waiting for aquarite...

[BND]

What can i do to prepare before it arrives?
The leveler has been plumbed to soft water for about a year.
Should i start adding salt now? How much for 13K gallons?
Salt: Pelletized from lowes/HD but is there anything i should avoid?

Thanks

[Poolsean]

You can add the salt now. However, have your water tested for everything first, including salt.

Test for:
Free Chlorine
Total Chlorine
pH
Total Alkalinity
Calcium Hardness
Cyanuric Acid (also called conditioner or stabilizer)
Salinity - IMPORTANT because if you add too much salt, you will have to drain down the pool to dilute the salt level.

Your water should be adjusted so that it is balanced, according to the saturation index. Your pool store should know what that is. If not, find another store. And as everyone here will tell you, get yourself a good test kit and learn how to test your own water.

[BND]

Thanks.
I will take a sample up to check where things sit at the moment.
I am really looking forward to having the system.
What IS the saturation index?

[Poolsean]

I love it when the right questions are asked.

The saturation index, sometimes called the Langeliers Index, is a formula that takes the following into consideration to see if your water is perfectly balanced, has a tendency for scale formation, or a tendency for corrosion.
pH (7.2 - 7.8)
Total Alkalinity (80 - 120 ppm)
Calcium Hardness (150 - 500 ppm)
Water Temperature
TDS (total dissolved solids - which should be high as a result of the added salt)

The test values are given an equivalent "factor" value and the numbers are plugged into the Langeliers Index formula.
There's an acceptable range for these parameters to fall within and in most cases, it is though that as long as these parameters are within this range, all is well. The fact is that if one or more are on the higher end of the range (or above), there is a scaling tendency. With a Salt Chlorine Generator, the scale will development in the cell first. Then you may see some scale precipitate on your tile line or on the pool surface if really bad.
If one or more are on the low end, there is a corrosive tendency, in which you may see damage to your handrails, ladders, light rings, or heat exchangers.
If the formula falls within + - 0.3, you're within balance. Greater than 0.3 means scaling tendency. Less than - 0.3 and you're corrosive. The greater the difference the greater the tendency for scale or corrosion.

If the pool store is not familiar with this, see if they have the TAYLOR K-2005 test kit. In it is a wheel called the WATERGRAM, that allows you to calculate the water balance easier than the Langeliers Index...
or report the test results here and we can help decipher the test results.

Congrats on selecting a Salt system for your pool.

Now, what are you going to do with your free time not spent maintaining your water chemistry? : )

[BND]

Alright, i've run into a roadblock of sorts...
visited two stores and found initial results that have me scratching my head...
Both have told me that my TDS are above 4500 and Salinity is 3500+.
I havent added ANY salt to the pool yet.
( could the softwater put that much salt into the pool?)

Store B also said my phosphates are 1200-1500.

One told me CYA of 23 , the other said 0.
ph was 7.8 from both.
total alkalinity was around 200
Calcium hardness 360
Chlorines were at 0

Store B, (a leslies) recommended i drain and refill, just start over.
He also recommended that i take the pool OFF of the softwater loop as it is corrosive( because of the salt, which made no sense to me because you add salt for the SWG).
Store A recommend i bring in a sample from the tap to test what the salinity and TDS is coming from the watersoftner( which i will do because i am curious).

I have no issue with draining the pool( hasnt been drained in a couple years) over the weekend and re-plumbing the leveler IF that is what i should do, but not if this is just BS and cant be fixed another way
BTW i am in Arizona, just SW of Phoenix...could the dust storms we get cause this TDS?

[Poolsean]

TDS of 1000 ppm is not too bad. Total TDS - Salinity = Potentially harmful TDS.
It's a good idea to test your source water, especially for TDS as this should be considered your NORMAL TDS, which should fall between 300 - 700 ppm. These are mostly calciums, magnesiums and metals. When these levels increase to 1000 ppm HIGHER than your normal TDS, then you should consider draining. However, when you have high TDS as a result of the harmful ingredients, your water will also appear dull and cloudy, with a metallic taste to the water, AND your chlorine will be less effective.

High TDS as a result of salt is not harmful.

It is possible for the salinity to be 3500 + ppm from your softwater system. However, that level will be too high for the AquaRite, so in this case, Leslie's is correct in recommending that you drain (not you do not need to do a full drain, just a partial drain will do). Then refill with the water not from your water softener system. You'll just be adding back in the salt.

On a Taylor test kit, it's difficult to distinguish 0 ppm from 23 ppm, but assume that your stabilizer is too low and will need to be added. You want to get to about 60 ppm to 80 ppm. The normal dosage is 1 lb / 5,000 gallons increases 25 ppm.

Alkalinity is high and so is pH so adding acid and aerating should do a good job a lowering both.

Calcium is good, thank God for Water softeners.

Definately treat for Phosphates. The water will get cloudy for a few days as a result, but it is to be expected with phosphates in the pool. Clean out/backwash the filter after the phosphate treatment (when the water gets clear).

The dust storms should not cause an increase in TDS unless you're located close to a golf course that is constantly fertilizing...but that should affect the phosphates more than the TDS.