Quote Originally Posted by under_h2o
Pool Newbie here...

Had my pool startup last week with my PB. He shocked the pool, left some chlorine sticks, and test strips. I've ordered Ben's kit (not sure how long it will take to come).

Here are my pool specs:
Gunite/Pebbletec
40,000 gals; 3.5' to 8.5' depth
DE Filter
SWG (not turned on yet, PB will be back in 30 days to start it up)
Fill water was trucked in but has been supplemented with well water. I also have an auto-fill from well so I will probably need to watch the minerals.

So, until he comes back to turn on SWG, I'm on my own. Since I don't like/trust the test strips, I went to the local pool store for measurements.

TC: 0
FC: 0
pH: 7.4
Alk: 115
TDS: 350
CYA: 0

Water is clear and about 84 degrees..

Obviously the pool store is recommending shocking (Burn Out Extreme) then using Muriatic Acid to control the pH in case it rises. Are there other options like BBB until I'm ready for SWG?

Thanks in advance.

Bob
Hi, Bob,

You've got lot's of options that don't include the pool store.

How does the water look?

Assuming it looks fine, my first thought would be to start putting in some maintenance chlorine to prevent algae.

This evening at dusk, I would put 2 large jugs of Clorox into the skimmer...pump running. It will be totally consumed tomorrow so I'd do the same tomorrow evening.

Right after I put the Clorox in tonight, I would add stabilizer (CYA) into the skimmer. It usually comes 3 or 4 lbs to the container...12 lbs will get you up to about 35-40ppm....a good starting point.

On the third day, the stabilizer will usually start to have some affect and some of your Cl will still be present in the evening. Then you need a test kit. The inexpensive OTO kits will measure just Cl and pH and you will be okay for a while with that.

I strongly urge you to order Ben's kit. You will end up with a lot of guess work and frequent testing trips to an unreliable pool store without it.

Post back with questions.