We bought a house in mid February. The pool was professionally closed last year, drained to below the returns and covered with a tarp, and looks to be in great shape. We removed the tarp this week and the water is crystal clear. Before that, the pool was abandoned over a winter (foreclosure) and we don't really know what mechanical condition it's in. I know from the pics in the real estate listing that at some point last year, the pool was filled and looked great. The seller renovated the house and had a lot of work done on the pool. (new tile, plaster, & deck) I spoke to the contractor who did that work an he told me they pressure tested everything before closing the pool and it all tested ok. I knew going in that the filter pump and heater were bad.
This is my first pool, and I've gotten tons of great info here. Thanks to everyone for that! I only have about 4,000 questions left. I won't ask them all right now. My immediate concern is that at some point before we moved in, the tarp over the spa slipped inside and a lot of water and debris got in there. I pumped and scooped and scrubbed as much as I could, but there's still a lot of staining on the sides and bottom. Any suggestions on a cleaning product or method? Will filling and chlorinating help at all? Beyond that, I've replaced the bad filter pump with a variable speed pump and installed new filter media. I'll be installing a new heater next week. It's still pretty cold here, but I'm hoping to get the pool filled and running soon so I can make sure everything else is working. I'm expecting to be able to at least use the spa soon. Any info is appreciated!
I attached pics of the pool (from the listing) and the equipment pad as it was when we moved in. I've since cleaned it up and replaced the filter pump. Out of the image to the left is where the bad heater was bypassed.


This is my first pool, and I've gotten tons of great info here. Thanks to everyone for that! I only have about 4,000 questions left. I won't ask them all right now. My immediate concern is that at some point before we moved in, the tarp over the spa slipped inside and a lot of water and debris got in there. I pumped and scooped and scrubbed as much as I could, but there's still a lot of staining on the sides and bottom. Any suggestions on a cleaning product or method? Will filling and chlorinating help at all? Beyond that, I've replaced the bad filter pump with a variable speed pump and installed new filter media. I'll be installing a new heater next week. It's still pretty cold here, but I'm hoping to get the pool filled and running soon so I can make sure everything else is working. I'm expecting to be able to at least use the spa soon. Any info is appreciated!
I attached pics of the pool (from the listing) and the equipment pad as it was when we moved in. I've since cleaned it up and replaced the filter pump. Out of the image to the left is where the bad heater was bypassed.

