I just recently bought a house which has a 15' round above ground pool which was not taken care of. I have never been a pool owner till now so I don't know too much about pools. I have been attempting to use a leaf rake and a leaf eater to clean the pool, however it's hard to tell how much debris is in the pool due to the dark water color. Also my pool has a ton of tadpoles swimming around. I'm trying to clean it in order to SLAM it. Also my pool is currently only half way filled, we had to drain some to get the cover out and leaves that were on the cover. when should I refill it? Any suggestions or advice would be terrific!
New pool owner and my water is like a pond.. I'm need of some assistance!
- Thread starter Jadamberg
- Start date
Welcome to TFP 
The best thing you can do is keep at it removing debris, as horrible a task as that can be. Do you have the right test kit ready for starting a SLAM?
The best thing you can do is keep at it removing debris, as horrible a task as that can be. Do you have the right test kit ready for starting a SLAM?
Welcome to TFP!
Congrats on the new swamp,
First thing I would do is order a TF-100 with the XL option from TFTestkits.net. With your own great test kit you can easily take care of your own pool.
Fill the pool, scoop out as much as you can add 20 oz of bleach daily and brush until you get your test kit.
Read this, SLAM Process and be ready.
Congrats on the new swamp,
First thing I would do is order a TF-100 with the XL option from TFTestkits.net. With your own great test kit you can easily take care of your own pool.
Fill the pool, scoop out as much as you can add 20 oz of bleach daily and brush until you get your test kit.
Read this, SLAM Process and be ready.
With a 15' round, half empty pool, you would need about 3000 gallons to fill it. If it was my pool, depending on the price of water in your area, I would empty it all the way, scrub it out and refill with about 6000 gallons of clean water. The savings are only 3000 gallons by slamming it.
I bought a test kit from Walmart not realizing I would need a better one. Silly new pool owner. I've been looking into buying a better one not sure if I should get the tf-100 or the Taylor k-2006. Any suggestions?
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Should I be running the pump and the filter while cleaning and dumping 20oz of bleach in the pool, while I wait for my better test kit?
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Should I be running the pump and the filter while cleaning and dumping 20oz of bleach in the pool, while I wait for my better test kit?
I am with him ^^^ on this one. I would take some more of the water out. Leave enough water to come to lower or mid shin. Catch and scoop out all of the tadpoles then work on the solid yuck. That is what I had to do when we moved into our house. Once you have all of the yuck out you can get start filling it back up.
I would get the TF-100 because it has more of the regents you will use on a daily bases.
While all of this is going on look around your area.........where is YOUR best buy for chlorine/bleach? Some find it at Walmart-pool shock or Greater Value plain bleach, some find it at their pool store using the "rented" jugs.
Do some reading to learn the hows and whys of TFP. Here is what I give to all new pool owners. It is a LOT of info so take it slow and let it settle in:
Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels
Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Make sure to ask any and all questions you might have no matter how small! We have all been where you are at one point.
Kim:cat:
Definitely more of the tests you need in the TF-100 from TFTestkits.net. That is what I use. More here, Pool School - Test Kits Compared
Thank you so much for all the help. I am trying to continue to clean the pool waiting for the pool test kit to arrive. Then I am hoping to fill the pool up to where it belongs and run the pump and filter and start to slam it. Hope I am making the right decision to not drain it and save the $500 plus it would cost to refill it.
Okay. We got your back. Add 1/2 gallon of bleach everyday until your test kit arrives. Keep scooping debris and brush at least daily.