Lots of Questions....

[Ditch3r]

First off, Hello everyone.
I've been searching the forums and there is a lot of great information here, and it has helped me tons in getting my pool set up so far. Now I'm looking to do some upgrades and I have some questions, but first my pool info;

16x48 Intex above ground pool.
Sitting on 1/2" Extruded foam (I used http://www.troublefreepool.com/foam-under-intex-ultra-frame-t42304.html as a reference)
I added a protective coating of 6 mil plastic above and below the foam (Mainly due to the red clay my pool is sitting on, and to add more protection)
I have the standard Pump that came with it (Not sure of model), and I have added the Intex Salt water system.
The pool will stay up year round.

What I would like to do is upgrade, so here are my questions;
What would be the ideal Pump / Filter?
Would it be smart to Hard pipe my lines to and from the pool to the pump and salt water system?
If so, what size pipe, and do I need any special adapters?
Should I shock my pool, and exactly what is shocking a pool consist of?
My liner has some stains from last year (I missed the tarp a little and the clay soaked through), can this be cleaned?

What can you tell me for making this as easy to maintain as possible? Last year we had it temporary set up and had problems keeping it clean. It never got really nasty, but we did get some algae.

Thanks for your time, and I appreciate any and all answers. I'm just getting started, so I might have to ask you to elaborate!

 

[linen]

Welcome to tfp, Ditch3r

There is a lot of great info for intex owners in this thread: http://www.troublefreepool.com/useful-links-for-fellow-intex-pool-owners-t29612.html

What can you tell me for making this as easy to maintain as possible? Last year we had it temporary set up and had problems keeping it clean. It never got really nasty, but we did get some algae.

This post is very useful for starting and maintaining intex pools:http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/temporary_pool_guide

What would be the ideal Pump / Filter?

People have been having good luck with the intex 1600 and 2650 gph sand filters as upgrades.

Would it be smart to Hard pipe my lines to and from the pool to the pump and salt water system?

Hard piping is defiantly an upgrade over those intex flexible hoses. Less pressure drop, and higher reliability. See the posts about in the thread I linked above.

Should I shock my pool, and exactly what is shocking a pool consist of?

What does you water look like? If you pool is cloudy/green or has signs of algae then you need to shock your pool. See: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/defeating_algae

 

[MikeInNH]

I'm no guru and others will also reply, here's my 2 cents.

What would be the ideal Pump / Filter?
-Small pool so not a high HP setup, no need to pay extra on electrical bill. DE generally cleans better than sand, not sure on the scoop with cartridge type. You can get super deals on Craigslist.

Would it be smart to Hard pipe my lines to and from the pool to the pump and salt water system?
-I wouldn't but I live in the Northeast. Hard pipes are brittle compared to flex pipes and harder to replace.

If so, what size pipe, and do I need any special adapters?
-1.5" is standard on most pool filters, not sure if you go hard pipes

Should I shock my pool, and exactly what is shocking a pool consist of?
-You need a good test kit as listed many places on this site. If the water is new you shouldn't need to shock. Shock is the process of bringing the chlorine level high enough to kill any organics in the pool. The test kit helps measure all this. Also need PH to stay level (7.5ish) and CYA to be 30-80, the higher end with the SWG. All this is in the poolschool link above.

My liner has some stains from last year (I missed the tarp a little and the clay soaked through), can this be cleaned?
-Not clue on this one, no clay here.

What can you tell me for making this as easy to maintain as possible? Last year we had it temporary set up and had problems keeping it clean. It never got really nasty, but we did get some algae.
-A properly maintained pool using a salt water generator (SWG) is very easy to keep clean.

 

[Ditch3r]

Amazing response time! Thank you!

I must have missed some of those links, and I will check them out. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, it looks like I have a lot more research to do. :lol: