What Do I need to Empty My Pool?

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VegasPoolRat

VegasPoolRat

0
May 28, 2010
15
Fabulous Las Vegas
Just because I'm a nerd and I would do things differently now, I want empty my pool and start again using liquid chlorine (instead of this horrible trichlor), and some borates (just for fun) and more controlled set amount of CYA.

I know this is a basic question, but what kind of pump do I need to do this myself, and where do you normally buy them? What would a good prosumer brand be?

Also, my pool has been in operation for a year now. Is it safe on plaster to empty and refill it right away?

Picture of pool attached, since I heard you guys like pics. :)
 
I'll let the experts weigh in regarding the effects on plaster, but nothing I see in your post makes me think draining is the right way to go for you. Do you have a good test kit? If so, please post some numbers (FC, CC, TC, pH, TA, CH and CYA). If you don't have a good test kit that can give you all those readings, 1) I'd suggest ordering one, 2) number from a pool store are a good start.

It very well may be that with using triclor pucks you need to at least do a partial drain and refill to get CYA down to a manageable level, but I would let the numbers decide that rather than just assuming I needed to drain the whole thing. Did I miss something else that makes you want to drain the pool?
 
ditto to loughps...a little quicker on the trigger than me...

You have a beautiful pool!

There is no reason for you to completely drain you pool. What is your CYA level? You really only need to drain and fill enough to your CYA down to 50-60. Given the intensity of the sun in Vegas, keeping it a little high isn't terrible.

After you get your CYA where you want it you can add the borates.
 
waste said:
Welcome to TFP!!

Am I the only one who came up with the answer "A GAPING HOLE IN THE FLOOR WILL DO THE JOB"?

Just trying to be funny - please listen to the others sage advice!
Click to expand...

No. I'm in a mood tonight where I was thinking a very sharp shovel or disconnect the skimmer pipes/hose/whatever...
 
Ohhhhh prettty!!!!!! Nice pool!!! Don't empty - just get on the right track and let me come over too - ohhhh prettty!!!
 
First, thank you very much for being so willing to help, I appreciate it. I have a really good Taylor service kit I ordered directly from them that I use more often than I really need to, but I couldn't get numbers today due to some pesky clients who just don't understand my priorities.

Part of it is just my personality. I'm going to replace all of the filters (cartridge and mineral) and I want to have the cleanest water possible when I change them. The other issue is that my water has gotten just a little bit 'dusty.' Not so much that anyone else thinks its anything but crystal clear, but when I use my swim mask underwater, I can see a lot of tiny debris when the water is backlit by the sun that wasn't there last summer.

Given that no one thinks its a great idea (pending test results) to drain the pool, is there an alternative plan of attack that would make the water as clean and clear (no pun intended) as possible? Maybe some combination of shocking, oxidizers and/or clarifiers that would pretty much obliterate everything?

Basically, regardless of necessity, I would like to either replace the water or perform some kind of chemical blitzkrieg on it before I swap in the new filters. I'll post test results tomorrow. I also added a little sig with all my swag so I can be more like the cool kids.
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12K gallon 8' in-ground Hef-style mini-grotto - Pentair IntelliFlo VS-3050 - Pentair Clean & Clear Plus 520 - Pentair MasterTemp 400BTU Heater - UltraPure Oxidizer - Nature2 ProG Mineral Filter - Pentair 320 Chlorine Feeder - A&A In-Floor Max - Pentair Intellitouch i7+3 w/ Mobi and iPhone/PC ScreenLogic - IntelliBrite Color LED x 3
 
Hey, it your pool, you can do what you want. However, replacing all of the water is a waste of time and a risk to the pool unless there is something actually wrong that requires water replacement. A little dust in the water just means that the filter isn't working as well as it might be. Replacing the water will fix that for a few days at best and then you will be right back to where you are now, assuming nothing goes wrong, which could easily happen.
 

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Get rid of the mineral pack in the Nature 2 thingy. Do not put any more pucks in the inline chlorinator. Make sure your cartridge is clean and run the pump on low speed 24/7. The rest of the advice comes after the test results!
 
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