Can I empty my AGP?

[jaybee]

I have a 12'x24' Doughboy pool with expandable liner, 9500 gallons total. I also have a winterizing problem that becomes a Spring opening problem. In this area we have long, cold, wet Falls in which the leaves fall over an extended period but the water doesn't freeze until late, and very suddenly. Short story I need to come up with a closing routine that prevents large amounts of wet leaves and nasty water either on top of or underneath the winter cover and allows me to treat the water until close to hard freeze, but that's for the Fall.

Right now my issue is opening. The pool is green and free of "big stuff" but with large amounts of small particulate matter, too small to catch with a net, too easily disturbed to stay in place while vacuuming, and too heavy to get up to skimmer level without constant stirring. SO, what now? It has been suggested that I pump the whole thing out and refill. Can I do that safely with a 6 year old liner?

 

[MikeInTN]

I don't think it's recommended to drain all of the water and refill. I'm pretty sure it'll stretch your liner, and possibly tear it when you refill.

 

[jaybee]

Thanks for your reply. I was afraid of that.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

I remember reading a post about winterizing an ag pool - a gal in Minnesota that uses a mesh cover to catch the leaves, before winter sets in....easily lifted off and the leaves come with it.....

Ditto the prior post, don't fully drain.

Just keep vacuming, filtering. Eventually you'll get it clean. Is there something you are preparing for, like a party or something? Main requirement of pool owners is patience. Something I don't have a lot of. Good luck!

 

[NWMNMom]

I use a micromesh winter cover with a leaf net over that until the leaves are done dropping.

Don't drain! Lots of bleach, vacuuming, use a skimmer sock and it will clear.

 

[jaybee]

Thanks for your replies. I also called the pool dealer, he said I could expect the liner to tear away at the top edge of the wall if we take that tack. Yes, we have a graduation party on Memorial Day weekend. My wife is also alarmed by the large amount of bleach it takes to make progress, although 3 gallons of bleach/day in separate applications is cheaper than an equivalent in shock treatment.

 

[Hotrod30]

too easily disturbed to stay in place while vacuuming, quote]


Try vacuuming slower. Move the vacuum head very slowly around the bottom. When you are not vacuuming, leave the vacuum attached and still vacuuming on the bottom of the pool working. Ever hour or so move the vacuum head to a nother spot in the pool.

If the water is warn, let the kids go in to stir up the pool.

 

[sevver]

The only thing to do is keep shocking to kill algae and keep the pump running 24/7 to filter. Vac and Brush daily, vacuum first, slowly then hit the sides and whatever you can with a brush, it will stir up that stuff stuck on the walls and bottom and get it into the filter. If it can be done several times a day that would not hurt. Once you see the pressure rising by a few pounds, backwash until it comes out the waste clear. It takes time, my pool is crystal clear now after opening without closing it. Last fall I drained below the skimmer, disconnected everything, winterized my heater and never even covered the pool. All fall and winter it sat uncovered with leaves and everything in there and this is how I got it turned around.

Go to the pool store and buy gallons of 12.5% chlorine rather than buying gallons of bleach. You will need to know the level of CYA in order to know shock value. Get a full set of numbers on here when you can. You will need a test kit that can accurately test higher chlorine levels too.

Good luck. On a side not, it took about three weeks for me to get good clear water, it was clear, but cloudy for a while.

 

[Tysnest]

emptying AGP

I just emptied my this weekend as there was no way to get it clean otherwise. It worked great, but it is an all day project with 5 of us doing it. It looks great now I have an 18x33. I did not see any thing with the liner while doing it. I also power washed it after scrubbing it and it looked great.

 

[jaybee]

Thanks for all of your advice, now I'd like to let you know how it turned out. Leaving the vac running in the pool unattended was excellent advice. Doing that really helped pull the small particulates off the bottom. After talking it through with my son (a Chemical Engineering student) I also started backflushing every day and after vacuuming regardless of filter pressure. He feels that organics caught in the baskets and filter sand don't just compete for Chlorine with free-floating debris, they actually use Cl preferentially. That's because pumping cholrinated water over the trapped material supercharges the reactionn in the same way a Bunson burner has an extra hot flame due to excess Oxygen. End result--we didn't quite get to sparkling clear before the party but close enough for everyone to agree that we'll be swimmable by the time the water gets warm enough. Normally we'd be up t temp or very close now, but it's been a long, cold, wet Spring in Iowa.