Pump Not Working - How to Keep Pool Clean

[JessM]

Me yesterday: Look at us! We are going to get through our whole first season without one pool problem!

Me today: We have no power to the pool.

Aaarrrgghhh! So I have read some posts here about non-working pumps. I get that while waiting for an electrician to fix the power issue I need to move the water by brushing it at least twice a day. (The electrician is here now working on discovering why we lost power.) I also have a robot, and I can run it extra because it moves the water around a lot.

My question is about chemicals. I know that I absolutely have to add bleach daily. I was getting ready to add muriatic acid today because my pH is up a bit to 7.8 when 7.6 is my normal. Should I go ahead and add the acid? Or just add bleach until the pump works again? Also, can we still use the pool? Will that help move the water around? We normally swim daily, test daily, treat daily. Did I mention our heat index is 106 today?

 

[Texas Splash]

If the power is still off, go ahead and add chlorine only. Focus on that for now. After you add it and brush it around really well, you can hop in there to help mix it around. I'd wait on the acid. It won't hurt for a day or two.

 

[mickey4paws]

A few weeks ago our pump motor died. While waiting for a replacement to get installed, we added chlorine every day, and brushed a few times a day. We also ran an extension cord, and put a utility pump in the pool in one end, and ran the hose from the utility pump to the other end. We also swam lots. It ended up that we were without the pump for 8 days, and miraculously did not get algae. Good luck to you and I hope you get it fixed soon.

 

[Katodude]

Run your robot. It will mix the water.