Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 seasons.

[BauerR]

Hello all,
Just as the title says. The cover is still on the pool and from what I can see from peaking through it, it's pretty green.
I've been getting opinions but am looking for more.
Would you try to get it clear chemically or just drain and start over?

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Richard320]

Re: Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 season

Hello all,
Just as the title says. The cover is still on the pool and from what I can see from peaking through it, it's pretty green.
I've been getting opinions but am looking for more.
Would you try to get it clear chemically or just drain and start over?

Thanks,
Rich

Whether or not I'd drain would depend on what the water test shows. If CYA or CH is astronomical, you'll end up draining some anyway; might as well do it before you start buying expensive chemicals.

So the brief answer is: Buy a proper test kit and post your test results. Then you'll get sound advice instead of opinion. You'll need a test kit anyway, whether or not you decide to drain.

Most likely your local pool store will not stock the proper test kit. See pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison

 

[RobbieH]

Re: Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 season

A pool that large, about the same as mine, I'd get to following the shock process as detailed in Pool School.

pool-school/shocking_your_pool

Before you start, you need to have a good idea of your current pool chemistry. There may be issues that will require you to replace some water, and it's better to know before you start any processes. I highly recommend you test your water yourself, using either a TF-100 or K2006 kit. You can get either of these from tftestkits.net

Another thing you'll want to do straight off is get as much "junk" (leaves, sticks, etc.) out of the pool before you begin.

EDIT: Richard beat me to it, but the good news is, we are saying the same thing.

 

[shuye]

Re: Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 season

I agree with Richard and Robbie - get a good test kit and find out what you are starting with. If the CYA and CH are acceptable, then you need to decide if it is worth it to buy the bleach and get the pool clean or you can drain and refill and start over (for the most part, there will be residual alge in the pipes and equipment that will need to be taken care of through the shock process).

How much does water cost in your area?

 

[swimcmp]

Re: Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 season

Probably what you will spend in chemical is probably about what it will cost for water to drain and fill. The biggest thing to be sure of is where your water table is. If water table is too high you could cause the pool to push out of the ground. If the water table is low you shouldn't have a problem. When I have a vinyl lined pool like that, we take about 12 pounds of shock dissolve it in a bucket and add it to the skimmer while in filter mode. This method isn't what the forum recommends but at least we get the algae and any other bacteria under control and start getting the pool back in control.

 

[Isaac-1]

Re: Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 season

The question of treat or replace is always a hard one, it depends on water cost, quality of fill water, water table level, etc.

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 season

When I have a vinyl lined pool like that, we take about 12 pounds of shock dissolve it in a bucket and add it to the skimmer while in filter mode. This method isn't what the forum recommends but at least we get the algae and any other bacteria under control and start getting the pool back in control.

You are right!!!

We would not recommend someone add 12 lbs of "shock" at once to a pool ... potentially damaging their equipment / pool surface.

In a 20,000 gallon pool, 12 lbs of dichlor would raise the FC by 40 (likely way above shock level), CYA by 36ppm (likely raising it well above recommended levels and now requiring a water change), and lower pH by 1.5 (being below 7.0 is never a good idea ... and this brew you made in the bucket is likely WAY more acidic that is not sent directly through the pump and filter?!?!).

On the other hand if it was cal-hypo to avoid the CYA and pH issues, you would have raised the FC by 34-52 (way above shock level) and CH by 24-37 (which may be less of a big deal).

It is MUCH safer to follow the Shock Process as outline in Pool School which is generally laid out for on site homeowners. The problem is that pool professionals, like yourself, do not want to be testing and adjusting the FC level every few hours ... just drop the nuke and head to the next house. After all, why should they care if they have shortened the life of the home owners equipment / pool? Maybe then they can sell them new equipment and installation and make more $.

 

[JasonLion]

Re: Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 season

Would you try to get it clear chemically or just drain and start over?

Two more considerations I haven't seen mentioned: If there are really a lot of debris in the pool, say more than a foot deep of gunk at the bottom of the pool, then draining starts to look really good. On the other hand, if there is a high water table in your area it can be very dangerous to drain the pool as it can float right out of the ground.

One other point, there is no point in adding chlorine until you get all of the solid debris out of the water, or at least as much as you possibly can.

 

[swimcmp]

Re: Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 season

A pool that has sat for two years unopened CYA is the least of your problems and if you would raise it to 36ppm that would be okay. You need CYA to make chlorine effective. And yes I know when it gets over a certain level it is the opposite of good. The temporary induction of 12 lbs is not as caustic as you are saying. We aren't going off and leaving it forever. That is an overnight process and water chemistry is checked daily.

 

[BauerR]

Re: Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 season

Thanks for the info, guys. I ordered the TF-100 Kit and will post results when it arrives.

Debris, I'm assuming, will be a problem. The cover has two 12" diameter holes and was a popular spot for frogs.

 

[BauerR]

Re: Bought a house w/ pool that has been closed for 2 season

Welp, I've decided to drain the pool and repair what needs to be done. Looks like I've got a few tiles that popped off and it would seem I'm down to the gunite? Is that the gray I'm seeing on the walls?

What do you guys suggest the next move be?

This is what I started with.
Massive overgrowth everywhere.




I cleared everything out.
I've been letting the debris dry in the sun and just started sweeping it up. You can see the difference in the levels.



Is that the gunite showing?