Filter / Pumps / New Pool

[rkooz]

I just want to confirm something based on the super simple recipe page PoolDoc posted and what Pappy mentioned about bleaching every other day. As silly as this may sound to people on this forum - it's regular (8.25%) bleach, right? I'm going to start to fill my pool one day this week and will put in the (for me) 2 cups of bleach after the first 6 inches of water is in the pool.

Once the pool is filled, do I discard the bleach (unless issues arise)? I ask this because one of the lines from the pool recipe states:
"Because you'll may have to order some things, we've included a 7-day 'get-by-with-bleach' option, to follow if you have to wait for supplies to arrive."

Is bleach out in favor of the dichlor dose that I will be putting in every evening and 1/2 dose before group swim?

[PoolDoc]

Bleach isn't out of favor, but the SS recipe uses dichlor to add BOTH stabilizer AND chlorine. The whole idea was to minimize the complexity on new pools.

Bleach is an EXCELLENT way to 'shock' a pool -- say after you have a bunch of kids in. But it doesn't add stabilizer.

[Watermom]

If you have the dichlor, then you go ahead and start using that instead of the bleach. At the point that your CYA has built up to around 50ppm, then you'll stop using dichlor and switch over to bleach so the CYA doesn't get too high. (Yes, regular household unscented 8.25% bleach. Walmart generic is what many of us use.)

[Watermom]

Another simul-post! (Both of us saying the basically the same thing.)

[rkooz]

Thank you. One last question (at this time). While filing up the pool, should the filter be running (at least when the water reaches over the intake)? If not, when would be the best time to run filter for the first time and when after that?

[Watermom]

You can start it as soon as the water level is high enough to fill the skimmer.

[rkooz]

ok, pool is filling. Do not have the test kit from Amazon yet, but have the 3 part tester from walmart and will be testing (when filled?) another question, a friend of mine used to have an Intex (maybe the Summer one) pool and he bought something called Star Shock. Ingredients is 12.5% sodium hypochlorite and 87.5% other ingredients. He is offering two gallons to me. Is this something that would be useful to me or is it going to sit in my shed as I try to figure out what to do with dangerous chemicals.

[Watermom]

If the other 87.5% ingredients are just water, then it is fine. It is simply a stronger concentration of bleach. If you are unsure if there are other things in there besides sodium hypo and water, then I would pass on it.