New to having a pool

Just bought a house about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Also has an inground gunite pool with a spa attached. The spa has the overflow go into the pool. The previous owners left quite a bit of pool stuff, but being new to pools I don't really know what I am looking for exactly.
I have been reading and reading on here about ways to keep my pool clean. I am planning on starting the BBB method, but just waiting for the Taylor Complete K-2006 test kit to come in. But there are still strips left to test the FC, PH and Total Alkalinity. According to the strips, all are still within range, even though I have yet to throw any chemicals in the pool, except for the floating chlorine things for the pool and spa.

So, my question really begins with hoping someone can help me figure out what the valves do so I can figure out a way to get water out of the pool. It has an automatic filler and I found out pretty quick it wouldn't quite stop the water and the pool is a bit full.

I have figured out how to get the hot tub to bubble, and how to make the vacuum line do it's thing, but I'm not quite sure what the other valve does, it's the valve in the middle that I don't really understand yet.

Valve on the left that I can figure out to deal with the spa:
http://imageshack.us/a/img837/1425/20121111144825.jpg

Valves in the middle and the right. Right one so far I know can do the vacuum / skimmer.

http://imageshack.us/a/img717/3594/20121111144814.jpg


Just not 100% what the middle valve does except drain my spa.

Thanks for the help!

Hi, and welcome to the forum!!

I can't help with your question, but I'm sure there are others here who can.....just keep in mind that forum traffic is very, very slow this time of year, so it may take awhile before you get any helpful responses. Most folks have closed down their pools for the winter, and usually stop checking in here until time to open again, but some of the regulars will eventually see this and maybe one of them can help.

Thanks, I figured it's a slow time for most people with pools. Just starting to figure mine out really. I did figure out last night that the valves on the last picture, if they are both pointed up towards the pump and the top picture valve is pointed to the left away from the other 2, just the spa is on and bubbling. No pool water is going into the spa, just spa going through the loop to make heating quick. Other than that, I'm not 100% sure.

With a simple pool, and no spa, it's often possible to tell what the valves are, just by looking at the the equipment. But, I can't make it out without testing, in a more complex situation.

My recommendation would be to try to find, and hire, a decent local service guy, have him puzzle it out and then show you. If that's a DE or cartridge filter, you also need to have him show you how to open and clean those filters.

-- Do NOT acid wash or clean those filters -- read the cartridge filter sticky in this section --

This is a Spa + Pool, the Spa spills over into the pool as a waterfall.
It feels like I have tried every direction and the only thing I can do is basically drain the Spa into the pool. The pool has 1 drain the the Spa has 2 drains. As far as I can tell, in "spa mode" 1 drain is used to circulate water to only keep that hot. If that makes sense, I'm not sure. The other drain I'd assume is used to help circulate water with the pool but that I'm unsure of

The filter is a cartridge filter. The old owners left the manuals to everything, so I have already been able to take apart the assembly to see how it works and put it together.

*Note - I am pretty handy with taking things apart and putting them back together correctly, if not in a better way. Goes along with my job.