New Home Owner/Pool Dilemma.

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hellstorm2004

hellstorm2004

0
Jul 1, 2015
182
Richardson, Texas
Hello Everyone,

Just moved into a house with a pool. The pool is in a mess, coz it has not received any loving in the last 18-25 days. The pool is chemically treated. The only thing i understand about that is Chlorine. Its currently full of flowers/dead leaves and a lot of other stuff.

When it comes to pool newbies... i am a spring chicken! I have no clue about what i need. Googled a bit got more confused. Googled a bit more, found this forum! So posting here.

My questions are:
1. What are specific items i would require to buy immediately.
2. What type of pool cleaner i would need. Specific brand names are always better for me.

I don't know if i provided all the info, if you need anything else, let me know. Thanks!
 
welcome to TFT.

easy questions. first purchase is the TF100 test kit, with the XL option. you are going to need to do a SLAM on your pool to clear it up.

Second thing to buy...is bleach... lots and lots of bleach. would buy at least 15 gallons asap.

please update your signature to add info on your pool, see mine for example.

next thing to do after you order the test kit is to read all of the Pool School articles at the top, read it a few times. then look for old threads of people turning swamps to crystal clear paradise.

if you read through a bunch of the threads her in the "just getting started" section of the forum, you will see a ton of similar stories as yours. All have been told to do the same thing...good test kit, plus lots of bleach and patience to get thru the SLAM.

best part about the SLAM process??? it literally works 100% of the time, as long as you are patient and follow the guidelines and advice. there is always a chance your CYA is sky high and a partial drain/refill could be needed, but wont know until you get that test kit
 
^ second what Dan said

In addition to adding a signature with as much info as you know about the pool, please add your state to your location (it matters a lot when TFP'ers are giving you advice)

Do you know how to operate any of the equipment? If not, post some pics and people can help you identify what's what. (You'll also find we really enjoy seeing pics)

Do you have any pool tools like a pole with a leaf skimmer and brush? Start scooping out as much of the solid debris as you can.

This page in pool school may be a help:
Pool School - Visual Encyclopedia of Pool Equipment
 
Thanks for the early responses. I checked that sticky after posting it. Before adding it to my sticky, i have to check the details i have no clue about all this.


  • The size of your pool in gallons - No Clue
  • If your pool is an AG (above ground) or IG (in ground) - In Ground.
  • If it's IG, tell us if it's vinyl, plaster/pebble, or fiberglass - Looks like Plaster or Vinyl, so no idea.
  • The type filter you have (sand, DE, cartridge) - No Clue.
  • If you know, tell us the make and model of your pump and filter - Will check this when i go home today.
  • List any other equipment you have: SWG, second pump, etc. - None.
  • Please mention if you fill the pool from a well or are currently on water restrictions - Water restrictions, yes.

- - - Updated - - -

BTW, what is SLAM? You mean dive into the pool and clean it up?
 
Getting the size of your pool is a very critical step, as it will determine how much chemicals you add once you start testing your water.
For the size of your pool, can you give at least the Length, Width, and general shape of the pool. Shapes are generally Rectangular, oval, L, etc.

Once we have that, we will need to figure out the depth to determines how many gallons that you have. Since you have bad water, you might not be able to see the bottom to measure. So we may have to guess a bit at first (unless someone smarter than me knows a better method). The traditional pool has a deep end and a shallow end. The deep end is 8 foot, that shallow end is 3 foot. Some more recent pools dont have a true deep end, and maybe are 4 foot all the way, or 4 foot on one end, 6 foot in the middle, and then 4 foot on the other end. Just by sticking a pole into the water and feeling for the bottom, can you give us a guesstimate on the depth of your water?

Posting a pic of the pool will help us to help you. ACtually 3 pictures might be helpful.
1.) An overall picture of the entire pool.
2.) Stand at teh steps of the pool, and shoot straight down into the water. This will allow us to really see how bad yoru water is. Usually looking at the water there we can use the depth of stairs to guess on water quality.
3.) Take a picture of the water line of the pool. Allowing us to see the concrete deck around the pool and the side wall of yoru pool above the water will help us know how your pool was built.

And you can start by trying to get debris out of the water. Get yourself a Leaf Rake and/or Leaf Skimmer, and try to physically remove as much debris as you can. For the debris on the bottom, just drag the rake across the bottom, and grab as much as you can, and dump out of the pool. Repeat until you get as much as you can.
 
hellstorm2004 said:
Thanks for the early responses. I checked that sticky after posting it. Before adding it to my sticky, i have to check the details i have no clue about all this.


  • The size of your pool in gallons - No Clue
  • If your pool is an AG (above ground) or IG (in ground) - In Ground.
  • If it's IG, tell us if it's vinyl, plaster/pebble, or fiberglass - Looks like Plaster or Vinyl, so no idea.
  • The type filter you have (sand, DE, cartridge) - No Clue.
  • If you know, tell us the make and model of your pump and filter - Will check this when i go home today.
  • List any other equipment you have: SWG, second pump, etc. - None.
  • Please mention if you fill the pool from a well or are currently on water restrictions - Water restrictions, yes.

- - - Updated - - -

BTW, what is SLAM? You mean dive into the pool and clean it up?
Click to expand...

post some dimensions of the pool ,including depth at shallow and deep end and we can help you compute the volume of the pool.

vinyl or plaster - does the pool have a concrete shell? or does it have a plastic type liner?

filter - post pictures of your equipment - we will help you out.

SLAM is a process for clearing up your pool. it stands for Shock Level And Maintain. there is a full article in Pool School link at top of page.

keep asking questions and reading. its all foreign now, but in three weeks you will know it all and have a crystal clear pool!

- - - Updated - - -

hellstorm2004 said:
From TFT Test kit.
TFTestkits.net

Do i need to get all the options or just the XL option would be fine?
Click to expand...

XL option for sure, you will need the extra chlorine reagent for your SLAM since you will go thru it fast. lots of people get the speed stir, I don't, but I don't mind swirling as I add drops. personal preference.
 
hellstorm2004 said:
From TFT Test kit.
TFTestkits.net

Do i need to get all the options or just the XL option would be fine?
Click to expand...

If you can afford it, the Speedstir Option is a handy thing to have. You can live without it, but it is a time saver. I have never seen anyone regret its purchase.

And just so you know, while this kit might seem expensive, in the grand scheme, you will save money versus going to the pool store adn asking them what to add. They tend to sell lots of chemicals that you dont need.
 

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Okay so you have a DE filter. That is the kind of filter that will put a good polish on your water BUT it can be a pain to SLAM with as it clean SOOOO good LOL.

-look online and find your filter manual. It will help you understand your filter.

-Buy a good pool rake net. Here is a good example of one

Swimline Hydrotools Telescopic Leaf Rake

Get as much of the yuck out as you can. It will make your SLAM easier.

SLAM-what we do to clear our pools. Here is a link to how to do it.

Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

You need to look around your area to find your best source for bleach or chlorinWalmart=8.25% bleach (plain, unscented), Pool stores=11% chlorine. They are the same thing with the Pool store being stronger.

Kim
 
hellstorm2004 said:
Looked at lining and the wall. Certainly felt like cement!

I am trying to measure the size of the pool. Its an odd shape. A little bit of rectangle a little bit of a semi-circle. :p

The filter is Purex Titron Nautilus FNS Dimatceous (or something) Earth filter.
Click to expand...

Post a pic if you can. My best guess based upon yoru trouble desribing is that it is oblong, sort of kidney bean shaped. If you cant post a pic, then look at this photo and pick out which best fits yoru shape.
 
Welcome to TFP! You sure are off to a great start! I'm subscribing to this thread because it's so awesome to watch (and help) someone learn.

Keep asking questions and posting pictures. There's people on this forum that know stuff about every possible thing that has to do with pools so we'll get it all sorted out together! You just have to be willing to keep asking and answering questions and posting pics always helps!
 

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