New indoor pool owner

[kokot]

Hi All,
I bought a house with an indoor pool that I know nothing about. It appears to be concrete, painted with a white paint. It's said to be built in 1970s. There's a pump that's running round the clock, the pool is covered with a plastic membrane (to reduce evaporation and dirt to getting in -so I'm told). I'm tempted to turn that pump off as it's kid of loud, but don't want to mess anything up.
Where do I begin? Contact local pool maintenance company? Any tips are appreciated.

 

[Mark R]

I would pull the cover off and test the water chemistry. I see no reason for the pump to be running 24/7 as of now. Have you even looked at the water, is it clear ?

I've slowly cut back my pump running time this last summer from 8 hours to 5 hours and have had no issues.

 

[pwrstrk]

Welcome to TFP !!
No need to get a pool maintenance company. Everything you need to learn about pools is right here on this forum.
I would start by spending time in pool school reading and digesting the info there. After you do some reading in pool school any questions you have just post them up and there are a lot of good people here to help you out.
This would be a good place to start pool-school/pool_water_chemistry
You will also need one of these test kits to help maintain your pool water chemistry. pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison
As for running your pump 24/7 there no need for that. Here is an article on that. pool-school/pump_run_time
If you could also put your pool info in your sig it will help us help you. You can do that in your user control panel.
Hope you enjoy the forum !!

 

[Isaac-1]

Welcome fellow indoor pool owner, I would suggest starting by reading the pool school link in the upper right, while it is generally written for outdoor pools, much of it applies to indoor pools. Then I suggest reading some of the threads on here about suggested CYA levels for indoor pools (use the search function looking for indoor pool cya), there are several, but no one I can point to with all the information. To put it simply the industry as a whole does not consider CYA to be important for indoor pools because they only see its use as a "sun block" however low levels of CYA 20-30 ppm, do have buffering effects that are very beneficial with indoor pools, primarily in lowering the harsher actions of chlorine, and potentially reducing the percentages of some of the more irritating combined chlorine compounds. Chem Geek has a number of useful posts on this subject scattered around various message threads.

Now if you can tell us a bit more about your pool, where you are located, your climate, etc. Photos always help too, both of the pool and the equipment, we can try to offer more appropriate advice.

Ike

 

[kokot]

Yes, water appears to be clear although, when I rub my fingers against the walls the paint appears to be dissolving.
I'm definitely going to check the chemistry next. What am I risking by not running the pump as it used to?
k

I would pull the cover off and test the water chemistry. I see no reason for the pump to be running 24/7 as of now. Have you even looked at the water, is it clear ?

I've slowly cut back my pump running time this last summer from 8 hours to 5 hours and have had no issues.

 

[kokot]

I’m definitely going have to educate myself on the subject matter.

Welcome fellow indoor pool owner, I would suggest starting by reading the pool school link in the upper right, while it is generally written for outdoor pools, much of it applies to indoor pools. Then I suggest reading some of the threads on here about suggested CYA levels for indoor pools (use the search function looking for indoor pool cya), there are several, but no one I can point to with all the information. To put it simply the industry as a whole does not consider CYA to be important for indoor pools because they only see its use as a "sun block" however low levels of CYA 20-30 ppm, do have buffering effects that are very beneficial with indoor pools, primarily in lowering the harsher actions of chlorine, and potentially reducing the percentages of some of the more irritating combined chlorine compounds. Chem Geek has a number of useful posts on this subject scattered around various message threads.

Now if you can tell us a bit more about your pool, where you are located, your climate, etc. Photos always help too, both of the pool and the equipment, we can try to offer more appropriate advice.

Ike

 

[Isaac-1]

The dissolving is likely caused by your pH or CH being off, good test results will tell us a lot more

 

[kokot]

Happy New Year everyone!
I finally found some time to take a few photos of the pool to post here.
I'm in NE Pennsylvania, 0.5h from Philly. The pool is located in the pool house, a building attached to the main house. The pool water is heated by a oil burning furnace, although haven't tried it yet as I wouldn't know how long would it take to heat it up because the house has no insulation. Pool is 30' long, 14' wide and about 52" deep. It's been covered by a plastic sheet to keep the dirt from getting in and reducing evaporation, so I've been told by the previous owners. I have a well, but I'm not sure whether the water was supplied from an outside source, if that makes any difference. The house's (and pool) was vacant for about 3 years before I moved in, but I'm told it was maintained by a local pool company. The pump has been running 24/7 and I noticed when I turned it off for a few hours it was making squeaky noises when turned back on. I have a feeling it's on its last leg. Attached are some pictures of what appears to me as the water filtering/treatment system. Let me know your thoughts on where I should start to get it functional again. Any suggestions are appreciated.

https://picasaweb.google.com/107141789018628409042/Pool?noredirect=1

Yes, water appears to be clear although, when I rub my fingers against the walls the paint appears to be dissolving.
I'm definitely going to check the chemistry next. What am I risking by not running the pump as it used to?
k

I would pull the cover off and test the water chemistry. I see no reason for the pump to be running 24/7 as of now. Have you even looked at the water, is it clear ?

I've slowly cut back my pump running time this last summer from 8 hours to 5 hours and have had no issues.

 

[Isaac-1]

Well a lot of that equipment is old, the points of concern I would primarily have is the pump and the heat exchanger. I would also remove the inline chlorinator, since it works only with trichlor pucks which add considerable amounts of CYA to your water, and being an indoor pool you should keep your CYA levels relatively low (20-30 ppm), the fact that it is there is a likely sign your CYA levels will be insanely high, and you will likely have to replace a substantial portion of your water to get them down. On the topic of the pump I would suggest replacing it with a 2 speed or a variable speed pump depending on what your electric rates are. You probably also want to add in some type of timer to limit pump operation. The heat exchanger should be examined for general condition and for leaks, both to the outside and across the open and closed loops. If there are no structural problems or leaks the sand filter should be ok, and you may need to replace the spider gaskets, etc in the multiport valve, it is an older model so this would assume replacement spider gaskets are still available. I can't make any comment on the heater other than I would suggest having an professional inspect it for safety.

Ike

p.s. looks like you have the makings of a nice pool there

 

[kokot]

Since most of the equipment is dated and worn out I'm planning on turning the pump off all together as I'm not planning on using it anytime soon. What's the good place to source the new pump and what brand/model can you recommend? I'm definitely looking to hook it up on a time at a very least and/or get Z-wave a controller compatible with Vera Lite.

I have also noticed that I'm 'losing water'. Since we've moved in November the water level dropped by almost a foot and I'm not sure where it's going. What's the possibility that the water is leaking through the pool walls/floor? I noticed that the equipment is leaking a bit but not at the rate to drop water level that much. Is that normal?

 

[Isaac-1]

A foot since November could be evaporation depending on humidity and how much ventilation there is in you building, etc. The big names in pumps are Hayward, Jandy and Pentair, they all make low medium and higher end models, although I would tend to say the list is in ascending order in terms of features and quality (a high end Pentair is going to have more features than a high end Hayward, etc.). There are also a few other smaller pump companies that make decent products. The key here is if your going with a variable speed pump you want it to match any automation system you may buy. Having said that with no water features to speak off, chances are you have no need for a full automation system, so any brand would work. Hayward has introduced a few simpler cheaper, and smaller variable speed pumps that may be a good choice for you, such as the Hayward Max-Flo VS. But as I said all of the big three have good products.

Ike

 

[kokot]

Thanks Isaac. This is much appreciated. I'm inclined to get a Hayward pump with variable speed.
I wanted to ask you about the solar panels you have- Techno-Solis. Are you satisfied with your setup? Had you had a choice today, would you have picked some other manufacturer/solution? TIA

 

[Isaac-1]

So far I am happy with them, they have been installed for only about 9 months, part of the reason I picked the Techno-Solis was the fact they are more ridged panels as they are installed on a metal R panel roof which has 1.25 inch high ridges every 12 inches and I was worried about sagging with more flexible panels, potentially trapping water when it freezes (it was 17F here last night). They were able to extend the swim season here until the first part of November (last swim was a teenager swim party on Nov 15th, but the water was down to 75 degrees which is a bit cool for me, it was up to 79 the weekend before, but we had 2 nights below freezing that week). Mine are sized at about 66% surface coverage, and are limited by available SW facing roof area). Like most places cold weather came early this year with our first freeze in late October, instead of the more normal late November or December.

Ike

p.s. I have an install thread on them here

solar-panel-replacement-update-t56572.html

 

[kokot]

So I got around to replace the old pool pump with a newer, variable speed one (Hayward w/imPower motor). After having wired it for 220V and hooking up plumbing I got it to start up. Here goes another noob question: Does it take some time for the pump to reach its full suction after an install? I ran the pump for a few minutes and the basket container isn't filling up with water, neither is the dome on the top of sand filter. It doesn't look like water is flowing through the pump filter. I ended up turning it off as I was wary about running the pump "dry". I checked the valve position and confirmed that it's set correctly to filter. Loosened up the air relief cap. Then I removed the motor from the pump and started the motor to make sure the impeller is turning freely and it is. There are no visible leaks around the pump. What gives? Should I just let it run?
k

 

[JamesW]

You might have a suction side air leak. It might be due to the chlorinator. I would recommend removing the feeder. It is installed incorrectly anyway. It should not be installed with one of the connections on the suction side of the pump.

http://www.kingtechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/download-manager-files/PerformMax_English.pdf

What rpm do you have the pump set for?

Regarding the paint. Paint just does not work in a pool. It begins to dissolve almost immediately and there is not much that can be done about it. I wouldn't have paint in a pool.

 

[Isaac-1]

Try checking to make sure all your pump drain plugs are sealed, even a fraction of a turn open will let enough air in for them not to prime, also lubricate the strainer basked o-ring with silicone lubricant, it should be pre-lubricated, bad that is not always the case. Before closing up try adding a bucket full of water, sometimes that is all it take to get initial prime. If these still don't work (don't let it run over a couple of minutes dry) look for a suction side air leak, and report back.

 

[robl45]

When i added a new motor to my pump, it didn't want to prime. Water in the pump actually heated up quite a bit, I was afraid I damaged something. Finally I blocked off some jets to add some back pressure and finally it primed up. No problems since. i'm not sure why you replaced the pump if it was functioning though. My cousins have an indoor pool in a house they bought like 20 years ago. They have a UV light sterilizer and I understand since its indoors, you don't need much more than that to keep it sanitized.

 

[Patrick_B]

I’m definitely going have to educate myself on the subject matter.

Welcome to the forum kokot!
That is the most important thing you can do to have a nice TFP. There is a lot in Pool School, and the ABC's is a really good place to start as Chemistry goes. Come back and ask questions if you need too. We enjoy helping folks who want to learn.

- - - Updated - - -

They have a UV light sterilizer and I understand since its indoors, you don't need much more than that to keep it sanitized.

Sorry, but that isn't correct. Proper Free Chlorine levels are critical to having a well balanced and sanitary pool.

 

[Isaac-1]

They have a UV light sterilizer and I understand since its indoors, you don't need much more than that to keep it sanitized.

This is just one of many misconceptions about indoor pools

 

[kokot]

I checked/tightened up the drain plugs and they appear to be sealed. I don't have any lubricant handy to seal/lubricate the o-ring and can't make it to the pool supply stores today. I also poured water directly into the basket. When I first turn it on, it sucks in water from the basket but it won't pull any more water from the whole system. I'm going to look for leaks next, although I suspect the pump maybe faulty as the old one worked just fine on the same plumbing.This is a used pump. I may just uninstall it and put the old pump back and test the replacement pump offline.

- - - Updated - - -

When i added a new motor to my pump, it didn't want to prime. Water in the pump actually heated up quite a bit, I was afraid I damaged something. Finally I blocked off some jets to add some back pressure and finally it primed up. No problems since. i'm not sure why you replaced the pump if it was functioning though. My cousins have an indoor pool in a house they bought like 20 years ago. They have a UV light sterilizer and I understand since its indoors, you don't need much more than that to keep it sanitized.

To answer your question, I replaced the pump with a used, energy efficient/verifiable speed pump to lower my electric bills + the old pump is running kinda loud.