Hey Everyone,
I just purchased a home in Southern California with a 30 year old in-ground pool/spa combo that is in a state of disrepair. I am a very do it yourself kind of guy when it comes to repairing stuff (I'm not cheap, I just like the challenge)
The equipment:
Pool Size: 17-20K Gallons
Pump: WhisperFlo WFE-3 (with a brand new motor)
Filter: Old Stainless Steel Filter that by my best guess is a DE Filter
The Bad:
The plaster is shot with 10-20 spots ~3" in diameter where it chipped away and the gunite is showing. There are a few missing tiles around the spa and there is a pretty intense calcium ring around the pool. The filter has to be 20 years old and the plumbing is a hodgepodge mix of copper on the pressure side and PVC on the suction side with Ortega valves to control the flow (a few of the pressure side lines are leaking a bit but very slowly.) The pump motor was working on its last legs before I replaced it the other night. The pool heater is so old we are afraid to even test it. Also apparently someone shot a bunch of BB's into the pool so I have a ton of tiny rust spots at the bottom of the deep end. Oh all that and there is no drain cover for the bottom of the pool...
The Good:
The water is clear and despite a month without service it seems to be doing well other than needing a good scrub and to have the leaves raked out. I just replaced the pump motor myself the other night and that made everything much quieter. There is a brand new skimmer box installed and the pool seems to be holding water pretty well despite the messed up plaster (losing like 1/4-1/2" this week)
The Questions:
Last night I bought 2 retro drain covers and when I went to the bottom of the pool/spa to install them I realized that the metal rings in the plaster don't have any holes to mount the new covers to. It looks like there may have been tabs that have broken off sometime in the last 30 years... I would *really* like to avoid draining the pool if at all possible... Is it safe to drill through the plaster to secure the new drain covers in place or should I attempt to drill directly into the existing ring? I'm mostly afraid of causing a leak in the pool and less about how to get it done (I have a garage full of scuba gear so I can spend time at the bottom of the pool)... I figure I'll just go buy a air drill from harbor freight , use it to drill four holes ~1" deep and throw it away after that...
Also from what I have read its best to have a CYA level of 30-50 and according to the quick test strips that my pool guy used to test the water the pool is somewhere between 100-200 but everything else is in range. Part of the service is that he supplies the chemicals and we just pay a flat fee. The pool is clear and I do plan on having it re-plastered in the next 18 months so should I worry about it since the pool is clear and I'm not paying for the chemicals?
Thanks for taking the time to read!
I just purchased a home in Southern California with a 30 year old in-ground pool/spa combo that is in a state of disrepair. I am a very do it yourself kind of guy when it comes to repairing stuff (I'm not cheap, I just like the challenge)
The equipment:
Pool Size: 17-20K Gallons
Pump: WhisperFlo WFE-3 (with a brand new motor)
Filter: Old Stainless Steel Filter that by my best guess is a DE Filter
The Bad:
The plaster is shot with 10-20 spots ~3" in diameter where it chipped away and the gunite is showing. There are a few missing tiles around the spa and there is a pretty intense calcium ring around the pool. The filter has to be 20 years old and the plumbing is a hodgepodge mix of copper on the pressure side and PVC on the suction side with Ortega valves to control the flow (a few of the pressure side lines are leaking a bit but very slowly.) The pump motor was working on its last legs before I replaced it the other night. The pool heater is so old we are afraid to even test it. Also apparently someone shot a bunch of BB's into the pool so I have a ton of tiny rust spots at the bottom of the deep end. Oh all that and there is no drain cover for the bottom of the pool...
The Good:
The water is clear and despite a month without service it seems to be doing well other than needing a good scrub and to have the leaves raked out. I just replaced the pump motor myself the other night and that made everything much quieter. There is a brand new skimmer box installed and the pool seems to be holding water pretty well despite the messed up plaster (losing like 1/4-1/2" this week)
The Questions:
Last night I bought 2 retro drain covers and when I went to the bottom of the pool/spa to install them I realized that the metal rings in the plaster don't have any holes to mount the new covers to. It looks like there may have been tabs that have broken off sometime in the last 30 years... I would *really* like to avoid draining the pool if at all possible... Is it safe to drill through the plaster to secure the new drain covers in place or should I attempt to drill directly into the existing ring? I'm mostly afraid of causing a leak in the pool and less about how to get it done (I have a garage full of scuba gear so I can spend time at the bottom of the pool)... I figure I'll just go buy a air drill from harbor freight , use it to drill four holes ~1" deep and throw it away after that...
Also from what I have read its best to have a CYA level of 30-50 and according to the quick test strips that my pool guy used to test the water the pool is somewhere between 100-200 but everything else is in range. Part of the service is that he supplies the chemicals and we just pay a flat fee. The pool is clear and I do plan on having it re-plastered in the next 18 months so should I worry about it since the pool is clear and I'm not paying for the chemicals?
Thanks for taking the time to read!
