New Pool Owner looking to Learn...Where to Start?

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being that this is new to me I'm going to have to try and at least remove the cover temporarily to locate the any returns, skimmers, remove any return plugs etc...

Am i going to do any harm to the pump if i let it run with all the crud and Crud in the pool? Should i try and scoop what I can out first? Obviously I cant do this until temps get above freezing at night...now currently hovering around 30 nightly so it will be a month or so before i even attempt starting the pump.
 
Just my 2 cents. I wouldnt remove the cover or do anythig with it until your comfortable opening it up for the season. Taking the cover off temporarily and looking at it really wont accomplish much. Just wait until the weather warms enough to open it up, then start messing with it. You cant do anything, really, until you get the pump running anyway. Again, my 2 cents if it were mine. I know your anxious, but i would wait. Dont worry if the pump wont work when you open it. If it turns green, so be it. There are enough people here to help you clear it once everthing gets going.
 
Determined that i've got a Century Pool/Jetted Tub Motor, 1.5HP, Model 7-177894-24. Also I found a Rainbow Lifegard Chlorine/Bromine Feeder, Model 300. The bottom hose looks broken but fixable!

I'm anxiously awaiting warm temps after my mid-April Vacation. I'll plan on trying to open after April 18th and before May 5 some time.
 
Well the cleanup has begun... I've started cleaning off all the debris on the top of the cover, looks 100's of times better already. I also tightened the cover until i take it off pertinently so that the birds stop using it as a bath. I also removed part of the cover and ran the leaf bag across the shallow end bottom to see if there were any leaves on the bottom. After multiple scoops there are not many leaves but a small amount of algae sludge. Even in the 3.5' shallow end you can't see the white leaf bag on the bottom. Very BLACK.

I also removed the jugs in the skimmers and noticed that i don't have any skimmer baskets. Where can i get some of these and what measurements are needed to get the correct ones?

I'm planning on temporarily removing the cover in the next few days to locate the return locations and what not. Then I'll remove the plugs and try and fire up the pump. To do so I'll:

purchase skimmer baskets and install
remove send and return plugs
open valves
Clean in line basket and fill with water
turn filter valve to run and start pump
Watch pressure and backwash occasionally
filter pool for several hours
Start water testing to determine current parameters

Any steps that I'm missing? Should i remove he cover before I start everything up or can i leave it on for a few more weeks until the tree buds drop?

Thanks everyone! I'm getting excited to provide some parameters!
 
Stopped at my LPS so get some skimmer baskets and got into a conversation with the owner who said I'll most likely need some Copper-based algaecide to get things going when I add the chlorine. Is something like this going to stain the surface because it has copper in it? Should I avoid algaecide altogether?

I'm ordering the new baskets today and then I can get the pool running.

Also found out the deep end tapers to the bottom so my pool is not truly as large as i once thought. How do i determine the volume with a tapered deep end?
 
Copper algaecide is not only unnecessary but can result in staining.
Algaecide is a preventative not a treatment for a swamp :) despite what they told you.
We rarely advocate the use of algaecide, only in specific situations like Stain Removal treatments, and then, we only advise using Polyquat 60.
 
Got some skimmer baskets ordered....

I don't have a vacuum to remove the stuff on the bottom...I'm looking for a manual vacuum for now and maybe upgrade to a automatic at a later date. Any recommendations or does it not really matter?
 

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wiscousonian said:
Also found out the deep end tapers to the bottom so my pool is not truly as large as i once thought. How do i determine the volume with a tapered deep end?
Click to expand...
Seems like nobody addressed this question yet...

For a first cut, you guess what the average depth would be, and go from there.

After the pool is cleaned up and levels are stable, then you can refine your volume estimate further if you want. Basically, if you keep undershooting or overshooting your chems based on what the pool calculator tells you, then probably your volume is higher or lower (respectively) than you thought. It's also possible to do this intentionally, e.g. measure FC, add a known amount of bleach of known concentration (enough to raise FC in the 5-10 range), measure FC again, and work backwards from the difference to get the pool volume.

As a practical-math exercise, my daughter and I went out last summer and carefully drew the pool outline on graph paper, then measured depth in a number of places. Subdivide the volume into easy chunks and add-em-up to get The Number. But the point of that was the math exercise, rather than knowing exactly what the pool volume was.
--paulr
 
wiscousonian - you have your work cut out there from the pictures but it will be a fun process (ensure beer in hand at times)and the rewards are huge when it's all complete.
Trust this site. I was in the same position as you and had the usual Crud form the pool store that i should not be putting bleach in yada, yada, yada....made them test my numbers and it soon shut them up so have faith in this method!!!
 
Well she's fired up! got the baskets, a big jug of conditioner and 10 gallons of 12% chlorine to get me started! Unplugged all the plugs I could see, and inserted the eyeball jet i found berried, primed and started the pump, well after i noticed a few plugs were missing and the pool room started filling with water :hammer: :). After starting and priming the filter pressure was at about 15 and then settled to about 11-12. Let the pool run for about an hour and a half and started testing water. Results:

FC: 0
PH: 7.6
T/A: 90
CH: 150
CYA: 0

Think I did the CYA correctly, did it two times, and the dot on my TF-100 Kit never dis-appeared. Guessing since it has not been used in nearly 3 years it's probably correct.

Everything seems to work fine although I need to hook up the inline chlorinator. Also seems the valve on the top of my sand filter is leaking so I'll need to remove that and add an new gasket I'm assuming, correct? Just seeing the thing run makes me feel a little accomplished.

So where do i go from here? What should i bring the chlorine to and should i be adding some CYA, if so how? anything else at this time? WEE I'm Ready for the transformation!
 
The first steps are to do some preliminary adjusting of your levels. You want to raise CYA to about 30, raise CH to at least 250, and lower PH to about 7.2 to 7.4. The CH can wait if you want, but it is just as easy to do it now.

CYA can be added by putting it in a sock and hanging the sock in front of a return jet.

Meanwhile stock up on some bleach or liquid chlorine, which ever is less expensive around you.

Also, I have lost track, if you haven't already you should remove any debris that might have gotten into the pool.

And I would love to see a picture with the cover off!
 
Jason,
Thanks for the tips....most of the debris is off the cover and it looks like the cover kept most larger leafs out of the pool.

Questions:
1. To raise the CH I need Calcium Chloride...21lbs as per the calculator. Any specific method to adding this? I'll look at the pool store or the hardware store for old de-icer.
2. The cover is still on, I just pulled it back to get it running. Above the pool is a maple with the seeds waiting to drop....should I remove the cover or wait till the seeds drop?
3. How long should i have the pump running for at this point in time? I'm not around during the day to watch the pressure.
4. Adding the CYA should lower my PH automatically correct? should i leave the PH alone for now?
 
1. Seems to work best if you predissolve the Calcium Chloride in a bucket of water, then add it like any other liquid chemical. Note this stuff releases heat as it dissolves, rule of thumb seems to be 2lb per gallon in the bucket. Then use multiple bucketloads to get where you want to be.
2. Depends on whether you think it will be easier to clean 'em up off the cover or out of the pool. If you have adolescent labor at hand, a daily workout with the net is an excellent kid chore (I probably cleared about 4 billion willow leaves, back in the day).
3. How fast does the pressure rise? If you're currently backwashing after just a few hours of runtime, then yeah you need to keep a close eye on it. Otherwise it should be okay to just let it run.
4. The CYA is acidic, so you can hold off on other forms of pH control until it's dissolved.
--paulr
 

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