First 30 Days - Establishing Your Baseline
Build a reliable baseline chemistry profile and learn your pool's behavior in the critical first month of ownership.
Week 1: Daily Testing - Build Confidence & Find Patterns
Week 1Your first week is about repetition and pattern recognition. Test daily to see how your pool behaves.
Day 1-7: Test FC and pH every single day, same time if possible (morning recommended)
Day 3: Run your FIRST full panel test (FC, pH, TA, CH, CYA, salt if applicable)
Day 7: Run SECOND full panel test - compare to Day 3 to verify CYA stability
Record everything: date, time, readings, weather, pool usage, chemical additions
Track FC drop: How much does FC decrease in 24 hours? This is your consumption baseline
Note pH drift: Does pH rise or fall? Most pools drift up due to aeration
Watch for patterns: Rain impact? Party day usage? Equipment runtime changes?
• Don't adjust anything yet! Just observe and learn your pool's natural behavior
• If CYA differs between Day 3 and Day 7, retest carefully - it should be stable
• Normal FC consumption is 1-3 ppm per day in summer, less in winter
• pH typically drifts up 0.1-0.3 per week - this is normal aeration
• If FC drops more than 5 ppm overnight, you have algae or contamination - run OCLT test immediately
• If CYA changes significantly (>10 ppm) between tests, you made a testing error - redo it
Checklist
- 1Week 1: Test daily (FC, pH) to understand consumption patterns and establish testing confidence.
- 2Week 1: Complete full panel (FC, pH, TA, CH, CYA, salt) on days 3 and 7 - verify CYA is stable.
- 3Week 2: Test FC/pH every other day, track patterns (when does FC drop? by how much?).
- 4Week 2: Perform OCLT (overnight chlorine loss test) to verify no hidden demand.
- 5Week 3: Reduce to 2-3x per week testing, compare results to establish your 'normal' ranges.
- 6Week 3: Document your weekly chlorine consumption - this is your baseline for detecting problems early.
- 7Week 4: Run full panel again, compare to Week 1 readings - verify stability in all parameters.
- 8Week 4: Calculate your pool's weekly chemical budget (bleach, acid, etc.) based on observed consumption.
- 9Document equipment runtime, weather impact, and usage patterns that affect chemistry.
- 10Create your personalized testing schedule based on observed stability (some pools need more attention).
- 11Know when to break the routine - post-rain, post-party, seasonal transitions.
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