New pool owner - advice please :D

Jump to latest Follow Reply
steveb21

steveb21

0
Mar 6, 2017
265
United Kingdom, England.
Hello all,

Firstly i am based in UK. Was wondering if any of you could offer your advice.

I not so long ago purchased a property with a outdoor heated (by gas) swimming pool.
Dimensions are 25ft x 12ft and 3ft 4" to 6ft 6" deep.
10,000 gallon capacity

The pool has been 'off/closed' since August 2015, details of last work are:

17/08/2015
Remove Swimming pool pump
Empty pump basket
Vacuum pool
Brush walls and floor
Clean waterline
Empty skimmer basket
Backwash filter
Cover pool

Picture of Pool:



The pool has not been used for approx 18 months.

I had a quick look under the pool cover and it appears that the water is green, i am planning to get the cover completely off this weekend to see the overall state of the pool. The water was clear approx 9 months ago.
Picture:



Equipment i have in the Pool pump room is as follows:
Valve - HaywIrd Vari-flo 711-13
Pump - Sta-Rite 5P1R
Filter - Hayward S244T

Pipe work I have:
Skim
Sump
Vac


Items left over by previous owner:



Right now forgive me if my questions are some what on th silly side.... i'm a newbie to all this and have read up as much as i could before posting this post.


Where do i start? My plan is:


Take off cover
Use net to clear large debries
Test water for Chlorine / pH / Alk / cya. Am i correct in thinking that if the CYA levels are too high then i will have to drain the pool to some extent? What levels would be high? Which test kit is reccommended?
When do i turn the pump on? and on what setting should the valve be set on? Would any other work need to be done prior to turning the pump back on?


Have plenty further questions but the above would get me started.


Thank you :D
 
Steve,

Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for turning a green pool into a clear pool... :testkit:

I suggest your first stop is our "Pool School" link at the top of this page. Read it carefully and then start asking questions...

Here is a link to our recommended test kits... https://www.troublefreepool.com/content/124-pool-test-kits-comparison

I'm not sure if these kits are available in the UK or not, but other members will be along soon to comment on that.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.
 
Re: New pool owner - advice please (PICTURES ATTACHED):D

Many thanks for your reply Jim, i have added some pictures on my original post.

I have had a whiz through the ''Pool School'' area, great article and very helpful.

I will order a water test kit and get back here with results.
Get more info i the pool, dimmensions, gallons of water etc


Questions:
Could some one please explain the Skim, Sump, and Vac pipes please? From what i think the Skim will link to the skimmers at the top end of the pool, the Sump sits at the bottom of the pool (usually deep end)? How about the vac? I thought usually the Skim would be used for Vacuming? Or in this case will there be another connector?

How would i clean the coping? Could i use floor cleaning chemicals and a jet wash? Worried some substance may end up in the pool water although with the current state of the water not sure if this matters at this moment in time.

Looking at the picture of the products i have, have i more or less got everything i need? I have a vacuum pipe and hoover head and a large net.
 
Welcome to TFP!

Here is an article on how to clean up your pool, SLAM Process
If it's really gross here is more, Turning Your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis

Here are a couple of good places to start in Pool School
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Pool School - Getting Started

The best bet for you for a test kit will most likely be a Taylor K-2006. The most important tests to get are the FAS-DPD chlorine test and the CYA test. They are required for the SLAM Process and often aren't included in smaller test kits.

You are correct about the skimmer line and the sump line will pull water from a bottom drain. The vac line will be a dedicated vacuum line that you can plug a vacuum hose into to vacuum the pool. It will be just below the water line somewhere along the pool wall.

You can use diluted muriatic (hydrochloric) acid to clean the coping. Start with 3 parts water and add 1 part acid. Never add water to acid. It will lower the pH of the water some but you can offset that as needed.

More here about pool chemicals, Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
 
I think you are on track with your plumbing guesses. I'm betting there is a separate vacuum hookup on the side of the pool, makes it easier to vacuum without going through the skimmer.

You could try bleach on the coping. If any got in the pool, bonus!

Looking at the chemicals, the only thing I would recommend using at first is the acid and the stabilizer. pH down has sulfates, the solid chlorine has other byproducts you want to skip for now and the pH plus is probably over-priced washing soda.

What you need now is a good source of bleach and a test kit. :)
 
Thanks both, great info and super quick!

Bleach on coping and in pool? I thought the Chlorine Granules would be the first thing to go in? Could you explain the bleach bit please?

Is it OK to say that i dont add anything into the water until i get a test kit and complete water tests?
My plan this weekend was to take cover off and collect large waste usign the net, and brush down the side walls and maybe even the floor? Should i not do this? When would i actually get to the point of turning on the pump?
 
Solid chlorine either increases CYA or CH along with FC. For the amount of FC you are going to need, you need bleach (liquid chlorine) which adds (basically) nothing else to the pool.

I would get a test kit before adding anything to the pool. Yes, feel free to start dredging stuff out at any time, it has to be done eventually regardless. I would not turn on the pump until you can get very little "trash" off the bottom. And then I would run it in recirculate at first.

As black as that water is, you may want to consider dumping it and starting over. Water rates, drainage etc play into this, but as someone who's rescued a pool that looks exactly like that, dumping would be quickest if feasible.
 
Is Sodium Hypochlorite the same thing as bleach/liquid chlorine?

Think it looks worse than it is as majority of the cover was on and its not the best pic. Once i get the whole cover off I will see exactly how bad it is. If i went for the drain method, how much water would need to come out? Is there a rule.... i assume not all the water should be removed?
 
Yes, sodium hypochlorite is bleach and/or liquid chlorine. More here about that, Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool

I would take the cover off and run the net around to see how much debris is in there. If there isn't much then no need to drain. I would scoop out all you can and start the SLAM Process.

Yes, we agree 100% not to add anything to your pool without testing first. :thumleft:

Except you would be fine to add 3 ppm of chlorine to the pool every other day or so and brush and/or net the pool to mix it. Use PoolMath to calculate the dose of bleach/liquid chlorine. There is a link at the top of each page. That will start the water clearing up.

Turning on the pump to recirculation or vac to waste is a good start.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Unfortunately that one doesn't have the FAS-DPD test for chlorine which is essential for measuring high levels of FC.

You'll find it hard to get one locally as do we in Australia and most other countries in the world. From what I can gather the LaMotte version is the only one you can get in the UK.
 
Steve- that is the kit you want but the bigger version which is the K2006C which will have more testing reagents. Assuming you go ahead and SLAM the pool you will run out of the FAS-DPD testing reagents very quickly with the standard K2006 as you will need to be doing regular testing whilst you are carrying out this process.

If you look at the Poolvacparts link that I provided earlier you could buy the K2006 and then buy some extra FAS DPD testing reagents at the same time in one order. That will then get you through a couple of seasons- you obviously only then need to pay the shipping once. I am happy to give you some more specifc guidance if you want.

(I've been through this exact process before):D
 
That being the case -just make sure your relative gets the right one. There are many variations of Taylor pool testing kits and it would be a shame to go to all that effort only to get the wrong one.

On that note I thought you couldn't get the K2006C from Walmart but then I'm not a local. ;)

Personally I wouldn't waste my time with the pool company testing- who may try and sell you overpriced and unecessary stuff to go along with it. I would wait on the test kit
 
The difference between a K-2006 and a K-2006C is the amount of reagents in the kit. The K-2006 contains 0.75 oz bottles of reagents and the K-2006-C contains 2.0 oz bottles of reagents. So, more than twice as many tests for a lot less than half the money in most cases. Especially given how much effort is needed to obtain it. The kit should last at least this summer and next summer. Store inside in a cool, dry place.
 
Quick update:

A local pool company has agreed to do a test on the water later this week. I've taken some sample water out of the pool and although it is fairly clear it has a slight tint to it.

I've had more of the cover off on the shallow end and can see the tiled effect on the side nearly all the way down... Can also see some debris lying on the floor of the pool. Pic...


Also found this which is about 1/3 full...


If I pour it in it can do no harm right? Will it even clear up the pool a little? Or is there no point? ( Pump is not running at the moment).

K2006-C has been ordered but I won't get it until towards end of the month.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply