Attention all first time pool owners!

[Bluelilly]

After 7 months of building retaining wall, filling in with 500 tons of rock, mutiple loads of dirt, rain, rain and more rain, we finally have a pool! I had to learn about electrical, chemistry, grading of land, wall building, pool equipment, plumbing, landscape lighting, etc. but now I understand how some things work so I wanted to share some of the things that I have learned along the way that will help you in your first endeavor to be "pool people".

1. Buy a good test kit before you even begin your pool. Practice on your fill water till you get the hang of it. The TF-100 is a good one.
2. Read Pool School, over and over.
3. Search this forum for answers to your questions. There seems to be just about every imaginable topic covered.
4. Make a choice to either trust the advice on this forum or trust the pool store. You can't do both. I have trusted this site and my pool is beautifully balanced but if something should get out of balance, this site has all the info that I need to make it right.
5. Read through equipment manuals before you actually purchase equipment to see how everything is supposed to work.
6. Automation has become my best friend. :-D . I am still trying to get the hang of it, but I will be able to control lights, schedules, etc.
7. Don't forget to use good valves. Unfortunately, our PB used ball valves in places. We will be changing these out.
8. Don't be afraid to ask questions on this forum. Everyone is ready to help!
9. Don't obsess over your new pool (as I did). It's going to be OK.
10. Understand that your pool will have it's own personality. You will have to figure it out and find what makes your pool happy.
11. Add a little extra in your budget. Not just for the pool but all the other nice things you will want around your pool.
11. Did I mention to read Pool School?

We are looking forward to many years of enjoying our backyard, which is still a work in progress. A big THANKS to all those who contribute on this site. Your help is invaluable to all of us newbies!

 

[duraleigh]

What a great post!! You have captured the very essence of BBB which is not magic potions but rather knowledge and understanding.

You are spot on about the valves. I made my own cheapskate decision to put in the ball valves, watched them all get stiff and unmanageable and had to replace them with Jandy valves......took about four years before they all died.

Make a choice to either trust the advice on this forum or trust the pool store.

The obvious path is to go to the pro's (folks in the business) to get the best answers. It turns out that is usually not the case. There is more collective proven pool knowledge on this forum than the vast majority of pool stores. That's hard to wrap around at first and some choose to go with the pool store still. That's fine....there are a few good ones out there but, unfortunately not many.

 

[jkurl]

Ks,

What some great advice you posted. I wish I would have found this site before we built our pool. My dad who still lives in your area was using the pool store to test his water and recommend what chemicals to use. I got him to come to this site to read pool school, buy a TF-100 test kit and save money by taking care of the pool himself.

Advice like this was what I was telling him about yesterday. Awesome looking pool and bravo to you and your husband for taking the time to educate yourself.

Jerry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[jblizzle]

Wow. Excellent bullet points which summarize everything perfectly

A willingness to learn and then a little knowledge will certainly make things go more smoothly.

 

[gtojohn]

This site is the main reason i have a pool. My wife's idea, 2 yrs ago I tried my 1st season with a "practice pool" intek to see if I could actually keep a pool clean. I was skeptical because a close friend had battled his for several years with pool store advice and a new problem every other week. I stumbled on Troublefreepool before I bought. Thanks to advice I've found here I've never had a bad pool day, honest! I just swam this afternoon to start off Season 3, clear 78F water, testing 4 homemade laminars and contemplating a waterfall...It never ends, I can't stop tweeking something that brings the family so much joy.