- Jun 2, 2013
- 6
Purchased a house this year with a swimming pool that was 3/4 of the way full of rain water and algae. We originally put our offer in when I could have cleaned the pool out with just a shop-vac. But it was bank-owned and took forever to close.
Anyways, After we got moved in and got past the rainy season, it was time to take care of the pool. Emptying it was a little bit of an exercise in trial and error. Rented a trash pump and it was too powerful for my storm drain. Exchanged it for a submersible sump pump and it was still too strong. We ended up draining it out to the street, justifying it in my head that there were no chemicals and so it was okay. Then there was the pressure washing and filling it with a garden hose.
I had a pool inspector come and check things out when we were making an offer, but it was empty then and there wasn't much he could tell us except that the electrical worked and that the pump(s) should be fine. The previous owners had an extra pump in line for a solar heating system on the roof, but the inspector said it was probably overkill. For whatever reason, probably because the house got a new roof, the solar panels were removed and the pump and most of the pvc piping is still in place (cut and sealed in some places).
It took me a while to get the main pump and filter working. There was a lot of trial and error there too. Turned out that since the extra pump is missing a cover, we were not getting a proper seal ("duh"). And so after fashioning a makeshift temporary cover, I finally got the sucker turning water over.
It has been a week since it was fully filled. I have only had the pump and filter going for 24 hours. I bought some chemicals, but have only added a chlorine puck that has been floating in there since yesterday. I have read in some places that one needs to be careful about adding a bunch of chemicals all at once.
Here are my current readings:
Total Hardness (TH): 0
Free Chlorine (FC)/Bromine: 0/0
Ph: 6.8
Total Alkalinity (TA): 40
Cyanuric Acid (CYA): 15
These have been the same readings all three times I have tested it so far. Once before turning the pump on, once after running the pump and filter for an hour or so, and once after having the chlorine puck in the pool for a day.
The one thing I have not added is bleach, which is something I should add quickly as I understand. I am going to the store to buy that now. I am thinking that a little more than a gallon should do it. Maybe 1.5 gallons. I am really not sure in what order I should add my Ph Plus, Alkalinity Plus, and Stabilizer and Conditioner. I'm planning on either waiting until later tonight (a few hours after I add the bleach) or until tomorrow night before I add the rest of the stuff. But I think maybe it will depends on what my readings are after the bleach.
Any tips would be welcome. :-D
Anyways, After we got moved in and got past the rainy season, it was time to take care of the pool. Emptying it was a little bit of an exercise in trial and error. Rented a trash pump and it was too powerful for my storm drain. Exchanged it for a submersible sump pump and it was still too strong. We ended up draining it out to the street, justifying it in my head that there were no chemicals and so it was okay. Then there was the pressure washing and filling it with a garden hose.
I had a pool inspector come and check things out when we were making an offer, but it was empty then and there wasn't much he could tell us except that the electrical worked and that the pump(s) should be fine. The previous owners had an extra pump in line for a solar heating system on the roof, but the inspector said it was probably overkill. For whatever reason, probably because the house got a new roof, the solar panels were removed and the pump and most of the pvc piping is still in place (cut and sealed in some places).
It took me a while to get the main pump and filter working. There was a lot of trial and error there too. Turned out that since the extra pump is missing a cover, we were not getting a proper seal ("duh"). And so after fashioning a makeshift temporary cover, I finally got the sucker turning water over.
It has been a week since it was fully filled. I have only had the pump and filter going for 24 hours. I bought some chemicals, but have only added a chlorine puck that has been floating in there since yesterday. I have read in some places that one needs to be careful about adding a bunch of chemicals all at once.
Here are my current readings:
Total Hardness (TH): 0
Free Chlorine (FC)/Bromine: 0/0
Ph: 6.8
Total Alkalinity (TA): 40
Cyanuric Acid (CYA): 15
These have been the same readings all three times I have tested it so far. Once before turning the pump on, once after running the pump and filter for an hour or so, and once after having the chlorine puck in the pool for a day.
The one thing I have not added is bleach, which is something I should add quickly as I understand. I am going to the store to buy that now. I am thinking that a little more than a gallon should do it. Maybe 1.5 gallons. I am really not sure in what order I should add my Ph Plus, Alkalinity Plus, and Stabilizer and Conditioner. I'm planning on either waiting until later tonight (a few hours after I add the bleach) or until tomorrow night before I add the rest of the stuff. But I think maybe it will depends on what my readings are after the bleach.
Any tips would be welcome. :-D