Neglected Pool Rehab (13 years)

[Laura8812]

Hello-
New here, been lurking. We purchased a home at a tax sale last year. Long story and even longer process to get the property cleared with the courts. (we sued 3 dead people).
In the overgrowth mess we found a stand alone spa that was a total loss. The pool.. just wow. We have never owned a pool but are handy. Husband is a custom home builder. We called the pool company on the label that is on equipment and was told to leave the pool alone until we are complete with all the work on the house. We are ready to tackle the outside now and would LOVE some guidance.
It's a 47x20 Right hand Lazy L Concrete pool. Below is a before and after one year to the day. We have been working on this house since 4/2018 and the finish line.. I can see it!!

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
It is holding water. That is a huge plus.
Is it plaster/gunite or vinyl? With water in it the plumbing should be OK.

I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Pool School eBook.

 

[Laura8812]

Thank you for the advice! We were told it's concrete. Beyond that we aren't sure. We are draining now and once we can step in and pull the liner back we will be able to tell.

We would like to have a salt system. Suggestions?

 

[mknauss]

Do you know your water table depth there? Be very careful draining a pool unless you are sure it will not pop out of the ground.

Concrete is good. Maybe it was painted? You may want to consider plastering it if you want to spend some upgrade money. Paint does not last as long as it used to.

SaltWater Chlorine Generator is a good idea. But I think for now just see what it is going to take to get it running. A SWCG can be added any time.

Measure it and get a guesstimate on volume.

 

[jimmythegreek]

Dont drain the pool if your not sure what it is or what your doing. You could honestly destroy what's there. You said it was a concrete pool can you take some pics close up and inspect it.
Does it have a liner? What's the equipment pad look like? Pics of all will be huge help to us to help you

 

[kimkats]

WOW! You have done a lot of work already!! SWEET!

Okay lets get you started on clearing that pool! Here is your shopping list:
-Test kit-look in my siggy for the TF-100 as you are going to need it. Make sure to get the XL added to get that green gone!
-Look around you area for a place to get liquid chlorine. Some Pool Store will sell it to you when you put a deposit down on their jugs. If your area does not have any available then you can get it from Walmart. They call it "pool shock". It comes in a white, plastic jug.

I can't wait to see this thing shining like a jewel!!

Kim

 

[PoolguyinCT]

It’s a liner package, CP2 coping, faceplates & thermoplastic steps are the tells.

From what I spy, cardinal steel package.

 

[Laura8812]

We have one quote in hand and another coming Wednesday. The gentleman that built the pool and remembers the family and what it used to look like was here for the original assessment.
They are the ones who told us to start draining.
Little background- Hubby is new home builder (not the paper pusher kind of builder)
I'll get some more pictures in the am when its light out.
We were told it was winterized by the pool company prior to both the owners passing away and never reopened until we started with it last Sunday.

Do you know your water table depth there? Be very careful draining a pool unless you are sure it will not pop out of the ground.

Concrete is good. Maybe it was painted? You may want to consider plastering it if you want to spend some upgrade money. Paint does not last as long as it used to.

SaltWater Chlorine Generator is a good idea. But I think for now just see what it is going to take to get it running. A SWCG can be added any time.

Measure it and get a guesstimate on volume.

 

[Laura8812]

S

It’s a liner package, CP2 coping, faceplates & thermoplastic steps are the tells.

From what I spy, cardinal steel package.

SPOT ON!!

 

[PoolguyinCT]

If it has sat for 13 years, just replace the liner.

 

[Laura8812]

The pool company that built it and has been servicing it it's entire life told us to start draining it. I can take some pics tomorrow in the light. Thank you!

Dont drain the pool if your not sure what it is or what your doing. You could honestly destroy what's there. You said it was a concrete pool can you take some pics close up and inspect it.
Does it have a liner? What's the equipment pad look like? Pics of all will be huge help to us to help you

 

[Laura8812]

If it has sat for 13 years, just replace the liner.

Thank you. I'll take more pics in the am. They did say the heater was toast.

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi Laura,
It is a vinyl lined pool. Draining it will leave you pretty much no choice but to replace the liner. Note for future refeerence, Don't drain a liner pool ! Its the water which holds the liner in place and keeps it nice a smooth. If its 13 yrs old, it probably time for a new one anyhow. Anyways, it sounds like things are progressing there.

When the pool is filled back up you'll need to maintain it of course. You will need to main tools to do that and keep it sparkly clean and inviting.
First - a good and reliable test kit. We recommend the TF100 or the Taylor K2006C
and Second - knowledge. The knowledge you'll need is in the Pool School Section here.

And of course there are plenty of people on the forum ready to help with whatever questions you might have, or just to discuss different things.

It looks like an exciting project you have going and that pool is gonna be gorgeous when its finally refurbed. Cant wait to see it finished!

 

[Laura8812]

Hi Laura,
It is a vinyl lined pool. Draining it will leave you pretty much no choice but to replace the liner. Note for future refeerence, Don't drain a liner pool ! Its the water which holds the liner in place and keeps it nice a smooth. If its 13 yrs old, it probably time for a new one anyhow. Anyways, it sounds like things are progressing there.

When the pool is filled back up you'll need to maintain it of course. You will need to main tools to do that and keep it sparkly clean and inviting.
First - a good and reliable test kit. We recommend the TF100 or the Taylor K2006C
and Second - knowledge. The knowledge you'll need is in the Pool School Section here.

And of course there are plenty of people on the forum ready to help with whatever questions you might have, or just to discuss different things.

It looks like an exciting project you have going and that pool is gonna be gorgeous when its finally refurbed. Cant wait to see it finished!

Thank you. We started looking at the Pool School Section. Wow, wealth of information!

We expected (and wanted) the liner replaced, it's gross and coming loose in the corners. We know the house sat for 13 years but aren't aware how old the liner is beyond that. Not to mention there are about 300 frogs that call it home and have been for years.
We beat back the overgrowth and have a guy coming to clean the coping, steps, deck and stone in the pool area. Figured we would do all the nasty stuff before we call the septic guy out to pump out the remaining sludge.
Father is law (landscaper) is coming this week to start on the remaining plants and clean up the beds. We thought about landscape stone in the planter beds so mulch doesn't get into the pool?
We tried to save the fencing with repairs and paint last year but it didn't weather the winter well so that's on the list to replace.
The cover is a total loss and we pulled that off with a tow chain and hubby's truck. The pond plants had migrated from the dried up pond to the pool and made their home in the webbing.

Since we have to choose another liner, what would the recommendation be? I'm not a bright blue person, the house is washed brick and new dark grey/black siding. I was thinking about a black pebble liner but we have wildlife and I hear you can't really see them in the pool with that color. The stone surround is light orange pavers. We have Cardinal as the choices

The pool company that has been servicing the pool it's entire life has made the following recommendations:

New liner
5040 Auto Pilot SG
Change sand in filter tank
Master Temp Pentair Heater (propane)
Safety Cover

Thoughts?

 

[mknauss]

Do you have a volume of the pool yet? You need that to select a SWCG. You need to size it so that it is at least rated for 2X your pool volume, if possible.

This may also be the time to change the pump and/or motor. I suspect it is a single speed and will be noisy and expensive to run. Either a two speed or variable speed pump, especially with a SWCG, is recommended.

Have you considered automation? Probably not necessary but the time is now to either consider it or scratch it off the list as you need to coordinate the pump, SWCG, and automation manufacturer if you wish to automate.

 

[Divin Dave]

I like projects like yours, sounds like fun!

I dont know much about hte auto pilot SWG, but a SWG is the way to go IMO. I wouldn't be without it.
I will just mention that you want the capacity of the SWG to be AT LEAST 1.5x the size of your pool. 2x would be even better. What that means is a longer lifespan of the salt cell

Def change the sand or deep clean it.

I dont have any experience with heaters or covers, I dont need those, so I'll let others chime in on that.

 

[PoolGate]

I think I would replace the filter with a new cartridge filter. I have messed with both and prefer cartridge due to the much lower maintenance. Do you have a budget for the pool rehab? Honestly if it was me I would replace all the equipment with new stuff. I'd also add a saltwater chlorine generator and automation. Propane is REALLY expensive. Do you have natural gas available? You look to be fairly close to me so might want to consider a heat pump. They won't extend your season much but will keep you at 90 during the season and are by far the cheapest way to heat your pool.

 

[bmoreswim]

Yes, a good project. My concern when I see using landscape stone is the long term. It looks great for a few years, then as tree leaves, perennial debris, etc. accumulates in stones, it too becomes a breeding ground for weeds. I am a landscaper/gardener so I'm always tweaking and moving things. That's just a royal pain to do with landscape stone in place. Mulch doesn't get in our pool unless a) the boys (when they were younger) went in it with wet feet, or b) the dogs go in it with wet feet (it happens frequently). But that's why I have a filter and robot. I'd much rather get some mulch out of the pool than deal with major maintenance issues for my type of gardening, that stone presents. The only place I have some stone (and I still have to blow debris out of it and it could eventually accumulate) are around our pool equipment and around our house heat pump. There is was the best available solution. In all other places, I feel mulch is the best available solution.

Agree that you should give a good thought to some automation, even if the decision is not to get it. Now is the time to consider for equipment compatibility. We have a simple pool, no spa, no water features, etc. We have automation and I really like it. I can remotely (only in the house - mine is not internet based) turn on/off pump, change SWG %, turn of/off several landscape lights, change pump run time, turn on/off and color change pool lights. It's quite handy and makes me enjoy that aspect of pool ownership more.

 

[jimmythegreek]

Whos doing the liner the pool company or you guys? either way I wouldnt go emptying the pool just yet you dont know the condition of the walls or what the ground water is like there. If you are confident you are high and dry go ahead. Usually you want to remove the liner and make whatever repairs immediately and replace the liner. since this sat so long you may have bottom repair to do and maybe other things. as said by another poster, the water in the pool is the support for the walls. leaving it empty is dangerous if you dont know whats going on outside the pool

 

[DorsalSpine]

I wouldn't worry about mulch in the beds around the pool. I have a similar arrangement and it's not a problem.