My pool is out of control and swampy

[QuidStuprum]

I had never had a pool before and I bought a house with a pool 8(!) years ago. You would think that I would be better at this by now.

I have an in ground kidney shaped gunite pool that I estimate is ~23,000 gallons. I converted it to a salt water system about 5 years ago.

I had a pool guy that I used for the past few years until we finally parted ways last summer because of some reliability issues. So I figured with my salt system running well and a barracuda vacuum "robot" I could handle the pool without paying someone else to do it.

Last summer went fine and I was very happy with myself. Here is where the moron part comes into play. My pool is surrounded by trees (you can't even see the pool in an aerial photo) so it is susceptible to getting a lot of leaves in the fall and there is a tree that drops these annoying little cottony balls in it in April.

So I decided to cover my pool, use chlorine tablets in the floating dispenser to save my salt cell some work and keep the pool circulating to avoid any freezing issues. And that is where I royally screwed up. Out of sight, out of mind. I was not diligent enough adding chlorine tablets to the floating dispenser. :facepalm: My pool is an opaque green pond right now. I have dumped about 15 lbs of chlorine in it over the past couple of weeks to try to shock it in addition to having the tablet dispenser floating around. It has not budged.

I am considering draining the pool, pressure washing the gunite, and completely starting over with my pool chemistry. Is this a horrible idea?

tl;dr. My pool is a swamp and I am about to drain it and start over.

[Watermom]

We can help you get this cleaned up.

Do you have a test kit? If not, we suggest the Taylor K2006 or 2006C (better buy). Not available locally, but you can get it through this link: http://pool9.net/test/

In the meantime, go to Walmart and see if they have the HTH 6-Way drops-based kit. (Not the 6-Way test strips.) If not, then pick up a cheap OTO/Phenol Red kit (red and yellow drops). Test and post your results. Also, while you are there, get a bunch of jugs of their generic 8.25% bleach and a few boxes of 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry aisle).

Tell us what size pump you have and what type and size filter you have. Also, what are the ingredients of the 15 lbs. of chlorine you have added? Anything else added to the water?

(Turn your SWCG off for now.)

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

[QuidStuprum]

We can help you get this cleaned up.

Do you have a test kit? If not, we suggest the Taylor K2006 or 2006C (better buy). Not available locally, but you can get it through this link: http://pool9.net/test/

In the meantime, go to Walmart and see if they have the HTH 6-Way drops-based kit. (Not the 6-Way test strips.) If not, then pick up a cheap OTO/Phenol Red kit (red and yellow drops). Test and post your results. Also, while you are there, get a bunch of jugs of their generic 8.25% bleach and a few boxes of 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry aisle).

Tell us what size pump you have and what type and size filter you have. Also, what are the ingredients of the 15 lbs. of chlorine you have added? Anything else added to the water?

(Turn your SWCG off for now.)

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

Thank you, Watermom.

I do not have a test kit. Last summer I would take my water to Leslie's pool store here locally and they tested my water. So I assume that is not ideal. For some reason, when I click your link for the testing kit, I get an error message saying that I do not have permissions to access the page. Do either of the kits you listed have a way to test for salinity?

I have my SWCG off since I thought the condition of the water would not really be conducive to good operation.

I will post the specs of my equipment when I get home tonight. I have a DE filter but I don't recall the exact size.

Thanks for your help.

[Watermom]

Copy that link and then paste it into a browser window after you have logged out of the forum. (New users, until their registrations are completed, have to log out first to be able to see the rest of the forum.)

That kit does not have a salt test but there is a separate salt test listed on that same page that I linked to you.

[PoolDoc]

. . . membership updated.

Just FYI -- if water costs aren't too high there, draining and refilling may be the option that pleases your family most. Chemical swamp clean-up can be slow. Drain, wash and refill can be faster . . . and less frustrating. It's not an option with vinyl or some fiberglass pools, but unless the ground around your pool is REALLY saturated, it IS an option for concrete pools.

[QuidStuprum]

. . . membership updated.

Just FYI -- if water costs aren't too high there, draining and refilling may be the option that pleases your family most. Chemical swamp clean-up can be slow. Drain, wash and refill can be faster . . . and less frustrating. It's not an option with vinyl or some fiberglass pools, but unless the ground around your pool is REALLY saturated, it IS an option for concrete pools.

Thank you, Doc. I am glad I found your site. My failings in maintaining my pool are a bit of an embarrassment for me. With this site's help, I endeavor to do better.

So when you stress "REALLY saturated" does that mean that I should be OK to drain my pool this weekend even if they are calling for a chance of rain for my area on Sat and Sun? I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area which is generally pretty dry. My pool is also surrounded by a concrete "decking". Would that help alleviate concerns of the pool floating up due to ground water?

BTW, I noticed your location is Chattanooga. I am originally from West TN and I am a graduate of UTK. I miss TN sometimes.