throw away. (It's dangerous, and usually illegal to put dry chlorine in the garbage.)

Regarding your CYA=42 report: there are no methods of pool testing available to pool owners (or pool stores!) that can distinguish between 40 ppm and 42 ppm. When we see numeric results like that, it suggests someone has been using electronically read test strips. Unfortunately, the CYA accuracy of strips -- even when read electronically -- is horrendously bad. From we've seen, this method of testing can't reliably distinguish a sample containing 30 ppm CYA from a sample containing 60 ppm!

So . . . I have my doubts about what your actual CYA reading is.

A good place to start would be to:

1. Post an exact list of the chemicals you have -- names, brands, and % listed chemicals -- so we can help you dispose of them without waste, damage to your pool, or commission of a felony!

2. Get a K2006 testkit -- see the t-kit info page linked in my signature.

3. Check and see if you have access to a Sams Club, and whether they are carrying "Pool Brand" pool chems. If so, that's where you may want to buy . . . but do NOT purchase yet.

4. Post dimensions of your pool -- you need a fairly accurate volume value. Lisa_M's question is appropriate: is it really 15'? That would be very unusual indeed.