Greetings from Michigan

[ian81]

Hello everyone, howdy from the north =)
I am currently in the process of purchasing this house from my grandmother. It's got this great pool that I have swam in since I was a kid, and now it has become my responsibility, woohoo!
First year was a real balancing act with not understanding chemicals and walls becoming stained, ruining my nature 2 cartridge, etc.
This year, the pool is a sparkling oasis - minus a couple of problems that I hope to soon fix.
It is an in ground 16x32 plaster (cement?) painted pool, I run a Hayward preflex DE filter (ec-65), the pump is a A.O. Smith - model # C48J2PA105C5. I have a nature 2 cartridge and manually add skimmer tablets to the skimmer. The pool was built in 1979 I believe.

Here is some pics of my setup, and the pool!

Yes, I know, that hideous fence MUST go! Also the pool needs a painting horribly bad!
Well anyways, good luck to everyone and will see ya in the forums!

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome

What was the staining from? We tend to advise against the use of anything that intentionally adds metals to the pool water (like the Nature 2). If you maintain the correct FC level for you CYA level, then all that extra stuff is not needed.

Also, putting tablets into the skimmer is not a good idea ... especially if you do not leave the pump on 24/7. That is very harsh on the equipment.

Start by reading through Pool School (button at upper right of page) a few times and get a better feel for the chemistry.

There is a lot of free information here that can help you maintain your clear pool while likely saving yourself some money (first by not buying more Nature 2 cartridges).

Ask questions as they come up

 

[ian81]

Hey there - I am not sure what the staining was from it was more streaking that wouldnt brush away, the sloped walls of the pool were streaked all year last year, and I was constantly scrubbing the walls with my floor brush because they were always slimy and grody. The walls look a lot better this year, can only see mild streaking in certain evening hours;
The skimmer is built into the the sidewall closest to the pump house, and i just drop the talbets into metal grate/holder. (this is how my grandmother ran the pool for years so I have been following her steps with little knowledge).

I've already spent a bit of money on the pool, last year the bearings in the pump went out.. that was the beginning cause of the chemical issues

I use a bioguard test kit, not the one recommended here (yet)- It does not test for CYA, basically just PH, Chlorine, and ALK. It is a fun learning experience, that's for sure!

I am going to purchase a new filter sooner or later (hopefully sooner). My bump handle broke, a few of the fingers have tears (d.e getting back into the pool) and I believe it is the cause of bubbles blowing out of my jets. Also there is a leak in the pump house somewhere, as you can see there is water on the ground.
When I told my grandmother I took apart the filter and cleaned it she said she had not done that in atleast 5 years

So you can bet I will be posting my fair share of questions! :lol:

Thanks for the welcome!

 

[jblizzle]

Just because something has been done one way a long time does not make it a good idea

Regarding the CYA level (which could be high if you only use tablets), let me point you to a very recent post:
cya-a-double-edge-sword-rant-and-rave-t51708.html

It is likely that you pool walls stayed slimy because you did not have enough FC in the pool if your CYA level got too high.

 

[vsyzer]

Ian,
May want to make sure that leak isn't coming from your pump. If it is, it may be the ceramic seal leaking which may explain why the bearings in your motor went out.

 

[linen]

Welcome to tfp, ian81

Nice looking pool

As jbliz said, I would ditch the nature2!