WTF. HELP

[markspitz109]

New Pool Owner. 24 foot above ground. 52" wall. Holds 13,500 gal.
Water is being delivered in two days. In the past I have had my water tested at the local pool supply. They are unsavory people so I decided to have the chemicals delivered to my front door. What I need to know is what do I check and concentrate on first in regards to chemicals? PH? Alkalinity? etc.
What test method should I use? Reagent Strips? Drops? Which tests? Which companies test kits?
I have the Nature II cartridge. In short I need to know on a step by step basis what I need to do to maintain my water from the beginning and throughout the summer.
In the past it was taking a water sample to the pool supply and the machine calculates it but no more. I want to learn to do this on my own if that is possible.
Thanks

Mark

[muss08]

Yeah I know what you mean about pool stores. Some are great places and very helpful, others only want you money. Hard to find a good one. First thing is to get a good test kit. I use the Taylor K 2006. Tests for everything you need (FC, CC, TA, pH, CH, CYA) and the chlorine test cant be beat. It eliminates color matching and tests up to 50ppm and is as accurate as .2ppm. Stay away from strips. If you dont go with the Taylor K 2006 make sure you kit tests for what I listed above and the chlorine test is the FAS-DPD test (which should be clearly marked). First when you get your pool filled test everything. Adjust the TA (80-120ppm), hopefully your pH should be alright from the fill water (7.2-7.6), get CYA (stabalizer) in the pool (30-50ppm), and chlorine. Chlorine levels should be roughly 10% of your CYA. You can go with 7.5% but you would need to use a poly 60 algaecide. Make sure your CH is about 100ppm. You'll need about 6lbs. of stabalizer to get your CYA to 30ppm. I've found the best way to add it is to stuff a sock and put the sock in your skimmer as stabalizer takes a long time to dissolve. Test your FC and pH as often as possible (daily is preferred) and TA weekly. Once your CH is in range test it monthly and if you are using chlorine pucks, which are stabalized, test this every couple weeks. Once this gets high (70+) you will need to drain a portion of your pool to get the levels down or use higher levels of FC (7ppm+). Check your skimmer baskets twice a week or after storms or windy weather. Vacuum as often as needed. Once the pressure in your filter reaches 10 psi higher than normal backwash or clean the cartridge (depends on filter type). To know how much chemicals to add visit www(dot)poolcalculator(dot)com.