Ok, it looks like it is a go

[Swordfish]

So after two months of problems obtaining our mortgage, it looks like it will be going through. The home we are purchasing has a 36000 gal in ground vinyl saltwater pool. The pool was built in 2005, and I witnessed its closing by the actual builder back at the end of August. We had the pool inspected, but I dont think he was very thorough. The most I have to go on is that the liner is original and faded, but still in good shape and not brittle.

The owner didnt have a specific amount of time he ran the pump for, the timer was unused and he just ran it as he felt he needed to. The SWG may be original as well, so I expect that to go soon if it hasn't already.

So, while I'm learning everything I need to about pool chemistry this winter, I'm trying to formulate my plan for opening. I figure I will have to create a baseline to determine the proper pump runtime, but I cant let the SWG interfere with my FC readings during the overnight test. Anyway, here is what I'm thinking....

1- Get a good test kit for Xmas!
2- Fill pool and get the pump running. (Details can be found in opening guide I think. Doesnt seem too hard)
3- Can someone point me to the post about how to clean your filter sand? I couldn't find it the other day. How do I know if I need to do this?
4- Add the appropriate amount of salt to replace the amount lost during closing. Will the site's recommended test kit help with this?
5- Clean pool. It was not properly vacuumed prior to closing and there are a hundred roly-polies on the bottom. I expect a green pool in spring.
6- shock as directed on this site until I pass the overnight FC loss test. (SWG turned off)
7- Start adjusting the SWG and pump run time to obtain the proper FC levels.

I know there is guide to opening the pool, and I will review it again. My main reason for posting this was because of the uncertainty of the SWG output.

Well, I think thats a start. Thanks for any feedback.

 

[jblizzle]

1-
2- Should be straightforward
3- my-sand-is-channeled-how-to-fix-it-t7626.html#p60821 Never hurts, should be done every year or so anyway and you can pretty much guess the previous owners never did it
4- Certainly get a test (either the strips or drop test) as an independent test, but you will need to make the SWG happy. For me, my drop test seems to typically read 4-500ppm higher than the SWG. You just do not want to add too much salt if the SWG is reading WAY too low as that may indicate a dirty or failing cell ... might need to check the cell for scale now too

5/6- You need to SLAM the pool until you pass all 3 criteria ... the OCLT is only one of the three.

7-