which pool?

[BearLeeAble]

I fully understand that owning a pool is not a "set it in the backyard and enjoy it" item.
I grew up in the delta's of california so am intimately familiar with life around water.
I AM, however, a rank noob with pool ownership ergo I'm here

most importantly, get the right test kit, learn how to use it, and learn how to take care of your pool

I assume that somewhere in this avalanche of information you folks have this well documented?

Thanks for responding, I'll get ahold of them and get it exchanged. We can afford to do this ONCE, not once a year.

[PoolDoc]

Get a HTH 6-Way Test Kit (~$23) (made by Taylor) from Amazon or Walmart . . . to start. Do NOT use the stabilizer / CYA test until AFTER you've added stabilizer. There are only 3x tests for CYA in that kit.

If you aren't in a hurry, order from Amazon please, since I get a 6% commission on those purchases . . . if you use the link from here.

But, you'll almost certainly need the Taylor K2006 (~$57). And if you want to 'get it all' now, you'll also need refills for the CYA test: 16 oz bottle of R-0013 and Disposable plastic lab funnels.

Those items can ONLY be purchased online. If you buy locally, someone will try to sell you the K2005 as 'just as good', and it's not. When buying from Amazon, try to buy FROM Amazon if possible, and not a 3rd party seller. Sometimes Amazon is a couple of $'s more, but they handle shipping and warranties MUCH better.

Regarding info, there's a lot. I'm in the process of re-organizing and re-writing a lot of basic material. I'm trying to put FAQs in each forum section, with links to major articles on different topics. The Intex-type pool section (http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/forumdisplay.php/176) is probably the most immediately relevant to you.