Greetings!
I am a father of three, in my second year of owning and maintaining (with middling results) a safe swimming environment for my kiddos in our above-ground pool.
I failed to properly close our pool last year (no cover, and never skimmed it after we took the pump off) and ended up with a soupy green mess at the bottom of the pool that I did not properly drain when I went to re-open it. I mucked out what I thought was most of the organic material and filled the thing up. (June 17th) It took me about a month of trying to level the chemicals out, and we upgraded to a much better sand filter after a few weeks of maddeningly changing the cartridges in the manufacturer-provided pump. I finally discovered the SLAM method after desperately searching Reddit, and that seems to have worked.
Now, the chemicals seem well balanced, but there is still a thin layer of what looks like sand sitting at the bottom that my vacuum just can't seem to get up in any meaningful amount. Otherwise, the water is clear and I can finally see to the bottom.
The kids have gotten in it a couple of times, and when they do, it kicks up all the debris and turns the water grey.
We've got probably another 50-60 days of swimming weather here in New Mexico, but I am wondering what, if anything, I can do to get the last of the dirt out before it's time to close things down again (with a cover this time).
Thanks, everyone, I look forward to learning from y'all - this website would have been a lifesaver before the season started.
I am a father of three, in my second year of owning and maintaining (with middling results) a safe swimming environment for my kiddos in our above-ground pool.
I failed to properly close our pool last year (no cover, and never skimmed it after we took the pump off) and ended up with a soupy green mess at the bottom of the pool that I did not properly drain when I went to re-open it. I mucked out what I thought was most of the organic material and filled the thing up. (June 17th) It took me about a month of trying to level the chemicals out, and we upgraded to a much better sand filter after a few weeks of maddeningly changing the cartridges in the manufacturer-provided pump. I finally discovered the SLAM method after desperately searching Reddit, and that seems to have worked.
Now, the chemicals seem well balanced, but there is still a thin layer of what looks like sand sitting at the bottom that my vacuum just can't seem to get up in any meaningful amount. Otherwise, the water is clear and I can finally see to the bottom.
The kids have gotten in it a couple of times, and when they do, it kicks up all the debris and turns the water grey.
We've got probably another 50-60 days of swimming weather here in New Mexico, but I am wondering what, if anything, I can do to get the last of the dirt out before it's time to close things down again (with a cover this time).
Thanks, everyone, I look forward to learning from y'all - this website would have been a lifesaver before the season started.
