Intro- New Pool Owner in Middle Georgia

[SouthernHiker]

Hi, I'm SouthernHiker. I'm a teacher and have an 11 month old son. On the side, I fix houses, and am currently living in a former Foreclosure fixer upper, that included an in ground pool in very bad shape.

I got several quotes on liners as soon as I moved in, and it turned out the pool was a salt water pool (I now know I could've figured that out by the generator on the wall outside).

So several quotes later, and a nice water bill, and we have a liner installed in our new pool just in time for the fall
Hoping to get at least a few weeks out of it though down here in the middle GA heat, and then I'll be studying up on the closing vs. keeping open discussions on this page. Right now, I'm working on solving a pump replacement issue (debating on DIY vs. just shelling out the bucks). Thanks for this forum it's already been a great resource.

I've been reading on all the starter pages on here, and on the website, and plan to order the test kits soon.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Hey there SouthernHike Glad you found TFP..... if I say so myself, TFP is the bomb.com!!

If Skippy and I were in Columbus, I'd not bother closing my pool. Do you have a cover? In those off-months you can get away with infrequent testing, and minimal chemistry changes. Everything just kinda goes dormant in the water. You can leave it open (without a cover) but you'll have to take the leaves out now and then. And before you know it spring is here and you're gonna have a lot of fun in this pool with that baby!

Yip

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi and welcome to TFP!

Man, pumps are easy DIY replacement. Very easy.
We here at TFP recommend that people get at least a 2 speed pump. Running a pool pump as fast as it will go doesn't add any benefit to the pool. A 2 speed pump will benefit you greatly on the electric bill and move plenty enough water to keep the pool filtered well. Another option is a variable speed pump. Do some research on both types and make a decision that's the best fit for you. Just as a note, it seems counterintuitive, but the larger the VS pump, the more energy efficient it is.....


enjoy the forum!

 

[SouthernHiker]

Thanks y'all. Must admit I just bought the exact one speed model that was on it as a stop gap for now. It wasn't too pricey, so I can maybe look at going variable/2 speed next time around. It seemed somewhat easy of a DIY to do, however' I've somehow messed it. Got a leak after putting the new one on. I'm guessing I messed up the shaft seal, but I don't know for sure. I think I'm going to have the vinyl installer look at it, hopefully just fixing that won't be too pricey. At this point, I just want to get it up and running for this weekend if at all possible, so I can get a couple of weekends in before it gets too chilly to use.

I'm glad to hear that closing it isn't likely necessary. It did come with a safety cover (trampoline type cover?) that was in great shape. I have my yard pretty tree-less in the back, but sadly my neighbor doesn't, so they'll be keeping me busy with leaves.