Newbie pool owner needs valve setting advice..

We just moved into this house and it has a pretty nice screened-in pool behind the house (Central Florida). Its an in-ground pool with a little waterfall/fountain and some sort of solar heat system. The house includes pool service but I have no clue when this guy comes or how often and apparently he just goes around back and does his thing and leaves. So, I am in need of some advice about how to operate this thing.

I'm providing links to pictures of the valves and pump, as well as the pipes leading up to the solar system(appears to be some big squares of black tubing on the roof).

What I need to know is what settings the valves should be on for everyday use. I need to know how to make sure the solar heat system is being used as well. The water is really cold right now, so I'm beginning to think its not set properly. Can I run the fountain/waterfall all the time or does that use up water?

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Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Hopefully Ben or one of the other guys that is familiar with equipment issues will pop in shortly to help answer your questions...I just wanted to let you know your post has been read and is not being ignored. Unfortunately, traffic around the forum is very slow this time of year, so it may take several days before you get useful answers. Just don't give up--keep checking back!

Thanks! I will keep checking back.

All the valves are set properly for solar operation. If you ever want to turn off solar, rotate the solar valve 180 degrees. However, the skimmer valve is turned off right now so you aren't getting is skimming action. That is one valve that I would leave open (90 degrees from current position).

Best bet is to call the pool company office and see if you can set up a pool school. Most service companies will come out and instruct you about how the system works. While they are out there have them verify that your main drain(s) meet code. Your valves are set to pull water from the bottom only which can be hazardous without proper drain covers.

Hi everyone, thank you for your responses. The pool maintenance guy came yesterday and I was able to go out and ask all the questions I could think of. He was very nice and extremely helpful.

Yep the solar is working properly, it helps a little but right now its still just a bit cold out for swimming even in Florida, depending on the temperature that day. I'll have to pick and choose my days for swimming till March probably.

The previous tenant took the hose with them so the water level had gotten a bit low to use the skimmer so thats why it was off. I'm about to go pick up a hose and the guy told me where my water level should be and that the skimmer should be open all the time.

Pool was built in 2006 so its not very old and has 2 main drains that look to have proper covers, but yeah I'll be cautious until I have the skimmer back on. Other than that the pool is crystal clear, the pool man comes once a week to take care of the cleaning and stuff and I now know how to operate the valves and timer properly. A little knowlege goes a long way. :)

I'll keep my account on here in case I need help in the future. This is a great forum! Thank you!

Cool, you have a pretty nice pool. I like it.