New house with pool

First time posting here, We are moving into a new house in the next month or so and there is a 16x24 above ground pool in the back. I figured it is about 12000 gallons . The pool has not been open for about two years. I cleaned off all of the leaves and siphoned as much water as I could off of the cover(tarp).Actually came out pretty good. I uncovered only a potion of the pool to see what I was up against and the water as I suspected is very dark. Looks almost dark brown. Does not smell bad or anything and when I take a jar full of water out it actually looks kind of clear. Maybe the lack of light makes it look worse than it really is. The pump and filter are new and were put in from the previous owner the year prior. From the looks of it. They have yet to be used on the pool. I believe they replaced both before closing the pool and then they moved out. What I'm debating is, do I open it for the short time of summer we have left? Or just wait until next spring. I at least want to get it cleaned up so I have an easier time starting next spring.

The pool does have a raypak NG heater on it. Would rather not use it, however if I decide to open it I may warm it up for a weekend to swim. Thanks ahead of time for any help!

Whether or not to open it is a question that only you can answer, but if you do decide to do so, let us know and we can help.

Welcome to the Pool Forum! :)

Cleaning up a swamp is a major PITA, that takes quite a bit of time. Given your location, I think your chances of swimming are small.

However, I think you may still want to open it up, so you can check the pool out completely, and so you can then make sure it's fully and correctly winterized.

If you want help doing this, an accurate test kit is the starting place: http://pool9.net/tk/