NOOB with a 12' Intex

[Watermom]

Do you have a Sam's Club near you? If so, you would do well to buy some of their Dichlor and use that to start your pool instead of bleach as it will add CYA (stabilizer) as well as chlorine. Without enough CYA in a pool, you will quickly lose your chlorine to the sun. It will also help to lower your pH since it is acidic.

I think it would be best if you would just ignore the Intex pool care plan. It will be difficult to try to combine those instructions with the SS Recipe.

[BEERBREATH81]

I do have a Sams Club near me but they do not carry pool chemicals. I will order off amazon. I'm trying to understand and get a dosing schedule for the summer though. SO.....

I will buy the Dichlor off Amazon. In the meantime, I will not add anthing to the pool untill it get here.

1. Once it arrives I will begin dosing 1/4C everynight and 1/8C before each swim.
2. I will test PH and clorine levels daily.
3. Once clorine levels start to stablize I will back off on dosing everyday to 2-3 times per week.

Is that correct??

[Watermom]

Until you get some dichlor, continue to use bleach so your pool won't turn green! But, bleach is not stabilized so it may be that you'll have to add bleach a couple times a day so you will keep some chlorine in the pool.

Dichlor is stabilized which means it adds CYA as well as chlorine. CYA is kind of like sunscreen for your chlorine; it keeps the chlorine from being lost too quickly to the sun. You should use the dichlor until your CYA gets to around 50ppm and at that point, just switch to bleach. You don't want your CYA level to get too high.

Whether or not you'll back off to dosing only 2-3 times per week can't yet be determined. Each pool is different. If you haven't already done so, take a look at the Best Guess Chlorine Chart which explains the connection between CYA levels and needed chlorine. http://pool9.net/cl-cya/ (Until your registration is completed, you'll have to copy that and paste it into a browser window after you have logged out of the forum.)

You will soon learn how often you need to add chlorine to make sure that your chlorine level never dips below the minimum required or else you risk an algae bloom.

Hope this is helping. Ask more if you need to. That is why we are here.

[PoolDoc]

One other comment:

Dichlor additions tend to push the pH DOWN; borax pushes it back up. If your pH is going too high, skip the borax, and use ONLY the dichlor.