My wife and I bought a house with an AG pool late last summer. The previous owner explained that they only used dichlor shock and trichlor tablets (both Clorox XtraBlue) through the swimming season, and how often they added it. They also told us they used dichlor and floc to open the pool.
I kept up with their schedule for the remainder of last summer with no issues. I added no chemicals when I closed the pool, and didn't bother covering it since the nearest trees are over 200' away from the pool. I drained the pool down below the return, moved the pump inside, drained and disconnected my filter, and that was it.
After reconnecting my pump and filter last weekend, and adding enough water to run the pump again, I added 2lb of dichlor shock and 1 trichlor tablet and ran the pump on recirculate for a couple days. I added floc after the chlorine level reached 3ppm according to test strips. After settling for a day with the pump off and vacuuming to waste, the green color was gone but the water was still very cloudy. I added another 1lb of dichlor shock and 1 trichlor tablet and filtered with my pump on high for 2 days. With no change in cloudiness, yesterday evening I treated with floc again, and the pool has been sitting with the pump off since.
This morning, I discovered TFP and realized I could be wrapping up SLAMing in the next few days had I gone the correct route when I started this process. I should have known better, jumping in to something like this without doing tons of research is not like me, but that's beside the point. I ordered a TF-100 test kit today, and will be buying liquid chlorinator, borax, baking soda and CYA this weekend. I imagine that with the holiday weekend upon us, it will be late next week before I get my test kit. In the mean time, I plan to:
After the TF-100 comes in, I'll follow the SLAM guide, then start following the basic maintenance schedule. Is there anything else I can/should be doing to prepare before I get my test kit? Does anything I said above sound unnecessary?
ETA: My signature doesn't include pump or filter details since I'm not home to look at the moment.
I kept up with their schedule for the remainder of last summer with no issues. I added no chemicals when I closed the pool, and didn't bother covering it since the nearest trees are over 200' away from the pool. I drained the pool down below the return, moved the pump inside, drained and disconnected my filter, and that was it.
After reconnecting my pump and filter last weekend, and adding enough water to run the pump again, I added 2lb of dichlor shock and 1 trichlor tablet and ran the pump on recirculate for a couple days. I added floc after the chlorine level reached 3ppm according to test strips. After settling for a day with the pump off and vacuuming to waste, the green color was gone but the water was still very cloudy. I added another 1lb of dichlor shock and 1 trichlor tablet and filtered with my pump on high for 2 days. With no change in cloudiness, yesterday evening I treated with floc again, and the pool has been sitting with the pump off since.
This morning, I discovered TFP and realized I could be wrapping up SLAMing in the next few days had I gone the correct route when I started this process. I should have known better, jumping in to something like this without doing tons of research is not like me, but that's beside the point. I ordered a TF-100 test kit today, and will be buying liquid chlorinator, borax, baking soda and CYA this weekend. I imagine that with the holiday weekend upon us, it will be late next week before I get my test kit. In the mean time, I plan to:
- Replace my filter sand, since the previous owners left several bags and I'd rather not spend several hours soaking the landscaping around the pool.
- Drain the pool back down below the skimmer. I've got no idea how high my CYA is right now from what I've already added this week. Water replacement is very cheap for me since we're on a well, and adding CYA will be faster than removing it once I get my test kit.
- Do some maintenance to the plumbing/pump/filter. There are a couple very small leaks on the pressure side, the filter needs a new gauge, and I want to replace some hoses.
- Replace water and adjust pH. I have a nice aquarium test kit that includes pH, so I can get that in worked out before I get the TF-100 kit.
- Install a timer for the pump. The previous owner ran it on high 24/7, I can't imagine the energy bills.
After the TF-100 comes in, I'll follow the SLAM guide, then start following the basic maintenance schedule. Is there anything else I can/should be doing to prepare before I get my test kit? Does anything I said above sound unnecessary?
ETA: My signature doesn't include pump or filter details since I'm not home to look at the moment.
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