CabanaBoy

I'm in to my third year opening my pool. Here is what I do: Inventory Chemicals • Balance Pak 100 (to set total alkalinity) • Metal-X (to absorb metals dissolved in pool water and prevent staining) • Muriatic Acid (acid) • Salt (set total salt to 3200-3400 ppm) • Shock (1 pound bags of shock) Preparation • Clear all debris off of pool deck. • Bring water level up to the middle of the skimmer. • Collect all the pieces removed during the winter and bring them outside. • Remove expansion plugs and lube with silicone lube. • Use net to remove all big debris from pool. • Through a bag of shock in the pool. Assembly • Remove all expansion plugs and install jets. • Install Cell – lube O-rings with silicone. • Install filters, gauge, lube o-rings with silicone. • Check all check valves and plumbing fittings for proper connection. Start up the pump and let it run for a while with the chlorinator turned off. Check for leaks and noises. On the pool controller there should be a menu for diagnostics where you can see the salt level so you know where you are starting. I pour the salt into my leaf net and then hold the net in frontof a return to dissolve the salt immediately (instead of dumping in and sweeping it around to dissolve). FOr my 10K pool it usually takes 2.5 40lb bags of salt to get back to ~3200 ppm. As far as water testing order a Taylor K-2006 andlearn to use it. That is the best piece of advice I got from this forum. My pool store testing is inconsistent at best. After salinity is set and chlorinator is running set the total alkalinity (TA). Then add CYA and check TA again. Once those are balanced set the ph and finally the hardness. Good luck.

Thanks for the response. I'll switch back to the liquid acid.

Thanks for the response. I'll switch back to the liquid acid.

When I add salt I use the leaf net without the pole. I just stand on the end of the leaf net, fill with salt and hold in front of water return for a few minutes to dissolve the salt.

I can't answer your question about pumping water up 2-3 stories but I can tell you I just recently installed solar collection panels and I am using them to heat our swimming pool. If you would like more information on how well they work you can read about it here.

This is my second year as a pool owner. We have 15 x 33 fiberglass pool with 10,400 gallon capacity and SWG. I kept track of the pool chemistry last season using an inexpensive test kit and had zero problems through the entire swim season. I keep a running log of the pool chemistry so I have a pretty good idea of what the test results should be when I am testing. Last year, once the pool was balanced I tested the water three times a week and had to add 1/2 cup of dry acid once a week to keep pH in check. Crystal clear water all summer. So this year, after reading all the posts here on the forum, I purchased the Taylor K-2006 test kit and began using it this season. My question is: when balancing the water chemistry should I use the numbers from the testing at the pool store or the numbers I get using the Taylor test kit? The pool store uses a test strip dipped in pool water that is inserted into a machine the reads all the blocks on the test strip. We have had a bunch of rain (8 inches!) and I have been pumping water out of the pool so the pool store numbers are higher than expected for TA and Calcium based on my testing before all the rain. Here is the data from tonight: TEST______POOL STORE______Taylor K-2006 TA___________108______________90 pH____________7.2_____________7.8 Calcium_______206_____________180 FC____________.9_______________.8 (salt level is low, minimalchlorine genration- added salt tonight) Any thoughts on which testingmethod is the most accurate?

It has been 8 months so I can answer my own question. I ended up pumping the water into the same ditch that handles our normal rain drainage. None of the plants or tress that are adjacent to the ditch were affected by the pool draining including the grass lining the ditch.

I have a white San Juan Pool and I love it. As stated earlier it really makes the water look blue on bright sunny days. I think the white color helps the pool look clean and is a nice contrast to the concrete decking. The fiberglass is easy to keep clean also. The most important thing you can do is pick the right installer. Interview several pool companies and make sure they can answer ALL you questions about pool installation. Make a list of questions (write them down) and ask each company the same list of questions. The pool manuafacturers have pool installation instructions on their web sites. Download and read these even though you will not be installing so you know how it should be installed. Then ask questions about install to the pool installer representative and make sure the company you are considering can answer ALL the questions. Once you have narrowed the list of installers call several references (we called eight) and ask how it went for them and how long they have had the pool. It took our installer 4 weeks start to finish to install the pool and turn it over to me. I was around for all the digging, plumbing and setting of the pool. I was also ther during the filling of the pool with water. They filled the pool with water while filling the outside of the pool with "flowable fill". The inside and outside of pool were filled at the same rate to prevent distortion of the shell. I took photos during every step of the process and asked questions. You are about to spend $30k-$60 on a pool. Take the time to make sure you get what you want. Good Luck and Enjoy!

I can recommend Capitol Pools of VA (in Manassas) wholehertedly. My wife and I interviewed 4 pool companies and decided to go with Capitol. The main reson I went with them is they were the only company that could answer all my questions about construction and the pool installation process. It turns out the "salesman" is also the supervisor for installation. I was around for most of the construction procees and they did a great job. Its a small company but we called every name on there reference list and the people could not say enough nice things. Now I am in the same group. We purchased a 15 x 33 foot fiberglass pool with a SWG and it was installed in under 4 weeks exactly like we were promised. They kept me informed during each phase of the building process. It is rare these days to find a vendor that does exactly what they say they will and deliver it on time. That is exactly what Cpaitol did. Give Capitol Pools a call and tell them the Bakers out in Purcellville told you to call. Good Luck,

Hello, We have a new fiberglass pool with a saltwater system (Love It!). They are coming to close the pool down on Friday so I need to pump out the water to bring the level down. We have had a drought here in VA so I was going to pump the water onto my lawn and around my trees rather than waste it by sending it down the drain. I am wondering it the low levels of salt in the water will damage my plants and trees? Has anyone else used the pool water to water plants or just pumped the water out on the lawn? Thanks,

Get a salt water system! We just purchased a fiberglass pool this summer and chose the salt system. It was a great decision. There were very few times when the chlorine levels was too low. When this occured I simply ran the Super Chlorinate cycle for 3 hours and things were back to normal. No chlorine smell, no itchy dry skin and our hair (4 blonds) and bathing suits have never been better. I check the water 2-3 times a week and keep the water chemistry balanced (about 1/2 cup dry acid 2 times a week). You can open you eyes underwater in my pool without any discomfort. We have enjoyed crystal-clear sparkling water all summer. I only had to shck the pool a few times this summer when the temps were near 100 for two weeks.