Installing a new Intex AGP with saltwater chlorination.

[Watermom]

You can start whenever your pool is full. Have you checked the pH of your fill water?

[tigers75]

YES--tested it this afternoon:
CL/BR=0....this was prior to 2 doses of bleach being added during filling
PH=7.5
ALKALINITY=70
HARDNESS=90
Did not test for CYA yet, was going to wait 24 hrs until pool was filled, salt was added and dissolved, and pump was running for a while. After filling and adding salt, how long should I run the filter/pump the first night? All night long to circulate the salt throughout the pool?

[Watermom]

You can ignore the bromine side of your tester since this is a chlorine pool.
Your pH, alk and hardness all look fine. Don't test for CYA. Since it is a fresh fill, there won't be any in there yet and you'll just be wasting your reagents. CYA is not a test you need to run all that often. Since you are using dichlor, it will gradually add CYA. (For every 10ppm of chlorine that it adds, it adds 9ppm of CYA.) So, wait awhile to test for it.

If it were my pool with new equipment, I would probably not run it unattended overnight in case there were any problems with something until you have had a chance to make sure everything is working properly. Run it as many hours as you can but I'd turn it off before going to bed the first night. Just my opinion.

[tigers75]

Great! Thanks for the advice! Plan on running filter for a couple of hours after adding salt to start recirculating. Will also start on nightly "care recipe" of dichlor and borax (equal parts). All this upfront advice has been so helpful!

[tigers75]

One question I forgot to check with: I occasionally have pine needles falling into the pool--will the acidity of those have a great enough effect that it will mess with readings?
And also...anything special to pay attention to if I have numerous days of rainfall?
Thanks again

[Watermom]

i have no idea about the pine needles, but I doubt it.

The biggest problem that rain causes is that people don't get check their pools. Then, they get algae and assume it was caused by the rain. As long as you remember that you still need to keep the chlorine and pH levels in check, you are fine.

[tigers75]

After I have added the 4lbs of dichlor to get the CYA up, my understanding is that the SWCG should be able to handle the levels at that point?

Is it still recommended to to the dichlor/borax combo every night from here on out?