New Intex owner from Texas

[SafetyBob]

Welcome to the forum, I am pretty new too. My only two cents is get the big Taylor 2006 kit, I believe it is the 2006C. It has plenty of fluids to do many many tests of your pool. Once you get accurate readings from the Taylor kit, then the really experienced people here can really help you out.

My experience THIS year with the help of the forum is better than it ever has been before. What I mean is, last two years I have used the Intex SWCG system (same one all three years now), all it did was add small continuous amounts of salt each week to keep my low salt beeper from coming on. The change this year is knowing and understanding what CYA is and how it works in my pool. So far, my salt level has not changed since my original fill almost a month ago. I positively know it because I have the test data to prove it (the Taylor Salt kit also available from PoolDocs web links). And I can see my chlorine go up and down and I know why and what to do about it.

Again, I am on the new side here, there is some very wise people here who have SWCG systems. My take is, I like my Intex system, but I know now that there will be adjustments to be made, that's where BBB comes into play. On my little pool, if I need to raise FC levels up a bit, I know a cup, yes, one cup of Clorox is all I need to do it, wait a little bit as in overnight for me, test and adjust if necessary. I didn't realize that how much I use my pool and how much it is uncovered in the sun changes my chlorine levels.....didn't know that until coming here.

Enough of my ramblings. Here is what they told me and they were correct. Order the test kit, call back after you have the numbers.....great ready to have a wonderfully enjoyable pool this season.

Bob E.

[Rockwall]

Hello again!

Okay, my K-2006 kit is on it's way. I filled up the pool on the 21st, measured on the 22nd the CL @2 and PH @ 7.5 with my hth 3-way kit.

Wasn't able to tend to the pool because of work on the 23rd. Today, the 24th, it measures out at CL @.5 and PH @ 7.5 still.

Digging through some of the recent posts, it was mentioned to start adding a gal of bleach per 10,000 gals of water every night. Would a gallon today, and a half gallon in the following evenings, be okay until I get the full kit in?

I picked up at Wally World a 4lb bag of hth Salt pool care (cyanic acid). The levels it recommends are 4 lbs for 20,000 gallons. Would it be worth adding a pound of it now to help keep the CL or should I wait until I get the 2006?

Also, I've not added any salt to the pool just yet, was wanting to see if I can get this going well and use the SWCG to maintain the CL levels, much like Bob E. is doing above. Very hot and sunny here in Texas.

[PoolDoc]

If you just filled it, by all means go ahead and add the stabilizer -- 1 or 2 lbs in a sock.

If you water is clear, adding 1/2 gallon of plain 6% bleach should do you -- but you can't quit while you wait for the kit. Get a local OTO kit and skip adding bleach ONLY if the PM chlorine level is dark yellow.

[Rockwall]

I'll rig up a 1lb sock tomorrow morning. I have an OTO kit that I am taking the CL and PH measurements with. Water is very clear but the yellow of the test was very, very light, about .5 it read.

I put in a gallon late this afternoon, and will put 1/2 gallon in each evening until I get to dark yellow.

Thanks!

[PoolDoc]

You're welcome.

[Rockwall]

Okay, I have my K-2006 kit in hand now. I've been adding chlorine regulary to my pool to keep it in the strong yellow range. I was using bleach but my wife was very leery of the concept of 'bleach' in the water (even after I explained to her that bleach was basically chlorine and water) but am now using hth Chlorinating granules (calcium hypochlorate).

I followed the directions for the CYA test, but wasn't sure about one thing - how much should the dot "disappear"? It went from black to a light greyish but never really disappeared. Or is that how it should be? I had added 2 lbs of CYA about 10 days ago via the sock in the return stream method.

[PoolDoc]

It has to disappear completely; that is, when you look down, you can't see that there is a black dot there at all.

Tell your wife that bleach adds salt to the pool, which goes nicely with your SWCG (saltwater chlorine generator); but that calcium hypochlorite adds calcium, which tends to kill the plates on a cheap SWCG. Her choice, though.

[Rockwall]

Should I add another pound of CYA via the sock, wait a day or two and then redo the dot test?