Just Bought A House With A Pool...Where to Begin?

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Darn, I emailed them and told them I needed to change my order yesterday, but this morning I got a shipment notification. Looks like I'll have to order the missing stuff after the fact. Would you be able to tell me what else I need? Sorry, I just know so little about all of this.
 
You'll be fine for a while without the XL.. by the time you use up the reagents, youll be a testing pro...

Looks like you are going to have a fun cleaning party.
Mine was about that green when I started.. Didn't take too long to clear up. Lots of skimming, brushing, filtering, backwashing, and about 6 gal of bleach cleared it right up
 
Once you kill off the algae, it will be on the bottom of the pool. What I did was use my pool sweep as a siphon so the junk went out of my poor onto the lawn rather than into and clogging up my DE filter. You lose water, etc, but you shouldn't have to do that much to get the bulk of the dead junk out.
 
I was able to catch them before they shipped it out and I got the XL stuff added.

NOt sure about the volume of the pool. Is there a way to tell somewhere? What kind of bleach should I be adding? I'm guessing just regular unscented that has some sort of % reading on the bottle?
 
Pix look like a round pool???
Measure the diameter and depth, then use the calculator on the bottom of pool math to get a close estimate
You can use go ol Clorox or great value brand bleach... look around your area for best prices.. 8.25% is available at Wal Mart and they usually have about 1000 in stock... Unscented and not the splash free kind... just straight bleach

- - - Updated - - -

Once you figure the volume, put all your specs in you sig block so we have a quick ref and can help you thru pool math if need be
 

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18 Blue Standard Curved Swimming Pool Brush - Walmart.com

This brush will fit on the end of a pole you can find by it in the store.

Here is a link on how to backwash a sand filter:

Sand filter backwash process

I am going to share this next link to show you how a sand filter works. I learn by seeing so want to share that with you:

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

When you brush a pool you try to make sure you brush all of it-sides and bottom. This is important because algae forms a cover on it to protect it from the bleach. When you brush it the bleach can get to it and kill it. It is easiest to do it from in the pool-yuck with it that green so you can also do it over the side or from the deck as needed/wanted.

Does this help answer your questions?

Kim:cat:
 
It does! But...

But...

I'm going to have to get IN this thing? Ackkkkkk!

Not necessarily... You can get a pole that extends and you can reach the middle of the pool.

Backwashing is easy too... Just turn the handle to the backwash position and turn on the pump...Theres a sight glass on the side of the filter that you watch to dictate when to stop the back wash..Clear in the sight glass, you are done... Generally only takes minute or 2

Use pool math to figure out the bleach and all the other chemicals you will need to put in. Just put in your current values (after you get your test kit) and target values...then you can hover over certain areas and it'll tell what to add... easy peasy... Take some time and play with it...
 
It does! But...

But...

I'm going to have to get IN this thing? Ackkkkkk!

Yuck for sure! Like he said you can get the pole that will allow you to reach to the middle of the pool from your deck. My deck does not go all the around my pool so I have some cement blocks at strategic places so I can stand on them to reach the rest of the pool.

My pool was a swamp when I moved in. I tried to clear it without getting in but it did not work LOL I lowered my water to shin high and started scooping a couple of years worth of leaves and pine straw.

Your pool does not look like it has much stuff in it BUT here is a net you should get:

Hydrotools Professional Heavy Duty Deep Bag Leaf Rake and Pool Skimmer Mesh Net - Walmart.com

You can see how it would be helpful to get stuff off the bottom of the pool. I don't use mine often now but love it when there are some leaves from the fall drop.

When you are using your filter and changing the settings I have some tips for you:

-Only turn the handle in one direction. This will help the plastic gasket under the lever stay in place. I went so far as to draw an arrow to show which way to turn it in case someone else needed to do it. Most of us go clockwise but it really does not matter so long as you pick a direction.

-ALWAYS turn the pump off before you move the lever! One guy forgot to turn it off and it blew the top off :shock:

You are just starting off so I am going to give you a set of links that I share with new pool owners. It is a LOT of info and will not make sense until you start using them. Please start reading the ABC of pool care to learn the WHYS of TFP.

Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule

Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

http://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Make sure to ask any and all questions you might have no matter how small! We have all been where you are at one point.

Kim:cat:
 
You are right on track. :goodjob: At the moment we are really in a holding pattern until the kit arrives

Make sure you have plenty of bleach or liquid chlorine on hand, you will use it up real quick at the beginning

You will need enough CYA (aka cyanuric acid aka stabiliser) to get your pool to 30ppm, which by poolmath I calculate 59oz. This gets added by the sock method described in Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals. I have assumed you have no CYA, but this would be confirmed by testing

I would also suggest a container of muriatic acid to lower ph. Both are available at a big box store

Check out poolmath at the top of the page and have a play around with it. This is how you figure out what your pool needs after you test
Put in the gallons of your pool at the top of the page. In the bottom yellow box select troublefreepool for your goal levels, bleach for chlorine and select your pool surface

Once you test you put those values in the left 'now' box. You can then change the right 'target' box to your desired goal, or leave it at TFP goals, click on calculate and on the right hand side it will say how much to add
As an example I put in 14700 gal pool, set my free chlorine to 8.25% (in the chlorine result box) FC (free chlorine) now of 3 - FC goal of 20 and it told me to add 370 ounces - dont actually add this to the pool, just see if you can get a match in poolmath for FC and CYA
 

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