I'm a little confused about the DE filter comment, when you stated you put two new cartridges in before you closed the pool for winter 2 years ago? Are you on DE with DE grids, or Cartridge filtration.
If you want to go the easier faster but more expensive way (depending on how much you are billed for water by you're utility provider.) and swap out that light for an LED light, then by all means... drain it if that works out more conveinant.
But some of us here including myself have turned water like that crystal clear over the course of 3 weeks to a month.
Most contractors involving any kind of construction or major cleanup will always over bill if they don't want to be bothered with the job if it will cost them more time. Time=Money. They love easy repeated billable continuous maintenance gigs. Nature of the beast. I had a landscaper once quote my wife $1800 for a spring leaf cleanup since I was so busy with work one year. Something I said no way to,
and just cleaned it up myself and one weekend. I'm sure if they just wanted to cut my grass and maybe spray some herbicides it would have cost me $150-$250.
Same goes for the pool.
You get out of it what you put into it. But once you are clear and understand water chemistry, the maintenance and chemical cost is minimal.
If you want to go the easier faster but more expensive way (depending on how much you are billed for water by you're utility provider.) and swap out that light for an LED light, then by all means... drain it if that works out more conveinant.
But some of us here including myself have turned water like that crystal clear over the course of 3 weeks to a month.
Most contractors involving any kind of construction or major cleanup will always over bill if they don't want to be bothered with the job if it will cost them more time. Time=Money. They love easy repeated billable continuous maintenance gigs. Nature of the beast. I had a landscaper once quote my wife $1800 for a spring leaf cleanup since I was so busy with work one year. Something I said no way to,
and just cleaned it up myself and one weekend. I'm sure if they just wanted to cut my grass and maybe spray some herbicides it would have cost me $150-$250.
Same goes for the pool.
You get out of it what you put into it. But once you are clear and understand water chemistry, the maintenance and chemical cost is minimal.