Filling AGP - Too Fast??

[pool4me]

Hey everyone.

Can't wait for the "new pool season". (Finally starting to warm up here in PA). It's been years since I've had a pool. This year I will be installing a 15 x 33 x 54" AGP. I had a (hopefully not too stupid) question.

Our current home is on Well Water. A few of our neighbors have concrete IGP's and instead of taking the time to fill the pools from the wells, they usually use a company to deliver the water. For the convenience, the cost is pretty reasonable and saves a bit of time compared to filling up over the span of a few days.

My questions is this:

As I install the new liner, (It's a beaded liner), I was planning on filling appx 12 inches of water, make sure there are "no" wrinkles and make sure the liner is seating properly.


I plan to have the company deliver the water (usually in 2 truckloads) and have them scheduled for the same day the liner goes in.

Should I fill more than 12 inches before calling for water?

I may be on the wrong track , but I'm just not sure how fast the water is filled from these trucks and I'd like to get some opinions. Is is possible to fill "too fast" or anything else I should know?

Should I add more water before calling for water delivery?

Because one side of my pool is going to be close to a concrete retaining wall on one side, It will be very easy to "shore up / stabilize" during the filling process. I also plan on making sure the "remainder" of the pool wall is supported during this process. (I've been reading what others have done and I've seen some of the posts of the bad things that can happen with wind, etc when replacing liners on AGP's so I would (of course) like to take my time and make sure I don't have walls cave in etc.

I've been studying this site since October preparing and getting myself back up to speed as it's been many years since I've had a pool.

I'm just trying to plan ahead. Any tips would be a huge help.

 

[Casey]

If you fill up, make sure the liner is nice and hot from the sun to help it stretch into place. I've read that beaded liners can be a PITA. JMO...

So my tip to you would be wait for a nice, warm, sunny day.

Good luck with your install! We like lots of pics!

 

[cubbybeave08]

Pool guy last year after installing AGP told me it is best to let the water fill pool over the course of two days...slowly...you should put in at least 12 to 15 inches first and formost. Then what he did is he had a shop vac blower blowing air around the liner and the pool walls while it filled for the first day until it got to about two feet deep, then he came back and shut it off. Then I let the pool fill the rest of the way over the next two days...he said this allows the liner the maximum time to stretch...if you use a truck and it fills on the same day...you might stretch it too quick which could cause problems...This is a guy that has 15 years of building experience...so I did what he told me to do...My liner doesn't have one wrinkle in it.

 

[pool4me]

Hey!

Thanks for the tips.

I will be waiting for a warm day that's for sure. It seems that I should at least wait for about 75 degrees + for the liner install from what I read.

I never really thought about filling to fast vs the liner stretch. Perhaps I should reconsider and just fill up from my well over a few days??

I was just trying to avoid actually having to fill too slow and risk a wall collapse etc..

I will definately take lots of pics.

Due to the terrain of my back yard (5 acres on the top of a hill), my deck will be "surrounding" my AGP so it will appear to be at deck level (Lower level of a 2 level deck). I've been looking on this site as well as other sites and people have done some really nice work on similar installs.

 

[duraleigh]

If you use your well (and it sounds like that would be helpful) be very aware of the iron content in the water. Well water pools in many areas of the country suffer from iron stains.

Your part of the country may be just fine but you can search this forum for other instances of excess iron content in pool water........it's very tough to deal with and you can't get it out.

If the iron is high, you can maybe do a small fill with the well to get your liner right and then finish up with trucked-in water. :lol:

 

[pool4me]

Thanks for the input.

We've been lucky. (At least we have here) that the Iron count in our water does not even "register" on our water tests.

I have heard (as you mention) many areas with elevated Iron Levels that can be very difficult when it comes to a pool. Even a few neighbors that have filled up on wells (appx 25,000 gallons) have not had issues with a "full fill" right from the well.

Good point though. You never know how water will vary from one well to the next.

 

[Soda_fountain]

Just a note to those with iron in their water. I have taken a whole house filter casing and put a very fine micron filter in it. I have garden hose fittings on each side. When ever I need to top off the pool, I run it through this. I have not had many issues. About once a summer, I put iron out in, just to be safe

 

[pool4me]

That's a great idea with the hose fittings on the filter. I never really thought about that but for the minimal cost, that would be a great way to play it safe when filling up from a well.

I'll keep that in mind. Even though our iron count is low, you never know what other metals / junk may be in there. Couldn't hurt to use a filter just for the heck of it. Cheap insurance.

 

[Guest]

Just a note to those with iron in their water. I have taken a whole house filter casing and put a very fine micron filter in it. I have garden hose fittings on each side. When ever I need to top off the pool, I run it through this. I have not had many issues. About once a summer, I put iron out in, just to be safe

There is often a lot of confusion about what form metals take when they are present in our water. The most common form is as ions dissolved in the water and not as suspended particles. When iron is present as particles (of iron oxide or rust) the water will have an opaque brown color. When iron is dissolved the water can be clear, yellow or brown, depending on the concentration and the oxidation state of the ions. Often the water will look green if the pool has a blue liner or finish (yellow and blue = green) Copper can also color the water green but the water will actually be green and not just look green from the combination of blue pool and yellow water. Manganese, the other common metal in water, can make the water pink to purple. Calcium is also a metal but it imparts no color to the water when oxidized.

A micron filter can remove suspended iron particles in the water but will have no effect on iron ions (dissolved iron), which are often the problem, which cannot be filtered out by mechanical means, and which will precipitate out of the water once chlorine is added or cause the water to turn yellow to brown!
Using a sequesterant on a regular basis WILL prevent problems from the dissolved iron, however. For iron I have found that Jack's Magic Pink Stuff and Proteam Metal Magic to be very effective. Mbar, another one of our members who is very experienced in treating iron staining and is our resident iron stain expert has also had good results from Sequasol.

You don't say exactly what type of iron problem you have or whether you ever tested your water for dissolved iron. In any case the sequesterant you are adding is probably having more effect at keeping the iron under control than the filter, unless you have a lot of suspended rust (oxzidized iron) in your source water.

Areas with high iron problems often use what is called a 'green sand' filter. This is actually an ion exchange resin that is specific for iron. The operation is similar to a water softener, which uses a ion exchange resin specific for calcium and magnesium (and to a much lesser extent, iron and other metals).

For filling pools and spas there is a device called a 'fill stick' that attaches to the end of a garden hose. It includes a micron filter and a 'green sand' filter. However, it is not an inexpensive device. Last time I checked they were around $70 and once they are used up they have to be thrown away since there is no easy way to regenerate the ion exchange resin in them. They are very effective if you do have an iron problem.

 

[Guest]

That's a great idea with the hose fittings on the filter. I never really thought about that but for the minimal cost, that would be a great way to play it safe when filling up from a well.

I'll keep that in mind. Even though our iron count is low, you never know what other metals / junk may be in there. Couldn't hurt to use a filter just for the heck of it. Cheap insurance.

Unless the metals are suspended in the water it will not do any good and is an unneeded expense.

The money would be better spent on a good sequesterant to add on a regular basis if you have a metal problem.

 

[PaulR]

A micron filter can remove suspended iron particles in the water but will have no effect on iron ions (dissolved iron), which are often the problem, which cannot be filtered out by mechanical means, and which will precipitate out of the water once chlorine is added or cause the water to turn yellow to brown!

That brings me back.... my chemical-engineer DIY dad had this whole lashup for adding water: hook the garden hose to one tank with a pile of chlorine tabs in it, which was hooked to a second tank that's basically a homemade sand filter, and from there into the regular pool plumbing. I remember he said it was to get the iron out. Salvaged the tanks from who knows where, the whole setup probably cost next to nothing.
--paulr

 

[Shelley N]

Beave,

I bet that shop vac was sucking air out from behind the liner, not blowing air in.

 

[NWMNMom]

A good sequesterant is worth its weight in gold if you have to fill or top off with well water. We have both suspended and dissolved metals in our water and using the filter/sequesterant combo we always have crystal clear water. Without - we chocolate water.