HELP - Saltwater System Inital Setup - Intex 54601EG

[QiingGuy]

Here are the strip results:
TH - 1000
FC - 0/0
Ph - 6.8
TA - 120
CYA - 0

[Watermom]

Well, we actually call them 'guess strips' around here......

The test kit that we think is by far the best is the Taylor K2006 or 2006C (better buy). Not available locally but you can get it through this link that takes you to Amazon: http://pool9.net/tk/

But, in the meantime, go to Walmart and see if they have the HTH 6-Way drops-based kit (no test strips!) and get that. If they don't, get an OTO/Phenol Red kit (yellow and red drops) instead. Use it to test and then post your numbers. Also while you are at WallyWorld, get several jugs of their generic 8.25% bleach and a 2 or 3 boxes of 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry aisle).

Then, test and repost the numbers. (Do this asap. Your pH appears to be critically low and can damage your pool and equipment! Any reading below 7.0 is acidic. So...... get off to Walmart!)

[QiingGuy]

Thanks! Wife's on her way to Wally World!

[QiingGuy]

Here are the chlorine and pH numbers:
Cholrine - Totaly Clear so I guess that's a zero.
Ph - 7.8

Still trying to figure out how to conduct the other tests.

[QiingGuy]

Here's latest update on tests. Please note my CYA question:
TH - 340 (wasn't red, more like purple prior to adding hardness titrant)
Cholrine - Totaly Clear
Ph - 7.5 - 7.8
TA - 150
CYA - Not sure I'm reading this test right. It's asking me to add 7 ml of the cyanuric acid reagent to 7ml pool water. 7 ml of acid reagent is 1/3 of the total amount that came with my kit)

[Watermom]

Since this is a new fill, you won't have any CYA in there yet unless you have used some trichlor pucks, dichlor shock or have added any CYA separately. I assume you have used none of those?

What exactly have you added to the pool by the way -- ingredients, please? When did you fill it?

(Do you see now why we call them 'guess-strips'? )

[QiingGuy]

What exactly have you added to the pool by the way -- ingredients, please? When did you fill it?

Partially filled 5 days ago, finished filling last night. Added about 3 to 4 cups of bleach since initial fill and 120 lbs of salt, that's it.

Just checked my salt level (using strip LOL) and I'm sitting at 2,860.

[Watermom]

Actually, using our Super Simple Startup Recipe would be a good way for you to begin. You need to get some chlorine in there asap, though. It doesn't take long for a pool to turn green! Recipe is here:> http://pool9.net/ssr/

I estimate your volume to be around 5600 gallons. In this size pool, each quart of 8.25% bleach will add about 3.7ppm of chlorine. You can use that as a resource to help you figure out how much to add. For now, I'd suggest adding a quart a couple times per day so you don't drop to zero. Until you start getting some CYA in there, you will lose chlorine fast. CYA (cyanuric acid, also called stabilizer) is kind of like sunscreen for your chlorine. Without enough, the chlorine is quickly lost to the sun. In fact, you may need to add bleach a couple of times per day. (Once you start building up your CYA, the chlorine will start lasting longer and adding bleach several times per day won't be necessary.)

Dichlor (in the startup recipe) will add CYA for you as it also adds chlorine. That is why it is a good choice for freshly filled pools. Most SWCG manuals have specific requirements for what level CYA is needed. I'm going to ask Dave, a member of our support team who also has an Intex pool, to chime in here on this thread and help with that information. (By the way, don't test for CYA again until you have been using dichlor for about 10 days. It won't change that fast and testing it too frequently just wastes the CYA testing reagent.)

Your CH, and TA are both a little high. If you add high pH to that mix, you can have some scaling issues. So, I am going to suggest that you lower your TA. Directions for doing that are here:> http://pool9.net/alk-step AND http://pool9.net/ma/

You won't want to use any cal-hypo at any time for your chlorine. Your calcium hardness is already pretty high.

Hope this helps. Come back if you have more questions. I'm going to ask Dave to walk you through the rest of the startup. He is more familiar with the Intex SWCG than I am. He'll be a good resource for you.

(Also, don't forget to disconnect the copper electrode on the unit.)