Black lagoon

[slcpunk]

I hope I’m posting in the right section, sorry if not.

I just picked up a home with a pool that has sat neglected for maybe a half a year. Two weeks ago the pool was totally black. I dumped 5 jugs of chlorine in and you can see to the bottom of the pool now. I cleaned the leaves and debris from the bottom with the leaf catcher the best I could so far. Every time I begin to use the leaf catcher it stirs up so much muck it becomes too cloudy to see what I am doing though.

The pump is new, the sand filter is new, but not used (Divorced couple with power struggle, nobody bothered to turn the pump on as a protest.) I still don’t think it is safe to turn on yet, is it? Should I rent an external water pump first to filter the water before turning on the filtration system? I remember my father’s pool filled with river water (from a hurricane) and he used an external pump to filter the water first.

What products to I need to put into this pool since it has been sitting for so long unattended?

Anything else you could point out would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[aylad]

As far as chemicals go,I would pick up large quantities of plain, unscented bleach, a box of Borax, a box of baking soda, and a container of CYA (also labelled as balancer, conditioner, or stabilizer). You can get all this stuff at WalMart. You also need a drop-based test kit--the WalMart 5-way for about $15 will do to get started, but I highly encourage you to invest in a really good one--Taylor has one, but most of us use the one sold at this forum (click on the Poolsolutions logo at the top of the page).

I would say to do your best to get as much crud off the bottom as possible, even if you have to vacuum, wait for water to settle, then vacuum again but I don't see any reason not to turn the pump on. Your pump should have a skimmer basket to catch anything big enough to hurt the pump, and you can always use a piece of panythose or a skimmer sock (also available at WalMart) to help the basket catch smaller stuff. The faster you can get the pump up and running, the faster we can help you clear your water.

Run a set of test numbers for pH, TA, and Ca, and let us know what kind of pool (vinyl? plaster?)l and the gallonage, and I'm sure we can get you headed in the right direction!

Janet

[Poconos]

What kind of pool? Above, In-ground vinyl lined or concrete etc? Also the type and size of the filter and pump would be helpful. For now run the pump but keep an eye on the flow and pressure. If the filter or pump or skimmer baskets fill and block flow you could ruin the pump.
Al

[slcpunk]

Sorry.

Concrete pool, 15000 gallons, sandfilter.

Thanks for the info!

Just let me know how much to use and I'll get started!

[slcpunk]

So what are the directions for the unscented bleach, a box of Borax, a box of baking soda? Please help a guy out, I am ready to do this thing.

Thanks!

[SoCalBoo]

I think the order from above was to remove as much debris as you could and get the filter running. From there, need to test your water to see what it needs. Some chemical levels, like ph and alkalinity, can be adjusted up and down pretty easily. Others, like CYA and Cal, can be adjusted upwards easily, but downwards is impossible, save draining off part of the pool. That is why testing before you add is important.

On this forum (or google it) is a program called bleachcalc. it will tell you how much to add of each chemical depending on pool volume and desired increase/decrease. Based on yoru test results, you'll get a good idea of what you need and how much. Add one chemical at a time, and add half of what you think you need so you can sneak up onto the level you want. Again, with some levels (CYA and CAL) you don't want to overshoot.

If it were me, I'd get the gunk off the bottom, get the filter up and running for a few complete cycles of water, and then test. Post your results on the "test result" part of this forum, and the good folks here will take it from there.

And congratulations on having a pool. After you get things figured out, it really isn't that much work and it is a lot of fun.

[slcpunk]

I think the order from above was to remove as much debris as you could and get the filter running. From there, need to test your water to see what it needs. Some chemical levels, like ph and alkalinity, can be adjusted up and down pretty easily. Others, like CYA and Cal, can be adjusted upwards easily, but downwards is impossible, save draining off part of the pool. That is why testing before you add is important.

On this forum (or google it) is a program called bleachcalc. it will tell you how much to add of each chemical depending on pool volume and desired increase/decrease. Based on yoru test results, you'll get a good idea of what you need and how much. Add one chemical at a time, and add half of what you think you need so you can sneak up onto the level you want. Again, with some levels (CYA and CAL) you don't want to overshoot.

If it were me, I'd get the gunk off the bottom, get the filter up and running for a few complete cycles of water, and then test. Post your results on the "test result" part of this forum, and the good folks here will take it from there.

And congratulations on having a pool. After you get things figured out, it really isn't that much work and it is a lot of fun.

Great, thankyou. I will get it running and then test.

Thanks.