Pool removal

[msgtdan]

Picking up a "free" 27' round pool this weekend. We have to disassemble with help from the owner. Looking for advice to make it easier or more successful. I've done some reading here and elsewhere so have some ideas but am open to suggestions. I haven't been to see the pool yet but from pictures and talking to the owner it's a swamp, he hasn't run the pump this year. I'm renting a pump to drain it quickly, I'd thought to rent a trash pump but the rental place said a regular pump should be fine. If it's not they'll swap out with a trash pump and prorate the rental. Rental place is only about 10 min from the pool. I'm planning to take lots of pictures for reference of all phases of the disassembly. I'm taking a wheelbarrow, dolly, electric cords, drills and drivers, wrenches and sockets, freezer ziplock bags for hardware, WD-40, a ramp for the horse trailer it's going into. Any other suggestions? I'm not sure what type of filter it has, if it's sand should I remove the sand before moving? If so how to do so without damaging the laterals? Suggestions for other types of filters? Things to look for or avoid?

I won't be installing the pool this year as I have to level a larger spot for it. I know I'll need a new liner, just one reason "free" isn't.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/spo/2545232773.html is the Craigs list ad. Not much there.

If you google "Diamond Ct, Smithville MO" you can see the pool with google satellite and streetview. Not great resolution.

 

[linen]

Hey msgtdan, I got one this time last year free off of CL and it has worked great for us! You are lucky the owner is going to help you (mine was at a rental house, so it was just me and my boys...they had to work for it).

Like you mentioned, don't worry about saving the liner. You almost certainly will need/want a new one. I was able to drain what water was left in mine by punching holes in the bottom and excavating a small hole under the side of the pool to facilitate draining. If you have a lot to drain than your idea of a pump is good.

I'm not sure what type of filter it has, if it's sand should I remove the sand before moving?

I have moved a couple without removing sand, but that is risky, so your best bet would be to remove the sand. Usually there is a drain for the water, and in many cases the drain also has a basket that can be removed to also drain the sand. If you remove the sand that way, you will need a hose to wash it down the hole.

Suggestions for other types of filters?

Just drain the water out of the other types.

Things to look for or avoid?

Ask why they are getting rid of it. Ask about the last known status of the pump, filter, etc. Ask how they chlorinated. Ask how they winterized, look for cracks in filter, and pump leaf basket. If they have the bonding wires (usually 8 gauge bare copper) take as much as they will let you take. Look at the structure, metal parts how much rust, plastic parts cracked etc. Look at pool wall if signs of dents and or creases, you may want to pass. Make sure you know the dimensions are right diameter, height so you can order liner this winter. I would verify with a tape measure, once it is down hard to measure. See if they can tell you brand of pool/model of pool and where they bought it. Ask for any/all documentation they have. See what they used for a liner, jhook, overlap, beaded.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I will think if we are missing anything, and will post back.

 

[linen]

Oh make sure you grab the coves, floor foam, gorilla pad if they have them! I would grab the pipes too, you can always throw them away, but you might find some valves/fittings useful.

 

[msgtdan]

Linen

You are lucky the owner is going to help you

He'll only be there until 1:30 when he has to go to work. Which is one reason I'm getting the pump to empty quickly and have his help. My wife's teenage son's are with their dad this weekend so I won't have their help. But I'll make sure they're there to help with the setup. One of our punishments for misbehavior is to dig holes, for posts or trees & such. "We're mean", the pool could be a mighty big hole :lol:. Just the wife and preschool daughters going tomorrow.

Ask why they are getting rid of it. Ask about the last known status of the pump, filter, etc. Ask how they chlorinated. Ask how they winterized, look for cracks in filter, and pump leaf basket. If they have the bonding wires (usually 8 gauge bare copper) take as much as they will let you take.

He stated he was tired of fighting it. Sounds like he doesn't know BBB . He's not sure of the pump as he hasn't run it this year, if it doesn't work it's not a major loss as I have a pump and filter that will. If the pump & filter are good I want to know what has been going through them, if Bacca :grrrr: or such they'll need thorough cleaning. I was going to ask about winterization as I've never wintered one, but can also see how it could affect condition of the equipment. I hadn't thought about the bonding wire, good idea.

Look at the structure, metal parts how much rust, plastic parts cracked etc. Look at pool wall if signs of dents and or creases, you may want to pass.

I'd planned to, though from what I've read elsewhere most damage other than severe rust can be repaired. If I do have to walk away from it the trip might not be a total loss, 3 other "free you remove" pools showed up on the KC craig's list yesterday.

Make sure you know the dimensions are right diameter, height so you can order liner this winter. I would verify with a tape measure, once it is down hard to measure.

I'd thought about checking depth but hadn't thought about verify diameter on site. Means I'll need to bring the 100' tape measure as a 25 footer won't do it.

See if they can tell you brand of pool/model of pool and where they bought it. Ask for any/all documentation they have. See what they used for a liner, jhook, overlap, beaded.

Most of which I was planning to do, though not where they bought it.

Oh make sure you grab the coves, floor foam, gorilla pad if they have them! I would grab the pipes too, you can always throw them away, but you might find some valves/fittings useful.

I'd planned to, one reason I'm taking the horse trailer and not just the pickup. He didn't know what was under the liner so I'm trying to be prepared for the bulky foam stuff if it's there. I've thought about taking the sand if that's what's on the floor, just depends on how we feel when we get to that point. I'm bringing a grain scoop shovel and old dog food bags just in case. I have my doubts about doing that as I've filled plenty of sandbags in the past and don't really want to do many more. :tongue:

Thanks for all the suggestions

 

[linen]

One other thought after you get the pool. I put mine up last fall and filled before the winter. We had is up mid October and my boys (and me a little) gave swimming a go for a few days and nobody died from Hypothermia :-D I bring this up because, I am glad we did it last fall. Getting the site ready was hard work, and it was cooler then. It took me a few weeks of site prep (working after work and on weekends) before I actually set up the pool. Looking back, I bet we would have missed most of the June swim season here if we hadn't done it last fall, since our spring was too wet to excavate (I did a deep end and used an expandable liner). Just a thought...

 

[cramar]

Sounds like you've thought things out and planned for the move.
Only thing I might add is be careful when actually dissembling the wall so it doesn't collapse or put any major kinks in it, probably need a couple of helpers to hold up the wall and rolling up the wall.

 

[linen]

from what I've read elsewhere most damage other than severe rust can be repaired.

If the wall is damage/twisted where it goes into the lower (or for that matter upper) track, I would probably pass.

 

[linen]

Covers, don't forget to ask about them. Solar and winter, though both types of covers get worn out fairly fast, so if they look bad (or if the solar cover looks really stained) you might just want to throw em. My pool had a solar cover sitting in the soup, I saved it, but never used it except to kill grass in my lawn. I have a new one now.

Patio blocks for the verticals. Stairs, ladders, winter plugs/caps...okay I am starting to state the obvious and it sounds like you have some pool experience (I did not, so this would have been helpful).

 

[msgtdan]

Actually I don't have much experience with pools at all, having gotten the one in my sig setup this year for the first time. I've done a lot of reading on this site, on the pool forum and here http://www.shadebuilder.com. I know the shadebuilder (hrsdennis) was also a contributor to the pool forum. As a pool builder he's apparently done a lot of repair work to pools as well and details some of it on his site. He also details how to install and disassemble, with pics, using only two people. Hopefully I'll have three adults. I'm fairly handy, having done most of the construction of my home, or I wouldn't give this a try. If I destroy it taking it down I haven't lost much, time & gas mostly. And it will be a good experience for the next time. And taking it down I should know how to put it up .

Once we get it home, I'm planning on setting up the bottom track and seeing if it will fit at the site of our current pool or whether I'll have to set it up on a new site. Either way I plan on doing site prep this fall and setup early spring on a warm day so the liner will go in right. But if I get eager and a warm fall/winter day I might do it earlier. I have a neighbor who owes me a favor and am thinking of getting him to bring his backhoe over and partially burying the new pool. We're on a slope here so one way or the other there's going to be some dirt/rocks moved

 

[msgtdan]

I'm going to take everything he'll give me, if I don't use it I'll pass it on to someone who will.

 

[linen]

shadebuilder.com is a great site...that I had forgot about. ...such short memory... A definite thanks to hrsdennis!!!

It was the one site that gave me most the information (and very concise) I used to install it myself.

 

[ohiosteve]

Linen is dead on with the fall setup.. I wish I would have had the forsight to do that.. between the rain and heat I didnt get my pool up til mid June, Also shadebuiler is very good too.. I would also suggest since you are going to be digging anyways dish it out and do an overlap liner.. I dished mine out 6" plus and probably could have gone another 2. Enjoy your journey as I know I did mine

 

[linen]

I dished mine out 6" plus and probably could have gone another 2.

I totally agree with you ohiosteve! My pool only had 48" walls (which I like by the way for the smaller kids and for reaching over to do stuff/testing in the pool), but I new the older kids (okay the "older kids" really also includes me) might eventually find this boring. I ended up digging half of the pool 2+ feet down with a standing shelf all the way around the pool and then a steep slope to the deep end, except towards the shallow side of the pool where the slope was gradual. It totally makes a difference, and as much extra work it was, I can see now it was worth it.

 

[msgtdan]

Well, we got it home. It appears to be an older Aqua Leader Escape 27' x 52" in good condition. It has the same paint scheme and most of the hardware appears to be the same on Aqua Leader's website. It has a stainless steel skimmer panel. One small surface rust spot halfway up the wall on the inside. Also a buckled/crease near the skimmer panel at the water line. I'm pretty sure I can straighten it out as it doesn't look bad. I think somebody used the top rail as a diving board as the wall is bent outward and its right at deck level. It has a Hayward SwimPro sand filter, 3.22 sq ft, 80 GPM, 250# of sand, although I'm not sure about the sand that's in it. If it's sand, it's light grey and very fine, definitely not like the pool sand that I put in my sand filter. I vacuumed it out down to the laterals and then transported with the rest still in it. The pump and motor I'm not to sure of, looks to be one of the Hayward power flow models but the pump label was illegible. The motor is an emerson 1 1/2 hp. The pump & filter were not connected to the pool, looks like the pool hadn't been opened this year as water was below the skimmer and plugs were still in place. I turned the motor on and it spun, but was dry so don't know if it needs any work done to it. The skimmer appears to be a Hayward widemouth. There is also an Aqua Smart Delivery System which from reading about I'll probably take off and throw away. The pool was definitely a swamp, complete with bullfrog. Two tools that turned out to be helpful that I took but nobody mentioned were a square faced shovel and a pickaxe. The shovel was good for digging out the cove to get the wall out of the track. The pickaxe was great for prying the paving stones out of the ground. Because the pump lost suction with about 4" of water still in the pool, and the pool was in a low spot that drained slowly I was in walking in water most of the day and the bottom track was underwater. Finding the paving stones with the point of the pickaxe, moving off the edge an inch and the driving it down about 3" let you lever the stones up out of the muck. The pool also came with an A frame ladder with removable leg which I think they were using with just the top platform resting on the top rail and one leg removed. That might be what caused the buckled wall. Also got a large Rubbermaid storage bin full of pool toys and cleaning equipment. Some chemicals most of which I won't use much of, granulated chlorine (68% Trichlor? and 32% other), three containers of ph+ and one of ph- (dry acid). I'll try to load some pic's when I get some time at home on the computer.

 

[linen]

Great job getting it home, that is a lot work! I think mine might be an aqua leader as well (mine being closest to the Sentinelle model), would have helped if there was documentation, which there was not.

Filter sounds good, pump seems a little over sized, but should work-if it works. Were they inside? Just trying to see how much freeze damage concern you should have.

Two tools that turned out to be helpful that I took but nobody mentioned were a square faced shovel and a pickaxe.

Good to know for folks in the future.

Yep I would ditch the Aqua Smart Delivery System, sounds like some combination of minerals and pucks. Yuck.

 

[msgtdan]

Great job getting it home, that is a lot work! I think mine might be an aqua leader as well (mine being closest to the Sentinelle model), would have helped if there was documentation, which there was not.

Filter sounds good, pump seems a little over sized, but should work-if it works. Were they inside? Just trying to see how much freeze damage concern you should have.

Yep I would ditch the Aqua Smart Delivery System, sounds like some combination of minerals and pucks. Yuck.

Yeah no documentation on mine either. Owner bought the house five years ago with the pool, pool & deck takes up about half the yard. Little girl was excited the pool was going away, now she gets a swingset.

I kind of thought the pump was oversized as well. Everything was outside at the pool, but it looks like they had been properly winterized. Drain plugs open and in the leaf basket, hoses removed, valve in the winter position. I looked at most of the components yesterday and didn't see any evidence of cracking. The MPV turns freely. They had a couple of old vac skimmer adapters and baskets in the storage bin that had been chewed up by their dogs. The only test kit he had was an OTO/phenol red, so I think he never got the pool balanced chemically. The chlorine test showed a max of 3 ppm and if his CYA was high he'd have trouble. I suspect he got fed up with the hassle and pool store expense and wanted out from under it. I've never been in a pool store and don't know brands of chems, but none of what he had was from Walmart.

I've been trying to research some of the info about the filter components, not getting as much as I'd like so I'll probably post new threads with questions once I've exhausted my research.

Thanks for the help, and I'll get the pictures up soon.

 

[linen]

Just looked at your sig and saw the Intex 1600, that might get you by in a pinch if when you set up the pool something about the current filter/pump doesn't work...at least until you can fix it.

Little girl was excited the pool was going away, now she gets a swingset.

Her loss, your kids (oh and you too) gain! My kids would never trade the pool for swingset...

 

[msgtdan]

Just looked at your sig and saw the Intex 1600, that might get you by in a pinch if when you set up the pool something about the current filter/pump doesn't work...at least until you can fix it.

That's kind of what I was thinking before we even went and got the pool. I've also thought about setting it up next to the current pool, holding the hoses over the side and see if it all works. Just not sure if I want to go to all the trouble of setting it back up just to tear back down for the winter.

Her loss, your kids (oh and you too) gain! My kids would never trade the pool for swingset...

Same here, when the teenage boys found out we got it they wanted to know how deep and immediately started to lobby for an expanded liner and deeper middle.

 

[msgtdan]

Here's some of the pictures, wife didn't take one of the entire pool though.

The one rust spot I found, and a little of the buckling

Water coming out, a couple of top rails removed. The first top rail past the skimmer is where the worst buckling is and the second top rail is where the rust spot is. The deck railing to the far right comes right up to the edge of the pool, not much of a safety barrier. I thought more of a good jumping point and my three year old was climbing on that railing all day.

Pump station as we found it. Return & skimmer were plugged. The return had a broken piece for a vac in it & no eyeball, I found pieces for a barracuda with some of the junk, but no auto vac. There was a complete return in with the junk as well. Also an Aqua Leader skimmer lid, so I think the skimmer has been changed out at some point. The gauge on the filter is stuck at 40 so I'll need a new one of those. I tried load testing the pump and motor on my little pool last night and it failed. Heard it hang and then the breaker popped. Tried turning with a screw driver and it's very stiff so I've got to tear it down and see if it's the pump or motor.

This is the water level just after we pulled the torn winter cover off and before we started pumping. Took about 3 1/2 hours to pump the water out, but that includes a trip for gas & food by the wife. I stayed and disassembled accessories and started digging down to the bottom track on the outside. The track was down about 6", the bottom plate mostly on small pavers. The pavers look to be concrete 8x16 broken in half, several of the bottom plates were overhanging about an inch.

I set the ladder up to get in & out of the pool. As you can see it's not level and I found the additional outside support under the deck when I took down the pool wall. I suspect they were using the inside portion resting on the railing to access the deck. I didn't find any deck attachment point for a ladder. At this water level I'm standing on the pump strainer to keep it under water and stop it sucking whirlpools/air to get the most water out we could. We got the water down to just past the top of the cove. After we had everything removed there was still 2" of water in the hole, it was slowly seeping away.

 

[linen]

From you pictures, I wouldn't worry about those dents, I have seen much worse. Virtually no rust, that is great, you will probably want to use some rust inhibitor on that small rust spot, is it a hole?

Overall, the pool looks to be in great shape! If you do find you need to replace pump or moter, I found it was almost as cheap to switch to a 2-speed (see my sig) as to replace the motor on mine. Ended up costing me only $80 more to have a whole new 2-speed pump/motor. I run on low most of the time.

Did you confirm the internal diameter of the pool?

Your pool looks very similar to mine, so I am even more convinced I have an aqua leader. It looks like is has some writing molded into the verticals?

By the way, that pool would work great with an expandable liner