Hi I am Missy from Ozark, MO. This is our 7th season to have our 30 some-odd year old cement pool..and the first year not to have the pool guys take care of opening it. We decided it would save a whole lot to just go buy the chemicals we usually use and then have the pool guys tell us what to do to open. The guy who helped us actually helped build our pool back in the early to mid 70s..so it is kind of interesting to talk to him. Anyway, he told us what plugs to put in where..what to dump in after we finished draining and refilling it..and a pool sample bottle for them to test for us.
So after spending around $300 on the usual supplies (but minus the usual pool opening service) we came home and did all the hard work ourselves.
1.Pumped the water off the slimy, froggy, leaf covered winter cover.
2. pulled off the water filled weights (also slimy and nasty)..drained them and rolled them up
3.Spread the cover out in the driveway and used the pool brush and the hose to clean off the slime..allowed it to dry in the sun, turned it over, left overnight, rolled up the next day, loaded on the golf cart and stored in the barn.
4.Pumped out all the slimy green water, scooped all the sludge out into the compost pile, tossed the frogs out.. and power washed the pool until clean.
5.Currently refilling with hard well water..looks cloudy and sort of whitish.
Found this forum yesterday after learning from a fellow pool-owner that she is going to use bleach and baking soda this year instead of expensive pool chemicals..wow..I guess we spent too much again! Wondering now if I can return the lithium-hypo shock and the chlorine tablets we bought...Anyway next year we will try the bleach for sure!
After reading basic info in the pool school, I see that I should test before adding anything..and my testing has really only consisted of chlorine and ph b/c I never did understand the rest of it.. I have ordered the suggested kit and should get it within a week..until then I will be using the old test kit.
Basic question. Since the water is new is it ok to add chlorine before testing since it will need it anyway? I have two 4# tubs of stabilizer too..should I get that in there? The pool store had us get an "opening kit" which has Metal Free and Phos Free..said to dump both bottles in after it is filled.
Maybe I should say too that our temps here in the Missouri Ozarks are mid-80s and humid. Nights are running mid to upper 60s.
The thing is, I don't have anything to test for the CYA so I thought I would drive a sample to the pool store tomorrow morning. Think I should leave chemicals out until then?
Thanks for the help and I am so glad to find you here!
So after spending around $300 on the usual supplies (but minus the usual pool opening service) we came home and did all the hard work ourselves.
1.Pumped the water off the slimy, froggy, leaf covered winter cover.
2. pulled off the water filled weights (also slimy and nasty)..drained them and rolled them up
3.Spread the cover out in the driveway and used the pool brush and the hose to clean off the slime..allowed it to dry in the sun, turned it over, left overnight, rolled up the next day, loaded on the golf cart and stored in the barn.
4.Pumped out all the slimy green water, scooped all the sludge out into the compost pile, tossed the frogs out.. and power washed the pool until clean.
5.Currently refilling with hard well water..looks cloudy and sort of whitish.
Found this forum yesterday after learning from a fellow pool-owner that she is going to use bleach and baking soda this year instead of expensive pool chemicals..wow..I guess we spent too much again! Wondering now if I can return the lithium-hypo shock and the chlorine tablets we bought...Anyway next year we will try the bleach for sure!
After reading basic info in the pool school, I see that I should test before adding anything..and my testing has really only consisted of chlorine and ph b/c I never did understand the rest of it.. I have ordered the suggested kit and should get it within a week..until then I will be using the old test kit.
Basic question. Since the water is new is it ok to add chlorine before testing since it will need it anyway? I have two 4# tubs of stabilizer too..should I get that in there? The pool store had us get an "opening kit" which has Metal Free and Phos Free..said to dump both bottles in after it is filled.
Maybe I should say too that our temps here in the Missouri Ozarks are mid-80s and humid. Nights are running mid to upper 60s.
The thing is, I don't have anything to test for the CYA so I thought I would drive a sample to the pool store tomorrow morning. Think I should leave chemicals out until then?
Thanks for the help and I am so glad to find you here!
