What do I do - 2 old pools?

[a little help?]

Hi folks.
Jsut bought a new property, moved in with the family.

It has 2 pools (one of the reasons for purchasing this place).
1 is a little shallow pool for the kids,
the other is a bigger pool.

Both are currently empty.

Do I need to clean them before I fill them with water?
Do I need to put anything in the water - or will it be okay with just water from the outside faucet?
If water isn't enough - what should I be putting in with it?
Can I use salt?
Should I use Bleach?
How much (of either) should I use, and how do I know when it's right?
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There are some funny marks on the bottom of the little pool - do I need to clean them first?
What would I use to clean it?
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The bigger pool is tiled, and a few of them have tiny cracks in - is that a problem?
Do I need to clean the tiles too?
If so - what do I need to clean them with?
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Thanx for the help folks.
Edited to remove excess white space. JasonLion

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

Some photos would help us ID the marks and the severity of the cracks.
Read Pool School, and that will answer all your questions and more! You will probably need to read it more than once.

Water from the tap is just fine, but you will have to add bleach soon, and also get the other parameters in balance. Get a test kit asap, check out the link for TFtestkits in my signature.

and Welcome to TFP!!

 

[a little help?]

What links?

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The marks on the little pool are kind of light tan/beige, and in little clumps (about coin sized).
No lumps/bumps on them, no cracks.
They kind of look like someone spilt coffee?

So can I clean them with anything - or do I have to go and get some special (expensive?) pool cleaning detergent?

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The little pool is approx. 4m by 3m + 0.5m at the deepest end, and a mere 0.05m at the shallowest.
The big pool is approx 8m by 15m + 2m at the deepest end, and 0.3m at the shallowest.
Can you not just tell me the quantities bsaed on that ... and what other parameters do I need?

---

Where do I get a test kit from?
Is there a special type or brand I should be looking for?

---

Please - don't make this more difficult/frustrating than it already is.

 

[PaulR]

What links?

If you look at the bottom of The Mermaid Queen's post you should see a line starting with "Handy links:" those are the links she mentioned.

The little pool is approx. 4m by 3m + 0.5m at the deepest end, and a mere 0.05m at the shallowest.
The big pool is approx 8m by 15m + 2m at the deepest end, and 0.3m at the shallowest.
Can you not just tell me the quantities bsaed on that ... and what other parameters do I need?

So the little pool is perhaps 3 cubic meters (4m x 3m=12m², average depth .25m) or 3000 liters. For the big pool, I get around 140k liters. These are very rough guesses, of course, ideally you would note the readings on your water meter when you fill the pools and have a much better idea of their true volume.

Where do I get a test kit from?
Is there a special type or brand I should be looking for?

One of the links mentioned previously is for "TF-100 Test Kits" which is an excellent kit, many of us here use that kit (including me).

Please - don't make this more difficult/frustrating than it already is.

I'm sure the whole prospect is a little intimidating. We are perfectly willing to answer questions and help you understand how you can manage your pools. There is a lot of good information here, particularly if you look on the upper right of this page for the big button labeled "Pool School". There are a pile of articles there specifically intended to help you out. It's a lot to absorb all at once, try to take it a bit at a time.
--paulr

 

[zea3]

If you look at the bottom of Mermaid Queen's message you will see this line
Handy Links: Jason's Calculator, TF-100 Test Kit, Pool School, CYA-Chlorine Chart
Only in her message they are underlined. You can click on pool school there, or you can look on the upper right hand corner of the home page and click on the oval with "pool school" written on it.

The best test kits have an FAS-DPD drop test to measure chlorine. They are the easiest to read and give very reliable results. A Taylor K2006 would be a good choice if you live outside of the United States. It also contains the other tests you will need. The TF 100 is very good but I don't know if they can ship outside the U.S.

Are the pools rectangular in shape? We need to figure out the volume of your pools in order to tell you how much chlorine you will need. If you could post a picture of the pools and the pump and filter that would be helpful too.

As for the stains, I don't want to give you the wrong information. Since the pool is empty you could try and clean one of the spots with some diluted bleach and see if it lightens the stain any. Try 1 part bleach to 3 parts water and scrub with a nylon brush. If it doesn't seem to lighten any try soaking a rag with the bleach and water solution and leaving it on one of the spots overnight to see if the stain lightens.

We ask a lot of questions so we can better understand the situation. If anything we say doesn't make sense then feel free to ask for more information. I know it seems overwhelming at first, but it will get easier over time. This is where P.O.P (pool owner patience) kicks in! Welcome to TFP and good luck with the new home and pools!

p.s. and sometimes we answer questions at the same time!