Hi,
Nick here. I've been lurking and reading these forums for over a year and have gained tons of insight form the advice posted here and from the information in the pool school section. I've finally joined the forums because I've run into problems and need help/advice.
We bought the house last year, and though I never dreamed of owning a pool, I quickly grew to love it. I used a pool company take care of everything while we settled in and started learning about pool chemistry and testing. So this year I had them open the pool but have been maintaining it myself, so far pretty successfully.
The pool is 30+ years old and the pump and filter were ancient too, but they seemed to be working OK (the water was really clear). Then everything went wrong. Water turned cloudy, I couldn't get it clear, a couple of hours after vacuuming the bottom would be collecting debris and sand was piling up in the deep end corners. After finally opening the filter to replace the sand I realized it is pretty much shot.
So, I'm looking for advice on what to do next. I know it'll be costly but I've resigned myself to replacing the filter and pump. Of course, in a pool this age that hasn't been well-maintained there are other problems too: the plastic coping is falling apart, the vinyl lining has come loose in a couple of places (and is discolored), the paving around the pool has settled so it's uneven, and I have no idea what state the main drain or underground lines are in.
I don't have an unlimited budget (ha ha, understatement), but I really want to be able to enjoy the pool while I fix it up. So, I'm trying to work out what has to be done and what I can put off for a while. Also I need advice on which filter and pump to look at, and whether to install it myself and save $ or have it done professionally and keep the warranty intact.
Not sure if this is the right forum to ask those questions, but this is my (long) introduce yourself post. Hi.
Nick here. I've been lurking and reading these forums for over a year and have gained tons of insight form the advice posted here and from the information in the pool school section. I've finally joined the forums because I've run into problems and need help/advice.
We bought the house last year, and though I never dreamed of owning a pool, I quickly grew to love it. I used a pool company take care of everything while we settled in and started learning about pool chemistry and testing. So this year I had them open the pool but have been maintaining it myself, so far pretty successfully.
The pool is 30+ years old and the pump and filter were ancient too, but they seemed to be working OK (the water was really clear). Then everything went wrong. Water turned cloudy, I couldn't get it clear, a couple of hours after vacuuming the bottom would be collecting debris and sand was piling up in the deep end corners. After finally opening the filter to replace the sand I realized it is pretty much shot.
So, I'm looking for advice on what to do next. I know it'll be costly but I've resigned myself to replacing the filter and pump. Of course, in a pool this age that hasn't been well-maintained there are other problems too: the plastic coping is falling apart, the vinyl lining has come loose in a couple of places (and is discolored), the paving around the pool has settled so it's uneven, and I have no idea what state the main drain or underground lines are in.
I don't have an unlimited budget (ha ha, understatement), but I really want to be able to enjoy the pool while I fix it up. So, I'm trying to work out what has to be done and what I can put off for a while. Also I need advice on which filter and pump to look at, and whether to install it myself and save $ or have it done professionally and keep the warranty intact.
Not sure if this is the right forum to ask those questions, but this is my (long) introduce yourself post. Hi.
We'll see what kind fo replies you receive on this thread. If you don't get a ton or feedback, you might consider a new thread in one of the equipment-related forums, perhaps title it something along the lines of "Equipment Help" or something. But make no mistake, if your pump is moving water through the filter and you have decent return flow, most times the cloudy/green water is attributable to chemical issues not filtration. How are you testing your water? That will be key here.
