Foreclosure pool and I know nothing.

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emmekin

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Apr 19, 2012
4
I know this has been addressed before but I have a few other questions -
I recently bought a foreclosure home and I have zero information about the pool (read:swamp) that came with it.
If you could see what sort of shape the home was in, you could imagine the pool.
The foreclosed owners were apparently on, ahem, very hard times and had taken to some disgustingly filthy habits (we had to do a total floor reno. due to dog hair/feces/dipping tobacco stains) and they certainly hadn't touched the pool in a loooong time.
That said, I have no idea when the pool was built but I'm assuming at the same time as the home (1999), I'm assuming the pool is plaster, I don't have any idea how many gallons/what size it is (is there a way to figure that out?), and all I know is the pump says "Hayward D.E. pump".
I've read pool school so I know some basics, and I'm ordering a good test kit right now but do you guys have any other tips/tricks/words of wisdom to offer?
I perish to imagine what's on the bottom of my pool!
 
Welcome to TFP!

Start with where you live so we know whether your pool was, or should have been, winterized. your first step is going to be to get the pump and filter operational.

Pictures of the pool and your plumbing might be a good idea to make things easier for us to understand.

But you'll get there. Collectively, we know a lot about fixing messed up pools. You're on your own with what you find at the bottom though! :shock:
 
Welcome to TFP and congratulations on the house purchase! You are on the right track getting a good test kit. Like mentioned above, posting info about where you live, and pictures, will help us get the best idea of your equipment (and make proper recommendations). As for sizing, what shape is your pool? If you can tell us shape, length and width measurements, and depth measurements, then we can help you determine how many gallons it is.
 
Alrighty - pics and measurements will be forthcoming, I am at our old home packing and as soon as hubby returns from work, we will be making the 45min trek back to the new place.
I can't describe the shape of this pool! It's very odd. I want to wager an estimate that is 16,000 gallons just because I think so :p

Oh, and we are in the Houston, TX area so, no...winterized, I doubt. heck, what's winter?

I should probably add that last night I discovered at least 2 turtles that live in my pool.
 
emmekin said:
I should probably add that last night I discovered at least 2 turtles that live in my pool.
Click to expand...
If it were me, I would rescue as many critters as possible from the pool before you start the shocking process. :shock:
 
Oh we are definitely going to get a big net in there and start scoopin' before we start any clean up!
I imagine I'll find something more interesting than the beer cans, lighters and leaves that I can see...maybe there is a bicycle down there? LOL
 
You are not alone. I just did the same thing. Foreclosed house with Gunite pool. I did total drain, pressure/acid waste, bleach, you name it. It finally came clean. Just got the plumbing fixed today with new pump. Will flip the switch tonight. This is what I had in the bottom of my pool:

Oposium (sic) bones.
Frogs (big ones)
caulking guns
nails
beer cans and bottles
old scuba stuff
about 6 inches worth of dirt and sand
some other unidentified bones (small animals)

What fun!

Good luck.
 
Do be mindful of the possibility of broken glass in there as well as all other kinds of unpleasantness - last thing you want is an unfortunate accident. Good protective gloves when dealing with whatever you dredge out of there are essential.

I'll be fascinated to watch your progress on this one - think of the light at the end of the tunnel as the sparkle on the water of your perfect pool!
 
Add me to the list :) We bought our new home in December but won't be moving in until the school year ends. Our new pool isn't as bad as those described above, thankfully -- just brewing some tea with all the leaves inside it! First thing I did was get a mesh cover installed. The leaves got in because the previous tarp cover sank into the pool under the weight of rainwater. I guess they forgot to raise the water level before putting that on.

Anyway, I plan to open it up and start the cleanup process next weekend. I've been studying at the Pool School. I think I will do a little photo-journal of the process. Maybe that will make it ever so slightly less of a chore :) Good luck, everyone!
 

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That DE filter is both a blessing and a curse! You'll love the clarity of the water once you get it clean but you'll hate having to backwash it during the clearing process, as it'll clog quickly for the first while.
 
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