Hello TFP.. I'm a Newbie and need help.

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R

RbBrdMan

0
Apr 28, 2011
17
Hello Everyone as the title says I'm a new pool owner. Purchased the home in February 2011 it came with a 48*16 pool. I posted over at Poolforum and was getting a little help but for some reason now I can't even get to the webpage. Maybe it went offline. Anyhow, this place seems a bit more active so I'm hoping for the best.

I have a Hayward DE 4800 filter. Heyward pump 1081 and a clorinator automatic. A picture below.
61wc1.jpg


I went to a local pool company's (Watson's) Pool School. Was less of a school and more of a sales seminar. I got pool stored there. Ended up with 400 dollars of chemicals I don't know how to use.
25 LB Bag of DE x 2
Pool Perfect Phos-Free 3L x 2
Spring / Fall Phos-free x 2
Pool First Aid 2L x 1
Case Liquid Chlorine x 2
3" Jumbo Slow 7OZ tabs 25LBS x 1
Blast 1lb packets x 3
AquaChek TruTest Digital Test Strip reader

I haven't taken the cover off of the pool yet, I did peak under it and it looks pretty green and water level appears to be 3 inches too low. Under the advice of someone at the "Pool Forum" I took apart my filter and cleaned the very nasty algae from the grids. Currently they are soaking in a trash can with dish liquid.

I am going to put the filter back together today. I have to stop and get some Jack's 327 lube first though. After I put the filter back together what should I do next.

Taking the cover off is a no brainer, but after that?

Should I fill the pool back up to 3/4 covering the skimmer valve first?
Then clean the debris from the pool?
Then add the Liquid Chlorine? How much? While filter is running?

I would love to just have someone come out and open it for me but money is really tight especially after getting pool stored.

Please help me. :?
I'll be happy to take more pictures if needed.
 
Welcome to TFP! :wave:

It sounds like you need to go to school, Pool School that is. I would suggest you read pool school. The link is in my signature and it is also on the upper right hand corner of the forum. It will be able to get you pionted in the right direction toward a Trouble Free Pool!!! :whoot:

P.S. We like pictures. :goodjob:

:cheers:
 
I would start out by raising the water level 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up the skimmer with the cover on, undo any winterizing other than the cover, and then see if you can get the pump and filter working. If the plumbing works and there aren't any huge leaks, then take the cover off and clear out any debris. That way, if there is any problem with the pluming, admittedly fairly rare, you still have the cover on while you work on repairs.

Once the cover is off, pump working, and obvious debris cleared, it is time to circulate the water for an hour or two and then get a sample and get water test results. The results of the water tests will tell you what you need to do with the chemicals.

We generally recommend against Phos-Free, chlorine tablets, the TruTest reader, and test strips in general around here. Liquid chlorine and DE are both good.
 
Like many of us you've been pool stored.

Your setup looks pretty good actually. You should be up and running without much issue. You may have to shock but we'll get you through that.

After you get the filter back together and the cover off (following Jason's advice), run a full set of tests on the water no matter how green it is. Then post the results and what the water looks like here.

I'm sorry you got that digital reader. You're still gonna need a good test kit.

Like Kenmar said, see if you can return any of that stuff you bought except the liquid chlorine and the DE. Even if it's just for a store credit. You can use that to buy liquid chlorine when you need it. If you haven't opened the reader yet, maybe you can return that too.

Post back and let us know what you find out.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I had to run out to a small independent pool supply store (not going to Watson again) to get some lube for the O-Ring.

Unfortunately because I got those chemicals as part of a 'Pool School' special they are non-returnable/refundable, so I'm stuck with them. I'll read through the "Pool School" on this website a little tonight. I'm sure it will be 100% more informational than the sales seminar I went to.

I will also post some more picture later on. For now I will leave you with this beautiful shot of what the grids looked like before I cleaned them.
QeAjj.jpg


Now to mow the lawn and put the filter back together. :whoot:
 
RbBrdMan said:
Unfortunately because I got those chemicals as part of a 'Pool School' special they are non-returnable/refundable, so I'm stuck with them. I'll read through the "Pool School" on this website a little tonight. I'm sure it will be 100% more informational than the sales seminar I went to.
Click to expand...

I'd bring all that junk back to that store and tell them you are going to sue them if they don't at least give you a store credit (you don't have to actually follow up on that, but I'd be pretty irritated.) IDK where you live, but in FL, you have 3 days at least to back out of sales pitches like that one. :grrrr:

I like pretty pictures. That filter is just gross :p Lemme see a clean pic :whip:
 
danivdp said:
I like pretty pictures. That filter is just gross :p Lemme see a clean pic :whip:
Click to expand...

Oops. I forgot to get a picture after I cleaned it. I was rushed by oncoming rain and had to get the filter put back together quickly so I didn't get soaked. It's been raining pretty much everyday in April here in Ohio.

I'm going to do what you suggested with the chemicals. I've become pretty good at contacting upper management via email. It has worked for me when I've had problems with Best Buy and Verizon. So first I will see if I can get a email address to one of the big dogs at Watson's Pool and Spa.

I think the reason they told me no refunds or exchanges over the phone because "You bought these supplies direct from the dealers, not Watson's." Funny I distinctly remember waiting in the long line to be cashed out by a store employee, my receipt also has the store name on it. :hammer:

I do have another pic though as I was rushing to put the filter back together I noticed water was leaking from a hole in the front of the pump. I do have a fitting for it but if I put it on then water accumulates in the pump basket and I'm not sure if that would cause any damage. Anyone have any ideas? It is a pretty slow leak and I'm sure it has been leaking a while, I haven't messed with anything on the pump.
Zwya0.jpg
 

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Welcome to TFP, Rb!! :wave: :wink:

Deja vu, I've seen those first 2 pics before :p (I'm glad you found your way over here :goodjob: )

Whichever site you want to do it on, I'll be there to help you with doing your first opening - and you'll get lots of help from all the members :cool:

Your ability to post pics is a BIG help to us!

As for returning the BS chems you bought, in Ct. it's not legal to return pool chems, I don't know about Ohio.

By finding PF and TFP, you're going to save a ton of $ and have a truly trouble free pool :cheers: (* but you'll need a good test kit)
 
You can go ahead and install the drain plugs now if you want, since freezing weather seems very unlikely at this point. You only need them out for the winter. Now that it is spring it is fine to put them back in.
 
waste said:
Welcome to TFP, Rb!! :wave: :wink:

Deja vu, I've seen those first 2 pics before :p (I'm glad you found your way over here :goodjob: )

Whichever site you want to do it on, I'll be there to help you with doing your first opening - and you'll get lots of help from all the members :cool:

Your ability to post pics is a BIG help to us!

As for returning the BS chems you bought, in Ct. it's not legal to return pool chems, I don't know about Ohio.

By finding PF and TFP, you're going to save a ton of $ and have a truly trouble free pool :cheers: (* but you'll need a good test kit)
Click to expand...

Heya Waste!! Deja vu indeed. Just got done reading the "Pool School" tutorials here on this site. At least now I know what kind of Test Kit to get and how dumb I am for buying phosphors treatment :oops: . I'm hoping to order a k-2006 from Amazon.com tomorrow. I have Amazon Prime so I should get 2 day delivery which will be nice.

I figure live and learn on the chemicals. It would be nice if they would at least give me some store credit on a return, maybe I can talk them into that. :blah:

Good seeing you over here. I'm hoping for a nice stretch of weather (been raining nearly everyday) so that I can get this cover off and start testing and maybe even do some swimming :whoot:
 
I couldn't wait any longer I had to see what was under the cover to be honest I was a little horrified. I have a full on swap in my back yard. There were even spiders crawling around in the algae. :(

Hopefully soon I will be able to share some 'pretty' pictures but for now everyone will have to endure the yucky ones.
FG8Ebl.jpg



Tomorrow morning I plan on opening the returns, getting the pump and filter going and dumping in about 5 gallons of liquid chlorine (30,000 ish gal). I have not gotten the good test kit yet so for now I only have strips. I got a reading with the strips I guess it beats a blank.

PH - Dark Red - 8.4 +
FC - Beige - 0
TA - Light Green - 30-40?

I've read the pool school links here which were very helpful. I know when to backwash the filter now. How much DE should I put in the skimmer, I read somewhere 6LBs for the filter I have Hayward 4800 series. I do have a DE scoop so I'm good on the measurements.

Any tips, suggestions, or prayers are welcomed.
 
Before you start shocking you should get all the debris you can possibly scoop out of the pool out. You also need to lower the PH to around 7.4 and raise the TA to around 70, and find out the CYA level (probably zero, but you never know).

At about the same time you start shocking, start raising the CYA level to around 30.
 
Thanks for the tips Jason. Before the sun went down tonight I was able to clear the debris and scooped as much algae as I could scoop out. I figure if I can scoop a quarter of a trash can of algae out then it may mean less backwashing and cleaning of grids.

Do you know how many LBS of DE I should put in for a Hayward 4800? Is 6lbs about right. I can't remember where I heard that. I've been cramming about pools like I'm about to take a final exam.
 
Welcome to TFP :wave:

Not sure if your are near NC, but duraleigh (owner of TFP) sells the TF100 and TF100XL at tftestkits.net. He won me over 2 years ago with their customer service and the XL looks perfect for the cleaning you are up against. The K2006 is a great kit too, but value wise the TF100 is closer to the K2006C (2oz reagent bottles) than the K2006.

You can read about the test kits we recommend here

As an added bonus TFP Lifetime supporters receive a discount on the TF100. You can read about becoming a TFP supporter here
 
In the wee hours of the morning yesterday RB started his battle against algae. This fateful day many gallons of blood (liquid chlorine) were spilled, 20 to be exact. The assault was brutal, shock and awe, and more shock. The war rages on even into the early hours of the next morning. The warrior is grows weary, arms like jelly. :lol:

We've backwashed 7 times, used 25 lbs of DE, brushed and skimmed add infinity. We are making some progress my wife and I are battered but not beaten. We will be victorious over this algae. Gotta go pick up some more liquid chlorine in the morning. Since I still don't have a posh test kit we've been keeping the FC around 10 - 15. We are making some progress. Able to see about 8 - 10 inches down now.

I'm really hoping the rain skips us tomorrow but I'll be adding chlorine and filtering even if it doesn't. This pic didn't turn out great because it was dark by the time I thought to take one. I'll post more tomorrow if I get a chance to sneak away from the battlefield. :wave:

b9QkH.jpg


Edit: New picture from this Morning. Looking better :whoot:
mk4wG.jpg
 

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