Another house purchase that came with a pool - our first. Only in the house a few days, had the pool guys who did work on it a few years ago come to open it yesterday and then drain and clean it (it had not been taken care of in a year and had dark brown very smelly water full of acorns). A couple thousand dollars later, I am very frustrated, feel taken advantage of and am now trying to learn quickly. The pool guys were so condescending, implying that as a woman it was all too much for me to learn and take care of, but they'd be back soon to do it all. Now I want to learn it all overnight so I never have to call those guys again (whose company seems to dominate the pool market here). I've read the Pool School (thank you!) and the whole philosophy of pool care here seems right up my frugal, sensible alley, so sign me up! Now on to my questions:
Given the setup I've described below, is this the correct way to turn on the filter - 1) circuit breaker on for main pump, 2) multiport set to filter, 3) jandy valve 1 open (does it matter whether left or right?), 4) mechanical timer for main pump switched to on? Then for vacuuming up all the acorns falling into the new clean water -- 5) circuit breaker on for booster pump, 6) jandy valve 2 open, 7) mechanical timer for booster pump switched to on, 8) vacuum plate in filter basket on pool surround? Should that work or am I missing something? What should the pressure dial on the filter read if I have done it correctly? Do I need to do anything to prime the pump or get air out before I start?
Pool store test results today on the municipal water I just filled pool with were: FAC 2, TAC 2, pH 8+, TA 90, CH 140, CYA 20, Phosphates 300. They told me to shock the pool, add 11 lbs of hardener. After reading this site, I will happily return the chlorine tabs and hypochorite 73% and buy bleach instead. Sounds like I still need to adjust the water hardness and reduce the pH. Anything else I am missing?
Many thank yous to anyone who can offer assistance - I just so badly do not want to pay those pool guys again and if I had any friends with a pool I would ask, but sadly not - we are just moving from England where outdoor pools are almost non-existent.
Given the setup I've described below, is this the correct way to turn on the filter - 1) circuit breaker on for main pump, 2) multiport set to filter, 3) jandy valve 1 open (does it matter whether left or right?), 4) mechanical timer for main pump switched to on? Then for vacuuming up all the acorns falling into the new clean water -- 5) circuit breaker on for booster pump, 6) jandy valve 2 open, 7) mechanical timer for booster pump switched to on, 8) vacuum plate in filter basket on pool surround? Should that work or am I missing something? What should the pressure dial on the filter read if I have done it correctly? Do I need to do anything to prime the pump or get air out before I start?
Pool store test results today on the municipal water I just filled pool with were: FAC 2, TAC 2, pH 8+, TA 90, CH 140, CYA 20, Phosphates 300. They told me to shock the pool, add 11 lbs of hardener. After reading this site, I will happily return the chlorine tabs and hypochorite 73% and buy bleach instead. Sounds like I still need to adjust the water hardness and reduce the pH. Anything else I am missing?
Many thank yous to anyone who can offer assistance - I just so badly do not want to pay those pool guys again and if I had any friends with a pool I would ask, but sadly not - we are just moving from England where outdoor pools are almost non-existent.