New to TFP and taking care of my pool

[wipiid]

Hello everyone,
I am new to TFP and really taking care of my pool. we got it last year and have used the pump and cartridge filter it came with, and are very disappointed in how horrible the pool maintenance is.
trying to keep up with the chemicals is rather a PITA when the filter is so horrible.

Well, we made a change! today i just bought a brand new Intex 16 in Sand Filter Pump & Saltwater System from amazon.

i have a small 12' round metal frame pool that me and the family use, hot Texas summers!

once i get it next week ill get it setup and running. i will need some help on the pool chemistry for sure. will be switching from the HTH stuff to the TFP recommendations. the salt/copper system this pump has i hope will eliminate the need for a lot of chemicals which my son doesn't like.

i am debating right now on how to install the pump. drain and clean the pool, and start fresh or try and save the water.

 

[Bama Rambler]

It's really a matter of how much water costs you. In a lot of places you'll quickly outstrip the cost of new water with the bleach it will take to clear it up. If it's in really bad shape I'd probably suggest draining, cleaning and refilling.

 

[linen]

Welcome to tfp, wipiid

i just bought a brand new Intex 16 in Sand Filter Pump & Saltwater System from amazon.

If that is the all-in-one unit (not two seperate peices) I would recommend considering buying the filter/pump seperate from the Saltwater system (swg). That way, if something breaks on one of the functions, the other doesn't become useless or cumbersome.

i have a small 12' round metal frame pool that me and the family use, hot Texas summers!

That is a good size filter (16 inch) and the pump moves quite a bit of water...but for a pool your size (unless you plan to upgrade) I might op for the 14" intex sand filter and the separate swg.

the salt/copper system this pump has i hope will eliminate the need for a lot of chemicals which my son doesn't like.

First, make sure you unplug the copper bars, when you get the system...no need to add copper to your water when you maintain the appropriate FC level in the pool. Second, what chemicals does you son not like? Most people find properly maintained leves do not cause problems that improperly maintained levels do. Also, a swg pool is still using chlorine, it just makes it's own.

 

[wipiid]

Thanks for the welcome!
water is fairly cheap out here, it might cost me 20$-40$ to refill it at most.
hehe, cant downgrade the filter now already bought, and we might upgrade the pool when gets older, he is only 3 1/2 so he can easily run around the pool and touch bottom everywhere with no problems. another reason i got the large pump is because i hated the super small pump and cartridge that the pool came with.
from what i understand the copper helps with the alge, but watching my wifes hair turn green might not be a good thing.

and, as for the chemicals, they dont bother me its more of just a smell thing that the wife and son dont like.

and is there a link to some discussions on disabling the copper bars? reasoning behind it etc...

 

[linen]

hehe, cant downgrade the filter now already bought, and we might upgrade the pool when gets older, he is only 3 1/2 so he can easily run around the pool and touch bottom everywhere with no problems. another reason i got the large pump is because i hated the super small pump and cartridge that the pool came with.

Can't cancel the order?...oh well, it will still work, though it will move a lot of water in that pool. Generally (ideally), you want a large filter with a lower flow pump for best filtering, but all reports I have heard on the filter/pump combo you bought suggest it is decently matched.

and, as for the chemicals, they dont bother me its more of just a smell thing that the wife and son dont like.

Being able to "smell" it usually means not properly maintained chemistry. I would guess if you had posted before you got the swg, we would have helped you "fix" the smell issues and you probably wouldn't have bought an swg for a pool that size. Take a look at: http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/pool_water_chemistry

and is there a link to some discussions on disabling the copper bars? reasoning behind it etc...

Here is a link discussing unplugging the bars: http://www.troublefreepool.com/copp...-w-intex-krystal-clear-swg-cs8111-t49302.html
Even with the copper bars active, you still need to maintain a proper FC level...the same as without the copper. Again, see the pool school article I linked to above. For deeper reading, see this: http://www.troublefreepool.com/alternative-sanitizers-and-chemical-free-pools-the-truth-t3025.html