Completely new to pool care.

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L

liphil

0
Mar 18, 2017
19
Gallatin, TN
Greetings,

I have been looking over this site for about two days now and it's been very informative. However I haven't been able to find answers to a few questions. Here is the situation. We closed on our house with pool this past December. I have never cared for a pool. The previous owners were not very accommodating a left only a pole with a skimmer on it. Realtor told us it was a salt water pool and was installed summer of 2015 by Family Leisure here in Nashville. They supposedly also closed the pool. Looking through this site I now know that it is not a salt water pool but has a perma salt system. I already gather that's not what I want. So my main question right now is can I just not plug in the perma salt device and care for the pool as recommended on TFP or do I have to have the device removed? Moving forward how do I go about opening the pool? Drop in a hose and fill to midway to top of skimmers fire up the pump and start working on the water chemistry? Or do I need to know the test results before I start the pump? I ordered a TF-100 text kit today. Also I could use some recommendations on what I need equipment wise for maintenance (vacuums, hoses, robots). That said, I don't know what I don't know so what else should I do given that I was not the person who closed the pool? Here is what I have been able to gather as to the pools apparatus.

18' X 36' IG vinyl, 28.4K gal, 1.5 HP Hayward pump model# C48D43A04, Hayward sand filter model# S270T(which seems to be missing a pressure gauge and in the recirculate position when I found it.)

Thank you in advance for the help.

Phil
 
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Just don't plug in Mr. Perma Salt or feed the beast. That filter is gonna leak with no gauge installed. Good ones on TFTestkits.net as well. THEN fill it up and test circulation. THEN we'll get it up to speed chemical wise. Welcome!.......(just ordered one of their filter pressure gauges myself.)
 
HI Phil, welcome to TFP :)

Your first step......you passed with flying colors by ordering a TF-100.

I'm not sure I can answer your questions about opening and the permanent salt system but someone who knows more than me should chime in. I live in a climate that allows me to never close my pool, so I'm unsure on some details of opening and closing. The only thing that comes to mind that you wouldn't want to overlook is that anti freeze could have been added to the plumbing to prevent freezing.

I would look into removing the permanent salt system if possible.

Please feel free to ask all the questions you want.
 
Thanks for the reply woodyp,
So I can just install a gauge (which I ordered today) fill the pool and start everything up? My concern is I'm not sure how to fire everything up correctly. Do I just flip a switch or is there more to it than that? Found this article on opening an agp and it mentions checking sand levels in the filter and "If using a sand filter, carefully add water to filter prior to attaching muti-port gasket." Does this only apply to agp or do I need to research on how to do this? Not to mention how to find a multi-port gasket and go about attaching it. :(

Thanks again,
Phil

woodyp said:
Just don't plug in Mr. Perma Salt or feed the beast. That filter is gonna leak with no gauge installed. Good ones on TFTestkits.net as well. THEN fill it up and test circulation. THEN we'll get it up to speed chemical wise. Welcome!
Click to expand...
 
Do you have a timer the pump plugs into or does the pump cord go straight to an outlet. Pics will help us help you. I wouldn't fool with opening a sand filter just installed 2 years ago max.
 
Just a word of caution, permasalt is a copper based system. As such there is probably already some in your water. Keep an eye out for any blue staining and it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep your pH on the lower end of the range. Luckily with a vinyl liner it won't be as susceptible to staining as other surfaces would be, but if anyone swimming has blonde hair they might notice a green tinge. As long as you don't turn the device on it shouldn't put any more copper in your water.

Don't worry, just being on this site and getting the test kit means you are on the right path. Might seem like an information overload at first but it is not as difficult as it initially feels like. Welcome to TFP!
 

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woodyp - Ok. Now this may be beyond the scope of this forum but what is the order of starting to circulate the system? First open those valves then turn on pump, vice-versa? What about sand filter? Is there somewhere I can go for a step by step guide to how to go from closed to running? Having never done this I have no idea where to start and what to do next.

Thanks,
Phil
 
Do you know for certain that gizmo plugs haven't been put into the skimmer lines? What about antifreeze? Is there a drain plug at the bottom of the sand filter that needs to be returned to place before you put it in to service? Is the water level high enough to not suck air in the skimers when you turn things on?

Don't start anything up until you inspect the skimmers and other areas for things like that.

Yip :flower:
 
Ok thanks to some further searching around I think I have a basic understanding of what's involved in getting things going. I have to get the cover off and fill the pool to halfway of skimmers. Then remove any plugs I find in skimmer lines. How do I know if there is anti-freeze in the system and what do I do about it? After watching a pool opening video on SwimUniversity I found that the plugs and gauge were stored in the pump basket. Should I put teflon tape on all the plug threads before replacing them? Prime the pump by filling with water. When starting the pump do I want to be pulling water just from the skimmers or floor drain or both and what should my filter be set to, recirculate? I see three lines coming into the pump so is it safe to assume that two are for skimmers and one for floor? Also there are two lines going out. One for wall jets one for waterfall? Nothing is labeled so I may have to find out by opening and closing lines to find out. Speaking of the waterfall, are there any special considerations for this? First off do I need to move some of these fake rocks around to try and find possible plugs to whatever is providing water to the waterfall? I guess most of my concerns are with the physical aspect of the pool right now. I don't want to wreck any of the plumbing and have to replace pumps, filters or any other breakable parts.
Again, thank you for all the assistance.
Phil
 
2 or 3 wraps of teflon tape on the pressure gauge for sure. I don't think the plugs for the filter or pump ever have any on them to start--but maybe a small gasket? Your multiport valve should be set to "filter". Recirculate bypasses any filter cleaning. I'd start with just the two skimmers on first to see if everything is ok. You can mix the floor drain in later if U like.
 
Well uncovered pool today. Not bad. Some leaves on the bottom that I raked out. Water is cloudy and some dirt on bottom. While pool was filling I removed the plugs from the jets and gizmos from two skimmers. Doesn't seem to be anything plugging up the pipe for the waterfall. Once pool was full I replaced two plugs at the bottom of the pump and one on the filter as well as the gauge. Filled pump with water opened all the valves and set the filter to the "filter" position. Turned on the pump and waited. After about a minute didn't see anything happening in the pool. No water out of jets or waterfall, no suction at the skimmers, and no pressure reading at the filter. Shut off pump and it's still full of water. Is there supposed to be a wing nut holding a piece of plastic over the line that runs directly into pump or does that need to be removed. Also in the skimmers there's what looks like a round plug with a square knob on top. Does that need to be removed? Otherwise I do t know what I'm missing.
 
Ok so now everything seems to be working. Water is around 53 degrees and the filter gauge is showing about 10 to 11 psi. I am hoping that the filter was backwashed at closing last year and that I can use this as my base reading. Now I am just awaiting my test kit. Should be here Thursday. Until then should I leave the pump on or am I just wasting electricity? Ordered a vacuum head, 30' hose , and a vinyl liner brush. Anything else I will need to get this pool up and running?
 

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