Bought a house with an "as-is" pool, and...

[jersey-tech]

Hi all,

I recently bought a home that came with a 15x30' inground pool. The house had been a previous foreclosure, and the owners took some of the pool equipment with them--including the filter which was removed by sawing off the PVC pipes. The house was cleaned up a bit and flipped, but the sellers did not do any work on the pool and left it unopened and inoperable. I did my best to judge the condition of the liner and other items I could see without having equipment hooked up, but in the end it was a bit of a gamble. I knew I'd have to get a new filter and other equipment, but I couldn't tell the condition of the liner or underground pipes.

I got a recommendation for this site and read through the Pool School eBook to learn everything I could for a first-time pool owner. I had a few local pool service companies come by and provide estimates to get the equipment installed and pool opened, even though it was late in the season here in New Jersey. (I figured I'd want to have a usable pool, if only for a month and to not let it sit with a bunch of leaves and green water all winter.)

We have young children so on moving day we had a Baby Barrier safety fence installed. Easy enough, and a few days later the local service guy came to install the new sand filter (decided it was the best balance of cost/performance), SWCG, and replace some aging PVP pipes and valves. We had thought the Hayward 2HP SuperPump was totally shot, but the installer was able to get it working with a little attention to the seized up internal parts. Removing the temporary "cover" (really just a cheap tarp), we found the pool water totally green and with an inch of black leaves at the bottom. He got to installing the equipment and then began the job of vacuuming the debris with an external pump.

A few hours later, I couldn't believe the difference! The green water was now clear, exposing the beautiful vinyl liner and the water circulation looked strong. I let the pump run overnight and the next day, I used the cheap test kit from a local store to get a reading on the FC. To confirm my findings, I took a water sample to the store and they said that we were good to go. That afternoon we were swimming, about 24 hours after starting with a dirty green swamp!

I still have a long way to go to get comfortable as a pool owner but I'm looking forward to the help from the wonderful TFP community. Thanks for reading!

Before: The deep end


Before: The shallow end


(I tried to insert some in-progress photos but it seems I exceeded my image quota.)

Before and after:

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum! :handshake:

Great job! Now, to complete the cycle, get your self a proper test kit and truly manage your water chemistry so that it is clean and sanitary.

Order a TF100 test kit
The only other real option for a test kit is a Taylor K-2006-C. Be careful comparing prices because the K-2006 comes in sizes, designated by a letter. The basic K-2006 has .75oz bottles. You need to get the K-2006-C to get the larger bottles that you want.
I also have the SpeedStir. It makes testing much easier.


I suggest you read Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Trouble Free Pool School book.

 

[ajw22]

Congratulations on the new house and pool. We love pool rescue stories like yours.

You have a TF-100 Test Kit You know your CYA & CH? Sounds like you have a good start. Keep an eye on your CSI using PoolMath

 

[borjis]

Look at you go!

Excellent!

 

[jersey-tech]

Thanks all! I do need to pick up the legit TF-100 test kit. I found one for $10 at the local pool store that has most of the tests, but it can only read up to 5ppm FC and doesn't have the CYA test.

Meanwhile, trying to get a handle on my salt readings because the SWG is giving a higher ppm than what the pool store tests show. They suggested I'll just need to recalibrate the SWG for the proper reading, but I want to make sure their numbers are correct first.

And now, my old pump sounds like it's thrown an impeller or the bearings are totally worn. Will give a shot at cleaning it out to see if I can get some more life out of it.

 

[ajw22]

Pool store numbers are rarely correct. Do not calibrate against pool store numbers. Salt accuracy is +/-500 ppm. If your SWG is happy leave it alone. Buy K-1766 Taylor Salt Test for accurate salt tests.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

There is no re-calibration possible on the Hayward SWGs.
I would repeat the suggestion to get the TF-100 and add the K-1766 salt test.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP!!!

There is no re-calibration possible on the Hayward SWGs.
I would repeat the suggestion to get the TF-100 and add the K-1766 salt test.

And get the Speedstir Magnetic Stirrer

 

[Dirk]

Hi and welcome JT! Nice job so far. You are in the right place, and are already receiving some excellent advice. All you have to do is follow it. Stay out of the pool stores. Don't short-sheet the testing. Get one of the two recommended kits and the SpeedStir. And you'll be on your way!

Please be careful about that fence, even if you are crazy careful about keeping it locked down. Treat that as your backup, last-resort system, not your primary defense. One of my boys sees any fence as a personal challenge! And I've found him 15' above ground after only taking my eyes off him for a few seconds (at the baseball field, that is, I never take my eyes off him at the pool). All it takes is a chair dragged over to it.

Here are my scare tactics. You absolutely cannot be too safe! Brace yourself:

Dads viral video of toddler climbing pool ladder is a warning to parents - YouTube

 

[jersey-tech]

Wow, Dirk! That video is certainly eye-opening. We definitely shouldn't get too comfortable with the safety fence, even with a self-closing gate. There are plenty of chairs around for a kid to pull over and climb up on. I'd also like to consider one of those pool alarms that senses when the surface is broken but I haven't seen a single one with positive reviews.

We spent the last 5 years living along a lagoon with a bulkhead, which is essentially a 12' deep pool that's open year-round with no fence and you can't see the bottom. Having kids grow up in that environment is extremely nerve-wracking.

 

[Dirk]

Yah, the alarms are problematic. So many false alarms that they eventually get disabled. I need them on my doors, but I know I don't want them!! Tough call, balancing safety with convenience...

 

[sgoosman]

Congrats on getting the pool cleaned up and looking great. Glad to hear the liner looks great and I hope you get years of good use of it. I would recommend buy liner patches and Boxer vinyl glue. How do you like the safety fence? We thought of putting one in for our 4 & 2 year old but decided against it. A friend put one in for their pool but we did not like it. It's good practice to teach the little ones not to go near the pool. The four year old already can swim to the bottom of the pool and polices his little brother when he gets too close. Highly recommend teaching the little ones to respect the pool.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

Yah, the alarms are problematic. So many false alarms that they eventually get disabled. I need them on my doors, but I know I don't want them!! Tough call, balancing safety with convenience...

It’s an easy call in my book. I don’t mind what some call an inconvenience.

My backyard & gate alarm tones are different from the rest of my house.

 

[jersey-tech]

Congrats on getting the pool cleaned up and looking great. Glad to hear the liner looks great and I hope you get years of good use of it. I would recommend buy liner patches and Boxer vinyl glue. How do you like the safety fence? We thought of putting one in for our 4 & 2 year old but decided against it. A friend put one in for their pool but we did not like it. It's good practice to teach the little ones not to go near the pool. The four year old already can swim to the bottom of the pool and polices his little brother when he gets too close. Highly recommend teaching the little ones to respect the pool.

We had our safety fence installed the day we moved in--the guy was out there drilling the fence supports while the movers were carrying in boxes. It wasn't cheap (about $2200 installed for 100ft) but so far the MagnaLatch gate has been easy to use and overall it's a major peace of mind. We have a solid PVC fence around the outside of the yard with a self-closing gate (legally required), but the interior fence is for our own kids. It's easy enough to remove the aluminum poles and roll back the fence screen on days when we're all outside and want even easier access to the pool. But for every other day, it keeps everybody safe--including any neighborhood kids that might somehow find their way in. Even if our kids were all strong swimmers, I'd feel good having the fence knowing that there may be other children visiting who aren't.

As an added bonus, the safety fence keeps most of the leaves and grass clippings from blowing into the pool. The only ones that get in are the leaves that fall directly inside the fence.

p.s. Just bought a Boxer vinyl patch kit. Already have one small tear (less than 1/2") above the water line to take care of.

 

[jersey-tech]

It’s an easy call in my book. I don’t mind what some call an inconvenience.

My backyard & gate alarm tones are different from the rest of my house.

Agreed. The BabyBarrier fence was really a no-brainer for us. Our yard is fairly small as it is, and we wanted to be able to let the kids play without having to worry as much. There were other cheaper ways to fence off the pool, but the safety fence anchored just around the concrete apron keeps the rest of the yard accessible. And it's easy enough to remove entire sections when necessary.

Haven't decided yet if we want to alarm the exterior gate or back doors, but I think it's a good idea to put an alarm on the MagnaLatch gate on the safety fence. We do keep it locked when not in use.