Mostly saying hi. So, hello everyone!

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stevenmverrill

stevenmverrill

0
Nov 3, 2015
34
Frederick md
Will mostly be stalking this plase seeking all the info i can get. Im a complete novice, buying a house with a run down pool next week! Assuming budget gose well id love to oppen the pool for 2016 summer.

Stuff i know i need to do: confirm pump/filter system function, confirm main drain function, prep pool for a liner, install a liner, fill pool, maintain water quality.

The first step that i think will be the sorce of most of my buging every one here is: preping the pool for a liner. I have noticed the vertical walls have what appears to be galvanized steel sheeting. They look ok to me. Below that in the well is failing concrete. I will obviously need to re poor that. Now in the shallow end from what i have seen it looks like the liner is right on top of dirt. Is that ok?

Any way i got my serching to do but, hello everyone! Advice or good fourms to read sent my way will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 
A pool builder (PB) will be able to check out your needs. Many undercoatings are a light concrete over something... Vermiculite, sand, whatever. That is a relatively easy fix. Have them look at your equipment too.

Enjoy looking at the PB's liner options and dream. Then buy a recommended test kit and test your fill water to practice.

Welcome to the forum!
 
Welcome! Get started early next year if you can, contacting PB's in Jan/Feb so they can do the work in the April timeframe. That way you'll be ready for the late May warm spells and swimming. Our season is short enough already, no need to shorten it if you don't have to. Doesn't sound like a complicated job for a PB, especially if the walls are good and underground plumbing is serviceable. It's all just money and shouldn't take that much time to do. Best of luck, I'm sure you won't have anything else to spend your money on moving into a new house. Then in the summer, shop for a good mesh cover is my recommendation. Do you have concrete all around the pool to attach the cover to? Sorry, getting ahead my myself. Let's just get the pool going first.
 
Your pool floor should not be dirt.

Most vinyl pools with metal walls have a mixture of portland cement and vermiculite for a pool floor and deep end angled walls. Some have sand only but rarer and rarer.

I would suggest you find a Pool Pro who will remove old liner, make repairs as necessary and then add new liner.

It is a VERY daunting task to DIY that job unless you have some experience or some time (or both) and a decent set of related skills.
 
Time for an exciting update.
My pool is oppen. With the help of a few friends, (one a pool service guy) tons of work, and some money the pool is oppen.

First thing was simply getting the old liner, dirt, and failed vermiculite out. pool is/was all vermiculite. (was too trashed to tell before)

Once cleared out, my pool frend lent me a gauge and some freeze plugs, then i pressure tested all the under ground lines with my garden hose, to great avail.

Next was 2 truck loads worth of sand and portland (2.5 yards) and a weekend full of hard work. Just about all the slope walls i redid, then just parged floors and the hopper.

Next was ordering a liner. I forget the company but it was 704usd and they shiped it right to my job. (need to recive it with a fork lift (well over 200lbs) before placing the order i had to fill out a measurement sheet and that took some work. (if you do it, need:string line, 100ft tape, and 6ft level)

Next installing the liner:
Unfolding and cliping it in was not too bad, the pain is riging shop vac's and playing the waiting game. I wated till it was sucked in good enugh to cut and set the main drain. The fired up the well water. (i know trucking in water is the right way, but with a best price of 1600usd that was not an option.

So this started mid may. Each day i would run my 6x325ft well down till the flow rate got slow.(just before sucking dirt or running dry)

I have an old retired well on the peppery that i got a 120$ ebay submersible for and ran that down daily too. Also plumbed all my structure run off to the pool. Come erly june just getting water to the top of the hopper it became real that the wells/lack of rain would not get me filled in time for my house worming party next week. (6-25)

So i puckered up and bought one 290$ truck load (4000 gal) was sad to see that only fill the shallow floor to the first step. (8")

The good news was my pool frind came up with all free equipment taken out of pools that the owners upgraded, that would otherwise go to scrap.

With the water levle high enugh to cut out the returns and skimmer i plumbed the new equipment, and made a skimmer bypass pipe so i could run the pump/filter to start getting the water under control. 10 gal of bleach, 2 gal of algiside, and 2 strate days of running the pump later and i had clear water. (not ballenced but atleast clear)

That revealed all the dirt and other soileds on the floor. It was killing me to look at it and not be able to vacume because i was not up to the skimmer yet. With some pvc and a 5 gal bucket, and duct tape i made a rig so i could vacume from the main drain.

Bla bla bla sorry i have rambled too much. With some passed time, tons of vacuming, and 3 times taking out spraying, and recharging the de filter, as of last weekend the pool is full and oppen. Pics otw
 
Giving a bump...

Yet to get a test kit as suggested but my #'s: (Penney for your thoughts)

Th=100
Tc=3
Fc=3-4
Ta=130
Ph=7.4
Cya=50

I have been using pucks in my chloranter, and am out now. Planing on using bleach now. Wondering if cya is a perishable? The only way i have cya is from pucks and shock. If not a perishable wouldn't pucks just keep raising it?

That said i suspect most pool owner's just add as needed ank keep a 1.5-3 fc. From what i have learned here if i keep adding pucks ill need 10ppm fc by the end of the season. (100+ cya...)

Now most test kits call 1.5-3 fc ok, and at cya 40-100 getting called ok too.... This is extremely contradictory to advice from here.

Any way the cya:fc makes sense, yet why dose every test kits advice differ from advice found here?
 

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Steven, this is my first time on your thread, but I'll try to expand on a few things. The TFP Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below) was developed by TFP members who are scientists and/or specialists in the pool industry or water management profession. They've learned that the old "industry standards" were antiquated and were not ideal for most pool conditions. For people to think or say that an ideal FC of "1-3" is best simply is not true. It depends on their current CYA. So when some people seem shocked and say "My chlorine is through the roof! It's an 8!" We look at the chart and say, "Relax, you have plenty of room". That's because the stabilizer is doing its job to balance-out that ratio between CYA and FC, protecting swimmers and pool liners from the harsh effects of chlorine. At the same time, they must be at the correct ratio to sanitize water effectively. So when you look at the Chlorine/CYA Chart and Recommended Level Chart (link below) please keep those factors in mind.

Now just hypothetically, since those numbers above are not from a TFP recommended test kit, we'll use this as an example session ONLY:
- An ideal FC level for that CYA of 50 is "6" and never below 4 (see chart)
- pH and TA are fine for now
- CH is "N/A" for your liner unless it got really high, then we may have a concern. But it's fine right now.
- CCs are not listed but are very important to know as well (TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C will show CCs)

CYA can be gained by chlorine tabs/pucks and bags of shock. CYA does not typically drop on its own, although a small amount can oxidize with FC under tough summer conditions. But typically CYA only drops significantly from water exchange. Because CYA tests are supposed to be done under natural light, this is one critical test often performed incorrectly by pool stores. Many people get their TF-100 and can't believe the difference between the pool store result and their own testing.

I hope some of my chatter helped. :)
 
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