Hello! newbie with small pool. test kit?

[dkellogg3]

Pool newbie here... picked up a Summer Escapes 12'x30" easy set from a local tag sale site for $40! Wish I'd found this place before filling it last saturday. Going to pick up a test kit and get going with the guidelines set out in the Intex forum.

For this pool will the hth kit be sufficient?

[Watermom]

See if you can find an HTH 6-Way drops-based test kit (not 6-way test strips). We have an easy start up recipe that might help you. Read about it here:> http://pool9.net/ssr/

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

(Until you registration is completed, you won't be able to see the rest of the forum while you are logged in. So, copy that link and then paste it into a browser window after you log out.)

[CarlD]

Y'know, I started with a 15' x 3' Intex donut round, and STILL I bought the equivalent of the K-2006 back then. Still have it. It was worth every nickel, even with a small pool. I STILL think it's a bargain, and the HTH 6-way is the best, cheap alternative.

IMHO (In My Humble Opinion.)

[dkellogg3]

Picked up the hth 6 way' 4 gallons of bleach and 2 boxes of borax. Going to do the metal bucket test then get started dousing with the chlorine. Calculated volvo is about 2000 gal. Sound right?

[dkellogg3]

Ok, tested (no color change), so added 8 doses (4 cups) of bleach, then skimmed vac'd, and put the filter on to mix. Checked pH (7.2) and chlorine (5 ppm). I intend to keep pH between 7.2 and 7.8, and chlorine up around 5 ppm with bleach until i can get my hands on dichlor. Good plan?

[Watermom]

Sounds fine. You'll probably find that you'll need to add bleach a couple of times per day. An outdoor pool without chlorine loses it to the sun fast!

[dkellogg3]

Great, thanks watermom!

As a general rule, how long should I run the rp800 pump (780 gpm) each day?

[Watermom]

I run my pump anywhere from 6-10 hrs per day and that is probably more than is necessary. Some people do it for 8 hours per day in two 4 hour sessions. There is no hard fast rule.

[CarlD]

Sounds fine. You'll probably find that you'll need to add bleach a couple of times per day. An outdoor pool without chlorine loses it to the sun fast!

Watermom means an outdoor pool without STABILIZER lose chlorine to the sun fast!

[Watermom]

Yep! That's what I meant! Thanks, buddy, for catching that!