Jump to content

First Time Pool Owner


Recommended Posts

Hello everybody!

First, I would like to say that I hate vague titles, but I'm not sure if I have a problem or if I do, what it might be.

I bought a house last fall that has an inground pool. Admittedly, I did not maintain my pool at all last fall due to being busy packing, and unpacking. I hired a pool company to close the pool, but as far as I can tell that was a waste of money. When I removed the mesh cover, the water was low, so I added water (Well water - definately high in iron) to the pool. In about 8 hrs the pool lost 6 inches of water. After weeks of messing with it, I finally have all of the leaks fixed, and have been working on my chemicals.

I bought a TF-100 test kit, and my levels as of Saturday morning were:

TA 110

CC 0

CH 100
PH 7.5
CYA 0

Up to that point I had added no clorine. I have added clorine yesterday and today, my water is clear but I still don't see any clorine indicated using the small blue test kit that came with the TF-100.

My questions are:

  1. Do I need to test for copper in my pool, and if so how?
  2. I haven't added any CYA to the pool, and having read through some posts here I know I should. How do I know how much to add? Should I get my clorine level up first?
  3. I can't find the model number on my heater. It is a raypak digital model, but I'm not sure if the core is copper or not. Do I need to know if it contains copper?
  4. I know my Calcium level is low, but do I need to worry about it with a fiberglass pool?
  5. I prefer to shop online when I can, do you guys have sites that you would recommend for chemicals?

I put my equipment specs in my signature.

Hopefully you can tell that I have done a bit of reading on the forums. I look forward to learning more from all of you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. Do I need to test for copper in my pool, and if so how?

No, you should not need to test for copper unless you suspected problems related to copper such as clear green water or green/black metal stains.
2. I haven't added any CYA to the pool, and having read through some posts here I know I should. How do I know how much to add? Should I get my clorine level up first?
You need some CYA in the pool or else any chlorine you add will quickly get degraded by the UV in sunlight. Half of your FC will get degraded in an hour in direct noontime sun if there is no CYA in the water. You can buy pure CYA (aka stabilizer or conditioner) and add about 30 ppm to get started. Use The Pool Calclulator to calculate dosing.
3. I can't find the model number on my heater. It is a raypak digital model, but I'm not sure if the core is copper or not. Do I need to know if it contains copper?
That should not matter.
4. I know my Calcium level is low, but do I need to worry about it with a fiberglass pool?
You should have some Calcium Hardness in your pool in case the gelcoat on your fiberglass contains calcium carbonate (some do and some don't). Target at least 150 ppm to be on the safe side, though you could go higher if you want.
5. I prefer to shop online when I can, do you guys have sites that you would recommend for chemicals?

There are tons of different places online. poolgeek and poolcenter.com are a couple, but there are many others. Google can show you many for any product you search.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for your reply.

I did add another gallon of Pool Sanitizer (10% sodium Hypoclorite) today along with 1 2/3 pounds of CYA.

I will keep at it until I get the levels up to where they need to be. I do realize that I won't be able to get a reading on the CYA for a week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...