New home owner that has never owned a pool.

[b3dw23]

Hello everyone!
I have been reading some great stuff here, but I have a few obvious questions I"m sure. I am ordering the TF-100 Test kit today so I don't have anything at the moment to test with. The water is looking slightly cloudy and green.

My first question is, does this BBB system work with a Chlorine based Sand filter pool? Somewhere I saw that it was meant for the Saline pools (pools that use salt water I think).

Next, how can I calculate the number of gallons in my pool? I see www.poolcalculator.com needs to know this to accurately gauge the chemicals.

The last question is can my pool be Concrete? I thought it was either plaster or fiberglass (those are the only types I have read about on this site that fit my pool. Definitely not vinyl). And if my pool is Concrete does that change anything?

My home was built in 1959 so it is pretty old, maybe they don't build pools using concrete anymore?

I appreciate any help you guys and I can't wait to get my pool under control with regular grocery story chemicals!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome.

It works great with chlorine that's what the whole premise is designed around. Salt pools are chlorine pools.

Tell us the shape and the depths and we can get close enough to work.

Your pool can certainly be concrete. It may be plaster coated or it may be painted or it could even be bare (but I doubt that).

Take a look at the construction builds, most all plaster pools use concrete in one form or another.

 

[b3dw23]

Welcome.

Tell us the shape and the depths and we can get close enough to work.

Your pool can certainly be concrete. It may be plaster coated or it may be painted or it could even be bare (but I doubt that).

Take a look at the construction builds, most all plaster pools use concrete in one form or another.

Thanks! when I get off of work today, I'm going to head to the new house and take some pictures and measurements and then I'll post those here.

Also, "construction build" or "pool construction builds" only gave me search results about getting a pool built so I have to ask what you meant by "Take a look at the construction builds."

I'll get those pictures up this evening!

I was going to go ahead and buy a few jugs of bleach to pour in the afternoon also, as the pool is turning green.

 

[Bama Rambler]

There's a forum section devoted to construction projects. Take a look through it when you have time.

 

[Patrick_B]

Hey there,

Welcome to the forum! Youll find all the info and help you need here. Lots of friendly and helpful folks. Enjoy your pool and Im looking forward to seeing it. Good move on the vleach too. Looks like the first thing you'll. learn. is how to shock your pool. You might read up on that ove in pool school when you can. Post your questions when you have em.

 

[anonapersona]

When you go to the Pool Calculator, be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom. You can make some assumptions about the pool size, or divide it into sections that you can estimate separately.

 

[b3dw23]

Still don't have the testing kit so I don't have any results yet.

Trying to upload the pictures to another site right now... Could not get them up on this site.

BTW, last night I dumped 2 182oz bottles of the store brand "original scent" bleach in the pool last night. I left the pump running and will go back today after work to check on the status.

Pictures will be ready to link shortly.

 

[b3dw23]

OK here are the pictures:

Steps look really stained

The Deep end

Another shot of the deep end

This is the pool timer which apears to be broken... only the on/off switch works now

Pump overall pic

Another pump shot

Here the pump motor... not sure of its output or anything else.

This is the adjustment thing at the top of the pump, not sure what all the setting are for. Can't read most honestly.

This adjustment comes right after the pump "basket" and seems to have two settings but neither did anything I could notice in the pool. While sliding from one direction to the other though, I noticed the jets in the pull stopped.

 

[mynewpool]

For now what I would do is take a sample to your local pool store and have it tested. Get a copy of your results, but dont buy anything. Then come back here and post those results. That will give us a starting point. I repeat DO NOT BUY ANYTHING AT THE POOL STORE no matter what the so called pros tell you that you need.

 

[b3dw23]

OK, thank you!

I'll take a little Rubbermaid container of water to the pool store after work. today.

 

[restockton]

Ok, I'm nowhere near as knowledgable as some of the other guys on here, but I couldn't help but notice that it looks like your filter valve is set to recirculate. If I remember right, that means that the filter is not filtering, just circulating water around the pool with no filtration. Can anyone confirm if I'm reading that right? If so, you should shut off the pump and move the lever two spaces clockwise around the dial by pushing down on the handle and rotating the handle in a clockwise motion. That will set it to filter and it should start filtering the dead algae out of the pool as you kill it with the chlorine.

 

[Optica]

I'm going to comment on your pictures you showed and try to help explain what the controls do:

Picture of steps - have you tried brushing the steps with a pool brush to see if that is just dirt or actual stains?

Bottom of pool deep end - same here..have you tried brushing or are they stains? I see you have a Hayward Navigator pool cleaner. These are nice cleaners when working properly. When the pump is on do you see the cleaner moving around the pool?
Where does the hose from the cleaner plug into? the skimmer or a dedicated connection on the side of the pool wall?

Pool timer - this is a basic pool timer and can be replaced very easily and not too expensive. If you are not handy with wiring or do not want to attempt, hire an electrician as there could be exposed high voltage present during replacement. Should take less than an hour to replace. If you attempt, make sure circuit breakers for pool equipement are turned off/de-energized first.

Control on top of filter - the handle controls the mode that the water flow is in. you have these settings that I can see: closed (no flow into filter), backwash (used to clean out the sand by reversing flow through the sand, when back washing, the water should be coming out the lone pipe near the wall. You should have a temporary drain hose that clamps to the end of that pipe that you can run out to your curb gutter. you don't want to backwash and flood your pool equipment area or backyard), Recirculate ( the normal filter working mode), Rinse (used after backwashing to clean out the filter housing, pipes) Filter Winterize (not sure but this must drain out the filter for winterizing in cold climates).

3 way valve in front of pool pump - this selects where the pump is drawing water from in your pool. With the handle on one side, water should be coming from your skimmer, the other side should select either dedicated pool cleaner line or main drain. Where your pool cleaner is attached will decide if you have dedicated cleaning line or not. If your pool cleaner is hooked up to your skimmer opening then you do not have a dedicated cleaner line and the other position would be main drain.

The water from the filter returns back to the pool at the pool jets (also called pool returns).

To start with, you need to get a quality pool test kit. Many here recommend the TF100 or the Taylor K-2006. Until then, post the pool store test results so we can see what shape your water is in. What chemicals did the owner leave you and what have you been using in the pool up to now?

Are you manually running the pump much since you mentioned the timer portion is not working?

Did the previous owner leave you pool equipment such as leaf nets, pool brushes, chemicals?

 

[Optica]

Restockton is correct..I messed up when looking at photo, recirculation mode does bypass the filter. It should be in "filter" mode as he says.

 

[htownjeeper]

Restockton is correct..I messed up when looking at photo, recirculation mode does bypass the filter. It should be in "filter" mode as he says.

That's the way I read it as well. Looks like "filter" is in the top left of the photo. At about 10 o'clock if it was a clock face.

 

[b3dw23]

Ok, I'm nowhere near as knowledgable as some of the other guys on here, but I couldn't help but notice that it looks like your filter valve is set to recirculate. If I remember right, that means that the filter is not filtering, just circulating water around the pool with no filtration. Can anyone confirm if I'm reading that right? If so, you should shut off the pump and move the lever two spaces clockwise around the dial by pushing down on the handle and rotating the handle in a clockwise motion. That will set it to filter and it should start filtering the dead algae out of the pool as you kill it with the chlorine.

Wow! I left the pump running all night too! I will make that adjustment when I get home!

Thank you!

 

[b3dw23]

I'm going to comment on your pictures you showed and try to help explain what the controls do:

Picture of steps - have you tried brushing the steps with a pool brush to see if that is just dirt or actual stains?

Bottom of pool deep end - same here..have you tried brushing or are they stains? I see you have a Hayward Navigator pool cleaner. These are nice cleaners when working properly. When the pump is on do you see the cleaner moving around the pool?
Where does the hose from the cleaner plug into? the skimmer or a dedicated connection on the side of the pool wall?

Pool timer - this is a basic pool timer and can be replaced very easily and not too expensive. If you are not handy with wiring or do not want to attempt, hire an electrician as there could be exposed high voltage present during replacement. Should take less than an hour to replace. If you attempt, make sure circuit breakers for pool equipement are turned off/de-energized first.

Control on top of filter - the handle controls the mode that the water flow is in. you have these settings that I can see: closed (no flow into filter), backwash (used to clean out the sand by reversing flow through the sand, when back washing, the water should be coming out the lone pipe near the wall. You should have a temporary drain hose that clamps to the end of that pipe that you can run out to your curb gutter. you don't want to backwash and flood your pool equipment area or backyard), Recirculate ( the normal filter working mode), Rinse (used after backwashing to clean out the filter housing, pipes) Filter Winterize (not sure but this must drain out the filter for winterizing in cold climates).

3 way valve in front of pool pump - this selects where the pump is drawing water from in your pool. With the handle on one side, water should be coming from your skimmer, the other side should select either dedicated pool cleaner line or main drain. Where your pool cleaner is attached will decide if you have dedicated cleaning line or not. If your pool cleaner is hooked up to your skimmer opening then you do not have a dedicated cleaner line and the other position would be main drain.

The water from the filter returns back to the pool at the pool jets (also called pool returns).

To start with, you need to get a quality pool test kit. Many here recommend the TF100 or the Taylor K-2006. Until then, post the pool store test results so we can see what shape your water is in. What chemicals did the owner leave you and what have you been using in the pool up to now?

Are you manually running the pump much since you mentioned the timer portion is not working?

Did the previous owner leave you pool equipment such as leaf nets, pool brushes, chemicals?

1. Brushed the steps after the photo and most of the marks are stains.
2. Brushed the deep end after the photos too. It appears that the darkest spots are stains and the lighter stuff in the middle seemed to puff up after my brushing. As for the cleaner, it does operate when the pump is on (pump was off for photos). The cleaner is plugged into an valve just outside of the skimmer. I could not figure out how to stop the cleaner or the valve from sucking so I left the cleaner on.
3.Pool timer: thank you, I will look into that.
4.Control on top of filter: OK thank you for this info, So "Recirculate" is the proper setting for using the filter?
5.3 way valve: I guess the 3rd selection was unclear to me. When the handle was on the middle selection all water stopped coming from the pool returns (thanks for the name) in the pool but on either end of the handle's selection water pumped from the pool returns. Does that make any sense?
6. Kit has been ordered and I will get the water tested this evening. The owner left no chemicals. Yesterday I poured 364 oz of Store brand "original scent" bleach into the pool.
7. Pool pump has been running for 17hours as of now, and will continue to run up until at least the 24hr mark today when I can get back to the house after work as the timer is not working.
8. The owner left a net with a hole in it, a brush with bristles nearly worn off, and a bent telescopic pole that no longer telescopes lol.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[b3dw23]

Thanks restockton, Optica, and htownjeeper,

I'll change that tonight (pump to filter from recirculate). So, my pool will have been running in re-circulation for 24hrs! Probably won't look any better today when I get there then, just cloudy?

I will continue to run it over night in "filter" mode tonight I guess.

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[linen]

4.Control on top of filter: OK thank you for this info, So "Recirculate" is the proper setting for using the filter?

Probably a typo on your part... "filter" is the proper setting for the system and where you will leave it set for 99.9% of the time. In filter mode, it uses the filter. In recirculate mode it bypasses the filter media.

By the way, "backwash" is the second most used position, followed by "rinse". Basically when your filter pressure goes up 5-8 psi from it's clean level, you backwash until it is clear, then you switch to rinse until the water runs clear, then leave it in filter again. Only move the valve when pump is off. The backwash will come out of the "Z" tube on the left of picture of the your pad, so you probably want to add a backwash hose to direct the water to a better location.

 

[Optica]

b3dw23,

Make sure when you buy bleach it is unscented and has no other additives in it like thickeners (for no splashes). You mentioned "original scent" bleach which to me indicated it may have additives in it to make it smell "original"...whatever that is.

Also sounds like you have a dedicated suction line for your pool cleaner which means the valve in front of your pump will select between pool cleaner or skimmer or from both at the same time. I have a Hayward navigator also and similar valving to yours and I am able to run the pool cleaner and partial suction on the skimmer at the same time. It depends on amount of suction from your pump but you might not be able to do this. The navigator came with a suction measuring tool to measure the suction, to help set the proper suction needed by the navigator. Mine didn't need the valve set to full pool cleaner to get the proper amount. your might be different and without the tool to measure, I would open the valve just enough to the pool cleaner side so that the pool cleaner is moving around easily on the bottom of your pool. You may find that you can do this and still have some flow coming from the skimmer too. This valve can let water come in from both pipes if you set the handle in the right position.

there are some things you can do to help identify the stains and possibly lighten/remove them once you know what they are. read up on pool school section.

 

[heatmisr]

b3dw23,

Make sure when you buy bleach it is unscented and has no other additives in it like thickeners (for no splashes). You mentioned "original scent" bleach which to me indicated it may have additives in it to make it smell "original"...whatever that is.

"Original" scent is the same as unscented, so no worries there.