Hold my hand, I'd like to open the pool myself.

[keithpgdrb]

Some do, some don't. No need to remove, chlorine will clean it up.

Wow. Awesome. Also. Opened up the filter to clean a bit today. Found some more plugs in the pre filter. And I don’t remember if the cone shaped thing was in the main filter chamber before. Any ideas here?

 

[keithpgdrb]

Also. Plug on the bottom of the main filter chamber. How tight does this need to go? It’s plastic. Worried about over tightening it.

 

[PoolStored]

Found some more plugs in the pre filter

The two white plugs are for the pump. Look around the bottom and you should see where they go. The black one is likely the heater plug (you don't list your heater model, so I don't know), but should go somewhere around the bottom of the inlet/outlet of the heater. Lube all o-rings with silicone lube (like magic lube II) not PTFE lube.

There should be a top and bottom manifold and compression spring for the filter. Cone is just inlet and is correct.

https://www.pentair.com/content/dam/extranet/nam/pentair-pool/residential/filters/clean-and-clear-family/clean-and-clear-plus/clean-and-clear-plus-guides-manuals/clean-and-clear-plus-install-guide-english.pdf

 

[PoolStored]

Also. Plug on the bottom of the main filter chamber. How tight does this need to go? It’s plastic. Worried about over tightening it.

Hand tight. Lube that o-ring with silicone lube. If it dribbles, then tighten another 1/16 of a turn. Continue till it stops leaking. Should be much more than hand tight. Check the o-ring for cracks and replace if necessary.

 

[keithpgdrb]

I believe I found where the heater plug goes. I don’t know why my heater isn’t listed. It’s in my profile list. Pentair mastertemp 250

 

[keithpgdrb]

So here is one of my main concerns. In the pic below are the different valves. I know what some do. Not all. Any insight on what they do, and when to turn them on or off would be great.

1 2 and 3 are all for the skimmers and main drain. No worries.
4 5 and 6. No idea. Not sure if they are currently on or off.
7 is for the fountains. No worries.

 

[keithpgdrb]

Anyone have any insight on valves 456?

 

[PoolStored]

4 5 and 6. No idea. Not sure if they are currently on or off.

they are all ON. The gate is on the opposite side of the handle.

 

[IceShadow]

They are returns. You can turn them off one at a time and see which return goes off.

 

[keithpgdrb]

they are all ON. The gate is on the opposite side of the handle.

Cool. So when I start up the pump I can just leave those alone.

 

[keithpgdrb]

bad new is, I opened the cover the other day to deal with something else. water is pretty cloudy. cant see the bottom. looks like slamming will be one of the first things I'll need to do after things are up and running.

 

[keithpgdrb]

Ok. Today is the day. Feel more of a sense of urgency now that I see the water is cloudy. Hoping for success. I’ll be back if I run into a snag.

 

[keithpgdrb]

In the skimmer holes. There is the green thing. And there is a plug in the bottom. Does one these get covered again?

 

[PoolStored]

In the skimmer holes. There is the green thing. And there is a plug in the bottom. Does one these get covered again?

The green thing is a gizmo. Protects from ice freezing and cracking the skimmer. Unscrew it out and store it.

 

[IceShadow]

In the skimmer holes. There is the green thing. And there is a plug in the bottom. Does one these get covered again?

The green thing is called a “gizmo”. It both plugs the return from the skimmer to the pump and helps in case water gets in the skimmer and freezes over the winter. They’re meant to be disposable and you get a new one each year.

You should be able to remove it by turning it counter clockwise.

The other side of the skimmer may not be meant to be unplugged. It depends on if you have a main drain plugged through the skimmer. It may be permanently closed.

 

[IceShadow]

The green thing is a gizmo. Protects from ice freezing and cracking the skimmer. Unscrew it out and store it.

I was always told they were meant to only be used once. >.>

 

[keithpgdrb]

The green thing is a gizmo. Protects from ice freezing and cracking the skimmer. Unscrew it out and store it.

There is another plug. And looks like a little sliding hatch cover. I understand removing the gizmo. Unsure of what to do about the other plug.

 

[keithpgdrb]

I can say that when I hook the hose up to the skimmer to vacuum the pool, there’s only one hole to put the hose in. Would the gizmo hole be the one that stays open?

 

[PoolStored]

I was always told they were meant to only be used once. >.>

Marketing. I've had the same ones for multiple years. I just dunk it to make sure it is still a "bottle" and I replace the o-rings every year.

There is another plug. And looks like a little sliding hatch cover. I understand removing the gizmo. Unsure of what to do about the other plug.

That is an equalizer. The flap covers another line that goes to the pool or to main drain so that if the water in the skimmer door gets low, it will still pull water. Search skimmer equalizer.

I can say that when I hook the hose up to the skimmer to vacuum the pool, there’s only one hole to put the hose in. Would the gizmo hole be the one that stays open?

Yes, gizmo hole is the suction line to the pump.

 

[keithpgdrb]

Ok. Everything seems to be functioning correctly!! Now to deal with the fact that it is almost green! Off to buy some bleach.