New House, New Above-Ground Pool...No Clue!!!

[conquer1]

I just bought a house that has a 24' above ground pool and I don't have a clue about how to care for it. The water is green and dirty.

I went to the local pool shop and they wanted to sell me about $200 worth of stuff to get my pool clean.

Is there anyway that I can get my pool clean and clear for MUCH less than the $200 the pool shop wanted me to spend?

Thanks in advance,
Greg

[PoolDoc]

Is there anyway that I can get my pool clean and clear for MUCH less than the $200 the pool shop wanted me to spend?

MUCH less than $200? Probably not. And if your local pool store is typical, the $200 was just to start. They were expecting to sell you more, later.

Cleaning up a slimy pool can be expensive . . . even when you use ONLY what's needed. This is one of the key lessons of pool care: a single slimy pool event can consume more work and chemicals than would be required in a month or more of normal clear water maintenance. You do NOT want to start, if you don't have enough money right now to finish. Doing so will waste the money you spend now, and very likely will not make it any cheaper later.

In addition, you are probably going to have to spend money on one-time purchases, since you are new to this pool. And, new-to-you pools often have postponed maintenance issues.

We can help you get it up and running as cheaply as possible, but not more cheaply than is possible! You won't do yourself any favors by starting the clean up, if you can't finish. And, if you can't that's understandable -- buying a new house can leave you completely tapped out.

So evaluate your budget. If you can't afford to spend $300 over the next 6 weeks . . . postpone opening the pool.

If you decide to postpone opening, do this (if you can) to make it easier to open, later:
1. If you have the cleaning tools (telescoping pole, skimmer, leaf bag), remove as much debris from the pool bottom as possible.
2. Go to Sams Club and get their 2 gallon PoolBrand algicide. Dump it all in, but not all in one spot. (Do NOT do this, if you think you're going to open the pool within a week or so -- we do NOT recommend that sort of algicide for pools that are in use!)
3. Cover the pool, with any sort of cover that you have for the pool -- hopefully there is a cover.
4. Wait till you DO have $300 to start re-opening. Plan to swim 2 weeks after you open.
5. If possible, check out the pool pump and filter, now. You will NOT be able to open if these do not work, and if they are broken, you can expect to spend several hundred dollars more. But, you may have recourse against the seller, if you make a prompt claim. So check them out, and then talk to your realtor, if they are broken.

Once more thing.

Call your water company, and find out what 12,000 gallons of water will cost you. If you are on sewers, remember to find out what the COMBINED cost for water AND sewer charges will be -- even though the pool water won't go in the sewers, they'll still charge as if it did. If it's not too expensive, you have another option: draining and refilling. But don't do so without careful prep -- we can help -- improperly draining even an above-ground pool can destroy it.

When you DO have the money to start the pool, here are the basics you'll need -- or one version of them:
NOTE: all images are 'clickable' IF you want to buy from Amazon, or just want more info or bigger pictures)

1. 50# of PoolBrand dichlor from Sams Club -- ~$120 (this will last most of the season)
2. (4) boxes of "20 Mule Team" borax from Walmart or whereever -- this is a start up dose; but you can buy borax as you need it.
3. A cheap OTO/phenol red test kit, like this one

You can click the image to order from Amazon (about $18 delivered) or you can find a similar kit from Walmart for $12 or so. The Walmart kits will not be quite as good.
4. Basic cleaning tools. Look around, and see what the previous owner left. Here's what you need to start:

+ a telescoping pole long enough to reach to the middle of your pool (14')


+ a skimmer net, for removing debris from the pool surface (the Swimline model at Amazon is called a "professional" skimmer -- it's not pro-grade skimmers cost 2x to 3x as much!)


+ a leaf bag, unless there are no trees within 50 - 100' of your pool:


5. Later, you'll probably need a vacuum head and vacuum hose.



Look all this over, look at your budget; look around and see what may be left at the pool, and get back to us, and we can help you.

[conquer1]

Wow, thanks for the info!

The sellers did leave some items for the pool. I took pics, and showed everything to the lady at the pool shop, and she explained what everything was and how it worked.

I've got a vacuum hose, vacuum, telescoping pole, and skimmer net. They also left a twin pack of the PoolBrand Algaecide that you mentioned.

I can spend $300 over the next 6 weeks. That's not a problem. But, if I can avoid spending anywhere close to that all at once, that would be MUCH better.

We hadn't really planned on opening the pool until about mid May. We haven't even moved in the house yet, and won't until the end of April. We're doing lots of work to the inside before we move in, and things inside the house are taking more of a priority right now. But, if I can get the pool clean in the mean time, that would be great.

The pump and filter seem to be in working order, and the pump is on a timer.

If I dump that algaecide in the pool this weekend, what can I expect it to look like after that, and what would I need to do after I put it in, and about how much would I need to spend in the next 2-3 weeks on getting it clean and keeping it clean?

Thanks again for your help.

The previous owners

[PoolDoc]

If I dump that algaecide in the pool this weekend, what can I expect it to look like after that, and what would I need to do after I put it in, and about how much would I need to spend in the next 2-3 weeks on getting it clean and keeping it clean?

I actually don't know.

Using linear quat algaecides is something I've had very little reason to experiment with; I've had other, cheaper ways to get the job done. But, the availability of those algaecides from Sams at that very low price makes it worth learning, especially since many of the methods I've used commercially aren't available to you.

The 'BBB Method' is not, at it's core, rooted in Bleach, Borax, and Baking soda. Rather, it's based on using what's available in the most practical and helpful way possible.

Using chlorine to clean up sludge is not particular efficient. Nevertheless when chlorine is available very cheaply, it may still be the best way. But, cal hypo is now usually neither cheap or readily available in smaller quantities. Bleach is also not as cheap as it was, except in areas like south Florida, where it's widely and cheaply sold as 'liquid chlorine'.

Using the linear quat offers you an alternative. It's cheap (free, in this case) and unlike chlorine, it doesn't have to 'burn up' all the algae -- it just kills it and leaves it there. If you are in a hurry, that may not be so good. But if you've got time to vacuum it up and filter it out, it's possible to clean up the algae much more efficiently.

And, while you don't want to use that sort of algaecide during swim season -- it fights with the chlorine and tends to turn the pool into a suds bath, and it's irritating to people besides -- there's no reason not to use it now.

Still, I would appreciate if you would tell me exactly how things do progress, since I can't be there myself!

[conquer1]

Thanks for all of the info. The pool is looking MUCH better. I can actually see the bottom now. The previous owners left 2 extra cartridge filters. I cleaned them off and replaced the one that had been there all winter.

Now that the water is clearer, I can see LOTS of debris in the pool. Leaves have collected in a couple of places and the dead algae is at the bottom of the pool. I saw on another thread where you had recommended a leaf rake. I'll be getting one of those real soon.

In the mean time, I was trying to vacuum the algae from the bottom, and am having trouble with getting air in the system. Once I changed the filter, I had very good circulation, but now it just seems like a slow trickle.

Is the replacement filter clogged? Is it air? And if it's air, how do I get it out? I'm still now entirely sure how the valves work. I've got a valve before the pump and a valve after what I believe is called the chlorinator. Both of those are in the up position.

Again, thanks for the help

Greg

[PoolDoc]

1. Cartridge filters can plug VERY quickly, when you are vacuuming live sludge -- I wouldn't do that!
2. Air can get in many ways, and it can be hard to find where. Check your vac hose for damage, but otherwise, let's leave that for later.
3. We can probably help with the valves . . . IF you send GOOD pictures to poolforum@gmail.com. I'll post them, and let folks go from there.
4. Meanwhile, use the leaf rake and keep the chlorine HIGH.

[PoolDoc]

Here are your pictures:

[PoolDoc]

Your valves are Valterra type slice valves:


When the handle is UP, they're open; when it's DOWN, they're closed. Do NOT close these valves suddenly, when the pump is on: you can break something! Also, they are not very good at throttling; they're either open or closed.

Checking on the Aqua Smarte; it appears to be an older version of the King Tech 'mineral pak' thing, where 'mineral' = copper. A manual for the current model is here:
http://www.kingtechnology.com/pdf/ma...al-English.pdf

This parts list may apply:
http://www.kingtechnology.com/pdf/parts/Parts-AG.pdf

I'd plan to replumb and remove that beast, when you get a chance -- it can definitely restrict flow.

Open it, and remove any cartridge inside and re-close it.

[conquer1]

Thanks for the explanation of the valves and for the manual!

As far as replumbing goes, would I just need to shut off the pump, close the valves and take out the Aqua Smarte? Then hook up the valve and outlet hose directly to the outlet of the filter?

If it can restrict flow, I want it gone as soon as possible.

I'm also planning to replace the cartridge filter with a sand one in a few weeks. Should I wait to remove the Aqua Smarte when I put in the sand filter?

[PoolDoc]

It looks like you have threaded connections. You'll probably need to disconnect the hoses, and pull them up above the water level. Then, you'll be able to work on the pipes without having water go everywhere.