Table of Contents
Chemicals Needed for Pool Start Ups Stain & Scale Preventer. Granular Shock Chlorine. Chlorine Tablets. pH Increaser and/or pH Decreaser. Alkalinity and/or Calcium Increaser. Cyanuric Acid (Stabilizer) Algaecide and Clarifiers if needed. Complete Test Kit or Test Strips.
What are the most important chemicals for pool?
The most common chemical used in the treatment of swimming pool water is chlorine. It not only eliminates bacteria and algae by disinfecting (killing) action, it also oxidizes (chemically destroys) other materials such as dirt and chloramines.
What is proper pool chemistry?
A pool that is “balanced” has proper levels of pH, Total Alkalinity, and Calcium Hardness. These are: pH: 7.2-7.8, Total Alkalinity: 80-120 ppm, Calcium Hardness, 180-220 ppm and Cyanuric Acid (Stabilizer): 30-50 ppm. Chlorine levels should remain constant in the 1-3 ppm range.
How much chlorine do I add to my pool for the first time?
If the water is clean and clear, then add about 3 oz of liquid chlorine per 1000 gallons of water – while the pool filter is running. This should give you a chlorine level of about 3 ppm.
Do I need to shock my pool when I first fill it?
At first you’ll add chlorine in what’s called “shock” levels – an extra heavy dose to start your pool off. A shock dose coupled with extra circulation will ensure that all the water gets treated properly in the beginning. Now it’s time to keep the water hardness in check, otherwise known as alkalinity.
What chemicals go in pool first?
Chemicals Needed for Pool Start Ups Stain & Scale Preventer. Granular Shock Chlorine. Chlorine Tablets. pH Increaser and/or pH Decreaser. Alkalinity and/or Calcium Increaser. Cyanuric Acid (Stabilizer) Algaecide and Clarifiers if needed. Complete Test Kit or Test Strips.
Which pool chemicals to add first?
When Balancing Water, Start With Total Alkalinity Total alkalinity should be balanced first, because it will help bring the other aspects of water chemistry closer to their normal range. This makes it significantly easier to achieve a safe and clean pool. To lower the total alkalinity, you can use Leslie’s Dry Acid.
What order do you balance pool water?
7 Steps to Balance Pool Water Test and Adjust Total Alkalinity. Total Alkalinity (TA) is the first thing you should balance in your pool water. Test and Adjust pH. Measure and Adjust Calcium Hardness. Add Sanitizer to Your Water. Check and Adjust Cyanuric Acid. Shock Your Swimming Pool.
How do you maintain water quality in a swimming pool?
Ways to maintain pool water quality may include: checking pH and chlorine levels daily. checking the pH and chlorine twice daily in very hot weather. monitoring chlorine levels in heated pools which need more chlorine than non-heated pools. brushing and vacuuming your pool on a regular basis.
How long after putting chlorine in pool Can you swim?
It is recommended to wait at least 20 minutes to an hour after adding water balancing chemicals. You should wait 2-4 hours (or one full cycle through the filter) to swim from the moment you use calcium chloride in your pool. It is safe to swim once your chlorine levels are around 5 ppm or after 24 hours.
How often should I put chlorine in my pool?
Daily as needed and indicated by measurement. One caveat, however: if your total alkalinity and pH are not where they should be, you will find it difficult to keep enough free chlorine in your pool water. Adjust your alkalinity first, then correct your chlorine.
How many tablets of chlorine do I put in my pool?
To use the right number of tablets, always round your pool volume up to the nearest unit of 5,000 gallons. For instance, your pool has a capacity of 20,000 gallons, you would add four chlorine tablets. But if your pool holds just 16,000 gallons, you’d still use four, three-inch chlorine tablets.
Why is my pool green when I just filled it?
Your first instinct when you fill your pool with new water, is to shock it. But that shock then oxidizes the metals, that chemical reaction then causes the green hue in your water. This is common with refills that used well water or even water that hasn’t been shocked but instead contains a high level of metals.
What to add to pool after filling?
Add a clarifier to the water. The clarifier will help the filter to remove the very tiny particles that enter the pool in the filling process or that may remain following construction and installation.
Do I add chlorine or stabilizer first?
Open your pool under normal procedures, and let the filter run with its normal amount of chemicals. When all the other chemicals, such as chlorine. pH and alkalinity, are balanced, add the chlorine stabilizer. Add the stabilizer only after the filter has been backwashed to ensure it is cycled through a clean filter.
How long do I wait between adding pool chemicals?
Wait times for adding pool chemicals The wait times between adding pool chemicals is usually around 10 minutes each, as that is also sufficient time for the chemicals to mix in the water. Users also under normal conditions can swim roughly 10 minutes after adding chemicals.
What pool chemicals should not be mixed?
Incompatible Pool Chemicals Calcium Hardness Increaser & Sodium Bicarbonate. Water Clarifier & Sequestering Agents. Chlorine & Calcium Hypochlorite. Pool Shock with Presence of Metals in Pool. Pool Shock & Enzyme Products. Chlorine & Muriatic Acid.
How do I raise the free chlorine in my pool?
Raising pool chlorine can be much easier than trying to lower chlorine levels. Simply adding chlorine in the form of chlorine tablets, granular chlorine, liquid shock or powder shock will increase the total amount of chlorine within the pool.
Do you adjust pH or alkalinity first?
Check Total Alkalinity (TA) first, then adjust for proper pH range. Proper TA will buffer pH, that is, it will help to prevent pH fluctuations. Use fresh, high quality test strips. Excessively high bromine or chlorine levels can result in false pH and TA readings.
