Neglected pool came with house

[Searyouz]

Hey guys, me and my wife just purchased our first house back in October. We have been busy fixing up and changing things inside and now with spring here we are looking at the outdoors

I will post some pics later on today and get a full description of everything I am working with, sand filter model and what not

Basically we have an above ground pool 18x54, that has been neglected since August of 2020 at least, we began draining it, as it sits under 2 big trees and currently has about 5 inches of water in it, our plan is to get in and get dirty trying to clean up all the leaves and gunk, or at least as much as we can(hopefully this wasn't a mistake)

My first question is, after the cleaning and before I call around to get it filled is there anything I can do to start fixing this problem? As of right now the water is dark green with algea just free floating around, I know chemicals can get expensive and I figure it will be cheaper to treat the little bit of water that's in there then to treat it full, I could probably throw in a pair of 2500 gph submersible pumps, for water movement to mix anything that needs yes they are from an aquarium (is this even going to make a dent)

I'm completely new to pools and maintenance and I don't know what to do, any help is greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! If this is a steel-walled vinyl pool, be careful about removing all water. Water is necessary to keep the pool shell and liner in place. To kill and remove algae, you'll need to follow our SLAM Process. Start reading that now and be sure to have a TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C test kit to do the SLAM. Follow those instructions to the letter and it will work. Be sure to update your signature and let us know if you have any other questions.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

[/slam]

 

[Texas Splash]

With enough water to keep the pool/liner stable, scoop & sweep as much junk out as you can before trying to operate the equipment. Once you think you have most of it out, you'll need an adequate water level to run a test on the equipment so you can monitor for leaks and add chemicals. Keep a close eye on the equipment pad or around the pool for leaks. If the system is operating okay, then you can start the SLAM Process. Use liquid chlorine for the SLAM and be sure to have one of those proper test kits as well.

 

[Searyouz]

With enough water to keep the pool/liner stable, scoop & sweep as much junk out as you can before trying to operate the equipment. Once you think you have most of it out, you'll need an adequate water level to run a test on the equipment so you can monitor for leaks and add chemicals. Keep a close eye on the equipment pad or around the pool for leaks. If the system is operating okay, then you can start the SLAM Process. Use liquid chlorine for the SLAM and be sure to have one of those proper test kits as well.

I will be ordering a tf-100 test kit

Thanks for mentioning that the water is needed for stability on a steel walled pool it actually makes alot of sense, I will begin filling it a couple a hours a day this evening

 

[V___25]

Welcome! You're in good hands here. Stick around and you'll get that pool TFP clear in no time

 

[kimkats]

Get a deep scoop net to get as much of the solid stuff as you can up and out. I put big trash bags in the pool with me (water was just below my knees at the time) and filled the bags to only as much as I could lift out. Once I got as much of the gunk out as I could I then put a t-shirt over the flat net and skimmed the water to get as much of the smaller gunk out as possible.

THEN you start filling and treating the water that is left/coming in with chlorine.

Make sure to get PLAIN chlorine/bleach. If you have a pool store close ask if they sell chlorine in rentable jugs. That should be stronger than store chlorine/bleach. Do NOT get "chloramx" or pretty smells or "splashless" as it has stuff added to it that are not good for pool water.

Kim

 

[Searyouz]

Adding a couple photos so you guys can see what I'm working with, also will be looking for a deep scoop net, as all that was left was a skimmer style net

Is the one listed below any good or is there a better alternative


POOLWHALE Professional Pool Skimmer Net, Heavy Duty Swimming Leaf Rake Cleaning Tool with Deep Fine Nylon Mesh Net Bag - Fast Cleaning,Easy Scoop Edge,Debris Pickup Removal https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NPRYKH...t_i_KRJSXWGA2B9AFNK1WHB5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Texas Splash]

You can pull that ladder out now since it will need to be broken down and cleaned inside & out. Also be prepared to do a thorough sand deep cleaning as noted here on the site. Depending on the previous products used, changing the sand may be an even better option.

 

[kimkats]

ewwwwwwwwwwwwww your poor nose...........that has to be smelly! I know mine was when I set out to fix it up.

Okay here we go...........let teach you about your pool:
-Your liner is an "overlap" liner. Not super important to know right now but may be down the road.
-You have a sand filter. It is filled with sand (I hope). It does a good job cleaning up a pool and is super easy to use and clean.
-Your pump looks to be a 1.5 hp pump. Can you feel a toggle switch under the part away from the basket? If so it might be a two speed. That is very useful info to know going forward.
-that white canister is to hold more tablets. Please open it BUT do NOT have your face right over it as the smell will knock you back a bit if there are any tablets left in it. If there are any tablet take them out and set them out to dry out as you can use them later.
-that floater may have even more tablets in it. Fish it out and don't plan on using it again.

That net is a fine net. The thing that fails on nets is the pole. I finial gave up on having an "adjustable" pole as that part of it failed every time. I just had two poles-one kept short for when I was in the pool and a long pole for when I was standing outside the pool.

I agree with Pat to get ready to take out that ladder as it is going to be yucky inside it and will need to be deep cleaned before putting it back in the clean pool.

Find the manual for that filter. See how to open it. Use care and lots of adult words to make it open. Let us know what it looks like inside. Betting it is not so pretty as well.

Use the net you have for right now to get as much out as you can. The more yuck you get out the faster your pool will be a great place to swim.

Now for the future:
-plan of using sch 40 PVC to pipe the filter and pump to the pool. You will need to put valves under the return and skimmer (not sure how much you know about pool terms so here is some basic knowledge-return=round eye where the water comes from the filter back into the pool. Skimmer-square opening in the pool wall where the pump pulls the water to the filter.) You will also want to put unions under the valves and on either side of the pump and filter to add in the cleaning and repairing of them.

Right now your focus needs to be getting all of that yuck up and out! Happy frogging!

Kim

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[Newdude]

ewwwwwwwwwwwwww your poor nose...........that has to be smelly! I know mine was when I set out to fix it up.

First reaction was 'Whoever said you can't smell a picture is a LIAR'

And *then* i felt the mosquitos biting me.

Welcome Searyouz !!!!