Pump/Filter Recommendation

I am a first time pool owner looking for a pump/filter recommendation. I bought my home last fall and am now looking forward to opening the pool for the first time. The house was a foreclosure and the previous owner took the pump with him.

The pool is a round 18' above ground with metal walls. It is currently full (so I know it holds water), so I'm hoping I'll find the liner in decent shape once I get it drained. The exterior looks in really good shape.

Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated!

HI, and welcome to the forum!! You will love having a pool!

I can't answer your pump/filter questions as well as some of the other folks can, but the good news is they should be by soon with some info for you. I do want to comment, though, that if you drain the pool the liner will shrink and you'll have a very difficult if not impossible time trying to stretch it back out again. Pooldoc or Waste can perhaps shed some light on whether you can re-use the liner, but I wouldn't drain the pool until they say so. Although the water may look bad, I'm willing to bet we can help you get it cleared up without having to drain.

Hi Erick;

Be careful about draining -- AG pool walls can collapse inward, when you do. I wouldn't drain unless you find you need to do so. Even then, you will want to leave 6" or so in the pool.

One option would be to set up a vac head, pole and hose, and start a siphon through the hose, from the vac head to the ground outside your pool. That way, you can vacuum the gook off the bottom, to the ground outside.

Otherwise, what do you want in a pump / filter combo?
+ Lowest first cost?
+ Lowest life cycle cost?
+ Easiest to operate?
+ Clearest water?

And, are there any water use restrictions? What about discharge -- will a couple hundred gallons of dirty backwash water have a place to go if you get a sand filter?

I didn't realize I had to be that careful with the liner. The water is pretty nasty so I definitely want to drain some out (the vacuuming method sounds good), but I'll leave at least a foot if not more. I think there is about feet in it right now

From the research that I've done I think the sand filter would be a good fit for me. I have a big enough back yard that is far from neighbors so I shouldn't have to worry about the water discharge.

Being a new home owner funds are a little tight for the pump/filter. I'm looking for the best bang for my buck, and lowest initial cost is my thought. I do understand a cheaper filter would have a shorter life cycle and possibly add a little more work but I am okay with that.

Thanks again for the advice and recommendations!