Please help me bring a dead inground pool back to life!

[ship of fools]

If they won't buy it see if they will offer you an "allowance" for chemicals and then use part of your allowance on the test kit. You will save enough money not buying chemicals to offset the cost.

I spent about $500+- each year when i went to Concord Pools in Latham and bought their "Sustain" system. Now i spend about $100 on chlorine, $20 on stabilizer, $10 on muriatic acid and that is it each year.

I was pitching a phone system to someone just yesterday and he uses the Sustain product ..... and spends $500 or $600 annually as well.

More importantly my water is far cleaner and clearer now!

 

[Chrispyny]

Updates!!!

screen shots from a video my girlfriend texted me today!, yeeehah!

skimmer line

One return

The other return

Side view of skimmer line and far return

Assume a temporary rigging of DE filter while work is being done to help clear the water...

I didn't grab a screen shot of the existing new filter, but it has been plumbed appropriately with the clean return splitting between each return.
Pool company brought us goodies along with the work. A new vacuum hose, skimmer fitting for hose, new vacuum, and some other parts she didn't recognize.
from the looks of it, the lines are buried along the pool. They probably ran out of time and i assume will finish tomorrow.

I work outside for a living as a pole monkey for major telco here in upstate ny. The weather has been kicking my fanny with this heat in the high 80's with high humidity lately. I get home and mother nature snickers at me as i slink out of my truck and into the house at the end of the day. I'll finally be able to snicker back this weekend!

 

[kimkats]

How neat is that!!!!!!!!!!!! Looks like they are trying to do it right!

Have her start pushing for a test kit so you can start working on the water. Tell her to buy some bleach and have her start adding a gal a day so it does not get worse.

Kim

 

[Chrispyny]

yeehah! All i can say is FOLLOW SLAM procedures TO THE WORD!!! Things were taking longer than expected since we were limited to adding what ever chlorine we were given. We decided to go to walmart and buy a 5 pack of extra strength powdered shock for $27 i think, and a few jugs of 8.75% dollar general bleach for $2.75 a gallon. Then i followed SLAM TO THE T, keeping chlorine levels over 20 ppm.
In addition, added 50 lbs of calcium to harden water, 10 lbs of cyanuric acid and some ph up, and alkyline up given to us as basically the 'last batch' of free stuff to get the water clean.

As of today, chlorine is holding. I bought a 3" chlorine tab floaty that holds three 3" tabs, and some other supplies. It took quite some time but i'll be swimming this weekend!!! Yaay!!

- - - Updated - - -

Still have to vacuum a touch in the deep end, and test the water one more time to fine tune the numbers.
One thing i haven't purchased yet is a test kit. I have to say something. The prices for the kits on this site are VERY affordable. If i were to tell you all what my local pool shop wants for either of the taylor kits sold here, you would faint. UNREAL. Anyway. Thanks for all your help again!

 

[singingpond]

Looking a lot better!

Judging by the photos, they just left you with the temporary pump/filter setup perched by the edge of the pool??? No plumbing repairs done?

Do you know what your CYA level is now?

As I'm sure you know by now, continuing to scrape by without a good comprehensive test kit is a gamble - now that the pool is apparently in your hands, you should get a recommended test kit if you possibly can. It will save you money on future upkeep.

 

[kimkats]

What a difference! When will they hook up the permanent filter and such?

I would hold off on using the pucks until you get your test it. Your CYA might be pushing the limits with all of the other stuff that has been added.

Use bleach/chlorine only for right now.

You have worked hard and it shows! It is hard to think back to how much stuff you got out and what the water looked like before!

Enjoy your swimming!

Kim

 

[borjis]

VERY impressive!

I'd hold off on any more puck/powder chlorine until you know what your CYA is exactly.

Just use the bleach until you know, otherwise it could be sky high.

EDIT: LOL Kim beat me to the post. same advice...good advice though!

 

[Chrispyny]

I agree. I'll be getting my kit shortly. And correct on the DE filter. It was a bonus the pool company brought to help clear the water. They changed the DE once already a few days ago. I called today to thank them and advised they are welcome to retrieve the DE filter at their liesure.

the repairs were done. All new lines, both returns and skimmer. I also found a significant leak/crack in the plastic at the bung on the pump housing i have since sealed with silicone. The pump housing is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT air free.

- - - Updated - - -

Question. The powdered chlorine was not dichlor, just the walmart stuff. Hypochlorite only. Will that still raise my cya ? Ty

 

[singingpond]

If cal hypo (?) it will raise calcium levels, rather than raising CYA. I think you said you were deliberately raising 'hardness' a few days ago, unless I'm remembering a different thread - this will do more of the same.

 

[kimkats]

Just plain bleach please. Cheap Walmart greater value plain bleach.

Kim

 

[borjis]

Question. The powdered chlorine was not dichlor, just the walmart stuff. Hypochlorite only. Will that still raise my cya ? Ty

ah, if it is cal-hypo your good...that will just up your calcium....though you don't really need it, being a vinyl pool.

but it shouldn't affect it at all the way cya would.

 

[singingpond]

Looking back at CYA additions in this thread, on page 1 you added 4 lbs. of dichlor, for about 9 ppm CYA. Earlier on this page you report adding 10 lbs. stabilizer - another 60 ppm. The pool store printout you showed on page 1 indicates 5 ppm CYA before those additions. We don't know if that is accurate, since pool store measurements are often wrong, especially for CYA.

In any case, your reported additions bring CYA almost to 70, plus whatever may have been in there before. That means that your target FC level is already up to 8, and possibly higher -
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

If you've been reading here over the past number of weeks, you know that your CYA is already higher than recommended for easy maintenance of a non-SWG pool. The trichlor tabs you're floating add yet more CYA. I would take them out.

Have you had a chance to swim yet? The pool looks nice!

 

[Chrispyny]

Looking back at CYA additions in this thread, on page 1 you added 4 lbs. of dichlor, for about 9 ppm CYA. Earlier on this page you report adding 10 lbs. stabilizer - another 60 ppm. The pool store printout you showed on page 1 indicates 5 ppm CYA before those additions. We don't know if that is accurate, since pool store measurements are often wrong, especially for CYA.

In any case, your reported additions bring CYA almost to 70, plus whatever may have been in there before. That means that your target FC level is already up to 8, and possibly higher -
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart

If you've been reading here over the past number of weeks, you know that your CYA is already higher than recommended for easy maintenance of a non-SWG pool. The trichlor tabs you're floating add yet more CYA. I would take them out.

Have you had a chance to swim yet? The pool looks nice!

kids been swimming. I get to today after work. Thank you for the numbers math. I hope not to be to high. We have both been vacuuming to waste and adding water to replace so hopefully that reduces cya levels. I told my gf to take some water to test this morning. Lets see if she does.