Semi-new owner...opening for the first time BY MYSELF!!!

[KatieW]

Hello to all!! I'm currently a single mom (my husband is overseas) and am preparing to open our pool by myself!! My husband did our pool maintenance last year (we set it up last year) while I was pregnant and I didn't do much other than float around and enjoy the weightless feeling (8 months pregnant in June in Tx is noooo fun!!) We have a 24 foot Summer Escape pool that was chlorine last year. We talked about changing it to salt water this year and using a sand filter. I am a complete novice but will do the best I can to get it up and running for my girls. So here is my "laundry list" of questions;

Here's a pic of the pool - http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/v ... TIJ6HEYstB

and a close up of the filter/pump - http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/v ... TIJ6HEYstB

I was wondering how to hook up a sand filter to the current filter contraption. Would I put the sand filter intake tube where the current tube is on the filter/pump?
How would I hook up the salt water pump and the sand filter to this? If I take the pump off of the bottom of the current filter/pump water pours out of the bottom. Would I run the factory pump and the salt water pump?

As you can probably tell by all of my crazy questions I have not the slightest idea what I'm doing. I'd appreciate any and all help, advice, opinions.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP.

I've never torn into one of those filter skimmers like that but I'm sure someone that has will be along soon.

 

[JasonLion]

To add a separate filter you want to take the existing hose and disconnect it from the return fitting. Then connect that end of the hose to the filter input. And finally run a new hose from the filter output to the return fitting.

If you are adding an additional pump, you would run the current hose removed from the return fitting to the new pump, from there to the filter, from there to the SWG (if you have one), and from there to the return fitting. If you have a separate filter you probably don't need to run the pump built into the skimmer, but I am less sure about that.