New (old) house, new (old) pool

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Leaving the barbed fitting on the multi-port valve alone and open when not using backwash is fine. No water should come out there unless you are in backwash or pump to waste modes on the valve.

It is well past time that filter was cleaned out. That white sandy stuff is excess DE and should be cleaned off. The tube with a sock on it is probably an air vent to help get all of the air out of the filter after it is closed back up. The nuts look pretty bad. You can order a new set of rods and nuts from a pool parts place.

The liner has pulled out of the track. It can be gotten back in with a fair bit of effort and a nice warm sunny day. That kind of thing happens sometimes. It is annoying, but fixable.

Black water is not a good sign. It will probably take a while to clean up. That also suggests that the cover was put on long after they stopped maintaing the pool.

The water level being high is not a big deal. A little water back there is not a problem. Anything below ground level is assumed to get wet at some point.
 
Jason - Good to hear about the liner being fixable! I had visions of thousands of $ going toward a new liner. I suppose that is still a possibility but will keep fingers crossed.

Ok, so black water is bad. I figured as much... and you are probably exactly right. They probably stopped taking care of it and then eventually covered it either to sell or so they didn't have to look at it.

So with black water and a liner that is pulled out in at least one spot, would it make sense then to just go ahead and drain the pool (mostly), fix any liner issues, and then fill with new clean water?

Couldn't I rent a submersible pump from Home Depot and just drain it myself over a few days?
 
Only drain the pool if you are planning to replace the liner. A new liner can survive a drain and refill, but an older liner usually won't. You can drain two or two and a half feed of water if you want. I'm not sure that would help though.

The next big question is how much debris is on the bottom of the pool. When you have a chance, use a leaf rake and pole and see how easy it is to scoop things up from the bottom of the pool.
 
Jason - I actually did stick a pole with leaf net on it at the bottom of the deep end and scraped around. I pulled up some bits of "slime" - not sure what else to call it. But it was only a few little loose pieces, most of the net was clean. Now I'm not sure how accurate of an assessment that is for the rest of the pool, but it leaves me somewhat hopeful.
 
just a couple of quick notes here, the waste/backwash outlet should not need any cap, if it leaks you have a seal problem in the valve assembly. I will let someone that knows more about your model DE filter comment on where to go next, as to the liner don't worry yet, it is common for small sections to come loose, they generally can be easily fixed, if you have water behind the liner it may be possible to vacuum it out, wait and cross these bridges when you come to them, as long as you don't find any large rips in the liner it should be easy enough to fix.

Ike.

p.s. you can use your pool pump set to waste to drain the pool some, but you probably want to get that drain hose first, if you have a side skimmer only you can drain down to that point, if your careful you can plug a vacuum hose into the skimmer and drain the water lower. As Jason says don't risk draining a vinyl liner pool all the way unless you have to. best bet is drain 2 or so feet leaving some water in the shallow end to weigh down the liner. I don't know if you have one nearby, but tractor supply sells those roll up water outlet hoses fairly cheap.
 
So it looks like someone backwashed your DE filter before they stopped using the pool. Had they just abandoned it all the grids would be absolutely covered in DE and filth - the DE on top of the assembly never gets washed away completely. So that's pretty good. The downside is since there was no water in the filter everything metal in there rusted.

It's hard to tell if any of the grids are damaged when they are still in the filter - but it looks to be in pretty good shape.

My guess is your system was fairly well taken care of. It looks like it was properly winterized several years ago and then hard times fell on the previous owners - so the pool remained closed for how ever many years.

Honestly if it were me - I wouldn't take it apart any further at this point. You can hose it all off, put the lid back on (lube the big o-ring around it), load it with DE and use it. The problem with taking the grids out is that rusted bolt and nut assembly. You may very well end up breaking it trying to get the nut off - and there is no need to do it.

Taking the grids in and out isn't particularly difficult if you take your time with it. The nut comes off - that white plastic assembly on top just pulls off and then all the grids are separate at that point. There are little grooves in the bottom of the filter that the grids sit in to keep them aligned - but they aren't attached in any other way.

But again - with such a rusted nut and so much evidence of a well maintained system I wouldn't take it apart.
 
More updates. Pulled the entire pool cover off (alone) and didn't see any other areas where the liner had popped out. Barring any tears or holes, I'm hopeful the liner is in decent shape.

Lightingguy - I took your advice, pulled the grid assembly out and hosed it down really well then put it back in. From what I could tell the grids were in really good shape. Need to buy DE material now. Will search the forums for the best/cheapest place to buy.

Isaac - Turned on everything and had a leak at the waste outlet and at the DE filter where the cap meets the base. When I put the DE filter back together I lubed the o-ring and am hopeful that the leaks will stop. But as for the waste outlet... the leak wasn't a torrent, but it wasn't just a drip either. Can I just unscrew the valve assembly and open it up to check the seals?

Found a waste water hose so I just need to grab a new hose clamp at Home Depot. Another thing though is after I ran the system for a few minutes, I turned it off, purged the DE filter, and then opened the drain at the bottom so that I could pull the grid assembly to clean. But when that drain opens, there is a ton of water that comes out, and I hate having it sit right there against the house. Not sure how I could direct that away from the house though because the drain is just a screw on cap at the bottom. Wish it had a valve so I could connect the discharge hose to it.

Water was definitely black with the entire cover off. I did some more netting and some spots came up with a net full of leaves while others had nothing, but I think in general there is quite a bit of material at the bottom. I put the cover back on for now (wow that was tough to do alone) until I have everything I need to start shocking the water. TF-100 is inbound, need to get smart on where to buy chlorine, DE and any other chemicals I need. Off to Pool School.
 
Good to hear the filter is in good shape. DE is one of those things that sometimes makes sense to get at the local pool store. If your local HD or lowes has a pool section you might find it there. You'll probably end up using quite a bit since your pool is so dirty - but once it's clean you should only need to backwash/reload your DE filter once/twice a season. My pool is open year round and I do mine twice a year.

There's a gasket in your multiport called a spider gasket. Sometimes the mechanism can get caught on it and cause the valve to leak out the waste port. If you turn the pump off and reset the multiport you may get lucky (push the handle down, give it a good spin and set it back to circulate or filter).

If the leak remains or gets worse - most likely the spider gasket is bad and needs to be replaced.
 
lightingguy - thanks for that info! Will try to reset the valve or if need be, open it up and check that gasket.

So I need to figure out how much DE I need exactly, which means figuring out the size of the pool. I went and measured the length and width but didn't get depths as I forgot when I had the cover off. Not going to open that up again until I'm ready to shock.



So I looked around online and judging from what I remember sticking the pole down in the deep end, I'm thinking it is probably 8' or so there (they had a diving board if that helps). Then the shallow end is probably... 3' maybe? Are those safe assumptions until I get the cover off?

Using the calculator with 16 1/2' by 34' by 5.5' (average depth) I get 23100 gallons. I also don't know how the stairs or the corners affect the size... as the pool is basically an octagon with stairs on one corner. I figure the stairs add some, the corners cut some off and maybe I'm close to breaking even by ignoring them?
 

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You appear to be the proud owner of a FNS 60 - a 60 sq ft filter. I can't see a model number on the filter from the pics - so it could very well be a 48 sqft filter - so look for a model number.

The rule of thumb is 1lb of DE per 10 sqft of filter. Any pool store will have DE scoops for measuring DE. Mine happens to be a 1/2 pound scoop.

If the filter is still leaking you may need to tighten that spring latch some more. I've also had trouble needing to lube the o-ring more generously - or lube the bottom side of the o-ring.
 
Look back at the picture you posted of your filter. Note how tight the band clamp is around the middle of the filter. The gap where the ends come together looks like maybe 1/4-1/2" wide. Now go look at the filter and see if you tightened the band as tight as it was before.
The sticker on the filter looks like it is in good shape, find the model number of the filter and match it to the filter size on the sticker. That will tell you how much DE you need. You will need a 1lb size coffee can or a DE scoop (available at most pool stores) to measure your DE. Call a couple of pool stores and hardware stores and ask how much for a 25 lb box of DE. Don't let them sell you any DE substitute at this point. It is more expensive and you will be cleaning the filter frequently until the worst of the algae is gone.
You can get a waste line adapter to attach the waste hose to the DE filter. I put a ball valve on the discharge side of the filter, and when I need to drain I take off the plug and screw in the waste line adapter and attach the waste hose, roll it out to where I want the water to go and open the ball valve. Before I got the ball valve cleaning the grids was a huge mess! If you decide to try this I can send more info.
 
lightingguy - right you are, FNS-60. Says I need 6lbs of DE material. Will stop by Leslie's to pick up a DE scoop. I tightened the spring latch until the springs touched as the instructions said... but hopefully the lube will help the o-ring get a good seal.

zea3 - Awesome idea about the waste line adapter. That is exactly what I want/need. I'm all about doing this right, and that means not draining gallons of water by the side of my house, particularly when I am going through the opening/shock process and I have to clean the filters fairly often. Any additional info you can provide would be helpful! I'll also try googling and see what I can come up with.
 
Team TTP

Two more quick questions:

1. Is it possible to add a timer to my setup? I don't have one currently but would like to add one if possible.

2. I plan to start the shock treatment next Sunday, but would it be worth running the pump and filter this week to start clearing out all of the debris? From what I read in Pool School (or another thread here) the leaves and junk in the pool are going to really reduce the effectiveness of the chlorine, so wouldn't I want to try to get rid of that stuff before I start treating the water?

As always, thanks for everyone's help and time!
 
I am assuming the opening for the filter drain is 1.5" and that it is threaded inside and outside and that you have about 6" of clearance between the ground and the filter drain. If the drain is over dirt you can dig out the needed clearance and replace the dirt when finished. If you are unable to get clearance you will need different pieces than what I describe here.
You will need a 3" long double male threaded section of pvc pipe, a double threaded female ball valve, a waste pipe adapter, rags or paper towels, and some teflon pipe dope. Make sure the valve turns off/on before installing. If it won't budge try tapping the sides with a rubber mallet a few times.

Go ahead and connect the waste hose to the adapter and place it beside the filter in easy reach. Have the hose stretched out to where you want the water to go.
Turn off pump and cut off water to the filter.
Bleed the air off the filter and take off the plug. Quickly hold or screw in the waste hose adapter until the filter is drained.
Unscrew waste hose adapter and move aside for now.
Clean out any DE residue from the filter drain.
Wipe inside of drain dry.
Liberally apply pipe dope to threads inside drain and on one end of the pvc pipe.
Screw the doped end of the pipe into the drain 1/4 turn past hand tight.
Apply pipe dope to the threads on the other end of the pipe and one end of the ball valve.
Screw the ball valve onto the pipe (doped ends together). Try to get the valve to end where the handle is either on top or to the side.
Allow the pieces to set about an hour before refilling the filter.
Turn ball valve off.
Check for leaks.
Screw cap into end of ball valve (no dope!)

When you are ready to drain again make sure the valve is off, take off the plug, screw in the adapter, clamp on the hose, and open the valve!
 
lambo said:
Team TTP

Two more quick questions:

1. Is it possible to add a timer to my setup? I don't have one currently but would like to add one if possible.
It should be pretty easy. We just need to find out what kind of timer you need. More experienced folks will ask about your electrical set up.

2. I plan to start the shock treatment next Sunday, but would it be worth running the pump and filter this week to start clearing out all of the debris? From what I read in Pool School (or another thread here) the leaves and junk in the pool are going to really reduce the effectiveness of the chlorine, so wouldn't I want to try to get rid of that stuff before I start treating the water?
Scoop out as much as you can then you can vacuum to waste. I would not run the filter until you are ready to kill the algae.

As always, thanks for everyone's help and time!
Click to expand...
 
zea3 - Awesome. I assume I can get all this at a hardware store? Does PVC pipe come in different threads like screws and bolts do or is it all standard?

Also, when you are just running the pump like normal, do you have the ball valve set to open or closed? I'm just curious if the ball valve can handle the pressurized water when it is closed or if you simply leave it open and let the cap do it's job.

And thanks for the answers as well. I need to do some more Pool School research to figure out what vacuuming is... how it works, what I need, etc. So much to learn still!
 
lightingguy - definitely a bad spider gasket.



I've spent a while on the Purex Triton website trying to identify the make/model of this valve to no avail. If anyone knows at a glance what it is, that would help in my search for a new spider gasket.

Thanks all!
 

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