My family and I just bough an old homestead with a pool. I had a hot tub almost 40 years ago but never a pool and I'm climbing the pool learning curve! The pool is 17,500 gal. and it's been closed and covered for at least 3 years. Despite the cover, there's a decent amount of brown debris on the bottom (probably mostly decomposing leaf litter but also a dead garter snake). The water is only a bit little green--at least compared to the "about the worst I've ever seen" videos that I've watched on YouTube! The pool is over 25 years old (and unknown how much over).
We are on a spring so water is scarce but we have about 2500 gal. in a cistern to draw-from. That should get it up another 3 inches and over the skimmer for running. Sadly we have a sand filter so backwashing is the only way to clean it. Vacuuming to waste will waste (obviously) water! From maintenance logs left by the previous owners, they drained the pool about 18 years and acid / chlorine washed it. It took 11 tanker truckloads of water to fill it over a couple of days time!
I've read about the SLAM method and need to order a CYA test kit ASAP to get SLAM/shock started. I watched David Van Brunt's green pool videos(The Pool Guy channel), where he used Yellow Trine or SwampTreat, in addition to chlorine shock.
While I wait for supplies, I'm trying to use the leaf rake to get as much crud off the bottom as possible.
Wish me luck (maybe with a few tips, if you have a few moments). I'll be reading as much on this forum as possible later tonight but I'm back to leaf raking, ATM.
Thanks,
-Cal
We are on a spring so water is scarce but we have about 2500 gal. in a cistern to draw-from. That should get it up another 3 inches and over the skimmer for running. Sadly we have a sand filter so backwashing is the only way to clean it. Vacuuming to waste will waste (obviously) water! From maintenance logs left by the previous owners, they drained the pool about 18 years and acid / chlorine washed it. It took 11 tanker truckloads of water to fill it over a couple of days time!
I've read about the SLAM method and need to order a CYA test kit ASAP to get SLAM/shock started. I watched David Van Brunt's green pool videos(The Pool Guy channel), where he used Yellow Trine or SwampTreat, in addition to chlorine shock.
While I wait for supplies, I'm trying to use the leaf rake to get as much crud off the bottom as possible.
Wish me luck (maybe with a few tips, if you have a few moments). I'll be reading as much on this forum as possible later tonight but I'm back to leaf raking, ATM.
Thanks,
-Cal
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