Thank you sir. I appreciate the information, but no clue yet what all that means. Self educating can be a slow process, especially for me. Reading the suggestions of you guys are a big first step for me though.
Covered and unattended pool for three years. What are my first two steps?
- Thread starter Syrr
- Start date
Virtually all "chlorine sensitivity" is due to improperly maintained pools and a buildup of chloramines.
Try our way of managing the chlorine before you give up on chlorine.
99.999% chance that no one will have a problem with the chlorine.
Just caught up on this thread- so a belated welcome to tfp neighbor!
definitely get a wide mouth leaf net & scoop as much solid debris as u can off the cover - the water is definitely gonna mix when removing that tarp but thats ok . Once u get it off do the same in the pool - blind scooping is ok
The more organic material u can get out the better.
harbor freight sells mesh tarps - if you have help u may be able to finagle one under or over the existing cover to help catch the debris. If u get a large enough one you may be able to use it later as a leaf net.
You need to find out if it was a baquacil pool. Look around for leftover chemicals & report back. If it was a baqua pool there’s a specific procedure for converting to chlorine & in your case it may begin with a water exchange.
Also a Harbor freight fan!. A mesh tarp sounds plausible to my inexperienced ears. I'll look around in Collierville on Tuesday and report back. Thank you.Just caught up on this thread- so a belated welcome to tfp neighbor!
definitely get a wide mouth leaf net & scoop as much solid debris as u can off the cover - the water is definitely gonna mix when removing that tarp but thats ok . Once u get it off do the same in the pool - blind scooping is ok
The more organic material u can get out the better.
harbor freight sells mesh tarps - if you have help u may be able to finagle one under or over the existing cover to help catch the debris. If u get a large enough one you may be able to use it later as a leaf net.
You need to find out if it was a baquacil pool. Look around for leftover chemicals & report back. If it was a baqua pool there’s a specific procedure for converting to chlorine & in your case it may begin with a water exchange.
I will consider that a statement of hope. Thank you, I cans use that about now.
get to scooping take the free help. buy him a case of bleach 
that isnt bad just clean clean clean. I would drain and refill. Just cause you have no idea what they put in it. but follow what these guys tell ya. get as much as you can off that cover without letting it in the pool, get all the stuff out of the pool that you can before turning on the pump. after you get the cover off and get it scooped out. then look at the pump take the strainer out of the pump and make sure is clean. I would also look at the sand filter, back flush the filter or pump to waste first, if you can bypass the heater I would do that as well till the pool is clean, look in the strainer of the pool as well mine had a rag shoved under the basket, in the pool was a tent,diapers a few dead animals, and about 2 feet of crude. it will come clean and up and running in no time.
that isnt bad just clean clean clean. I would drain and refill. Just cause you have no idea what they put in it. but follow what these guys tell ya. get as much as you can off that cover without letting it in the pool, get all the stuff out of the pool that you can before turning on the pump. after you get the cover off and get it scooped out. then look at the pump take the strainer out of the pump and make sure is clean. I would also look at the sand filter, back flush the filter or pump to waste first, if you can bypass the heater I would do that as well till the pool is clean, look in the strainer of the pool as well mine had a rag shoved under the basket, in the pool was a tent,diapers a few dead animals, and about 2 feet of crude. it will come clean and up and running in no time.
Thank everyone for the homework assignments. I'll get back to the string after getting the net thing and giving the Lowe's skimmer a try.
Wow!get to scooping take the free help. buy him a case of bleach
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,693
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
When u pour bleach in if u start to get funky colors let us know- i do wonder about it being baquacil which is an expensive nightmare to maintain. We have several baqua pushers in our area.
To get back to your original question:
Step 1
- get a test kit on order asap
- tf-100xl or a Taylor k-2006c . Tf-100xl is the best value as it has more of the reagents you need.
www.tftestkits.net also has good glycerin filled gauges for like $12
Step 2
Remove as much organic debris as possible & source lots of liquid chlorine (at least 10 gallons to start) while u wait for your kit to come in.
I know smith pools offers refillable 2.5 gallon bottles of 10.5% for cheaper price/gal than walmart. There used to be several other pool stores in the gtwn area so call around & see who sells liquid chlorine. (Don’t buy anything else there
) walmart, Home Depot, & lowes are putting out their liquid chlorine now so u have lots of options.
Step 3 - post your test results here & we can guide your next steps.
The weather here is warming up randomly (it was 79 degrees today) so its best to get this going now before the water warms up - hopefully the cold water will be beneficial in your case.
Also while u r waiting & scooping do your best to fill out your signature- if u r on a mobile device turn it sideways to see all of ours.
www.troublefreepool.com
Did I mention we ❤❤❤❤ Swamp to sparkle threads w/ pics???
To get back to your original question:
Step 1
- get a test kit on order asap
- tf-100xl or a Taylor k-2006c . Tf-100xl is the best value as it has more of the reagents you need.
www.tftestkits.net also has good glycerin filled gauges for like $12
Step 2
Remove as much organic debris as possible & source lots of liquid chlorine (at least 10 gallons to start) while u wait for your kit to come in.
I know smith pools offers refillable 2.5 gallon bottles of 10.5% for cheaper price/gal than walmart. There used to be several other pool stores in the gtwn area so call around & see who sells liquid chlorine. (Don’t buy anything else there
) walmart, Home Depot, & lowes are putting out their liquid chlorine now so u have lots of options.Step 3 - post your test results here & we can guide your next steps.
The weather here is warming up randomly (it was 79 degrees today) so its best to get this going now before the water warms up - hopefully the cold water will be beneficial in your case.
Also while u r waiting & scooping do your best to fill out your signature- if u r on a mobile device turn it sideways to see all of ours.
Create Your Signature - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
Just starting to rake out the leaves. Going slow and gentle as advised. Will update thread with follow up photos when practical. Meantime: got the skimmer net thing and a long handle leaf rake. Working on it as time and energy allows. (69 makes everything more strenuous these days)
There is a lot of fine stuff which seems to settle back down on the sunken cover in time. I appreciate all the advice and look forward to more.
Question: Does portable equipment exist that could vacuum out the debris discharging the filtered water back into the pool?
There is a lot of fine stuff which seems to settle back down on the sunken cover in time. I appreciate all the advice and look forward to more.
Question: Does portable equipment exist that could vacuum out the debris discharging the filtered water back into the pool?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,474
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Pool ownership will help build upper body strength.
Pool service guys can have portable pump and filter rigs that they plug in to do big cleanup jobs.
Trust me, I CAN relate.
And make knees, back, and shoulders scream.
At least starting now, you're likely to be able to swim during the summer...
Good point....Trust me, I CAN relate.
And make knees, back, and shoulders scream.
At least starting now, you're likely to be able to swim during the summer...
Found a bunch of YouTube video on building a vacuum system to gather the leaves, discharging the water back into the pool. Great for those doing so for a living, but cost prohibitive and technically challenging.
Think I'll stick with the mesh tarp Mdragger88 suggested. Three more sets of hands to help will make the leaf removal go much quicker. Will post photos when starting.
Think I'll stick with the mesh tarp Mdragger88 suggested. Three more sets of hands to help will make the leaf removal go much quicker. Will post photos when starting.
Clarification; is it beneficial to pour in a few gallons of household bleach while fishing out the leaves? Or better to wait while I get the leaves out?
Attachments
![20210304_133026[1].jpg](/data/attachments/160/160789-39b59ff7eab8e9e7f46c820691730f3b.jpg)
There's no quick way and definitely a sure way to get through this. Get the recommended test kit ordered asap. Follow the above advice for the so called tarp cover. Once removed you'll need to rid the pool floor of all organics via the leaf rake thingy. The water level is to your advantage as it's easier to see the bottom and clean up. Not sure what your next step is and depending on the water table this time of the year you may not be able to remove all the water to keep the pool from popping out of the ground. Take one step at a time and report back. Best of luck.
There’s such a large amount of debris present that any chlorine you add is going to be burned through trying to process the solids. I would wait until you get the gunk out, then SLAM. Definitely need test kit on hand for that. Dose up to your SLAM level as often as you can - every two hours at first, if possible, but if not, as often as you can.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 13,693
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Get the solid crud out 1st.
Like they said all that will just eat up your precious bleach rapidly.
Then test & post your #’s here
Then proceed to SLAM Process
When u get to the point of adding bleach if u get funky colors let us know - it may change your course a little.
Like they said all that will just eat up your precious bleach rapidly.
Then test & post your #’s here
Then proceed to SLAM Process
When u get to the point of adding bleach if u get funky colors let us know - it may change your course a little.