Just bought a house with a pool, looking for advice

[beanizidy]

Hello!

Glad to be apart of the pool owner community! I'm located in southwest Georgia. I have a 16×32 in ground vinyl pool. I have a Hayward S244T filter and a Hayward T cell 15 SET. Also has an old Dolphin M4 that looks like hasn't been used in quite some time.

Previous owner had a pool guy come once a week. I'm more of a hands on (and cheap) guy and have been using this site learn how to maintain it. I've got a TF100 on the way with a Taylor K-1766 salt test. Is that test kit pretty self explanatory?

Basically I'm looking for advice on how to not mess up the pool. It's crystal clear and I hope to keep it that way. Equipment wise is there anything I should keep a spare of that will be a huge issue if it breaks?

Also previous owner said he kept the pool running all year. Is this a good idea or should I close it for the "winter" here?

How long do I need to keep the filter running per day? Or where can I find detailed info so I can figure that out myself?

 

[kimkats]

Hi and welcome to TFP! You are Far ahead of the learning curve with knowing you need AND ordering a great test kit! We have videos on how to do them so when it gets here let us know and we can point them out to you!

I leave my pool in FL open year round and love it! Even if it is too burrrrrr for me I still enjoy looking at it!

I have a set of links I put together for new pool owners. I am guessing you might have already found some of this but will still share them all with you to be on the safe side:
Pool care links:
Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Trouble Free Pool
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Kim

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Hey there Beanizidy Welcome to TFP! Another Georgian in the house always welcome (gotta compete with all the Texas and Florida folks, y'know?)

You can easily manage this pool without hiring a pool guy. In fact, you'll manage it far better I promise.

You got the primo test kits and they come with step by step instructions.

Naw, you don't need to close. You won't need to do much over the fall to spring period except keep it cleaned of leaves and such. Your SWG won't work if the water gets too cold, but using some liquid chlorine instead is easy and you'll not do it that often as it lasts forever in cold winter water.

Holler for questions as they arise and we'll help you figure it out.

Cheers on the new pool!

Maddie

 

[Kellyp]

Hey beanizidy, welcome to the best pool site on the internet. Kim has got you set on links. Read up and ask any questions that arise.
As far as closing the pool, I'm in North GA and have never closed mine. Love looking at the pool in winter and anticipating spring!