Green pool not much maintenance need advice to bring it back to life

[FIESTA62]

hi , i got a problem with my stepfathers pool and need advice on how to fix, its a 9 x 4.5 metre pool, pebble crete, he had it re-pebbled about 15 years ago at a guess , maybe longer, he has never really looked after it and for the last say 10 years its been green then clear then green again always a bit sad looking

ok i would say for the last 4 years its been green, he has been doing very little, for the first time i had a look at the pool gear, its got a small old looking chlorinator , i looked at the cell its got a big block of what looks like salt inside, obviously its stuffed ! and pump is single speed and rattles

i dont know how to run this old gear and figure best to replace it all, filter, chlorinator and pump with all new gear, same as mine so i can run it all no problem,
my question here is the pool is dark green been like that for 4 years, i learnt how to maintain my new pool with all the help from all u guys on the forum, but have no clue on fixing this green pool, do i need to drain pool and waterblast all surface and start fresh ? or can i bomb it with lots of chlorine ? thanks, Tony

 

[FIESTA62]

ok so i understand its maybe not a great idea to drain pool and waterblast old pebblecrete i can see there might be issues doing that, i dont want to see pebblecrete coming off the walls from the water blaster
i plan to replace pump as old one is past it time, and install new chlorinator, and filter, its all old i dont know what maintenance or how old filter is so i figure buy new start fresh
so as advised first thing i will do tests on water and go from there, soon as the sun comes out i will test for cya and get back here for advice, but i am just curious i understand its going to take lots of liquid chlorine, but how much will it take roughly i have no idea on this and i understand estimating how much chlorine is just a guess, but i just want to prepare my stepdad for the costs involved , thanks

 

[mgtfp]

Just to close the loop, here a link to your old thread starting with the post where we started discussing this new topic:

Startup SWG chlorinator salt for new pool

hi, actually i am not fussed about salt taste, another knowledgeable member mention one time about staying at 3200 there is no taste there, and i have just repeated his comment, but to be honest who cares about taste not me, i just thought lower salt would be better for corrosion reasons, or i...

www.troublefreepool.com

Link to SLAM Process has already been given in that thread, keep reading through that. And let's see if others chime in that actually went through a major SLAM themselves and can give you some hands-on advice regarding required liquid chlorine amounts to be expected.

What could help apart from the already mentioned tests, are some photos to give people an idea of the extent of the algae infestation.

Another thing that you can already start with, is getting debris out of the pool with a net. If the pool hadn't been maintained in a while, I suspect that it will be full of old leaves and other stuff (gum tree bark is particularly nice if there are gums around...). All of that gunk is consuming chlorine, and the more you can get out (and the earlier), the less chlorine you will need in total.

 

[CRAD_oz]

Are you Bored of your new toy already and want to play with someone else's Tony?
Looks interesting and I'll be watching.
You'll be a green Belt in no time!

 

[FIESTA62]

some photos to give people an idea of the extent of the algae infestation.

OK when its sunny again i will do tests and photos, im looking into prices for new filtration gear , i realize test first but i cant slam till i replace all the filtration system, i will look into cleaning rubbish out of pool , not sure on what vacuum he has if any, but im onto it...

 

[FIESTA62]

Looks interesting and I'll be watching.

well i think i have mine under control now, finally got the cya up to 80, and FC seems to be holding around 5, but only just got it steady so still checking pretty regular but seems ok...but im still tweeking it.....only just recently learnt more about salt and not to worry too much about keeping it really low, like i was trying to keep it at 3200, now its 4000 and all good
thing is i knew zero about pools 6 months ago, i mean zero nothing, so when i visited stepfathers pool over the years and seen its green i took no notice, thinking who cares no one uses it, but i know now long term it can damage the pool leaving it like this, so i put my hand up, hey im a pool guru ill fix it....so it begins.....
but yeah i cant sit still for long i get bored got be doing something !

 

[CRAD_oz]

I get it.
I've helping my Dad with his pool this season (burnt out chlorinator) and maintaining it while he's away. I had it all dialled in and running smooth until the other week I noticed the TA had gone up 30ppm and pH was around 7? Even though I said you don't need to add anything he still did. I guess after owning a pool for 25years you get into a routine of adding this and that just because??
His shed looks isle 34 at Bunnings, every pool chem they sell.
Anyway have fun with the project.

 

[brendio]

Last week I had the job of helping a mate with his green pool while he was in hospital. I did lots of scooping out leaves, fixing bits that were stuck in his pool cleaner, backwashing the filter and then SLAMming. I used 10 L of chlorine from the pool shop (discovered they have a container exchange program, so it works out cheaper than Bunnings). I went through that pretty quickly and needed more, but it was weekend, so I went to Bunnings. I got Cal Hypo shock because it worked out cheapest per unit of chlorine there and I figured would last longer in the cupboard if I didn't need to use it all now. Used about a kilo and a half of that, plus about half a kilo of dichlor my mate had left over. It took about 3 days to clear up to just a light green tint, but I was only able to manage to get there once a day to adjust levels.

In this case, I also needed 5 bags of salt and some calcium chloride, and told him to add more stabiliser once I was done.

This pool was not well maintained, but probably not as bad as yours step-father's. I found it is a good chance to put my learning from this site into practice when I will hopefully never end up with a green pool myself.

 

[FIESTA62]

got a quote from a pool shop Swimart, i wanted just the gear, filter, pump, swg, installed, but he looked at pool and said the pebble Crete is calcifying its all ruff and furry feeling, he said i don't want all that going thru my new filter gear, so suggests its drained and acid washed, i questioned him about old pebble Crete getting damaged during the process but he has no issues says its no problem,
he has quoted 6k aud cash price, to supply all gear, install, the install needs some new piping and a concrete slab paver for pump to sit on, and drain and acid wash pool, take old gear to tip etc, total clean up and fill hand over all done,
i have priced gear myself already its about 4k, he is from Swimart and of course would get the gear cheaper , so he is asking around 2k to install and clean pool, i guess thats reasonable, but it is cash so i hoped less but i am thinking its not going to be much cheaper , so thinking its a go

 

[mgtfp]

Could you clear up the pool first with the old equipment? Being able to see all of the pool would also give you a better idea about the state of the pool in general.

I have no experience with acid washing, but from what I gathered here, it can cause additional problems down the road. Let's see what others think.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Sounds like the pool guy sees $ signs. I agree with MG's advice. Also, the acid washing will take some of the current finish off and shorten the life span. Maybe it is already there, but maybe not and no sense in hurrying it along.

 

[FIESTA62]

clear up the pool first with the old equipment

well i kinda doubt it, the swg chlorinator is shot, the filter is at least 10 years old never had a sand change, i doubt my stepdad has done any backwashing or very little, and he has been running this green pool with all its leaves and muck thru system for years , and pump is rattling, it seems a bit too hard basket,
i did originally think just replace gear, then slam, and clear it with new gear, but all the muck and calcification off walls will be going thru new gear so i guess thats not a good idea
so i lean towards letting him run with it, but i might ask for a 2nd quote opinion from another shop, not sure,

 

[FIESTA62]

ok so i got the pool reno on the way, the shop has agreed to do all work for $5500 aud, thats filter, swg, pump, and all new plumbing to install the gear, and acid wash pool, so all good there

but one thing i need to organise for stepfather is some kind of pool cleaner, i will take care of the chemical side of maintenance, ok stop laughing its the blind leading the blind i know, but he has zero idea on how to keep pool balanced so i am stepping up

ok in his case the pool really wont get used he is 86, pool will just sit there, he bought a maytronics robotic a few years ago never did much of a job , i never used it or seen him use it but he said it kept jamming up with leaves, and he is not keen on spending money on another expensive robotic, his pool is 9 x 4.5, 65000 litre, rectangle , pebblecrete, he did get a fair amount of leaves, but yesterday i cut trees back a lot, but i expect he will still get some leaves

looking for ideas on a cleaner, as he wont use pool so its no problem having a vacuum hose in water full time and just plug it into skimmer when needed, any ideas please ?

 

[CRAD_oz]

Tony
Once you have your have the pool up and running wouldn't the Robot cleaner be adequate to clean a days worth of leaves, twigs and dirt? You will just have to empty the robot basket.
With a suction cleaner the skimmer basket will have to checked and cleaned daily. The suction cleaner only works when the filter pump is running.
A pressure side Cleaner also requires the bag to be cleaned daily ( well my old one did, the heavy leaves stopped it moving around and up the walls). Also needs the filter pump on to work.
All three needs some attention.

 

[mgtfp]

If there's a big leaf dump, especially gum leaves, my suction cleaner gets clogged up constantly. I don't let it run when further away than just for the day. I assume, robots might also struggle with gum leaves, certainly gum bark. But it would still make sense to have some sort of automatic cleaner, so you can let it run while you're at your step father's. But a manual vacuum and a leaf rake might be required from time to time for a quick clean up.

A clogged up suction cleaner can be a problem, as it can affect water circulation. Not sure what the worst case with a robot is, I assume it just stopped when clogged.

You could install a web cam so you'd know about a leaf dump and could pop over when needed.

Is there a chance to prevent the bigger stuff from falling into the pool in the first place? Pool cover? Fruit tree netting put up tent-like over the pool?

How often do you plan to be there for water maintenance? How far away is your step father's place?

 

[FIESTA62]

How often do you plan to be there for water maintenance?

i am at his place once a week, so will be testing water then, but until pool is running smooth i probably will test more often, but i will be keeping the FC up this time not letting it drop like i did on my pool,

the trees are all neighbours and very high, though they were hanging directly over pool , but i have cut off those overhanging branches off, so i suspect it will be much better in future in regards to leaves

i was thinking vacuum cleaner only because he is paying for the pool work $5500, and does not even use pool but i let him know it cant be left green like it is long term, he is a bit over the costs of the pool , so i thought paying for a robotic will not be a conversation he will want to hear !

as said before he bought a Dolphin swash see pic, i think he said he paid a few thousand for it going back a few years and it never worked always clogged, pool shop gave him the hard sell about best on the market blah blah, i have had nothing to do with it, just going on what he said, as you can see it looks a bit sad now been sitting for ages collecting dust

i hear you and guess a robotic is better, that's what i will get in time for my pool, ( manually vacuuming and brushing now ) but for stepfather i am a bit nervous about recommending a robotic if its not going to do the job or break down, i read so many stories about unreliable robotics, but i guess a robotic cleaner is the go if i can find the one that will be reliable and do a decent job, what do u guys use ?

i think i might need to manually vacuum for awhile until he gets over the resto costs, then move on to buying a robotic....

 

[mgtfp]

Agree, have to keep costs within reason for this scenario. But on the other hand - a nice clean pool might get the grand kids over a lot more...

I guess, see how you go with the manual vacuuming. If it turns out, that you have to spend too much time vacuuming, you can still think about an upgrade.

Maybe you could share a cleaner? Some schlepping around, but could be worth thinking about?

Your step father's robot does look like it has seen better days. Do you think it could be saved?

Your step dad might have had some wrong expectations with the robot. I know how my pool looks after a thunderstorm with wind from the wrong direction. Last week, the neighbour's gum decided to drop a year's worth of bark shedding plus a ton of leaves into our pool. No way, that the cleaner can deal with those massive bark strips. Me and my son got the bigger pieces out first - me with the net, and my son had lots of fun diving down and collecting them. After that, the cleaner had a chance to collect the smaller bits without getting stuck every 5 Minutes.

I guess, clean up your own pool first, and then move on to your pool school graduation piece. After those two pools you'll be a Pro (actually, better than a Pro...).

Don't forget to order more reagents in time...

 

[FIESTA62]

share a cleaner

i been manually vacuuming my pool, its not a big deal i do a brush and vac in say under 1 hour, but i guess a robotic cleaner would be good , i might look around for one for myself, and let stepfather try it later on, if all good then he can buy his own....but your right i might need to let him know it wont perform miracles if the pool is full of leaves he still might need a bit of elbow grease, open to any suggestions on best robotic....

 

[mgtfp]

I don't have I robot. My suction cleaner does generally a good job, but I don't have a dedicated suction port, so I always have to swap between skimmer and cleaner, which is a bit annoying. Eventually I'll get a robot, I guess. I also miss with my suction cleaner that there is no brushing action. But I haven't really decided yet - Dirk's quote in favour of suction cleaners, which got me thinking again...

But I certainly wouldn't want to rely just on manual vacuuming - I still do it sometimes when I quickly want to tidy up a mess before jumping in, but generally I prefer if my pool cleaner can do the job for me.

 

[FIESTA62]

wouldn't want to rely just on manual vacuuming

i can afford a robot but just hear so many stories of repairs and many just don't work like they advertise, my pool gets very little in the way of leaves, and being just 6 x 4.5 not that big so cleaning is not that bad, but yep it takes time and messing around plugging in hose and turning up pump speed and brushing then vacuuming all that,
i might start my search again, i did start looking into them awhile back but i read about one and it sounds great, then get on a forum or review site and hear how its not so great, but one that caught my attention was a model called Robotek, mainly because i don't think i found any bad reviews, and it sounded like a powerful unit, will get around to searching again when i get these pools sorted....