Pool leaked during winter, green with white clumps

[digivan]

We bought a 16'x48" Intex Ultra Pool last year. We are in Texas so it was left up throughout the winter. We probably made all of the mistakes that new owners made. Although, I repeatedly discussed it with my husband, we did not cover it, did not unhook the pump or hoses, and did not drain the pool. We had more snowfall here in Texas than I've ever seen in February. We also had several days with freezing temperature. We think the pump may have frozen, water leaked from the hoses (we think). The pool lost water for a while, then I realized that the skimmer basket was floating in the pool, so I think it was slowling siphoning the water. It was still hooked up to the hose, but not the pump. Before we add more water and use the pump again, I want to make sure that the pump works and will not leak. Is there a way to do this? I was thinking about using a kiddie pool or something to see. We now have about 18" of green water with periodic clumps that look like oatmeal, and lots of bugs in there. My thoughts are to shock this water, then drain it to clean the bottom of the pool before adding more water. Can you give me anymore advice? There are also fire ants on the pump, will those damage it? We have a pump from a friend that has been housed inside. I'm not sure if it is strong enough for this pool or not. Otherwise we may have to look into a new pump/filter.

Thanks for any help you might give me.

 

[JasonLion]

You can test the pump with a garbage bin mostly full of water and two hoses.

Which pump do you have? I suggest a 1000 GPH or larger pump. The pump isn't as much of an issue as the filter. The Intex pumps are alright, but the Intex filters are terrible. A small sand filter is a really good upgrade.

A full drain and cleaning is a great idea, no need, or point, to shocking. Rinse everything off with water with a little bleach in it once it is clean.

 

[digivan]

Thanks for your reply. I looked at the old pump/filter in my garage and it is larger than the 635, model number on the box is 56631, pump #51 on the actual unit. It takes the B size filter. I can't get the lid off of the filter area. The only reason the friend who had it is not using it is that their pool was damaged. The pump is supposed to be okay. So, if I can get the top off to check it out I'm going to see if it will work. I may not even mess with the other pump.

 

[JasonLion]

The 56631 is 2000 GPH, while the 635 is 1,500 GPH.