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Hi,
I am about to purchase a home with an IG pool. I am just looking for information on what I will need to maintain this pool. I have never owned one and am very excited to learn as much as possible. Not sure on the size yet, the question has been asked to the seller. Closing mid September located near Houston, TX.
Any advise would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bob
You are absolutely going to love having a pool! And, contrary to what most people will tell you, it is not all that difficult to maintain it.
I would suggest that you go to our sister website www.poolsolutions.com and do a lot of reading there. Also, read a lot here on the forum, especially the 'stickies' at the top of many of the forums.
Then, come back with questions and somebody here will try and help you get started. If you know what kind of products were used in the pool before you bought it, that would also help us to advise you. (Ingredients, not product names if possible.)
I would also suggest that you go ahead and get a good test kit. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C (same kit, larger bottles of reagents and actually a better deal). You can order it through the Amazon link in my signature below. Only order if the seller is listed as Amato Industries. Some other sellers are sending the K-2005 by mistake and you don't want that one. If they are not listed as the seller, wait a day or so and try again. They seem to restock fast.
Welcome to the Pool Forum!
You've definitely come to the right place. I purchased a home with an in ground pool last year and started reading this site a month or so before I closed. After closing, the pool was nasty and green but following instructions here I got things right in less than a week. Here's my before and after photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14865808@N00/4857680807
Anyway, there's a bit to learn and although it can be intimidating (especially if you try and understand the WHY behind things) the practical implementation is actually very simple. Spend a few hours reading poolsolutions.com guides; the money I saved by doing it (before I read the site, I was planning on hiring a pool guy at about 90 bucks a month) has been significant.
Welcome to the Forum!
Please do the suggested reading and get back to us with any questions you have.
You found the right place to become pool smart and penny wise.
I also bought a pool that came with a house.
From the initial walk through to my moving in, the pool went from a glistening diamond to a black hole.
The owners simply let it go.
Try to keep in touch with them regarding the pool maintenance and even go do it yourself if possible.
Thanks for all the nice advice. I have asked some questions via the realtor about how many gallons it is. They are the original owners of the home and pool. I also am asking if they could get me the name of the manufacturer and/or the contractor that installed it. I am hoping they keep up with it for another 30 days. Then I sure I will be busy learning all I can quickly. I will try to upload a picture.
Thanks for all your nice welcomes.
It should be their responsibility to keep up with pool maintenance until the deal closes. I'd call the realtor and let them know that you expect that.
I would also ask how old the pump and filter are, look for signs of leaks around the pump/filter or around the pool itself, and let them show you the operation of all the valves/handles so there's no confusion when it's your job to take it over. The more information you can find out about the pool and its components, the better--and if you stay on good terms with them after the close of the house, it wouldn't hurt to have their phone number handy in case anything comes up that you need to ask them about.
Is the pool chlorine, or bacquacil??
Janet
Good advice, Janet. I'd add to the list to ask the current owners to list all the things they have added to the pool. Sometimes that is info that is needed to know if a problem crops up later. It would be best if they could tell you actual product names instead of just generic terms like 'shock' or 'algaecide' etc.
Also, if it is a liner pool, ask the age of the liner.
It is a Chlorine pool, still not sure about the size. I do have pictures of the pumps, filter, and other components. It has a main pump the receives supply from the main drain and the skimmers. It also has a cleaner pump that a robot bottom cleaner (I think that's what it is called) is attached to. I saw it working when I did a walk through with the inspector. I am still not sure if the robot bottom cleaner is included with the home or do I have to go purchase a new one after closing.
It has an additional pump the reads "Water Feature Pump". It has rock water falls and two fountain sprayers. It has an automatic Chlorine/Bromine In-Line Feeder. Not sure how that device works. And last, is a Nature2 Professional G Purifier. Again, not sure how that works.
Thanks again for all the advice and good questions. I am actively reading as much about the devices as possible.
Beware that in our dry summer our gumbo soil has shifted a lot. Make sure there are no leaks, or if there are you have them fixed before closing on their dime. I had a return line leaking, it was a major pain to fix, but luckily I didn't have to bust up any concrete decking to get to it.
What part near Houston?
Very long dry spell indeed. Hopefully there will be no leaky pipes. I will definitely look things over very closely after closing. Thanks for the advice.
The home is located in Magnolia, TX. Should be fun and my wife and I are looking forward to many days of swimming before the weather cools off.
Thanks!
I don't think it's gonna cool off anytime soon!! :) :)
Ditch the Nature2. It adds copper to your water. You do NOT want copper in your pool! It is what stains pools, fingernails and hair green! :eek::eek:
I can't help but think my 13 year old daughter would love one of those nature2 systems every time I read about hair turning green :0Quote:
Originally Posted by Watermom
I'm confused??? Your daughter would like "GREEN" hair? LOL.
I am hoping this weekend I will be able to talk directly to the seller. (keeping fingers crossed).
It will be one of many questions I will have for him.
Thanks for the insight!
Yeah, but if she's anything like the teenagers down here, I'm guessing she's rather go for bright green rather than copper green!! LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by kelemvor
Janet
Or blue, pink, purple ........
OK, met with the sellers with the wife. Talked for over 2 hours about the home and pool. I found out it is 25,000 Gallons. It does have the Nature2 unit installed, but she said it does NOT have the cartridge installed in it. She said it was starting to stain the pool skimmers, so she removed it. They used a basic kit to check the water condition. She was very helpful and even gave me detail instructions on how she did the maintenance and cleaning of the pool. I should be able to pickup where she left off after closing (2 more weeks!). They fixed the cleaner pump which had a leak in the pump seal. She also showed me how to run the timers and feature pump for the waterfall and sprayers. I will upload pictures after closing. Thanks for everyone's help.