Hello TFP people...
About a year ago we purchased a house with an AGP (signature) that we haven't been able to give any attention until now. We removed the improvised black plastic cover earlier this summer to find a green mess that is filled up to about a few inches below the skimmer.
According to the previous owner they've not used the pool for at least a couple of years. They left us a Hayward pump and a sand filter, some hoses, pole, and various older looking cleaning attachments and chemicals.
We are now trying in earnest to open the pool. I recently wet-dry vac'ed out the sand filter (nasty smell) and cleaned with a light bleach/water mix. Ironically the bottom circular array of the standpipe was broken off exactly at the mid-circle point ("circle" being where all the eight fingers screw in). However if I hold it together and gently put the fingers back in evenly the collective torque holds the whole thing together! I'm not sure if I broke it during cleaning (I tried to be as careful as possible) or this happened to the previous owner and they just kept it "under the rug." We've had a lot of surprises with the house along the same lines so I would not be surprised if it were the latter.
Anyway here's the question: The people at the local pool shop are saying that I should drain/clean out and refill the pool as opposed to trying to clean the existing water. They said by the time I got done fooling with chemicals and what-not that it would be easier to refill to assure a clean baseline. They offered some additional tips about partial draining and cleaning to avoid letting the sun bake an empty liner as well.
Does this sound like a good approach? I've read the clean the swamp article but I want to go to a SWG system so I'm asking for clarification of approach. I have a submersible pump that can do the job. I'm just concerned about the whole "ruined liner" thing.
Thanks all! The site is a treasure of the web!
About a year ago we purchased a house with an AGP (signature) that we haven't been able to give any attention until now. We removed the improvised black plastic cover earlier this summer to find a green mess that is filled up to about a few inches below the skimmer.
According to the previous owner they've not used the pool for at least a couple of years. They left us a Hayward pump and a sand filter, some hoses, pole, and various older looking cleaning attachments and chemicals.
We are now trying in earnest to open the pool. I recently wet-dry vac'ed out the sand filter (nasty smell) and cleaned with a light bleach/water mix. Ironically the bottom circular array of the standpipe was broken off exactly at the mid-circle point ("circle" being where all the eight fingers screw in). However if I hold it together and gently put the fingers back in evenly the collective torque holds the whole thing together! I'm not sure if I broke it during cleaning (I tried to be as careful as possible) or this happened to the previous owner and they just kept it "under the rug." We've had a lot of surprises with the house along the same lines so I would not be surprised if it were the latter.
Anyway here's the question: The people at the local pool shop are saying that I should drain/clean out and refill the pool as opposed to trying to clean the existing water. They said by the time I got done fooling with chemicals and what-not that it would be easier to refill to assure a clean baseline. They offered some additional tips about partial draining and cleaning to avoid letting the sun bake an empty liner as well.
Does this sound like a good approach? I've read the clean the swamp article but I want to go to a SWG system so I'm asking for clarification of approach. I have a submersible pump that can do the job. I'm just concerned about the whole "ruined liner" thing.
Thanks all! The site is a treasure of the web!