I don't know if this type question belongs on this forum but I'll ask anyway. My in ground gunite pool has not been opened for 7 or 8 years. It has remained covered all that time. I would like to try to get it up and running but need an idea of how much it will cost. Just a ball park price so I can decide if it's even feasible for me to even consider doing it. I have no idea if the machinery still works (it did when it was last opened). Does anyone know if a pool that's been ignored for 8 years is even possible to bring back to life? Maybe I should just turn it into a cement pond! Thanks for listening.....
Resurrecting a neglected pool
- Thread starter marthahealth
- Start date
Hi, welcome to TFP! People have brought back pools from severe neglect and even rescued pools that were filled in! The cost will mainly depend on if there are any repairs needed to the equipment or plumbing. What features does the pool have (fountains, spa, bubblers, ect...) and what type and brand of equipment do you have? If you could edit your signature to add this information it would help us help you.
Thanks for the quick reply! I'll try to figure out how to edit the signature. Also, I guess I need to do some investigation to find the other info you asked about. My husband always took care of it and since he's been gone I tried for a couple years to keep it going but gave up. I'm pretty ignorant about the particulars of brand of equipment etc. I can say that it is kind of a kidney shape with about an 8 foot deep end and an attached spa that flows over into the pool. No fountain. I don't know what bubblers are but there are spots on the walls that shoot out water. Is that what you mean? It has just the regular kind of water treatment system, using shock, chlorine, etc. No salt water or ozone. That would be nicer. I appreciate your answers to this pretty vague question. I just hate it that I have this pool that is virtually unusable. Summer is already here in Oklahoma, mid-90's temperature already and it would be real nice to be able to cool off in the pool.
GOONiE
0
Have a pool company come by and take a look at it and give you a ballpark. Opening a pool is around $500.
I think the first step would be to uncover it, fill it and try to run the pump.
I think the first step would be to uncover it, fill it and try to run the pump.
Deb04
LifeTime Supporter
- Jul 12, 2008
- 657
- Pool Size
- 19000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Opening a pool price must vary by location. For me, it costs about $200 to open the pool and get equipment going. That excludes chemicals and any repairs.
Chemicals we can teach you how to take care of yourself. Repairs may, or may not, be costly, depending on state of equipment.
Get a quote for opening and repairs. If you decide to do it, start reading Pool School on this site, order yourself a recommended test kit ASAP, and tell the pool people not to put any chemicals in, you’ll handle that yourself. Then, the good, knowledgeable people will help you through taking care of your water. (But, they can’t do that if you don’t have a good test kit, either a TF-100 or a K2006C.).
Chemicals we can teach you how to take care of yourself. Repairs may, or may not, be costly, depending on state of equipment.
Get a quote for opening and repairs. If you decide to do it, start reading Pool School on this site, order yourself a recommended test kit ASAP, and tell the pool people not to put any chemicals in, you’ll handle that yourself. Then, the good, knowledgeable people will help you through taking care of your water. (But, they can’t do that if you don’t have a good test kit, either a TF-100 or a K2006C.).
Hello and Welcome to TFP!!
Here is a link to edit your siggy . You can use some of the posts in this thread as examples of what to include. Pool size, volume, wall type, equipment type & model numbers if you can get them. Anything you can provide will help.
Lets not overwhelm you. How about starting with providing some general info. Is your pool filled with water or is it empty? After 8 years, we can safely assume you will need to get the equipment prepared and make sure it works properly. If you take some pictures and post them in this thread, we can help you figure out what you have. There are a lot of helpful members here that can help you figure this out.
You will need a good test kit to clean the water properly. I highly recommend the TF-100 with XL option from TFTestkits.net. This will allow you to test the water and give us the details we need. Don't worry testing the water is not difficult. After a couple of tests, it becomes easy.
I agree that it would be a good idea to have a service company come out and look things over. That is unless you feel that you can do this part yourself. There is bound to be something that needs some work.
We will do the water cleaning with liquid chlorine (aka bleach). Start looking / calling around to see what is available in your area. Walmart pool section typically has the chlorine at a good price.
There is a lot of things to consider and we can help you figure it out. Keep all your information and questions in this thread so that we can have it all in one place.
If you want to start with some reading, You can visit our Pool School articles. Start with the links below.
Opening a closed pool
Pics/names of typical pool equipment
ABC's of pool water chemistry
How to chlorinate your pool
SLAM process
Here is a link to edit your siggy . You can use some of the posts in this thread as examples of what to include. Pool size, volume, wall type, equipment type & model numbers if you can get them. Anything you can provide will help.
Lets not overwhelm you. How about starting with providing some general info. Is your pool filled with water or is it empty? After 8 years, we can safely assume you will need to get the equipment prepared and make sure it works properly. If you take some pictures and post them in this thread, we can help you figure out what you have. There are a lot of helpful members here that can help you figure this out.
You will need a good test kit to clean the water properly. I highly recommend the TF-100 with XL option from TFTestkits.net. This will allow you to test the water and give us the details we need. Don't worry testing the water is not difficult. After a couple of tests, it becomes easy.
I agree that it would be a good idea to have a service company come out and look things over. That is unless you feel that you can do this part yourself. There is bound to be something that needs some work.
We will do the water cleaning with liquid chlorine (aka bleach). Start looking / calling around to see what is available in your area. Walmart pool section typically has the chlorine at a good price.
There is a lot of things to consider and we can help you figure it out. Keep all your information and questions in this thread so that we can have it all in one place.
If you want to start with some reading, You can visit our Pool School articles. Start with the links below.
Opening a closed pool
Pics/names of typical pool equipment
ABC's of pool water chemistry
How to chlorinate your pool
SLAM process
Thanks for all the advice and support. It sounds pretty complicated so I will definitely need to read all about Pool School! I agree that my first step must be to contact a pool company to decide if any of this is even feasible. Right now the pool has water. It has never been drained and I can't imagine what's living in there! As soon as I can I will get the particulars on the equipment and post, maybe with pictures if I can figure it out. I really should have paid more attention when my husband did all the pool work. He made it look easy! Little did I know...... I appreciate the support. Will post again when I get that info.
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,101
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
Important thing now is to get a professional for an assessment. See of the equipment works, any leaks, water quality and can it be saved, etc. Once you know all that, you'll have an idea of what it will take. If all of your equipment is still functional and your pool itself has no damage, to get it going again to where you can swim could be as little as a few hundred dollars. Given your inexperience in pools and providing the assessment is good, I would suggest converting the pool to saltwater as they require less daily maintenance since you do not need to manually add chlorine. This will most likely run around $2000 for the conversion depending on how honest the installer is. Good luck and post pics!
Are you on city water? For a pool sitting for 8 years, you could also think about a full or partial drain to get a better idea of the condition of the pool structure. This will also make getting the water clear and balanced a little easier.
The methods on this site for clearing up a pool do work, but in certain situations is could be faster and less costly to drain/replace than to do a proper SLAM. It all depends on your situation and what you are comfortable with. One important note...always be careful about fully draining an in-ground pool...you don't want it to pop out of the ground due to a high water table. You can research this more with pool builders and professionals familiar with your location.
The methods on this site for clearing up a pool do work, but in certain situations is could be faster and less costly to drain/replace than to do a proper SLAM. It all depends on your situation and what you are comfortable with. One important note...always be careful about fully draining an in-ground pool...you don't want it to pop out of the ground due to a high water table. You can research this more with pool builders and professionals familiar with your location.
Thought I would provide an update since you all were so helpful with support and suggestions. Here's what's happening: The pool company felt like my pool was salvageable and took on the task. Cover was removed and it was pretty icky after being covered for 9 years. I'll try to post some pics. Some of the pvc and valves were damaged, and something was amiss with the motor part since it would not come on and stay on. I opted to trade up to a new variable speed pump and to replace all the broken stuff. After it was drained I was told the plaster was iffy and could use a replaster. Well that's definitely not in my budget! They agreed to proceed without doing it. Felt like it would be fine, just a lot better if it was done. They had to acid wash it due to the huge amount of moss etc growing on the walls and out of the skimmers. It was really surreal. Reminded me of pictures of places that were completely abandoned for many years. Equipment was installed yesterday, finished acid washing spa today, and now it's filling. Fingers crossed that when it's filled and all hooked up, that the equipment fires right up and all water lines are clear from the pump to the pool. Hopefully there's no moss still growing in there. Then I will have to get serious about pool school. Right now it all still seems pretty overwhelming...I mean all the stuff I have to know to keep it running correctly. I think that is one reason why I waited so long to do this.
There is a little bit to learn, but the system suggested here works and you can pick it up pretty quickly especially when there are some very competent people here to answer pretty much any question you ask.
Don't let it scare you, you will get the hang of it easily enough. Just go on the way you have started, asking questions when you need to. Get one of the TFP recommended test kits and follow the instructions and you will quickly find yourself in full control of the pool.
Don't let it scare you, you will get the hang of it easily enough. Just go on the way you have started, asking questions when you need to. Get one of the TFP recommended test kits and follow the instructions and you will quickly find yourself in full control of the pool.
I was trying to post before and after pictures. For some reason my computer won't let me post more. It says the webpage says I have met or exceeded my quota. So I guess I will try again later. The above pics are when it was first uncovered and then how it looked when drained. It looks a lot better now!
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I will get a test kit ASAP, as another poster suggested. As I study the suggestions here I'm sure I will become more familiar with the terminology and what to expect. That is sure to make it easier. Thanks for the moral support!
- - - Updated - - -
I will get a test kit ASAP, as another poster suggested. As I study the suggestions here I'm sure I will become more familiar with the terminology and what to expect. That is sure to make it easier. Thanks for the moral support!
Host images on something like tinypic and then you can add as many as you like to your post by using the image tags.
$650 here in NJ. I'm sure we got taken to the cleaners (Even by NJ price standards) but it was our first time ever opening a pool so we had no clue what to do/expect.