Looking at a craigslist freebie tomorrow

[Big_kid]

I was told it's a 20' but after looking at msgtdan's thread, I think it may be a bit bigger- 24' maybe. I'll take pics & measurements (if it's too big it won't fit in my yard), look for dents or damage, take as many notes as I can (I'll be pressed for time) and post up what I find out. If I'm going to be the new owner the removal will start this weekend. This thing has a huge deck around it that has to go too, I'll probably take that down first to make working room (and to avoid working in mud in case of any incidents or lack of a drain). I'll make a list of questions as they occur to me, and post once I have a few.

1- Draining: The house is vacant, I'd imagine the power is turned off. Would it be a good idea to run the pump on a generator to drain it? I have a generator, I don't have a gas powered pump. I'll look at the power draw on my current pump & see if the generator can handle the startup draw/load.

2- I've inferred that replacing the liner is a must, and I'm ok with that. I haven't figured out why, but it seems like a good idea.

3- I don't even know what it is that I don't know. What am I missing?

 

[frogabog]

Linnen should be around soon... He's done this before :~}

 

[Richard320]

I'd look for any pool tools they won't be needing anymore. Pole, brushes, skimmer, vacuum....those small things can add up fast. Also any buckets of trichlor....you'll be needing CYA anyway in a fresh fill. Grab it all.

For draining, you can really speed things up if there's a vacuum hose to start a siphon. Feed it in slowly so there's no air in it, clamp your hand over the end and move real fast, it will start flowing.

 

[linen]

Hello Big_Kid! Free is good!

I was told it's a 20' but after looking at msgtdan's thread, I think it may be a bit bigger- 24' maybe. I'll take pics & measurements (if it's too big it won't fit in my yard), look for dents or damage, take as many notes as I can (I'll be pressed for time) and post up what I find out.

Yeah, make sure you measure it while it is still up, diameter, depth. If you can find a brand/model that would be good. If you can see it, inspect the area around the bottom rail closely for the wall condition. Look at how it is put together (or get us close up pics) so you know what tools to bring.

1- Draining: The house is vacant, I'd imagine the power is turned off. Would it be a good idea to run the pump on a generator to drain it? I have a generator, I don't have a gas powered pump. I'll look at the power draw on my current pump & see if the generator can handle the startup draw/load.

If there is not much in the pool and there is an obvious pitch to land away from the pool you can cut the liner and have it drain out the hole (that's what i did). I burrowed under one of the rails to help the water drain faster.

2- I've inferred that replacing the liner is a must, and I'm ok with that. I haven't figured out why, but it seems like a good idea.

Liners that have seen sun and chlorine, do not stretch well anymore...almost impossible to get back in and look decent. So yes plan on a liner. We put a deep end in ours and love it...ours is an expandable overlap liner.

3- I don't even know what it is that I don't know. What am I missing?

Will you be talking to anyone who has knowledge about the pool? If you do bring a generator give the pump a quick run to see if it turns. Write down brand/model numbers for pump, filter, any thing else. I am not sure how cold it gets where you are, but if it does, check for freeze damage on the equipment.

 

[Big_kid]

Crud- I typed out a good sized reply, and lost it. I'll post back with whatever I find out tomorrow. Thank you all for the words of wisdom so far, I appreciate your time and replies.

 

[amiedoll]

Good luck :0)

When you are taking the pool down take a lot of pictures, especially if the installation manual is missing, it will help you rebuild it properly. Liners also become brittle as they age, and once the pool is drained it will tear quite easily, so a new liner is a good investment. Also you will have a warranty on the new liner so you will get your moneys worth, plus less hassle in the long run.

Read up and watch some you tube videos of pool installations, it will prepare you for all the work that is ahead of you. At the moment my husband and I are installing an oval above ground pool, and it really is a big job. Try to make sure you have a few days to get it all done, we've been installing ours around our work schedules and it is taking a lot longer then expected (although thankfully most of that was digging in our brace supports, actually putting the pool up was pretty quick, now I'm waiting for my husband to get home so we can finish adjusting the liner properly). A few helpers make it a lot easier, especially if this is your first pool installation.

Another good and cheap idea I found while researching pools is home made solar heating (something to think about before buying a new pump). I ordered a pump upgrade for my pool so I can pump the water onto the roof to run through a black 1 inch polly pipe spiral, I haven't tested it yet but the videos on you tube look very promising.

 

[hayabusa3]

Cutting the liner sounds like a great idea - faster than pumping and you'll need a new one anyway

 

[msgtdan]

If the pump doesn't work you can rent a gas powered pump. I rented locally near the pool and only needed it for about 4 hours, cost $46 with tax. I'd thought about a trash pump but the rental company didn't think I'd need it and was willing to swap it out if needed, would have cost an extra $5. If you have the time using garden hoses to siphon the last bit of water out of the pool makes for a more comfortable working environment. I didn't have the time so ended up slogging around in 3" of mucky water most of the day. I took everything the previous owner was willing to give me, including stuff he had in the garage. Some of it I won't ever use. Some of it looked like trash but we took it anyway. One of those items was the skimmer weir. Even took the ripped up pool cover, it went in the trash the next day. Take it all and inspect it later for keeping or throwing away. By the end of the day of disassembling we were so wore out we couldn't load the liner in one piece so ended up cutting it. We used a shop vac to remove sand from the filter down to the laterals. We used old dog food sacks to hold about 50# of sand. We used the sand bags to brace the filter in the corner of the trailer to prevent it from moving. I only had my wife and two preschool girls to help, another adult male would have made things a lot easier. I had to do all the heavy lifting. Once you get the wall rolled up if you have the space and energy, laying it down and unrolling and re-rolling makes for a tighter and easier to handle bundle. I brought a piece of plywood to have a stable platform to roll the wall on but didn't use it. The vinyl floor on compacted sand worked fine. A tip I got from shadebuilder.com is to roll the wall so the skimmer section is the last part rolled up. This lets you start your build exactly where you want the skimmer to be. That site also has info about repairing damaged walls. I didn't get to preview the pool before I showed up, no pics on CL (pic via google satellite and streetview) and a 3 hour drive to get there, so I loaded everything I could think of into a 3 horse trailer and took it with me. I took a sawzall in case there was hard plumbing or deck that had to be removed but didn't have to use. Extension cords, garden hoses, shovels, pickaxe, wheelbarrow, dolly, ramp, drills, drivers, camera, ziplock bags, sharpie, handtools, watershoes, gatoraide, but forgot sunscreen. I have a farmer's tan but still got a little burned high on the arms and low on the neck. Gloves would have helped as the liner got covered in sand and made it hard on the hands to handle. We left at 6:30 am and got home at 10:30 pm, a lot of that time was travel and taking care of preschoolers. We picked up the pump at 10:45 am, got to the pool at 11:00 and was leaving at about 6:30. Had to break for gas & food and to return the pump. I worked while the wife & kids went for pump gas and food, I had a gas can but forgot to fill it before we arrived. The 2" pump ran out of gas about 2/3 of the way to emptying the pool. While the pump was running we were loading the accessories and pulling non critical pieces off the pool.

While it was a lot of work and I was wore out by the end of the I'd do it again if I had a little more help. From the looks of it I've gotten a very nice pool for a very good price . I may not have paid the owner any money for it, but it was by no means free.

Good luck and I hope it works out well for you :-D

 

[Big_kid]

Msgtdan, I read your thread on this subject and used your Google satellite image to compare to this one. I had a feeling it was bigger than the 20 feet I was told. I took a tape measure to it today, it's 25 feet in diameter overall. I took a lot of pictures, but it's a moot point for this pool. If I were to get it it would take up almost all of my available back yard space. That doesn't even take the deck into account. 20 foot was tight but possibly do-able, 25 is just too big. That, and before I could get back in touch with the HOA president he had a firm commitment from someone else to remove it.

I REALLY DO appreciate the time and effort you guys have put into the replies so far, it wasn't for naught. I'll still be keeping my eyes open for the next "deal" to come along. Until then I'll keep reading and try to keep learning. Message boards as good as this one aren't easy to find, I'll not be leaving anytime soon.

 

[homeschoolmoxy]

We bought a used pool a few years back and it didn't go so well for us.
Most of the plastic footers were either broken or cracked.
Be sure to check those carefully.
Good luck!

 

[msgtdan]

20 foot was tight but possibly do-able, 25 is just too big.

I hear you, my preferred location I thought 24' was as big as I wanted to go. Wife and kids have convinced me that if it won't fit there we can put it other places. That's true, our yard is large and was part of a 30 acre pasture so I have lots of room. Just the preferred location was the most convenient for utilities and house deck access. Now that we have it we're going to assemble the bottom ring and see where it will fit the best. Walking around with a tape measure gives a vague idea, I figure setting the ring down will give a much better idea of space for a deck and mowing. Also it's easier to shift a couple of feet and get an idea of the layout.

Keep looking, I passed/missed out on 3 or 4 before I found one. A couple I had to pass as they conflicted with family schedule. One had a deck so large there was no way I could move it, but it had to go with the pool. The one I got had been on CL for a couple of weeks before I heard back from the guy.

You'll get one eventually just practice PPOP (pre pool owner patience)

 

[Big_kid]

I understand completely. There's a 2 month old Intex (eh, the price is right- free) 18'/48" on Craigslist right now, but I still have to finish preparing plans for my first pack meeting as Cub Master tomorrow night. The one I originally posted has a big deck that had to go with the pool too. I was going to either modify it, not use it at all, or do something else with the wood. That pool & deck would have covered almost every blade of grass in the back yard.

I've got time, spring is a ways off yet.

 

[frogabog]

An Intex will pack up much faster than a "real" pool, lol.

At least send a response and ask for it. Most people will wait a couple days if you explain that you're tied up till then if you're the first responder.