I just bought a house, short sale, with a pool and since I’ve never owned a pool before I was doing some research and found this website. First off let me say, this doesn’t look to hard and with the help of TFP I’m sure it’ll be easy. Besides I love to tinker with things and this looks like a fun new project and I hope to save money on.
I called the pool company that had been servicing it for the past 5 years to get the history of the pool and to try and understand any nuisances. It’s a family owned company that I’d like to tip my hat off, as they never tried to hard sell me. In fact it seemed like they didn’t want to answer anything about pricing and encouraged me to run the pool and call them if I have any problems. They also said that they always encourage pool owners to do as much as they can themselves. They are always available to help if needed, I'm sure they get most of their customers via this method though.
They showed me everything pointing out things to watch for. The best thing they said was that no matter what the local pool store says don’t do it. Call them and they can come out and take a look and let you know what really needs to be done but usually if you get your CYA, chlorine and PH in level you shouldn’t have any problems. In fact they recommended to just add bleach if your chlorine is really low as it is healthier for the water.
They explained that all of the chemical tests (FC=2, pH=7.2, TA=90, CH=210, CYA=150) they ran and said that since the last servicing over 90 days ago, the pool is surprisingly in perfect shape. They recommended that I get a bigger leaf basket with a net and that the filter will need to be replaced soon (more about that later). The pool has solar but hasn’t been used in the past 5 years due to a failed pump. As far as they know, that is all that is wrong with it.
They estimate the pool size is around 16-18k gallons and everything looks great. Our home inspector said that since the pool was over 15 years old it looks like it is in great shape. None of the gunite is showing and the water line is level all around the pool. He also said that whoever is maintaining it seems to be doing a good job as the calcium deposits look like they are minimal.
About the pool:
It’s kidney shaped pool that has a A.O. Smith 1/2hp pump and a Hayward Super Star-Clear filter. It also has a booster pump, A.O. Smith 1 HP pump that isn’t working to run the solar.
I’ve done some research and the pool service said that I should change it to a VS pump and should be able to run everything from one. Since the main pump is working now, I’m not going to change anything just yet. I’d have to upgrade all of the timers to run everything from one and I’m not quite sure if it’s a good idea yet.
The filter I was informed will need to be replaced soon. Mostly because the unit has two defects, bolts that hold the strap to keep the top on become stripped and the manifold tends to crack where the pegs hold it up. I had them clean it out since it was due and wanted to make sure I knew how to do it.
They showed me where the bolts are stripping and they mentioned that nobody makes these anymore. Since mine are about a ¼ stripped they said that I should be careful as they have been known to pop off and the top will be like a rocket if it fails. They also showed where the manifold is starting to show weakness but all in all it is running and should be good for at least 6 months.
They also explained the pool sweep and that it should be at about 10-12 revolutions per a minute and how to adjust it if it isn’t.
I purchased TF-100 test kit from my local pool store and removed the tablet unit from the pool. While I was at the pool store I had them test my water and below is what they read:
FC-4.96
TC-5.14
CC-.18
pH-7.5
CA-219
TA-92
CYA-181
Came home and tested it with the kit and
FC-5.5
TC-6
CC-.5
pH-7.5
CH-Couldn’t get this to read after over 40 drops
TA-100
CYA-Can’t read since it’s off the chart
So according to pool school I need to exchange most of the water. Before I do that I wanted to confirm that is really what I should do. Also, any other advice would be greatly appreciated.
I called the pool company that had been servicing it for the past 5 years to get the history of the pool and to try and understand any nuisances. It’s a family owned company that I’d like to tip my hat off, as they never tried to hard sell me. In fact it seemed like they didn’t want to answer anything about pricing and encouraged me to run the pool and call them if I have any problems. They also said that they always encourage pool owners to do as much as they can themselves. They are always available to help if needed, I'm sure they get most of their customers via this method though.
They showed me everything pointing out things to watch for. The best thing they said was that no matter what the local pool store says don’t do it. Call them and they can come out and take a look and let you know what really needs to be done but usually if you get your CYA, chlorine and PH in level you shouldn’t have any problems. In fact they recommended to just add bleach if your chlorine is really low as it is healthier for the water.
They explained that all of the chemical tests (FC=2, pH=7.2, TA=90, CH=210, CYA=150) they ran and said that since the last servicing over 90 days ago, the pool is surprisingly in perfect shape. They recommended that I get a bigger leaf basket with a net and that the filter will need to be replaced soon (more about that later). The pool has solar but hasn’t been used in the past 5 years due to a failed pump. As far as they know, that is all that is wrong with it.
They estimate the pool size is around 16-18k gallons and everything looks great. Our home inspector said that since the pool was over 15 years old it looks like it is in great shape. None of the gunite is showing and the water line is level all around the pool. He also said that whoever is maintaining it seems to be doing a good job as the calcium deposits look like they are minimal.
About the pool:
It’s kidney shaped pool that has a A.O. Smith 1/2hp pump and a Hayward Super Star-Clear filter. It also has a booster pump, A.O. Smith 1 HP pump that isn’t working to run the solar.
I’ve done some research and the pool service said that I should change it to a VS pump and should be able to run everything from one. Since the main pump is working now, I’m not going to change anything just yet. I’d have to upgrade all of the timers to run everything from one and I’m not quite sure if it’s a good idea yet.
The filter I was informed will need to be replaced soon. Mostly because the unit has two defects, bolts that hold the strap to keep the top on become stripped and the manifold tends to crack where the pegs hold it up. I had them clean it out since it was due and wanted to make sure I knew how to do it.
They showed me where the bolts are stripping and they mentioned that nobody makes these anymore. Since mine are about a ¼ stripped they said that I should be careful as they have been known to pop off and the top will be like a rocket if it fails. They also showed where the manifold is starting to show weakness but all in all it is running and should be good for at least 6 months.
They also explained the pool sweep and that it should be at about 10-12 revolutions per a minute and how to adjust it if it isn’t.
I purchased TF-100 test kit from my local pool store and removed the tablet unit from the pool. While I was at the pool store I had them test my water and below is what they read:
FC-4.96
TC-5.14
CC-.18
pH-7.5
CA-219
TA-92
CYA-181
Came home and tested it with the kit and
FC-5.5
TC-6
CC-.5
pH-7.5
CH-Couldn’t get this to read after over 40 drops
TA-100
CYA-Can’t read since it’s off the chart
So according to pool school I need to exchange most of the water. Before I do that I wanted to confirm that is really what I should do. Also, any other advice would be greatly appreciated.
