Starting over.... What do you think?

[Bigsteveg]

I just joined the forum, I found the forum by searching for EcoSmarte reviews

We just bought a foreclosed house with a closing date in mid May that has an in ground vinyl lined pool. I know absolutely nothing about pools, I spent most of my time at lakes or someone else's pool. I will definitely take advantage of the Pool School here.

So, with this being a foreclosurer it will be a bit troublesome to get started and I figured I am basically starting over so is there anything you would do differently?

All pool equipment is gone, just two plastic pipes at a cement slab remains.

Vinyl liner is damaged and will need to be replaced, so if I cannot find the company who installed it I am going to assume custom liner. Pool is kidney shaped with 4 foot section and 8 or 10 foot section with no transition between depths. I do not know anything about it; depth, gallons, age.... I went over with a broom handle to try and determine depth.

Not sure if there is any metal items in the pool below water but i doubt it, no hand rails or ladder, just plastic steps. The water is visible down 3 or 4 feet so not too bad but it will all have to be pumped out anyway.


What equipment do you buy?
Do you convert vinyl to fiberglass?
Do you switch to swg? ( learned some of the lingo)
Do I just hire someone with so many issues?
Is used dangerous? Many items on Craigslist which might help getting it up faster

I thought about passing on the pool this year and work on the house, but the wife and kids would kill me. I have a month to read up on it and plan before taking ownership.

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

There are several ways to approach this. The simplest is to hire a builder to renovate the pool. There are no doubt many companies in your area that would be happy to take on a project like this one. This is by far the simplest approach, but also the most expensive. At the other end of the spectrum, if you are a DIY type, all of this can be done yourself. PVC plumbing isn't too complex. Putting in a liner requires a lot of very very careful measuring, and a couple of helpers on the install day. Overall a significant project, but very doable for people who are into that kind of thing.

At a minimum you will need a pump and a filter. I recommend also getting a SWG, but that is not required. Lots of additional equipment can be added on beyond that, but without a spa or any major water features, going simpler is probably best.

You can convert vinyl to fiberglass, but I don't recommend it. There aren't very many companies that do that kind of work, it gets expensive, and is very sensitive to the quality of the builder.

I would avoid used pool heaters, but otherwise used equipment can work out fairly well. With pool heaters it is nearly impossible to tell how much life they have left in them. While with other equipment a simple visual inspection will usually tell you what kind of shape it is in. Some builders won't install equipment that you supply, others will. Generally I would only recommend going with used equipment if you are installing it yourself.

 

[maxepr1]

I just joined the forum, I found the forum by searching for EcoSmarte reviews

We just bought a foreclosed house with a closing date in mid May that has an in ground vinyl lined pool. I know absolutely nothing about pools, I spent most of my time at lakes or someone else's pool. I will definitely take advantage of the Pool School here.

So, with this being a foreclosurer it will be a bit troublesome to get started and I figured I am basically starting over so is there anything you would do differently?

All pool equipment is gone, just two plastic pipes at a cement slab remains.

Vinyl liner is damaged and will need to be replaced, so if I cannot find the company who installed it I am going to assume custom liner. Pool is kidney shaped with 4 foot section and 8 or 10 foot section with no transition between depths. I do not know anything about it; depth, gallons, age.... I went over with a broom handle to try and determine depth.

Not sure if there is any metal items in the pool below water but i doubt it, no hand rails or ladder, just plastic steps. The water is visible down 3 or 4 feet so not too bad but it will all have to be pumped out anyway.


What equipment do you buy?
Do you convert vinyl to fiberglass?
Do you switch to swg? ( learned some of the lingo)
Do I just hire someone with so many issues?
Is used dangerous? Many items on Craigslist which might help getting it up faster

I thought about passing on the pool this year and work on the house, but the wife and kids would kill me. I have a month to read up on it and plan before taking ownership.

Welcome to TFP!
I would look into a DE filter, size depends on how big the pool is. Also what are your electric rates in your area? That would determine if you go with single speed pump or 2 or variable speed? Is timer panel also gone? If you don't feel comfortable doing the liner, contract that out and do all the rest yourself. It's really not that hard! There are plenty of people on here who can walk you through the process. Post some Pictures! We love being noisy!

 

[Bigsteveg]

I've been focused on the house for a long time... but I recently ordered the pool equipment and a new liner from intheswim.com I'll let everyone know how this goes, measuring was really a pain since the pool is a custom free form design. Per code, the pool has to be filled in so I'll get the pool working by Mid-August and then winterize in Mid-September probably.