Yikes!

[Stacey123]

Hi everyone! My name is Stacey and I have a Summer Wave (similar to Intex) above ground pool. I said yikes in my title because all of the information in the forums is a little overwhelming. I’ve had pools before but they were smaller and I could just empty it and refill if the water got yucky. That’s not the case for this pool.
I recently joined this website so I hope I’m doing this correctly. Not sure if I should have started a thread for each question or not so I started this way and you can let me know.
I try to make my life as simple as possible. I am 61, not old, but my husband is disabled so I am the only one taking care of the pool and for right now I am the only one swimming in it. Having said that, I'd like to say, I love my pool. I work nights and to be able to come home and take a swim in the quiet morning is heaven to me. Now for my questions:
1. As I said, I do it all myself. I attached a picture of the ladder and was wondering if anyone has a suggestion on how to handle the heavy ladder or recommend something else? I take it out when not in use for neighborhood safety reasons. I’m looking into building a wooden stair way so that my husband will be able to get into the pool. He cannot climb the ladder. For now, any suggestions?
2. The pool was put up in April of this year, however if you live in the northeastern part of PA you know the weather hasn’t been that great so I am only now going swimming. I’m using shock and the dolphin chlorinator (photo attached). My husband went to the pool store when the pool first went up, but I think they saw him coming and sent him home with over $100 worth of chemicals. I attached a photo of the water in the pool with the dolphin.
3. Because the cover that came with the pool is very heavy, I’ve been using a very large tarp that we had. I’m wondering if this type of tarp is good or bad for the pool/water/pump? Picture attached.
4. We had to dig in a bit to level the pool, but now it looks awful. Is this the right place to get recommendations for landscaping tips? I was going to use plastic (?) weed covering and then rocks over that and maybe a plant or 2. My concern is that maybe the rocks being too close to the pool might cause a puncture. Would lawn edging help that? However where I live is so rocky it’s not easy to dig. The dug out side of the pool is about 1 foot to a foot and a half high. Pictures attached.
5. I saw mention of a “sand” filter. Can someone tell me about this? I saw some statements about it but I don’t know what it is or how it works. Would it make it easier to maintain the pool water?
That’s it. Thank you so much. Like I said, I'm very new to this, but all the photos I mentioned are here. Somewhere.
Stacey
PS: It took me just about 2 hours to do this so I hope it works and I really hope you guys can help.

 

[dloki]

Hi Stacey and welcome! There are many experts on here that will have some better answers for you than I do but I'll put in my $0.02...

#1 I don't have an above ground pool so I'm not sure of the best option on a better ladder but I have seen ones that you don't need to remove where the steps can be lifted up on the outside and locked in a vertical position to make the pool inaccessible. Might be an easier option than completely removing the ladder

#2 We generally teach people to avoid the pool store and pool store testing because it can be very inaccurate and leads to weekly additions of magic potions to fix whatever they told you to add last week. It is most important you get you own test kit so you can maintain your water chemistry. It is recommended to get the TF-100 test kit to preform your testing. In the long run it will save you money over trying to use the pool store. Looking at your picture you posted it looks like the water is a bit cloudy which could mean you are at the beginning of an algae outbreak, you may want to start a thread in the algae prevention and treatment forum.

#3 you should be fine using that tarp if it works for you, many people use tarps for covering their pools.

#4 I would be careful of placing anything sharp against the pool itself, if the rocks are small/round stones it may not be an issue but if it's angular/sharp rock like shale I'd avoid it.

#5 I don't know what filter would come with your pool but I'm guessing it's a cartridge filter. I personally have a sand filter and it's easy to maintain, I don't need to clean or replace cartridges on a regular basis it just needs backwashing. The down side I've found to the sand filter is that it takes longer to clear up a pool with small particles in it like after an algae outbreak or opening the pool for the season. I can't make a recommendation on a particular one for your needs but I'm sure someone will be along shortly that can.

 

[OTPirate]

Hey Stacey! A couple things struck me when reading your post. I don't recommend using shock to chlorinate your pool with...it adds CYA. You need some CYA in your pool, but not too much. Read Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry I recommend using bleach (bleach like you buy at WalMart, non-scented, regular ol' bleach) to chlorinate your pool with.
I'm not sure what hubby purchased at the pool store, but hold on to the receipt-I bet a lot of that stuff he did not need. If you can return it, use that money and purchase a good test kit (see the recommended test kits in my signature below).
Don't stress about when and where to start a new thread, just keep asking questions! I'm glad you enjoy your pool so much!

 

[kimkats]

Well hello there! You have SO come to the right place! We can help you fix your pool and area right up so it will really be Trouble Free!

-ladder-what I am thinking is a piece of lattice=you can use zip ties on one side THEN some coated chain (not plastic) and a lock on hold it down on the other side. When you want to go swimming you just unlock the chain and swing it open. I would cut it so if fits just a tiny bit over to keep it from dropping inside the handles of the ladder.

-chemicals- Here is a link of what we use in our pools: Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals Now don't go out and buy every thing on this list. We are not sure what you need yet. You should look around your are and see where you can get chlorine (pool store) or bleach (Yes bleach! plain, unscented bleach from Wal mart or Target).

-testing the water-If you really want to do this the TFP way you need your own test kit. The one I think is the best bang for the buck is listed in my siggy below. The reason I like it the best is because is as the same testing stuff as the Tayor (biggest name in test kits) BUT in amounts that make more sense as it has more test stuff for the tests we do daily. Just think about it like this-hubby just spent $100 and that will last how long? That is over the cost of the test kit that will last you all season and next year also! Neat huh?

-tarp-that is fine to use-easy is GOOD!

-around the pool-I would like some more pics showing the overall of what you are dealing with. You might have to use fliker or such (NOT photobucket as they are not playing nice right now)

-filter-I will work on getting something together to help with that.

I am so glad you are here and can't wait to get that pool looking like a jewel :sun:

Kim

 

[Stacey123]

Thank you Kim. I'm going put down weed covering 1st, then I'm going to get white soft round stones to put on top. Then maybe a potted plant or two. On the other side I'm going to do a path of the rocks that were removed when leveling the pool. For the most part, all of them have at least one flat side. Also, I like your lattice idea. I'm definitely going to look into that. I haven't gone to Pool School yet so this might be answered there but if I purchase the TF-100, will it tell me what and how much I need to add, that is, if I do need to add. I probably will. Right now I use the test strips, but that doesn't tell me what I need to add for the specific problem.
Well, thank you Kim. I'll try to keep you posted. And by the way I love your little cheerleader emoji.
Stacey

 

[Stacey123]

Hi dloki and thank you for your response. I have a question or 2. Can you tell me about the sand filters? My pool is only a 4,000+ gallon pool and yes, my filter is a regular cartridge filter. I'm interested in anything else that might be easier. I'd also like to know what backwashing is.
Also, I'm going to use white soft round stones on top of weed covering for the one side of the pool. On the other side where we walk to get to the pump will be a walk way of the stones that were removed when we leveled the pool area.
Thanks again.
Stacey

 

[Stacey123]

Thank you OTPirate,
One of my problems is not knowing what chemicals I can mix. Right now I have the dolphin chlorinator with 3 large tablets. Is that too much? I'll post my test results as soon as I get the TF-100.
For the most part my pool is clean but the water is a little cloudy. I have a Pool Blaster Speed Vac turbo. It works great. I also skim every time I go in, which is about 3 - 4 times a week.
Thanks again,
Stacey

 

[kimkats]

Stacy! Look what I have for you!!!!!

https://www.troublefreepool.com/calc.html

It is my all time favorite thing for my pool! Now there is a little learning curve so take it slow.

I have a tiny bit of reading for you so you can learn our language:

TFPC for Beginners

Now if you look at Pool Math you will see where you put your pool size by gallons. If I put in your gallons (4303) and say you have a FC of 1 but you want to get it to 4.

-FC put 1 in the NOW spot-----------then put 4 in the Target spot----------Change the % to 8.25 (Do NOT worry about jug size) I see that you need 20oz of bleach/chlorine----------How easy is that????

Here is a tiny shopping list for you:

-2 cup plastic measure cup with the oz. marked on it
-bleach (plain, unscented, store brand is fine) Make sure it lists the % on it. Walmart or Target are you best bet for fresh. Now Walmart does have their "pool shock" in now. I THINK it is 11%. If yours has it that is good to use also. I would get 5 gallons for right now.

You say you have ordered your test kit so we will hold off on anything else for right now as we do not know what all is in your water right now.

Once a day you can add 20 oz. of bleach with the pump running to mix it in good. It will be safe to swim in and keep the water from turning much worse.

-backwashing- this is for sand filters. It is how you "clean" the filter. I am holding off on the sand filter with you right now as I have some more looking and reading to do. You can also use the white search box at the top of this page and see what you find. Right now many of our old threads are missing pics due to photo bucket being a brat but the words might help you.

we got ya! Now I want to you make sure to ask ANY and ALL questions you might have! This is all new to you and we KNOW it is a lot of info so ask away!

Kim (thanks on the love for my mini me!)

 

[Stacey123]

My goodness, you are wonderful. I will look into this tomorrow as I have to work tonight and nap is necessary. I'll let you know how everything goes. Thank you Kim, you are a god send.

 

[kimkats]

Sleep tight!

Kim