This is My Nightmare

[Losangelesgraff]

Hi im Micheal From Northern California. Im new to the forum and here is my nightmare.
22,000 gallons in ground pool i think >w<

Ok so i finally got a house with an in ground pool. i knew i would have a lot to learn and it would cost me. well i came in with absolutely know knowledge and just hope. i came in to the home and had maybe a month of use then had to close it down for the fall winter season. well the pool hand no cover and i didn't know how to drain it.

so i just shut the filter off for the season in hopes of saving money on electric use. well that obviously killed my pool. the pool turned into a swamp with frogs and mosquitoes. well now is swimming season and i tried to the best of what i knew to clean it and its just been a loosing battle. i was in hopes i could just put in chlorine stabilizer and keep dumping chlorine in till it killed off the algae and then used something to drop down the cloudy dead algae. well i did one round and it looked like it killed off the first lil layer but ultamitly the pool was still green. i got ready for another round of chlorine bombing.

i also went into a pool shop and the guy stopped me from trying to bomb the chlorine and gave me a paper with all kinda stuff i would need to put in to clean it. his partner suggested that i drain the pool half way or so then fill it and do the program they suggested on a print out from a water sample i gave them. after all this night mare ive had with this i would really consider just draining the whole pool brushing it down and then filling it up. one major issue im having too is finding out where the switch is to drain the pool. there is a drain on the bottom, but from what i have seen there normally is a switch on the pump that will drain from the bottom instead of pumping it to the filter.

so i also know there should be some leafs down at the bottom of the pool and i need to remove them to help the chlorine to kill off. it has also been one of the worse problems for me to trying to remove them. i first tried a vacuum that was left with the pool. for some reason it would just not fill the bag. i bought a vacuum that worked with the hose to push the leafs in the bag and that worked well but the Dang hinge broke off in the pool so i had to return. i got a submersible pump but i get the feeling this wont work either for a few reasons one the cord doesn't even reach the pool and it says not to use an extension cord, and also says its only for use with clear water. for me its been just an endless list of Darn that's not working for me. i figured i should really start having a sit down in a forum and start trying to get help from professionals or other pool owners.

and one of the hardst parts about all this is i live check to check weekly so with all other bills and expense's its been hard to get all this done. every week i been taking a chance throwing money at it and it dosnt work and i have to wait another week and repeat. i am sad because this whole time its peak swim time and im just sitting looking at a swamp and being the anoying neighbor that populated the area with frogs while every one is splashing about. its emberessing.

This is my nightmare ;-;

 

[zea3]

Did you put in any copper algaecide or metal magic? These pool stores only look at individual problems and try to treat them in isolation but it doesn't work. You don't want to add copper to your pool, it will stain your liner and turn light colored hair green. If you use copper algaecide and metal magic at the same time you are spinning your wheels. Metal magic binds the copper so it won't stain the pool. The copper algaecide won't work at all if it is "bound up". Can you return the submersible pump you bought? You do need to drain some water due to high copper levels and high CYA levels. Since you do not have a waste option on your pool, you should go to the local hardware store and rent a trash pump. You do not want to drain a pool dry as it may mess up the plaster. Drain about 2/3 of the pool volume and refill.

If you are handy with tools I also recommend doing a little modification to the plumbing and adding a "T" and a couple of valves to control the flow of water to the pool. You can't switch between floor drains and skimmer because you only have 1 line feeding the pump. This means there is no seperate plumbing line for the skimmer or main drain. Also there is no valve to shut off water to the pump and from the filter. This makes it more difficult and messier to work on any of the equipment because you would have to plug the main drain, skimmer, and return to prevent water from flowing out if you need to open the pump or filter for routine maintainence. If you go ahead and add a valve on the horizontal pipe feeding into the pump and the horizontal pipe coming out of the filter you could correct that problem. I would add a "T" with a valve between the pump and filter so you could vacuum to waste and bypass the filter when needed.

If you want to use the TFP method to clear your pool you will need to get an FAS/DPD pool kit, such as a TF 100 from tftestkits.net or a Taylor k2006. We use frequent testing and dosing the pool with liquid chlorine or 6% unscented bleach to kill algae and clear the pool by following the SLAM Process. Your pool has a lot going on, but we would be happy to help you get it back on track and without spending all your money at the pool store.

 

[Losangelesgraff]

i have not added anything yet from the list they gave me. the pool is pebble so i think thats why he suggested the copper idk.

 

[zea3]

Copper will kill algae, but it adds enough problems to not be worth the effort or money. If you can swing the test kit we can advise you better. The first thing I would do is find a way to drain and replace at 2/3rds of the water.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Don't add anything to the pool based on pool store test results. PS testing is notoriously unreliable. You need to get a reliable test kit;. The TF-100 is the best value. You're likely not gonna like the cost (about $70), but this initial investment is the first step towards saving thousands of dollars in the future. In reality, I bet the kit is much less than the cost of the magic potions the Pool $tore wanted to sell you.

Best of luck!

 

[Oly]

Home depot rents pumps that can drain your pool. Find out if you have high ground water in your area because you can lift your pool right out of the ground by draining if you do. In order to get control of your water chemistry you will need a solid test kit. If you want to save money stay away from the pool store. A free water test is worth what you pay, absolutly nothing. You can do this and be swimming and enjoying a clean pool in no time.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

By the way, in our warm CA climate, we don't shut down our in-ground pools for winter. We run them year-round. It makes me sad to maintain the pool all winter, but it's worth it to jump into sparkling water on that first swim day (which, for us, was yesterday).

This is another reason to get a good test kit. You can maintain your pool year-round for much less money than a pool service would charge as well as avoid having a swamp come springtime.