Ool Newbie - Notice there's no "P" in it?

[lynzizzle]

Hello! I'm Lynzzizle and I'm a new (to us) pool owner. I am completely lost with our pool. Here's our story:

A little background on the pool: No idea how long it had been sitting before we bought the property. Pool company said when they came to close the pool it was already brown, gross and water dropped to below the skimmers and equipment off. Spoke to the neighbor who said they did have the pool up and going last summer, however, the next time they were invited over the pool was already turning green and they wouldn't go in it. Prior to closing on the property, we asked the owner to please have the pool cover removed for visual inspection. The idiot just pulled the cover off letting everything that was on top go into the pool (on top of what is unknown in the pool).

So instead of trying to do everything ourself and screwing something up, we decided to hire a pool company to come out and open and clean our pool. Here is the process they've taken so far: turn on equipment, 1 qt algaecide, 12 gallons shock liquid, notice there is a leak in the filter said it's okay just backwash every day until the pool clears up. 3-5 days later tech arrives to check out filter (in the meantime the pool dropped 4 inches and had to be refilled with well water, thus returning the pool to its no longer clear state that it was prior to having to refill it, due to leaking filter and backwashing every day), tech states that gaskets are bad on filter and should replace sand if we're going to replace the gaskets, 3-5 days later comes back to fix filter we now have green water again. Removed sand notices umbrella in the filter is broken ::sigh::, adds more shock, leave. 3-5 days after that comes back to FINALLY fix the filter, more shock. 3-5 days later comes to "clean" the pool and says "you have too much stuff in the bottom" and basically give ups. Adds more shock, won't be coming back. Pool still green. Ungodly amounts of muck at the bottom of the pool. Current running bill: $1,000's. $150/visit + parts + chemicals

Can not drains as #1 - Unsure if there is a drain, unsure of age of pool #2 do not have a pump nor the money to rent one to pump the water out.

Dilemma #2: I dont know what to do to make the leaf/muck clean-up easier. I've been told a variety of different things to do and I need to know which is best and least expensive as am going to have to repurchase all the chemical and start over, if I could ever figure out how to get the leaves/muck out of the bottom of which I can not see.

 

[krystal]

You will love TFP and you will get lots of great advice and help with getting your pool where it needs to be!! I just signed up for my account yesterday after getting my test kit, so I'm not even going to begin to give you advice on what to do...but I can tell you I've been in your position when we first bought our house/pool 2 years ago. Spent $1000s on the pool through the pool store the first summer and never got the thing balanced...swimmable, but never balanced with enough FC. I found TFP last summer and started reading/educating myself with Pool School...best thing ever!! Last summer I saved so much money using the advice on here rather than running to the pool store for chemicals...this summer I went all in with the test kit to help with keeping it balanced.

I can tell you that the two things you need to do while you are waiting for someone with more knowledge to help you: order your test kit today so that you can post accurate numbers for people to better help you (I got the TF-100 with the XL addition...you will need the extra to SLAM your pool and get accurate FC readings for the mess it sounds like you inherited) and then start reading up in Pool School!!

Don't give up! They will help you get your pool sparkling in no time!

 

[gbod]

Welcome to TFP. I am a relatively new pool owner myself, but I can tell you that methods you will learn here are based on sound science and chemistry.

The first step in taking control of your pool is reliable testing. If you don't know what your water chemistry is, nobody can help. Reliable testing means doing it yourself with a reliable accurate test kit. Do not trust the pool store to give you reliable numbers! Order a test kit pronto! As was mentioned, the TF-100 with the XL option is your best value. You may not want to spend any more money at this point in time, but it will be your best investment

Until that arrives, read everything in pool school. Then read it again.

Read up an SLAMing your pool and be prepared to buy lots of bleach! It may be several weeks before your pool is swimmable, but taking control using the TFP method will save you thousands of dollars and lots of headaches in the future.

Also, get as much physical crud out of your pool with a deep leaf net, rake, or whatever it takes.

It wasn't clear in your post if your filter was fixed or not. Obviously it will need to be repaired before you can proceed.

When your test kit arrives, post your numbers here and you will get lots of help!

 

[freqz]

Good news: you can do this.

Step #1 is order one of the recommended test kits. Do it today. No reason to delay-- the sooner you order the sooner you can get started.

Has the filter been repaired/replaced or did they just leave it?

 

[chjade84]

Well you should start by getting as much junk out manually as possible. Do you have a leaf rake? You'll also need a good test kit if you want to follow the advice here. Standard test kits don't have everything you need and pool store water testing is so unreliable it's not worth doing. You may as well buy the XL option since you will need to be doing a LOT of testing for a while.

Until you get the test kit and give us the numbers, there's not much to recommend except get the **** off the bottom and keep adding chlorine (plain bleach or pool store liquid "shock) a few times a day to start killing stuff off. Problem is, without knowing your CYA level it's hard to recommend how much. Probably a few jugs of bleach a day...

EDIT: gbod beat me to it... almost verbatim... lol

 

[Richard320]

1) Order a proper test kit. For a pool your size and the description you give, you are going to use a lot of FAS-DPD reagent. Don't even waste time looking for the right kit locally; it's obvious your pool store is incompetent or so busy they don't need your money. http://tftestkits.net/TF-100-Test-Kit-p4.html and spring for the XL option.
2) Clear as much crud out of the pool as you can. If you're growing your own peat moss, a leaf rake my not cut it.

You should consider a leaf grabber It worked here: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/75138-Another-swamp-is-it-worth-it-Drain-or-gain

While you anxiously await the test kit and you've removed as much debris as you can, make sure that filter and pump are done leaking and are working. Spend some time reviewing the articles in pool school.

 

[JVTrain]

I C WUT YOU DID THERE! No "P" in my pool either... at least my kids say they don't.

Leaf rake is your best friend. Blindly get as much as you can if you can't see the bottom. Then let things settle for an hour and do it again. Every piece of leaf, twig, worm, bug, etc you can get out of the pool, the less you'll have to spend on bleach burning up the organics. I've never used a leaf grabber but I've heard they can be great.

Once you've gotten most of the crud off the bottom, then another tool becomes your best friend: the pool brush. Between removing with the leaf rake and brushing when you eventually SLAM your pool, you can cancel the upper body work outs for a few weeks! And maybe even save some money on the gym membership.

 

[lynzizzle]

I have to spend $80 on bleach alone? What if they've already poured 20 gallons of shock in it already?

Yes the filter is fixed. All new internal parts. New pump as of last summer as well but I dont have the specs on it.

We have the brush, leaf rake and leaf vacuum. I went and bought all new equipment bc the previous owner is an ingrate. Either way, so much muck on the bottom that it ripped the leak bag.

Also, that test kit is insanely intimidating.

 

[bridgman]

I have to spend $80 on bleach alone? What if they've already poured 20 gallons of shock in it already?

The trick is to kill it as quickly and efficiently as possible without doing any damage in the process, then maintain a proper chlorine level so it doesn't come back, and that's what the folks here will help you with. If you don't do that and only kill "most of it" then it comes back and (I hate to say this but) whatever you spent on chlorine up to that point is sorta wasted.

Also, that test kit is insanely intimidating.

If you look at all the bottles at the same time, yeah it's scary... but each individual test only uses one or two of the bottles so when you actually go to do the testing you'll be surprised how easy it is. Learning what all the test results mean takes longer, but again that's something you'll get a lot of help with.

The weird thing is that the really good kits actually end up being easier to use because you don't have to do much colour matching -- you basically add drops of reagent & swirl around until the colour changes, and the number of drops gives you the test result.

There is a bit of a mad scientist aspect to it but you'll be surprised how much fun it is

Sounds like you're doing all the right things getting the new equipment -- that's a great start.

 

[freqz]

That test kit is really pretty easy to use. My 7 year old thinks it's a hoot. You can handle it-- there is a card in the kit that tells you EXACTLY what to do. It's no more difficult than following a recipe. (there are probably more jars in your spice cabinet...)

We won't be able to help you figure out what your pool needs without reliable test results And the test kit plus $80 in bleach is less than one vist from the guy who threw his hands up in the air and quit after $1000.

Get some nylon thread out and patch up the leaf bag and keep scooping! (It all has to come out one way or the other)

 

[JVTrain]

Also, that test kit is insanely intimidating.

The directions for performing the tests are very good. Read them all first before attempting just to get a feel for them.

There's also youtube videos on them: https://www.youtube.com/user/tf100testkit?feature=results_main

As well as Extended Directions on the forums: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/24188-Extended-Test-Kit-Directions

 

[PAGirl]

My advice.... Go through and read a few of the swamp success stories. They all start with the same feeling as you, and end up super happy! It will also give you a better feel for what the process is. Good luck!

 

[kimkats]

We can and will walk you through the test kit! There are even videos showing how to do each test!

The ONLY way you are going to "fix" your pool is to do step one-----buy a good test kit.

Once you have done that let us know when it gets there and we will walk you through what to test first and how.

Right after you order your test kit start reading pool school. It will talk MANY, MANY, MANY readings to soak in all the info. It is a LOT! BUT we are here to help you.

HUGS! It will be so worth it in the end.

Richard post some more of your green to clean links. I bet that does it for her!

Kim

 

[tucsontico]

Do not be afraid of the test kit! It is your best friend in this battle to retake your pool. As others have already mentioned, while you wait for your test kit arrive read, re-read, and read again the Pool School articles. One of the other important things is to have POP (Pool Owner Patience). Your pool did not become a mucky swamp overnight and it won't get crystal clear overnight either. The SLAM process isn't difficult but does require dedication and time. Following the tried-and-true processes published on this website, you will have a sparkly clean pool you can be proud of.

BTW, the 20 gallons of "shock" already poured into the pool were essentially " burned up" by the mass of organic material in the bottom of your pool. By removing as much of that muck as possible before continuing the SLAM process you'll minimize the amount of bleach–and time–needed to clear the water. The cost of the bleach you'll need for the "reclamation project" is quite small compared to what the pool company has already charged you to NOT clear up your pool.

Good luck! Send pictures of your progress!

 

[bridgman]

For what it's worth, the K-2006 kit is a lot scarier. Not only are all the bottles the same size, there are more of them

 

[jmbradwell]

I spent several hundred $ on different test kits until I found the TF-100. NONE on the previous kits were as easy and as accurate as the TF-100. Yea, there are lots of bottles that can be intimidating, but if you read the instructions and line the bottles up in the order they are called for, it makes it much easier. Counting drops and looking for a color change is MUCH easier than trying to guestimate the color match.

p.s. I don't make a dime off of a TF-100 sale.

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! It may seem overwhelming right now, but most of us have been exactly where you are right now. That may make us sound like a 12 step program, but in a way we kind of are. We are here to provide you with information, encouragement, and answer any questions you may have about pool care.

We recommend a high quality test kit such as the Taylor K2006 or the TF100 because they allow you to test the water at chlorine levels >5ppm, which is necessary to complete the slam process. Most test kits you find in pool stores only test chlorine from 0-5ppm, and the minimum chlorine level for any slam is 10ppm. Most pool owners need to slam higher than 10ppm to complete the process. A high quality test kit is an investment in your pool and will more than pay for itself in savings when you are not running to the pool store buying $100s worth of chemicals every week.

You can read through our Pool School articles at your leisure, but I would like you to read ABCs of pool water chemistry first to give you some basic information on how pool chemistry works. Feel free to ask any questions you may have, there is usually someone who can give you an answer.

Before you can effectively slam the pool, you will need to muck out all the debris at the bottom. It is a nasty job but it has to be done. If you have any spare teen-agers lying around its a good way for them to earn a little extra money if you are inclined to pay someone to muck out the pool for you.

So, once again, welcome to TFP!

 

[4myBitsy]

Check out this thread http://www.troublefreepool.com/showthread.php?t=72594. He was in the same situation as you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tmccool]

As a brand newbie myself, I can honestly tell you that test is very easy to use. I got it this past Tuesday and it gets easier every time I do it.
Pick one test on the Weekly side of the instruction sheet, like the Chlorine Test (FAS/DPD).
Read the instructions all the way through.
Then re-read them and stop at each bold reagent name like R-0007.
Grab that chemical and set it in front of you.
Then read on to the next reagent name until you have the row of chemicals sitting in front of you.

THEN go grab some pool water and follow the instructions. Cackle like a mad scientist as the water turns pink and clear and green and pink mwahaha!
You can do this!

 

[lynzizzle]

Overwhelmed!

Please keep all your posts on the same issue in one thread. It is easier for us to help you if you keep all the information together. Zea3

By the time I read and re-read everything to the point of even understanding it will be next summer ...

How do I know if the bottom of the pool is clean enough to start "SLAM"ing the pool? Why use bleach if the liquid chlorine has higher levels? How do I get sand out of the bottom of the pool (unsure if any down there)?

And this test kit everyone is telling me to get, only comes with 7 tests ... the way I understand it, I have to test and test and test again those tests will be used up in the first week I get it!