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What Chemicals To Use For Pool Start Up

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When Balancing Water Start With Total Alkalinity

Start up Chemicals for Your Pool

Once you have tested your water chemistry, it is time to start adding chemicals to balance your water during pool opening. 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 Leslies Dry Acid. This product quickly decreases total alkalinity levels in your pool. A dose of 1½ pounds of Leslies Dry Acid in 10,000 gallons of water will lower the total alkalinity by 10 ppm. If you need to increase total alkalinity levels, use Leslies Alkalinity Up. To raise total alkalinity by 10 ppm in 10,000 gallons, use 1½ pounds of Alkalinity Up.

Once the total alkalinity has returned within the range of 80 to 120 ppm, you can begin to adjust the other chemicals. To increase pH, adding Leslies Soda Ash will help raise it to an acceptable range. To decrease pH, you can again use Leslies Dry Acid.

If the calcium hardness is too low, 1¼ pounds of Leslies Hardness Plus will raise the levels by 10 ppm in 10,000 gallons of water. It’s much more difficult to lower the calcium hardness level than it is to raise it, so be sure to keep calcium levels below 400 ppm, and don’t add too much hardness increaser at once.

Turn On The Pool Filter And Test The Water

Youre almost there! All you have to do now is get the filter up and running. Turn on the filter and run it for 12 to 24 hours to mix up the old and new water before testing or adding chemicals .

Dont feel comfortable testing the water yourself? You can always bring a water sample to a pool professional for proper analysis. Your pool professional will provide you with instructions for balancing your pool water. They can test the waters pH level, the alkalinity, the calcium hardness, and the chlorine content. In addition to shocking the pool, they may be able to also recommend that you add a stabilizer, conditioner or algaecide to your pool before its ready for the warm weather.

Continue to run the filter for a few days, vacuuming out any debris that has settled. When the water is clear and the chlorine levels have come down, your pool is ready for swimming! Enjoy your pool!

Prevent Algae All Season Long

For a clean and algae-free swimming season, we recommend to start treatment before the first swimmers even jump into the pool. After shocking your pool, it is a good idea to add either Leslies Algae Control or Pool Perfect + PHOSfree to your water. Both of these products will prevent the growth of most types of algae, and help keep your pool clean, clear, and fresh all year long. Once you’ve added the algae controller, the last step is to take a water sample into your nearest Leslies location for a FREE AccuBlue® Water Test. Once they give your pool the OK with a professional water test, you are ready for a summer of fun in the sun! ;

Leslie’s is your go-to resource for all the pool opening supplies you need this spring. If you have any questions or need help opening your pool, stop by your local Leslie’s store to speak with a knowledgeable pool expert.

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Starting Up Your Swimming Pool: A Step

The pool finish will start to hydrate immediately after mixing, with most hydration taking place within the first 28 days. This critical period is when a finish is most susceptible to staining, scaling, and discoloration. Proper start-up practices, including timely brushing and constant monitoring and adjusting of the pool water, are mandatory. The recommended start-up method is based on techniques shown to produce favorable aesthetic results. Depending on local water conditions and certain environmental factors, elements of these recommended start-up procedures may require modification to protect the pool finish.

For example:

Filling the pool with considerably low calcium hardness, low pH, or low total alkalinity levels may necessitate changes to these procedures.

ALWAYS ADD A CHEMICAL TO WATER, NEVER WATER TO A CHEMICAL.

Intex Pool Cleaning Guide: Intex Pool Chemicals Startup

Pool Solutions 20000

Intex swimming pools are great for people who dont want to set up a permanent above ground pool in their backyard. They are budget-friendly, easy to set up, and can last for a decent number of years.;

But as with all swimming pools, an Intex pool must be constantly maintained to ensure clean and safe water. That means cleaning it regularly and adding the right chemicals. Plan on spending a few hours per week caring for your pool and keeping it in splash-ready condition.;

We have prepared a comprehensive Intex pool cleaning guide that explains how to keep your pool clean and which chemicals to add to guarantee germ-free water and safe swimming. Lets start!

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Get The Gunk Off Your Pool Cover

Use the soft broom to sweep away any dead leaves or other large debris from your winter cover. Next, use your pool cover pump to remove any standing water from your cover.

Some of these pumps can be a bit slow at removing water, while others will suck up debris and just about anything else that gets in their way. Know what your pool cover pump is capable of so you wont overwork it.

How To Understand And Choose Between The Different Types Of Pool Cleaning Chemical

Using chemicals to battle contaminants in the water is a necessary move. This ensures that the water of the pool is clean and safe to swim in. These chemicals should be used properly and responsibly similar to how medicine has dosages and instructions that we take when we are ill. A chemical imbalance due to improper use may render the solution ineffective or be more harmful. Understanding the chemicals used will help you determine the best pool chemical.

There are three different types of chemicals used in cleaning pools:

1.; Sanitizers

Sanitizers are used to disinfect the swimming pool. Specific chemicals used as sanitizers are Chlorine and Bromine. Chlorine is the most commonly used chemical when cleaning swimming pools. Chlorine usually comes in liquid or tablet form. Using chlorine can be harsh to the eyes when it directly touches the eyes and can cause irritation. It is also harsh to the skin and hair when soaked for an extended period of time. Chlorine is a strong disinfectant but is not recommended for warmer areas as chlorine tends to disintegrate in warm temperature.

2.; Balancers

3.; Specialized Chemicals

Specialized chemicals are used to further enhance the effect of the sanitizers and balancers, achieve certain water clarity or hardness, or address specific pool concerns such as algae.

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Chemical #2: High Concentration Algeacide

This kind of algeacide removes most of the oxygen from the water that is necesary for organic material to survive.;This will help kill the existing algea, as well as help prevent any new algea from growing. ;We suggest a minimum of over 20% concentration, 40-60% as a recommendation.

Note: 5% or 10% will not cut it here, even if you add high quantities. ;Also, if you did do it with low concentration products, it would end up costing you more.

What Is A Balanced Water Chemistry

Pool Chemicals For Beginners Above Ground Pool Start Up Easy Care and Tips

The following are the important considerations when maintaining your swimming pool water chemistry:

PH and Total Alkalinity Levels

The pH level of your pool is the indication of the acidity or alkalinity of the water. This is measured on a scale of 0 to 14. PH Level 0 means that the water is highly acidic while 14 means the water is highly alkaline. Both extreme levels can cause irritation of the skin, hair, and eyes. High acidity may also encourage corrosion of any heating elements in the pool or connected to the pool. High pH levels occur more commonly as compared to having a high alkaline level due to the usage of chlorine. An alkali level too high or too low is more difficult to adjust. High alkali causes cloudy water and affects the effectiveness of the sanitizers.

Swimming pools should have an ideal pH Level of 8 and an ideal total alkaline level of 80 to 140 parts per million .

Water or Calcium Hardness

Dissolved calcium can also affect the water chemistry. High levels of calcium encourage scale formation while low levels of calcium in the water may lead to corrosion of pool surfaces and any equipment connected to it. You should be very careful with chemicals that may affect the calcium levels of the water as the only way to balance this is to dilute the existing pool water.

Calcium hardness is ideally maintained at 200 ppm.

Chlorine

Cyanuric Acid

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Spring Pool Opening Chemicals

For pools that are covered and winterized, long periods of stagnation can affect your water balance, and by the time the pool cover comes off, winter algaecides and floaters are depleted.

What pool opening chemicals do I need is often asked by new pool owners, and a reply often given is that it depends on what type of pool you have, and what type of pool start-up is being done.

Step 1 – Water Balance First! Before adding any of your spring start up chemicals, its important to test and adjust all water balance parameters, so that your pool opening chemicals work at their best, and to prevent staining and scaling during treatment. Put away your start-up kit, and pull out your test kit verify that your pool chemical levels are within these ranges:

To adjust Calcium Hardness: Add Calcium Increaser to raise water hardness levels, and when too high, dilute with softer, fresh water. 3/4 lb. of Calcium Up will increase hardness by 10 ppm in 10,000 gallons of water.

To adjust Alkalinity:Add Alkalinity Increaser to raise total alkalinity levels and when too high, use pH Reducer. 1 lb. of Alkalinity Up will increase alkalinity by 10 ppm in 10,000 gallons of water, and 1 lb. of pH Down will reduce alkalinity by 10 ppm in 10,000 gallons of water.

What Chemicals Do I Need To Open My Pool

Before you start adding chemicals to your pool, figure out the condition of your water. For that, use ahome test kit such as a liquid testing kit or easy-to-use test strips. For a more precise analysis, youcan bring a water sample to your local pool store for professional testing. After you analyze your poolchemical levels, you may need to add these opening pool chemicals:

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Remove And Prevent Metal Stains With Metalfree

Over a long winter off-season, metals like copper and iron can build up in the pool and cause stains. These metals can be difficult to remove once they’ve reached concentrations where they’re staining the walls, so it’s best to attack them early. One initial dose of METALfree during spring opening can help neutralize the metals in your pool and prevent further staining on the walls and pool floor. METALfree also helps eliminate stained water that comes from having high metal content.

Spa Frog Hot Tub Start

Spring Swimming Pool Start

Most of the start-up kits that we tested for this list were available in multiple sizes to fit different sized pools. The Spa Frog kit is intended just for hot tubs though, and it comes in only one size. This one is meant for hot tubs of 500 gallons. If your hot tub is less than that, then youll need to adjust accordingly by simply using less than the included amounts of each chemical. Everything you need to open your hot tub for the season is included. Youll get a shock treatment, PH balancers, a jump-start product, and even test strips to ensure that all your levels are set correctly. To top it off, you get a free-floating dispenser that will keep your hot tub water in good condition.

This kit seems a bit overpriced for what you get, especially when you compare it to the pool kits that can treat 30,000 gallons of water. But it does make the entire job very simple and includes everything you need in one easy package. Plus, its also a great choice for small pools that dont reach the 7,500-gallon mark that the other chemical kits start at.

  • Overpriced

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Stabilizers And Balancing Chemicals

Other important swimming pool chemicals include Water Balancing Pool Chemicals. Chemical levels in your pool water are affected by many factors, including sunlight, rain, evaporation and the presence of oils. This means that the waters chemical levels are always changing, which affects the waters pH levels and total alkalinity.

Balancing chemicals such as pH Increaser and pH Reducer allow you to keep pH and alkalinity levels in the right range and help maintain healthy and clean water. Water balancing pool chemicals also help enhance the performance of your sanitizer reducing maintenance time and chemical use.

While bromine cannot be stabilized, or protected from the sun, chlorines life can be extended by using stabilizer, aka conditioner. Stabilizing pool chemicals provide protection for chlorine molecules, preventing them from becoming quickly destroyed by UV radiation from the sun. This allows your chlorine-based chemicals to last longer, which saves money, and prevents rapid depletion on warm summer days.

Essential Chemicals You Need To Open A Salt Water Pool

If youve decided to open a salt water pool there are 7 essential chemicals you should consider before the grand opening. Since saltwater is monitored through the use of the electrolyzer, maintenance is easier on these kinds of pools. However, without solidifying the essential chemicals your pool may not be ready for a swim.

Here are the 7 essential chemicals to keep in mind when opening a salt water pool:

Before you begin with your essential chemicals, be sure to test your water for free chlorine, pH, Cyanuric Acid , Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness, Metals, and Salt.

Once youve tested these levels add one more test by determining the salt levels with salt test strips. To avoid testing and monitoring chemicals on your own time, pHin does it for you by working 24 hours to ensure a perfect chemical balance and notifying you when you need to add chemicals, even going as far as providing exact dosing instructions for most brands!

After youve completed these tests youre ready to adjust the essential chemicals for a safe swim.

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Test & Balance Your Pool’s Chemical Levels

Once you know how many gallons of your pool holds it’s time to test your water. The amount of water in your pool will help determine how much of each chemical you’ll need to add after you’ve tested the water for it to be properly balanced. ;

Here’s what you’ll need to test for and their ideal range:;

  • Alkalinity ;
  • Metals
  • Salt ;

Your water needs to be completely balanced with all the ideal levels before turning the salt chlorinator on. Read more on testing your water here. An existing pool converting to chlorine will have a salt presence already. you’ll want to know your starting salt level after all the rest of your chemicals are balanced so you know how much salt to add in the next step.;

If pool maintenance seems confusing or just isn’t your thing, now is also a good time to add E-Z Pool to your backyard living style. The combination of these two products takes out the need for adding a bunch of different chemicals to your pool to balance out your levels.;

Balancing Your Pool Water

Pool Start Up – Chemicals and How to Add Them

pH LEVEL

Your pool water pH level is the most important component of water balance. Proper pH doubles your chlorine potency, is more comfortable for swimmers, and reduces the chance of algae and stains forming. For spring clean-up and whenever you shock the pool, adjust the pH to the low side; in the range of 7.2 7.4, otherwise aim for a normal pH of 7.5. When pH creeps up above 7.6, add an acid to lower the pH level, and when pH is lower than 7.2, add a base to increase the pH level.

TOTAL ALKALINITY

The alkalinity level of your pool water helps keep your pH stable and resistant to change, acting as a pH buffer. When alkalinity is below 80 ppm, the pH can fluctuate wildly, or become erratic and become hard to stabilize. Raise pool alkalinity levels with Alkalinity Increaser. Conversely, if your Alkalinity reading above 120 ppm, it becomes hard to adjust pH, locking in your pH at an incorrect high or low level. Lower pool alkalinity levels using our safe Instant Liquid Acid, or our granular pH Reducer.

CALCIUM HARDNESS

STABILIZER

SANITIZER

From the moment you open the pool, until it freezes over during winter, you need to keep a constant level of chlorine in the pool. The final component of water balance is your sanitizer, or chlorine level. After balancing the water, shock the pool with granular chlorine, and then allow the chlorine level to drop to 1.0-2.0 ppm. Maintain the level with 3 chlorine tablets, placed in a floater or feeder .

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Tips For Adding Start

  • Add Stain & Scale chemical first, especially for new plaster.
  • Try PoolCalculator.com for amounts of start-up chemicals
  • Add one chemical at a time, using a pool brush to distribute.
  • Run filter pump while adding chemicals to circulate.
  • Re-test the pool water after 8 hours of filter run time.
  • Add chlorine shock when the sun is not directly overhead.
  • Add algaecides last, after chlorine level drops below 3 ppm.
  • See our Pool Start-Up Kits for all the chemicals needed.

Once the pool is opened, you will need to circulate, filter, clean and treat the pool water – every day. Consistent water balance, constant chlorine levels and effective filtering is important to prevent water problems.

And, as the water temperature and pool usage increases through the summer, you will need more hours of daily filtering, and more chlorine tablets to maintain sanitation and clarity.

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