Pool needs to open soon..new owner

[will_m]

Here we go again folks. Bought house last November with above ground pool that looks like it was properly closed. About 5300 gallons (15' circumference and about 4' deep.) It had a good tarp on top but no pillow. Pump (sand type) was moved into shed.

O.k. couple of questions:

- pool is still about 3/4 full. Do I have to drain the water at all or can I just refill it? (Side note: my area will be under water restrictions starting May 3rd due to a water main break...it won't be fixed until Sept. 1st ) Also, there are some leaves in the pool that I know will have to be removed.

- I have seen a lot of posts and some discussion over time a pump needs to run. Any clear theory on this? We are getting a nice 72% rate hike from our electrical supplier July 1st.

Any other suggestions?

[Poconos]

DON'T DRAIN IT !!
Just thought I'd throw out the warning until someone in the chemistry area kicks in with more specific info. No need to drain, just fill while you can. Draining will either cause liner problems like wrinkles at the least, or destroy it at the worst. In the meantime get the leaves and any other debris out with a net. Posting the type of equipment, especially the filter type, and any test kit info you may have will be helpful. If you don't have a kit or are not sure how to use it, take a water sample to a pool store and have them run the numbers and post here then you can get detailed advice. Run the pump and filter for a few hours before taking the sample. Whatever you do DON'T LET THEM SELL YOU ANYTHING. If you haven't already, browse through the sister site http://www.poolsolutions.com and do some reading. Lot of info there.
Al

[Watermom]

Get out as many leaves as you can, fill it and test it with a drops-based kit. The one Ben sells at his www.poolsolutions.com website is the best one and the one that most of us use. Then, post your testing results. We'll need FC, CC, TC, Ph, alk, CH, CYA. Also, tell us what all has been used in the pool before if you know. Get a few jugs of plain, unscented bleach. Post some numbers and we'll go from there. Hope this helps.

Watermom

[will_m]

O.k. I will fill it probably this weekend. Haven't turned the pump on yet. It is a filter media type. Pool is about 5300 gallons, above ground (15' wide by 4' deep.)

[will_m]

O.k. finally got around to filling it, hooking up the pump, cleaning the filter, etc. Had the water tested and here are the stats:

Total hardness: 100ppm
pH: 6.0
Combined Chlorine: 0
Free Chlorine: 0
Total Alkalinity: 0
Cyanuric acid: 0

water volume: 5300 gallons

Filter type: Clearwater Cartridge filter (75 square ft filter.)

Filter was removed and soaked in a cleaning solution (very green )

Water now is still green and all leaves have been removed.

[Watermom]

Your most immediate danger is damage to the liner from such a low ph. Any ph reading below 7.0 is acidic and can damage your liner. Add a box of Borax (laundry aisle at Walmart) ASAP to the skimmer while the pump is running. Wait a couple hours, retest and keep redosing until you get it to 7.4-7.6.

Also, add a 3 quart jug of regular, unscented laundry bleach. Can also be added to the skimmer. That should take your chlorine reading up to 8 or 9ppm. You'll need to get a drops based test kit. 3x a day, test your water and each time add enough bleach to raise your cl level back up to about 8. (in your size pool, each quart will raise the cl by about 2.8ppm.) The key to killing algae is to sustain the high cl reading. If you let it yo-yo up and down, you'll never clear it.

You are also going to need some cya which is also called stabilizer or conditioner. Without it, you will have a hard time maintaining a chlorine reading. You may find it at Walmart, Lowe's or Home Depot or you may have to get it from a pool store. (Don't let a pool store talk you into buying a bunch of other stuff, however.) If the ingredient says cyanuric acid or isocyanuric acid, that is the right stuff. After your pool starts to clear some, add an initial dose of cya. The label will tell you how much to add per volume. Aim for a level of about 30. Add it to the skimmer, then don't retest, add more or backwash for about a week because it takes a long time to dissolve. (The label may tell you to broadcast it across the pool, but don't. Add it to the skimmer.)

I'm skeptical that your alk is actually 0. Retest and if it is below at least 80, add some plain baking soda (again to the skimmer), wait a few hours to let it circulate, retest and then redose til you get to 80-125 range.

The most pressing need is your low ph. Borax - ASAP! Then, chlorine. Keep us posted how things are going.

BTW - I would suggest buying the test kit that most of us use. You can get it at the sister site to this forum www.poolsolutions.com It will allow you to test everything you need and you won't have to rely on a pool store which most of the time is a good thing. Many pool stores give inaccurate water testing results.

[will_m]

Well, pH is now stable at 7.6, water is a nice and clear.

Chlorine is still a bit high (just above 3ppm) but it is coming down. Still using some 3 inch slow tabs left by the previous users (put 2 in the floating dispenser when I was trying to kill everything.

Otherwise, everything is running fine.