New house and first pool

[tully]

We just bought a bank repro and it has a 18 x 33 or 36 inground pool or cement pond complete with frogs. So we will be asking a lot of questions from you.

[PoolDoc]

Welcome!

[tully]

Thanks Doc

I'm in Henderson Tn or the pool is..

I'm headed up there in a few weeks and would like some advise, I was planning on cleaning out all the leaves. I also was going to hook up a extra pool pump I got for a about ground and start filtering the water.. good Idea? or should I just drain it and refill?


dennis

[Watermom]

What is your volume? That's a lot of water to throw out. You can probably clean it up with a lot of bleach. Scoop out as much organic stuff as you can.

Go ahead and order a Taylor K2006 or 2006C (better buy) test kit to day if you can so you will get it soon. Not available locally but you can get it through this link:> http://pool9.net/tk/

In the meantime, go to Walmart and pick up a cheap OTO/Phenol Red (yellow and red drops) kit. Aim to keep the chlorine in the dark yellow range. http://pool9.net/oto-chart/

You'll probably find that you have to add chlorine a couple of times per day.

Run your pump 24/7 while you are clearing it. What size is the pump? What kind and size is the filter?

[BigDave]

For what purpose?

[PoolDoc]

If it's a 'swamped-up' concrete pool, and the ground is dry enough to allow you to drain safely, I'd drain it, pressure wash it, and refill.

Clearing a swamp is a total PITA, even with the best pump and filter.

CAUTION: Keep in mind that you can NOT drain a vinyl pool, and often can not drain a fiberglass pool, without causing serious damage.